FAQs

During the Application Phase, students spend 12 months completing core clinical clerkships (MS3 – third year of medial school) in psychiatry, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, and family medicine. Students can complete the Application Phase in one of four campus programs, each of which offers a distinct but comparable experience. Regardless of the campus assignment, all students will be prepared for Individualization Phase (MS4 – fourth year of medical school) and future career endeavors. For more information visit: https://www.med.unc.edu/md/curriculum/primary-care-programs-and-scholarly-tracks/

The UNC School of Medicine website provides a comprehensive overview of the outstanding educational, clinical service, scholarly, and extracurricular activities available to students. If you still have questions after reviewing the website, please contact us.

Check out our directions page. If you are using a GPS, try using these addresses instead of our mailing address:

• Our Building: 101 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
• Our Parking Deck: Search: “Corner of East Dr. and Manning Dr.” or “East Dr. + Manning Dr.”

Due to the pandemic, we are not offering tours nor are we encouraging self-guided tours on campus at this time. If you would like to communicate with one of our medical students, you may contact them at: uncsomrecruitment@gmail.com. We are able to provide a virtual tour which can be accessed at: https://media.med.unc.edu/admissions/tour/index.htm

The undergraduate major is the foundation of your intellectual life as an adult. You should major in a subject that stimulates and challenges you. There is no preferred major for admission, nor is an effort made to select science or non-science majors over the other.

At UNC, we deliver about half of our clinical education in our highly regarded Area Health Education Center (AHEC) sites all over the state. We send students to clerkships at Moses Cone Hospital (Greensboro), Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte), New Hanover Regional Medical Center (Wilmington), Nash General Hospital (Rocky Mount), Mission Memorial Hospital (Asheville), and Wake Medical Center (Raleigh), among others. Apartment-style or dormitory-style housing is provided, and it would be advantageous to have a car, in order to get to the various locations during AHEC rotations.

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university is required for admission. Students are encouraged to pursue one or more scholarly interests in depth during their undergraduate years, but course work must demonstrate proficiency in the natural sciences. A student who earns a degree in less than four years may apply, but should recognize that understanding the human condition and developing good judgment require experience. Without unusual qualifications, questions about breadth of education, maturity, experience, and motivation may put such an applicant at a disadvantage.

For more information about our prerequisites and requirements for admission, click here

MCAT scores are valid for three (3) AMCAS application cycles. For a breakdown of MCAT validity timeframes, click here.

For more information about MCATs, click here.

No, CLEP credits are not accepted for required classes. For more information on prerequisites, click here.

For a current listing of immunization requirements, click here.

Applications are available online through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) or by calling 202-828-0600.

If you are interested in applying to UNC School of Medicine, your AMCAS application must be submitted by October 1st.

The current mean cumulative GPA for science coursework is: 3.79. The current mean cumulative GPA for non-science coursework is: 3.66. Weightings are not used in the evaluation process, as each application we consider is given a holistic review. For more information on our ideal candidate and selection criteria, click here.

Applications are considered from students in the last year of their graduate program. Acceptance into our medical school is contingent upon successful completion of their program prior to matriculation in August. The exception for this category are the individuals who are enrolled in a natural science graduate program to strengthen their GPA, because they do not meet our minimum criteria. The individuals in this category will need to complete at least 30 credit hours or more in their graduate program before applying to UNC School of Medicine. For more information please visit: https://www.med.unc.edu/admit/requirements/admissions-process/

No. We require all accepted applicants who will matriculate into our program to submit all final, official transcripts from any regionally accredited  U.S. or Canadian institutions attended by July 1 of the matriculating year. If a degree was earned, the date conferred must be included on your transcript.

Yes, we do. Reapplicants are limited to an initial application plus three reapplications, for a total of four applications. For more information on reapplying, click here.

Our medical student transfer policy stipulates that requests will only be considered for transfer into the clinical year (third year of medical school) if all of the criteria is met. You can find more information about transfer guidelines and requirements in our Transfer Policy Document.

Volunteer service and research experience both enhance an application, but neither is weighted more highly than the other. The decision to spend time as a volunteer or doing research must be made by the individual in the context of his or her own goals. However, applicants are expected to demonstrate some knowledge of the demands of a medical career. For this reason, longitudinal direct patient contact, one-on-one care giving within a health care setting, and exposure to the health care system are desirable.

One who seeks to be a successful physician embodies many qualities beyond those reflected in numerical scores. It is difficult to assess qualities relating to commitment, motivation, and compassion, but interviews, letters of recommendation, and essays all help to shape the admissions decision.

The School of Medicine accepts students from the full range of post-secondary institutions. The more selective the school, the more rigorous will be the academic program and the more opportunity a student will have to participate in scholarly and other extracurricular activities. These are important considerations to an admissions committee, but they are not the only considerations. The opportunity to attend a highly selective college or university is not available to all students. Excellence, regardless of the setting, is considered favorably.

If you have an interest in obtaining an advanced degree before applying to medical school, a graduate study program will provide specialized knowledge and expertise that will enrich your future medical career. The effect of graduate study on an individual’s admission to the School of Medicine can only be evaluated in the context of that individual’s complete portfolio. Also note that applications are considered from students in the last year of their graduate program.

For more information on our ideal candidate and selection criteria, click here.

All applicants may submit up to three additional letters, which must be submitted no later than October 1st. Suggestions for these additional letters are non-professor leaders with whom you have interacted closely in service, research, or healthcare training experiences.

For applicants who are currently undergrads or have graduated fewer than two years ago:

• • We require at least three letters of recommendation from professors who know you well and have taught you in a formal classroom setting. We suggest one of the three letters should be from a professor in your most recent major or degree-granting department, and the others can be from professors of your choice – OR –
  • If the undergraduate institution has a Pre-Health Committee, it would be preferable to have letters from this committee. Please keep in mind that the individual letters should be included in the packet sent by the Pre-Health Committee. If your Pre-Health Committee does not include the individual letters, it will be your responsibility, as the applicant, to garner the individual letters.

For applicants who graduated undergrad at least two years ago:

• • Three (3) letters of recommendation are required from mentors who know you well and have interacted with you in an academic setting. This could be a professor with whom you have maintained regular contact, a research PI, or another advisor. These mentors should have recent knowledge of how you work in an academic setting

After your interview, the Admissions Committee will meet to review and discuss your application. Applications are under continuous review, which allows for admissions to be made throughout the interview season (rolling admissions) until the class is filled. We will begin releasing offers of acceptance on or after October 15th, and subsequently throughout the interviewing season. Typically, we will be done with all final decisions, including wait list invitations by the end of March, and no later than the first week in April. Please be patient, we will do our best to update you on your status as soon as possible.

Generally, around 7,000 prospective students apply, around 600 are interviewed, and 190 matriculate into our medical school.

For more information about our students, click here.

The current average MCAT score  for the matriculating class is 512.

For more information about the MCATs, click here.

If you decide to withdraw your application from consideration, or if you are offered an acceptance in the future and decide not to matriculate at UNC School of Medicine, please use the withdrawal or decline acceptance form found on the status page in your applicant portal. The deadline for notifying medical schools that you do not intend to matriculate is April 30, or the next business day if the deadline is on a weekend.