Admissions Requirements

A strong academic record and good scores on the MCAT are necessary but not sufficient criteria for admission. In addition to these academic measures, the Admissions Committee looks for evidence of scholarship, service to the community, leadership abilities, integrity, maturity, and excellent interpersonal skills. Rochester seeks students who value human diversity, exhibit a love of learning, have an appreciation of the science and art of medicine, and are called to serve others.

Undergraduate Education

  1. A minimum of three years of study in an accredited college or university.
  2. Expository writing—one year: this may be met with English or nonscience courses that involve extensive expository writing.
  3. One year of biology with laboratory. Biochemistry or botany will not satisfy this requirement.
  4. One year of physics with laboratory.
  5. Two years of chemistry, including either one year of organic chemistry or one semester of organic and one semester of biochemistry. Within the two-year chemistry sequence, one year of laboratory is required.
  6. 12–16 credit hours in the humanities and/or the social or behavioral sciences.
  7. Although not specifically required, courses in calculus, statistics, genetics, physiology, and biochemistry are recommended. Experience in clinical settings, research or an Honors Thesis in your major, public health, or community outreach activities also are strongly recommended.
  8. All required premedical courses must ordinarily be taken at an accredited United States or Canadian college or university.
  9. Advanced placement courses may meet only one semester of the chemistry and/or one semester of the physics requirements. Advanced placement will not satisfy the biology or nonscience requirements.

Note

Due to Rochester's early clinical exposure and participation in community outreach programs, an additional step of verifying applicant attestations is being taken as a part of the school's institutional commitment to protect the public and the patients who entrust the school's students with their health care. The school's offer of admission is expressly conditioned upon the school's review of the background check. Independent of criminal background checks by the company contracted by the University (Rochester Business, Inc), the University of Rochester School of Medicine is one of ten medical schools serving as a beta-test site for a centralized AAMC-facilitated criminal background check pilot program for the class entering in 2008. If accepted to the University of Rochester School of Medicine, Certiphi Screening, Inc. will provide you electronic access to consent forms that will give them permission to conduct a criminal background check based on inspection of local, state and national records. There will be no charge to the applicant for this service. The purpose of Rochester participating in this pilot program is to assist the AAMC in comparing the accuracy of criminal background checks conducted by independent methods.

Therefore, two permissions will be requested and two criminal background checks will be conducted for the entering class of 2008.

International Students

The school does not accept applications for admission from individuals who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States. There is one exception to this policy. Applications will be accepted from foreign nationals who have, or expect to receive, an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester. If you received or expect to receive your undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester, please review our escrowed fees policy.