Prospective Students

Is Rural Medicine Scholars right for you?

We developed our Rural Medicine Scholars program to support students committed to careers in rural primary care and improving health in underserved communities.

You don’t need to be from a rural area to apply. Many students feel called to this work through experience, values, or a connection to place.

What to Know Before You Apply

    Why choose Rural Medicine Scholars?

    As a Rural Medicine Scholar, you’ll:

    • Train in communities where relationships shape care
    • Build skills for broad-scope rural primary care and other high-need fields
    • Gain experience in community engagement and leadership
    • Learn alongside physicians practicing in real-world settings
    What your training looks like

    Rural Medicine Scholars is a longitudinal, three-phase program that combines classroom learning with immersive experiences.

    Salt Lake City (SLC) campus

    • Phase 1: SLC campus
    • Phase 2: Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) - outside the wasatch front
    • Phase 3: SLC campus

    Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus (SURMC)

    • Phase 1: SLC campus
    • Phase 2: Rural LIC (St. George region: Washington & Iron counties)
    • Phase 3: SURMC
    Where you’ll train

    Rural Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) sites for SLC-based students include:

    • Logan (Cache County)
    • Roosevelt (Duchesne County)
    • Tooele (Tooele County)
    • Price (Carbon County)
    • Park City / Heber (Summit County)

     

    Future sites may include:

    • San Juan County
    • Lander, Wyoming

     

    Students at SURMC complete their LIC in Southern Utah communities.

    Is Rural Medical Scholars Right for you?

    Rural Medicine Scholars is for students who are serious about practicing in rural and underserved communities across Utah and the Mountain West, where access to care remains a critical challenge.

    Program expectations include:

    • Active participation in rural training experiences
    • Engagement with community-based learning
    • A shared commitment to improving access to care in rural Utah
    Residency considerations

    While students do not need to be from a rural background, residency status is considered in admissions.

    Because the program is designed to strengthen Utah’s rural physician workforce:

    • We prioritize Utah residents
    • Out-of-state applicants with a payback requirement are not eligible to apply to SURMC (due to seat allocation constraints and WICHE funding agreements).

    Cohort snapshot

    20 students per year

    • 10 based in Salt Lake City with rural training opportunities outside of the wasatch front.
    • 10 based at the Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus. With rural training opportunities in Washington and Iron Counties 
    How to apply

    Apply to Rural Medicine Scholars the same way you’d apply to our MD program.

    You can make sure you meet the admissions criteria by reviewing the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Admissions page.

    • Start with your primary application: Submit through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
    • Complete your secondary application: This is where you’ll answer a few additional questions about your interest in rural medicine and share relevant experiences. You’ll also choose your preferred campus—Salt Lake City (SLC) or Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus (SURMC).

    A note for out-of-state applicants: If you have a payback requirement through a state agreement, you’re only eligible to apply to the Salt Lake City Campus.

     

    Rural Medicine Scholars can apply to:

    • Salt Lake City (SLC) campus
    • Southern Utah Regional Medical Campus (SURMC)
    • Or both

    (Note: Rural Medicine Scholar applications are not applications to the regular MD program)

     

    Pre-requisite requirements and interview format are all the same for SLC campus and SURMC.