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Admissions Information

The University of Maryland School of Medicine can consider for admission only those students who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and citizens of Canada. Occasionally, an applicant residing in the United States holds a visa permitting him or her to live in the United States indefinitely and to establish residency. Applications are accepted from these individuals. Those individuals on a time-limited visa, such as a student visa, are not eligible for admission to the School of Medicine. Preference is given in the selection process to Maryland residents. However, the School of Medicine welcomes applications from individuals who reside throughout the United States and Canada. A significant number of non-resident applicants are invited to interview and are accepted to enter each freshman class. Diversity is highly valued in the educational process and applications are encouraged from individuals with non-traditional and disadvantaged backgrounds. The University of Maryland School of Medicine does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed, religion, national origin, age or disability.

Selection criteria have been developed by the faculty of the School of Medicine and are closely allied to the School's mission and goals. Academic achievement, extracurricular activities, personal characteristics, recommendations from the premedical committee or college instructors and scores on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) are all considered in the Committee's evaluation of an applicant. Academic achievement and/or high MCAT scores do not in themselves guarantee acceptance to the School of Medicine. Of significant concern to the Committee on Admissions are the applicant's character, personality and potential to perform well as a medical student and as a future physician. Personal integrity, emotional maturity and stability, motivation, intellectual curiosity, empathy and concern for others, leadership skills, interests and activities outside the classroom, interpersonal communication skills and commitment to excellence are all carefully evaluated. Candidates for the MD degree must have the attitudes, knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of interpersonal situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care. Proficiency in both written and spoken English is required. Applicants are encouraged to review the School of Medicine's policy on Essential Requirements for Admission, Academic Advancement and Graduation.

Applications from both residents and non-residents may be rejected without an interview. Those applicants who possess competitive academic credentials and the personal characteristics noted above may be invited to interview. The interview provides the candidate with an opportunity to discuss their personal history and motivation for a medical career as well as any aspect of their application that merits special attention or explanation. Candidates should be prepared to discuss any and all aspects of their application. Interviewers are trained to evaluate specifically an applicant's maturity, adequacy of support systems, level of confidence in their abilities, intellectual curiosity, communication skills, motivation for medicine, depth of involvement in extracurricular activities and professional bearing during the interview, among other factors. Applicants are expected to demonstrate excellent communication skills, to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a career in medicine and to conduct themselves in an appropriate fashion during the interview day. The interview evaluations are the last important factor considered by the members of the Committee on Admissions in their deliberations regarding each applicant's candidacy for admission.

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Admission to the First-Year Class

The student should plan a four year undergraduate curriculum with a suitable arts or science major leading to a bachelor's degree. The Committee on Admissions encourages all applicants to pursue a course of study that is rigorous, scholarly and focused on areas that are intellectually challenging and interesting to the applicant. The Committee on Admissions seeks to admit students with diverse academic backgrounds.

A minimum of 90 semester hours of acceptable college credit is required, exclusive of physical education and military science. Preference is given in the selection process to applicants who will have earned a bachelor's degree. Credit hours must be earned in colleges or universities whose names appear on the current list of Accredited Institutions of Higher Education as compiled by the National Committee of Regional Accrediting Agencies of the United States. The only courses accepted are those that are approved for credit towards a degree by the university or college attended. It is expected that preparation at a foreign college or university be supplemented by completion of the pre-requisite course work in an approved university or college in the United States.

Successful completion of the following courses and credits is required prior to matriculation at the School of Medicine:

No more than 60 hours can be accepted from accredited junior colleges and then only if those credits are validated by a college offering a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. Advanced placement credits for science courses taken in high school may be accepted if the applicant's college (which grants the bachelor's degree) has given college credit for those courses. Other exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Committee on Admissions.

Selected students who enter the School of Medicine from colleges that usually grant a baccalaureate degree after the successful completion of the first year of medical school are responsible for: (1) providing a certificate from the college or university certifying eligibility for this degree; and (2) meeting all requirements of the School of Medicine for advancement to the second year.

The MCAT must be taken no later than fall of the year preceding the desired year of entrance and must be taken within four years of the anticipated date of matriculation. Applicants should write to MCAT Program Office, P.O. Box 4056, Iowa City, Iowa, 52243, or visit their Web site at mcatreg@act.org for further information and registration materials.

A letter of recommendation from the undergraduate premedical committee or an officially designated premedical advisor is required. If the applicant's undergraduate college or university does not have a premedical committee or advisor, three letters of recommendation are required from faculty who have taught the applicant. Two of these letters must come from instructors who have taught the applicant in the sciences. Applicants who have earned advanced degrees or who have been out of school for a significant length of time should submit a letter of recommendation from each component of their education or work-related experience. Letters of recommendation should be submitted by individuals qualified to evaluate the applicant's accomplishments, productivity and character in an objective and critical manner. All letters of recommendation should be sent directly to the Committee on Admissions. Letters of recommendation are not to be sent to AMCAS.

Each applicant's credentials are evaluated by the Committee on Admissions to determine if an interview is to be granted. All interviews are to be conducted at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Interviews are scheduled in advance by invitation. Applications may be rejected from both residents and nonresidents without an interview.

In its selection process, the Committee on Admissions must use the applicant's residency status that is in effect on the last day applications can be received (December 15). The UMB Office of Records and Registration is responsible for all decisions regarding residency. All questions, complaints or appeals regarding residency status should be directed to: 621 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201-1575 or 410-706-7480, not to the School of Medicine Office of Admissions. Nonresidents who matriculate at the School of Medicine should plan to maintain that status throughout the four years of medical school. Current standards for reclassification to in-state status are rigorous and make reclassification difficult.

For further information regarding the admissions process at the University of Maryland School of Medicine the applicant is referred to the Office of Admissions Web site at http://medschool.umaryland.edu/admissions. For information regarding the admissions process in general, the applicant is referred to a book entitled "Medical School Admissions Requirements," which can be obtained from:

Association of American Medical Colleges
Section for Publication Orders
2450 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037-1131
www.services.aamc.org

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Policy on Advanced Standing

Students who have attended a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredited medical school in the United States or Canada are eligible to file application for admission to the third year class only. Applications must be submitted between February 15 and May 1 of the desired year of admission. Applicants for advanced standing must meet all of the current first year entrance requirements and must present undergraduate credentials comparable to those of students in the third year class into which they are attempting to transfer. Applicants will be considered for transfer only if they have attended a medical school with a curriculum that is comparable to that offered at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. All applicants must pass Step I of the United States Medical Licensing Examination before they will be allowed to matriculate at the School of Medicine. Residents of Maryland will be given preference in the selection process. The number of transfers accepted will be limited by attrition.

All applicants must furnish letters of recommendation from the dean and faculty of the medical school where they are currently enrolled. No student who has been dismissed from any medical school will be eligible for advanced standing unless his/her former dean submits a letter addressed to the Committee on Admissions confirming that the student has been reinstated in good standing and is eligible for promotion. No student can be considered who is not eligible for promotion at the time of transfer.</

Persons who already hold the degree of Doctor of Medicine cannot be admitted to the medical school as candidates for that degree from this University. Individuals whose graduate work has been in the fields of osteopathic medicine or podiatric medicine are not eligible for advanced standing. Individuals whose graduate work has been in the field of dentistry may apply for advanced standing through the Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery/MD Program. Information regarding the combined program can be obtained by writing to:

Program Director
Advanced Dental Education
Office of Admissions and Students Affairs
Baltimore College of Dental Surgery
Room 4-A-22
666 West Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
www.dental.umaryland.edu/admissions

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