Pre-Medicine

Program Description

• Most medical schools, including the KU School of Medicine, require a full bachelor’s degree before entering. Any bachelor’s degree (BA, BS, etc.) and any major is acceptable, as long as coursework includes two semesters each of English, Biology, General Chemistry I and II with labs, Organic Chemistry I and II with at least one lab, and Physics I and II with labs. All science prerequisites must be completed at the level of science majors. These courses should be completed by the end of a student’s junior year because they also cover content needed for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Admission Requirements

• A maximum of 75 hours may be transferred to KU from community colleges. Students should be aware that 45 junior/senior credit hours are required for completion of the bachelor’s degree; 30 of those hours must be at KU; and community college courses do not transfer as junior/senior hours. Some courses, like organic chemistry, would not count toward this requirement if taken at community college but would count toward the requirement if taken at a four-year college or university. Students need to work with their Bachelor’s degree granting institution to ensure appropriate upper division hour requirements are met.  Visit the Transfer Information Guide for transfer admission procedures and qualifications
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to diversify their undergraduate education. While not required for admission to the School of Medicine, a number of courses and subject areas are recommended to medical school bound students. Suggested courses and disciplines include: Immunology (strongly encouraged) Biochemistry (strongly encouraged), Genetics (strongly encouraged), Physiology, Microbiology, other upper-level biology, natural sciences, behavior and social sciences, humanities, oral and written communications, social determinants of health (strongly encouraged; examples include cultural or social anthropology, public or population health, epidemiology, environmental health, health economics, health policy, history of medicine or public health, ethics related to health care).
• Health care experience: Applicants are also expected to possess a general understanding of health care and medicine based upon employment, shadowing or volunteer experiences. Although we do not require specific hours, we do encourage you to invest the time you need to acquire knowledge of the roles of members of the health care team, as well as understanding of the meaning of working with patients and serving them as a physician.
• Pass/Fail Coursework - Students required by their college or university to accept a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grade will not be penalized by the School of Medicine. The School of Medicine does accept Pass/Fail and Credit/No Credit grades for course prerequisites but prefers to see letter grades. Students with the option of accepting a letter grade or a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grade may want to consider the impact on the overall science GPA and cumulative GPA if a course does not have a letter grade.
• Online Coursework and Labs - Online coursework and labs are acceptable.
• Letters of Evaluation - We do not specifically require a school committee letter. If your school is unable to provide one, please submit 3 to 5 letters of reference instead.
• Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT): Currently includes four sections: 1. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, 2. Critical Analysis and Reasoning, 3. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, and 4. Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior.
• Personal Interviews: When the proper credentials have been submitted to the University of Kansas School of Medicine, selected applicants are invited for interviews.

• Residence: Qualified students who are residents of the State of Kansas are given priority in admission to the KU Medical School, after which, highly qualified candidates from other states are given consideration.

It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to check for updates to all transfer information. This transfer guide is provided as a service and is updated as needed. Degree requirements at the four-year colleges are subject to change by those institutions. To ensure you have the most accurate information about the program, you must meet with an advisor at the transfer institution.