Academic Requirements

Although grades are not the only criterion used in decision making, the quality of an applicant's work at the pre-professional level is of major interest to the school, and the average GPA of our incoming class is a 3.7 (cumulative and in the sciences). The lowest cumulative GPA accepted is 3.0 (Undergraduate, Graduate or Post baccalaureate Undergraduate).

Students must have attained a baccalaureate degree as of June 1 of the year of planned matriculation from an accredited academic institution in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico or another U.S. Territory. All academic prerequisites must be completed by June 1 of the year of matriculation. If you have not listed all of your prerequisites on your AMCAS application, please email a statement to your Admissions Counselor informing the Admissions Committee of any additional classes you will be taking, as well as when and where you are taking the class, the name of the class, and number of credit hours.

Applicants must have completed the following course work:

• One academic year of biology and one academic year of biology laboratory.
• Additional, upper level Biology coursework should be taken if one has had AP or IB Biology. The Admissions Committee will accept general biology, human anatomy, human physiology (or anatomy and physiology combined), microbiology, zoology, animal biology and cell biology. The Committee will not accept biochemistry, botany, plant biology, environmental biology, prokaryotic biology, environmental science, ecology or geology. 
  • If you have taken a course which is not listed above, contact the Admissions Office directly so that we can evaluate your specific situation.
• One academic year of general or inorganic chemistry and one academic year of general or inorganic chemistry laboratory. The Admissions Committee will accept general chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry and introductory chemistry.
• One academic year of organic chemistry and one academic year of organic chemistry laboratory. Biochemistry may be substituted for the second semester of organic. Biochemistry lab is not required if using Biochemistry for the second semester of this prerequisite.  The Admissions Committee will accept general organic, chemistry, introductory organic chemistry, structures and reactions and chemical structural analysis. Please consult your school's course catalog to make sure that your particular course is an organic chemistry course.
• One academic year of general physics and one academic year of physics laboratory. The Admissions Committee will accept introductory physics, calculus-based physics, algebra-based physics and mechanics, fluids and engineering.
• One semester of calculus or statistics. The Admissions Committee will also accept business calculus, survey of calculus and introductory calculus. The committee will accept statistics courses from natural and social science fields.
• One academic year of English, foreign language, writing intensive humanities, social science, or psychology courses. Any combination of two semesters or quarter classes are also acceptable for this requirement. You must receive a letter grade of "C" or higher for the courses to meet the prerequisite requirement. CLEP courses are not accepted for the prerequisites. This requirement cannot be waived. AP or IB courses for which your undergraduate institution has given you credit are acceptable for Calculus, Statistics, Inorganic Chemistry, and Physics. AP or IB courses for which you have been given one year’s worth of credits in English, the Foreign Languages, Psychology, or the Humanities are also accepted. If you have received credit for coursework through the AP or IB systems, we strongly recommend that you take upper level coursework in the sciences and humanities to demonstrate your ability to thrive in rigorous, advanced college courses. Courses may be taken in a classroom setting or online through a U.S. accredited university or college. Please see our FAQ's for more information on course requirements.

Age Requirements

Due to commissioning standards, all students must be at least 18 years old at the time of matriculation, but no older than 36 as of June 30 in the year of matriculation.

Applicants who are older than 36 by 30 June in the year of matriculation will require an age waiver prior to receiving an offer for admission. These waivers are evaluated by each of the Uniformed Services on a case by case basis; however, waivers are typically approved for applicants up to approximately 42 years of age in certain situations. No age waiver request is required at the time of initial application, and our admissions team will assist applicants with this process when needed.

Service Obligation

Officers awarded the doctor of medicine degree following a four-year program of medical studies are required by law to serve on active duty for seven years. The obligation for those serving in the Public Health Service is ten years, as the Public Health Service does not have an inactive ready reserve component. Time spent in graduate medical education (i.e., an internship or residency) does not count toward the payback. Upon completion of the active duty service obligation, students who served on active duty for less than 10 years after graduation are placed on the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) roster. (Graduate medical education does not count toward the 10 years.) While on the IRR roster, service members are on inactive reserve status, with no weekend or annual active duty drill required, but are subject to call-up by the president of the United States in times of emergency. The amount of time required is as follows:

• Active duty service less than eight years: six years on the IRR roster

• Active duty service of more than eight years, but less than nine: four years on the IRR roster

• Active duty service of nine years or more, but less than 10; two years on the IRR roster

 

Except as law or service policy otherwise prescribe, the IRR obligation is added after all other active duty obligations have been served, including time for USU, ROTC, or the service academies.

 

A graduate of the School of Medicine who is relieved of his or her active duty service obligation before completion may be given, with or without the consent of the graduate, any of the following alternative obligations, as determined by the secretary of the military department concerned.

• A service obligation in another armed force for a period of time not less than the member’s remaining active duty service obligation

• A service obligation in a component of the selected reserve for a period not less than twice as long as the member’s remaining active duty service obligation

 

Those applicants that matriculate in the MD/PhD program will only incur a seven year obligation (after internship and residency) since they are not commissioned officers for the three years during which they are in the PhD portion of the joint program.

Test Requirements

Applicants must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and provide scores from tests that have been taken within three years of desired matriculation. The fall MCAT is the latest testing date considered by the admissions committee for those students applying to the School of Medicine for admission the following summer. If you do not have MCAT results to submit, you must take the exam during the months of June through September to be eligible. Applicants cannot take the MCAT and enter the school in the same year. Arrangements must be made to have the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) furnish official reports. Applicants should not send personal MCAT score reports to the school. The AMCAS designator code for USU is 821.

We accept students with a wide range of MCAT scores; however, the minimum total MCAT score that we will consider is 496 and the average total MCAT score is 511 for our matriculants.

 

Commissioning Requirements

Meet the requirements for holding a commission in the uniformed services:

• Applicants must be physically qualified by not having any pre-existing conditions that would prevent them from performing the duties of a military doctor
• Applicants must be morally qualified by passing a security investigation if they are accepted

US Citizenship

Due to commissioning requirements all USUHS students must be US citizens by 1 November of the year prior to their matriculation. This requirement cannot be waived for any reason.

USU Commissioning

Students without prior qualifying officer service experience must complete their service specific orientation program before actually matriculating into the School of Medicine.

During these orientation programs, administrative records are initiated for students entering active duty. Students are provided opportunities to purchase any required uniforms, and instructed in their proper wear. Students also learn basic information about the customs and courtesies of their Service, gain an understanding of one’s responsibilities as an officer, and begin to develop an ésprit de corps. Students who may not have been previously exposed to life in a uniformed service, typically find these orientation programs to be educational and challenging, while facilitating a smooth transition to military life.

Students report to the School of Medicine campus after completing their service-specific orientations. The University’s Brigade provides a general orientation during the first two weeks of August. During this time, the administrative requirements for registering students with the university and with their respective services are completed.

Academic orientation begins the third week of August, and provides students with a more detailed overview of the curriculum, along with an introduction to the many educational and supportive resources that are available to them. Upon completing orientation at the School of Medicine, students formally begin their medical education