 | Credits You Need to Apply |
| Although at least 90 undergraduate semester hours is needed for admission, almost all students have earned degrees before matriculation. Eight semester hours each in general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics are generally considered as minimum preparation. Prerequisite course work from community colleges is strongly discouraged because of the difficulty in adequately assessing the quality of that preparation. |
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| | Your credits should include: |
| |  | Eight semester hours of vertebrate zoology or general biology |
| | | Eight semester hours of general physics |
| | | Eight semester hours of general chemistry |
| | | Eight semester hours of organic chemistry |
| | | Alternately, students may take four semester hours of organic chemistry and four semester hours of biochemistry |
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| The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) |
| | Each applicant must take the MCAT, which is sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Results of this test must be received by Wake Forest School of Medicine before your application can be evaluated. The MCAT is computer based and given 22 times yearly. Applicants should take the test early in the calendar year of application so scores can be considered and the test taken again if improvement in performance is desired. MCAT scores will only be accepted if the test was taken within three years of application. |
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| | More information about this test can be obtained from the premedical advisor or by contacting the MCAT program at www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/. |
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| | You can read more about this in our School of Medicine Bulletin, www.WakeHealth.edu/Bulletin.htm. |
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| Applying to Our School |
| | Wake Forest School of Medicine participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) of the AAMC. Formal application for admission to the first-year class must be submitted through AMCAS. Appropriate information about this medical training application procedure may be obtained from premedical advisors, the Wake Forest School of Medicine Admissions Office, or from AMCAS. To learn more about the admissions process, go to www.aamc.org/students/applying/requirements/msar/ |
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| Initial Deadline and Fee |
| | Applications to Wake Forest School of Medicine are received from AMCAS from July 15 to the Nov. 1 deadline. Because AMCAS will not forward applications received after Nov. 1, students are urged to apply as early as possible. |
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| | Upon receipt of the AMCAS application, the Committee on Admissions evaluates each applicant. Those who cannot be interviewed are notified. Other applicants receive a Secondary Application before Dec. 15. Completion of the secondary application requires a $65 nonrefundable processing fee, along with a premed committee evaluation or a minimum of two letters of recommendation. |
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| Letters of Recommendation |
| | AMCAS collects the letters of recommendations you submit when applying to the School of Medicine. The Committee on Admissions prefers a premed committee report if your school has one. If not, then two letters of recommendation—one from science and one from non-science—are required. If your school uses a letter service to collect letters from your undergraduate faculty, that packet of letters will be accepted. If you have graduated undergrad and are in a graduate program or are working, then a letter from your graduate advisor or your employer will be accepted. Additional letters are accepted, up to a total of eight. |
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| Selection for Interview |
| | After the Secondary Application, MCAT scores and letters of evaluation and recommendation are received, the completed application is reviewed by the Committee on Admissions, and candidates are invited for interview. Nine percent of all applicants are asked to visit Wake Forest School of Medicine for interviews that run from September through March. Academic achievement, academic improvement, MCAT scores, state of residence, and letters of recommendation are considered in selecting applicants for interview. Thus, all applicants for interview are considered competitively. |
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| Admissions Process |
| | By the end of April, all applicants are notified of the action of the Committee on Admissions: acceptance, placement on the waiting list or rejection. Those on the waiting list are considered for vacancies as accepted applicants withdraw; this list is maintained until school begins. An applicant who is accepted is asked to respond in writing within two weeks. Upon acceptance of a medical application offer, a holding place fee must be submitted before the student becomes a member of the medical center team at Wake Forest Baptist. This fee, which is credited toward tuition, is refundable until May 1. |
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| Background Checks |
| | Criminal background checks are required for all entering students and are processed by Certiphi screening through AMCAS. |
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| Early Assurance |
| | Well-qualified college students, upon completion of their sophomore year, may apply for acceptance to the class entering two years later through the Early Assurance Program (EAP). Eligibility is limited to Wake Forest University undergraduates only. Wake Forest undergrads must have an overall GPA of 3.5, a science GPA of 3.5 for each semester in school and completion of half of the School of Medicine prerequisites to apply under the EAP. The MCAT will not be required. Application is made through AMCAS by the Nov. 1 deadline, asking consideration for the EAP. The applicant must be a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. and must agree to complete requisite courses, to continue the same or better academic excellence, to demonstrate high ethical conduct and not to apply to any other medical school. Non-acceptance by the EAP does not influence future applications the student may make here. The EAP should not be confused with the Early Decision Program. |
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| Early Decision |
| | Application for Early Decision can be made through AMCAS from June 1 to Aug. 1. Early Decision candidates are informed of their program status in September and offers of acceptance made by Oct. 1. The MCAT is required for this program. |
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| Security and Fire Safety Information |
| | Our bulletin contains information regarding campus security, personal safety and fire safety. Learn more through our bulletin, www.WakeHealth.edu/Bulletin.htm. |
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| International Applicants |
| | Applications are accepted only from U.S. citizens and permanent residents as long as the undergraduate, premedical course work has been done in the United States or Canada and the MCAT has been or will be taken. If the undergraduate, premedical course work has been done outside the U.S. or Canada, the applicant must receive a degree from an institution in the United States or Canada and meet other requirements. |
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