Requirements
General Requirements
We consider for admission currently enrolled students and graduates of accredited colleges. Only under exceptional circumstances will you be considered with fewer than 120 hours of undergraduate work. Non-U.S. citizens must hold a permanent resident visa (not conditional) or refugee/asylee status and have completed at least one full year of undergraduate education, including our prerequisites, in the United States.
In examining your candidacy, the admissions committee will consider your:
- Undergraduate, post baccalaureate, and graduate records;
- Current MCAT scores. (Valid for only three years. For more information, visit: http://www.aamc.org;
- Independent and advanced study;
- Research;
- Work experience;
- Extracurricular activities, including depth and breadth of your interests and activities outside the classroom, volunteer activities, community service, student government, hobbies, clubs, and athletics;
- Academic and personal recommendations;
- Personal character, including integrity, communication skills, leadership, motivation, and creativity;
- Supplemental essays; and
- Personal interviews.
NOTE: Given that our interview season will conclude at the end of January, there will be insufficient time to invite and schedule January MCAT takers for interviews for 2010 admission. We look forward to considering those applicants for 2011.
Academic Requirements
All of those who matriculate at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine must have an undergraduate degree and at least two years of education post secondary in the United States.
A strong background in mathematics is recommended. The School of Medicine prefers candidates who have a variety of course work typical of a liberal arts education, but this is not mandatory. Course work in the humanities and social sciences is desirable. Many applicants have majors outside the sciences; the School of Medicine looks favorably on such applicants as long as the science requirements are met.
Acceptance of courses taken at foreign universities is determined individually at the discretion of the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. You should have completed most premedical requirements to receive serious consideration. All requirements must be met before matriculation.
In examining your candidacy, the admissions committee will consider whether you have completed one year each of:
- Biology, exclusive of botany (with one full year lab or a single two credit lab);
- General or inorganic chemistry (with one full year lab or a single two credit lab);
- Organic chemistry (with one full year lab or a single two credit lab);
- Physics (with one full year lab or a single two credit lab); and
- English (including W courses taken outside the English department).
We will accept AP credit if that credit was awarded by your college/university and the course credit granted appears on your transcript.
Technical Standards
To review the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Technical Standards for the Doctor of Medicine Degree click here.
Letters of Recommendation
A letter of recommendation from a Pre-Health Advisory Committee or three individual letters of recommendation are required to complete an application for admission to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. While any three letters of recommendations will be accepted, it is preferred that the applicant submit three academic letters.
An academic letter can be written by a professor from whom you took a class, a pre-health advisor, or a research mentor(s). In addition to the academic letters, we also welcome personal letters from supervisors and volunteer directors.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine participates with the letter system provided by AMCAS. All letters of recommendation should be sent directly to AMCAS. For additional assistance please visit http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/amcasletters.htm or call AMCAS at 202-828-0600.
If your letters are being transmitted by your undergraduate advising office, it is possible that the advising office is using VirtualEvals. Once your letters are posted to VirtualEvals, they will be downloaded by AMCAS and made available to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. If you have a question about whether or not your advising office uses VirtualEvals, please contact your undergraduate advising office.
Professionalism & Criminal Background Checks
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) has a commitment to train competent and caring physicians who behave in a professional and ethical manner. Therefore, UPSOM has developed a policy regarding behavior that impacts on professionalism of the candidates being considered and accepted for admission. Full and prompt disclosure of all information about the applicant that may have bearing on the ability to become a caring and compassionate professional is expected.
UPSOM Professionalism and Criminal Background Check Policy
Terms and Conditions for Matriculation
All accepted applicants must meet the following terms and conditions for matriculation into the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
