Admissions

To be considered for admission to MCW Medical School, you must first apply to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). You may apply to AMCAS between June 1 and November 1.

To apply to MCW, you must have earned a minimum of 90 undergraduate credits, including prerequisites, at a regionally accredited college or university located in the United States or Canada. The required credits must be earned prior to matriculation. No credit will be given for coursework taken outside the United States or Canada.

All eligible applicants who submit a verified AMCAS application will receive an email invitation to complete an MCW secondary application. The deadline for completing the application is 4:59pm (CST) on December 1. Applying as early as possible is strongly recommended as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the completion date.

A completed application includes:

AMCAS primary application

MCW secondary application

Letters of recommendation

• All letters of recommendation must be signed, on letterhead, and received directly from the author, university advising office, or the AMCAS electronic letter service.
  
  • Letters from your undergraduate institution are required if you have graduated within the last five years. You may submit a premedical advisory committee letter, a letter packet directly from your institution containing at least one letter from a science professor, or two letters from academic sources, one of whom must have instructed you in a science course.
  • Letters from a graduate program are required if you are currently enrolled or have graduated from the program. This letter should come from a professor or thesis advisor.
  • You may also submit up to three optional letters of recommendation.

A nonrefundable $100 application fee. If you have been approved for the AMCAS Fee Assistance Program, please contact the Office of Admissions for a waiver code for the secondary application fee.

Official scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The test must have been taken within three years of your potential matriculation date. For the 2018 cycle, only the new format of the exam will be accepted (i.e. tests taken in April 2015 or later).

Completion of the CASPer exam with scores received by MCW

While it is recommended that all prerequisites be completed prior to the taking the MCAT, completion of the prerequisites is not a requirement to have your file reviewed, be interviewed, or receive an offer of admission. Completion of all prerequisites is a requirement for enrollment, and must be fulfilled by June 15 of the matriculation year.

It is a matriculation requirement to have earned a minimum of 90 undergraduate graded credits, including the prerequisites, at an accredited college or university located in the United States or Canada. The majority of successful applicants to MCW have earned an undergraduate degree prior to matriculation.

Any degree listed on the AMCAS application is expected to be earned prior to matriculation.

The following prerequisite courses are required and must be taken for graded credit at a regionally accredited college or university in the United States or Canada.

You are encouraged to acquire a broad experience in the humanities, behavioral sciences, and social sciences in your undergraduate studies. A successful applicant is also expected to have a mature sense of values and sound motivation for pursuing a career in medicine.

All application materials must be received for consideration in the admissions cycle. Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete. You are responsible for determining whether all information has been submitted and received. Invitations to interview are determined by the competitiveness of the application and the date the application is completed. Interviews are an integral part of the admissions process. The Admissions Committee extends invitations for interviews only to those who are being considered seriously for admission based on their written application materials. The Admissions Committee begins interviewing qualified applicants for admission in early fall.

Evidence of falsified application materials will result in rejection of the applicant or dismissal of the student.

The Admissions Committee bases its decisions on a thoughtful appraisal of each candidate’s suitability for the profession of medicine. Decisions are determined based upon academic achievement and history, MCAT and CASPer scores, letters of recommendation, personal statement and essays, involvement in work, volunteer, and extracurricular activities, exposure to clinical medicine, the personal interview, and also by non-cognitive qualities of resilience, character, and maturity. MCW Medical School reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant for any reason it deems sufficient.

Decisions are generally communicated by email and mail shortly after the interview date. After receiving an offer of admission, applicants must submit a nonrefundable $100 tuition deposit to the Office of Admissions by April 30 to secure a position in the class. The deposit is credited toward tuition at matriculation. By accepting an offer of admission, you agree to abide by all the institutional and academic policies of MCW Medical School. You must also review and agree that you can meet all technical standards for matriculation and graduation. After April 30, you may not continue to hold offers at any other medical schools. If an accepted applicant elects not to attend MCW, s/he must contact the Office of Admissions to notify them of the withdrawal.

A clean credit report (or other documentation deemed acceptable by Financial Aid) is required from all incoming M1 students before matriculation.

Once admitted, you may request a one-year delay of matriculation for personal or professional reasons or extenuating circumstances. The request must be submitted in writing by the stated deadline, accompanied by the signed Deferment Form, must describe the specific reason(s) for the request and may be filed only after all stipulations of acceptance have been met. Decisions to grant delayed matriculation are made on an individual basis, and MCW reserves the right to limit the number of delayed matriculations in any entering class. It is unlikely that applicants offered admission after April 30 will be granted a deferral. An applicant granted delayed matriculation is guaranteed admission for the following year unless the applicant withdraws. An applicant granted delayed matriculation who then applies for admission to any other medical school will be deemed to have withdrawn.

MCW participates in the Early Decision Program as outlined in the AMCAS application. If you choose to apply via the Early Decision Program, you will be notified of the Admissions Committee’s decision no later than October 1. The MCAT must be taken no later than July of the application year. In accordance with AMCAS policy, Early Decision applicants may not apply to any other medical school while their application is being considered by MCW. Deadline for completing an application through the Early Decision Program is 4:59pm (CST) on September 1.

All acceptances offered to applicants claiming to be Wisconsin residents for tuition purposes will be contingent upon confirmation of their residency status by the state of Wisconsin.

MCW only considers transfer students demonstrating hardship into its third-year class from LCME-accredited schools. This is rare, as it is contingent on available space.

Prior to matriculation, admitted students must successfully complete several requirements by the stated deadlines. These include, but are not limited to:

• Verified completion of all prerequisite requirements maintaining your previous level of academic achievement
• Receipt of your final, official transcript(s) directly from each college/university verifying the conferral of your degree(s) along with final, official transcripts from all schools attended. You must maintain your previous level of academic performance in coursework completed prior to matriculation.
• Receipt of your approved AAMC Criminal Background Check and WI Caregiver Check
• Receipt of your signed Technical Standards for Admissions to and Graduation from MCW Medical School form
• Approval of your credit report or other documentation required by Financial Aid
• Citizenship documentation as requested and required
• Verified Wisconsin Residency as determined by the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) for applicants claiming Wisconsin residency
• Valid CPR certification