• RESEARCH
• ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS
• UNIVERSITY HEALTH CARE

• Where Do I Begin?
  • AspiringDocs.org
  • Premedical Education
  • Academic Criteria
  • M.D. Program
  • Combined Degree Programs
  • Other Degree Programs
  • Residency & Non-Residency
  • Where Do I Begin?
• Admissions Criteria
• How Do I Apply?
  • Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
  • American Medical College Application Services (AMCAS)
  • Secondary Materials
• Process Overview
• Admission Policies
• Contact Information
  • Premedical Advisors
  • Financial Aid

How do I apply?

• Secondary Materials
• Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
• American Medical College Application Services (AMCAS)

Secondary Materials

Applicants who pass the preliminary screening will be invited to submit secondary materials. These must be received in the School of Medicine Office of Admissions within 45 days from the date of the email requesting the secondary materials. The 45 day deadline includes the time required for all requested material to reach the Office of Admissions.

Application information that changes during the admissions process must be submitted to the Office of Admissions in writing and approved by the Admissions Committee. This includes, but is not limited to, course changes, changes in planned degree and planned activities. Failure to inform the Office of Admissions of changes in the application may result in the loss of a position in our class.

Secondary Materials to be Submitted

Application Fee - $100

Application fee may be paid by credit card, check, or cash.  The application fee is nonrefundable. We honor the AMCAS fee waiver. Students in extreme financial hardship who did not obtain the AMCAS fee waiver may petition the School of Medicine requesting that the application fee be waived.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is in addition to the personal comments provided on the AMCAS application.  The personal comments from your AMCAS application will not be acceptable as your personal statement, although you may expand on an idea expressed in your personal comments. The personal statement should not be used to list your accomplishments and activities since they are noted elsewhere in your application.

The personal statement is an opportunity for you to present yourself and your motivation for pursuing a career in medicine to the Admissions Committee. Topics for the personal statement may include activities or individuals that have influenced the applicant's life and shaped his or her decision to study medicine. The statement should be specific, succinct, straightforward, and sincere. It should also tell the committee what motivates the applicant and what the experiences described taught him/ her. The committee is interested in the applicant's goals in life and in medicine.

Current/Future Course List

The applicant lists the course(s) he/she intends to take during the upcoming year, including those listed on the AMCAS application. Acceptance to medical school is contingent upon successful completion of course work exactly as outlined in the application materials.

Activities Form

The applicant briefly describes his/her participation in each of these areas: extracurricular activities, community/volunteer service, leadership, research experience, physician shadowing and patient exposure.

Right of Access Waiver

Letters of recommendation and/or evaluations are considered confidential unless the applicant specifically states he/she does not waive the right of access to such statements. It is the applicant's responsibility to inform the letter writers whether the University of Utah School of Medicine may receive and maintain the letters or statements in confidence.

State Certification

State certification is required for all Idaho legal state residents applying to the School of Medicine. Contact information and the state certification application may be obtained by visiting the following website at http://www.isu.edu/enroll/admissions/rinfo.shtml or calling Idaho State University at 208.282.2475.

Note: If you have completed a residency certification for the WWAMI program, the University of Idaho will provide a copy of your certification to Idaho State University for verification for the University of Utah School of Medicine.  Students only need to submit a residency certification through one institution.

Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation are a very important part of the application. Applicants should request letters from professors and supervisors who know them well and can accurately comment on their qualifications for medical school. It is important that those who write letters clearly indicate if they taught or supervised the applicant and the length of time they have known him or her. Premedical Committee letters do not satisfy any of the letter requirements. It is not in the applicant's best interest to submit letters from relatives.

The University of Utah School of Medicine requires letters of recommendation that document participation in the 6 specific areas listed below. No more than one letter may be used to fulfill two of the required letters (the letter must adequately address both elements).  All letters of recommendation must be on letterhead and have a valid signature.  Letters must be submitted to AMCAS letter service.  

If you would like to provide the letter writers with instructions, please print this form. 

Six Letters of Recommendation Required

Three Academic Letters

At least 1 letter must be from a science professor. The other 2 may be from professors in any course. Letter writers must be faculty members who taught the applicant in a traditional lecture classroom setting and assigned the applicant a grade for credit in the course. Letters from labs, independent study, or correspondence courses do not meet this requirement.  Letters from teaching assistants are accepted only when co-signed by the professor who directs the course. 

Three Supervisor Letters

1. Community/volunteer service: The letter must clearly state that the letter writer supervised the applicant, that their service was without compensation and what the applicant's role was in providing service. The letter should describe the performance and duration of the applicant's volunteer service.
2. Patient exposure: The letter must clearly state that the letter writer supervised the applicant and what the applicant's role was in direct interaction with patients. The letter should describe the performance and duration of the applicant's experience. (Letters from shadowing is discouraged).
3. Research: The letter must clearly state that the letter writer supervised the applicant in a scholarly or scientific hypothesis investigation and what the applicant's role was in the research experience. The letter should describe the performance and duration of the applicant's research.

Letters of recommendation from previous applications to our school will not be transferred to the current application. 

Note: No exceptions or substitutions are allowed.

Applicants to the M.D. /Ph.D. program must submit 3 academic letters of recommendation.  Applicants are not required to submit letters from supervisors. However, we encourage applicants to include the 3 letters when they submit their secondary materials.  If the letters are not submitted with the secondary materials, applicants will not be eligible to petition to the M.D. program if they are not invited for further consideration to the M.D./Ph.D. program. Applicants must meet one of the residency requirements if they petition to apply to the M.D. program only.

Note: The University of Utah School of Medicine is only accepting letters through the AMCAS letter system. Information may be obtained by visiting the following website at http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/amcasletters.htm