FAQs
General Information
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.”
On occasion, our medical students may be able to give an in-person tour, providing their schedule will allow. You are welcomed to visit the campus and if you would like to communicate with one of our medical students, you may contact them at: uncsomrecruitment@med.unc.edu 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.
Prerequisites and Requirements
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.
No, CLEP credits are not accepted for required classes. For more information on prerequisites, click here.
Applying
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.
- For information on requirements for letters of recommendation, please visit: https://www.med.unc.edu/admit/requirements/admissions-process/#step-three–garner-your-letters-of-recommendation-
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.
The current average MCAT score for the matriculating class is 512.
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.
Interviews
Interviews will be conducted September through January and the interview days are on Mondays and Thursdays. You will find more information about our interview day at: https://www.med.unc.edu/admit/requirements/admissions-process/experience-unc/. We do not offer weekend or regional, as our interviews are currently conducted virtually.
If you are ill and not able to make it to your scheduled interview, please contact us at: admissions@med.unc.edu.
If your contact information changes after you have submitted your AMCAS application, please contact AMCAS directly at 202-828-0600. Please do not contact us to make these changes, as they can only be updated through AMCAS.
International Applicants and Degrees
International students who are permanent residents of the United States can apply as a North Carolina resident if they qualify. Non-US citizens with visa types: F-1, H-1, J, etc., are not eligible to apply as NC residents, but may apply as a non-resident and are not eligible for federal loans or grants. Also, if accepted into our medical school program, you will be responsible for the funding of your four-year medical school education.
We do consider and offer admission to international applicants, but we do not have a special category for international applicants, as they are considered out-of-state applicants and are evaluated by the same criteria as our U.S. out-of-state applicants. If your undergraduate degree is from an educational institution outside the U.S. or Canada, UNC School of Medicine requires that you complete all of the prerequisites at a regionally accredited college or university within the U.S. or Canada prior to applying through AMCAS.
For more information on the academic criteria for admission, click here.
North Carolina Residency
We do. However, as a state-assisted institution, we give preference to North Carolina residents. Approximately 20-25 non-residents are accepted each year.
To qualify for in-state tuition for a given term, you will be required by North Carolina law to prove that a bona fide domicile was established in North Carolina at least twelve months before the beginning of the term, that it was maintained continuously, and that you were physically present in the state during that time, and for purposes other than attending school. Additional information about North Carolina residency may be obtained here. You can direct any questions about your residency status to Ms. Randee Reid by calling 919-966-9931.
Dual Degree Programs and Branch Campuses
During the Application Phase (third year of medical school), students spend 12 months completing core clinical clerkships 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 and future career endeavors. For more information on the Campus Profiles for the Central (Cross-Regional/Raleigh/Greensboro Regional) Charlotte, Asheville, and Wilmington, use this link: Campus Assignment and Profiles here.
What dual degree programs does UNC School of Medicine offer?
The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, in conjunction with the Graduate School, offers an MD/PhD program to exceptional students who seek to combine clinical medicine with a career in biomedical research and/or academic medicine. For more information about the MD/PhD program, click here or contact mdphd@med.unc.edu
MD/MPH
Master of Public Health degrees are offered through several departments and programs in the School of Public Health. Each year, 20-30 students earn MPH degrees in Epidemiology, Health Policy and Administration, Health Care and Prevention, or Maternal and Child Health. Typically, students who pursue a public-health degree take a leave of absence from their medical studies for at least one year, usually between the third and fourth years of medical school. For more information about the MD-MPH Program, click here.
MD/MBA
UNC medical students have the opportunity to earn these two degrees in five years. For more information about the MD-MBA Program, click here.
MD/JD
We do not have a formal program; however, in the past students have earned both degrees independently.
The Shortage Designation Branch in the HRSA Bureau of Health Professions National Center for Health Workforce Analysis develops shortage designation criteria and uses them to decide whether or not a geographic area or population group is a health professional shortage area or a medically underserved area or population.
The School of Medicine does not offer a post-baccalaureate program, but the prerequisite science courses are available through the Division of Continuing Studies (800-862-5669 or 919-962-1134).