Admissions

Yale School of Medicine seeks to assemble a community of outstanding students who show great promise for becoming creative leaders in medicine and science, with a broad range of experiences, backgrounds, knowledge, and humanity, and a deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of all people. The Committee on Admissions, in general, aims to admit students who are optimally suited to contribute to and benefit from the educational programs and mission of the school. In particular, the committee looks for intelligent, mature, and intrinsically motivated students who show great promise to contribute to the advancement of medicine through scientific discovery. The Committee on Admissions also carefully considers personal qualities necessary for the successful study and practice of medicine. These include maturity, integrity, compassion, leadership potential, and dedication to service.

Graduates of the School of Medicine must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to provide a wide spectrum of patient care. In addition to scholastic accomplishments and potential, applicants must have the physical and emotional capacities to meet the full requirements of the school’s curriculum and to graduate as skilled and effective practitioners of medicine.

All applications to Yale School of Medicine are given careful consideration without regard to sex, race, color, national or ethnic origins, age, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or financial status. For a complete statement of the Yale University policy on nondiscrimination, refer to https://oiea.yale.edu/discrimination-and-harassment.

The School of Medicine admissions process is mission-aligned and contextual. In evaluating candidates, the Committee on Admissions performs a balanced review of each applicant’s lived experiences and background, opportunities and obstacles, academic performance, leadership, initiative, accomplishments, service, letters of recommendation, and personal interviews (when offered). Interviews are selective and invitations to interview are extended only after a complete review of application materials.

It is recommended that students enter medical school after four years of undergraduate study. The minimum requirements for admission to the first-year class are:

1. Attendance for three academic years, or the equivalent, at an accredited college, university, or institute of technology.
2. Satisfactory completion of the following courses including laboratory work:
   • General biology or zoology (two semesters)
   • General chemistry (two semesters)
   • Organic chemistry (one semester)
   • Biochemistry (one semester—laboratory recommended, but not required)
   • General physics (two semesters)
   • Biostatistics or statistics (one semester recommended, no laboratory required)
     • Beginning in the 2027–2028 application year, one semester of biostatistics or statistics is required

Acceptable courses in these subjects are usually given three to four term hours credit per semester. These courses must be completed in a US, Canadian, or UK college or university. These prerequisites do not need to be completed to apply but must be met prior to matriculation. Advanced courses may be substituted for introductory-level courses in each of these subjects. US advanced placement credits or international baccalaureate credits satisfy the premedical requirements, so long as your primary undergraduate institution gave you credit on an institutional transcript. Most online courses are acceptable, but all laboratory course work must be done in person. The only exception are laboratory courses taken online during the 2019–20, 2020–21, and 2021–22 academic years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be accepted. Acceptable courses should be completed for a letter grade beyond Pass/Fail, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

The Committee on Admissions has no preference as to a major field for undergraduate study and leaves this decision to students, with the advice that they advance beyond the elementary level in the field of their choice rather than pursue an undirected program. The student of medicine enters a profession closely allied to the natural sciences and must be prepared to cope with chemistry and biology at the graduate level. A liberal education is the supporting structure for graduate study and must encompass understanding of the humanities, arts, and society as well as the scientific foundations of technology and civilization.

Application Process

Yale School of Medicine participates in the “common” application process of the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Applicants must first submit their AMCAS application, on which they indicate that they wish to apply to Yale School of Medicine. After submitting the AMCAS application, applicants must complete the Yale Secondary Application, which must be submitted online (see below for details).

Inquiries regarding AMCAS should be addressed to the American Medical College Application Service, reachable by telephone at 202.828.0600 or by email at amcas@aamc.org. Extensive information can also be obtained at the AMCAS website, http://www.aamc.org.

Inquiries to Yale School of Medicine regarding the degree of Doctor of Medicine should be addressed to the Office of Admissions, medical.admissions@yale.edu. Information about the Yale Secondary Application can also be obtained online at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/admissions. Inquiries are welcome at any time.

AMCAS applications must be submitted no later than October 15 of the year prior to the fall in which enrollment is sought. Yale Secondary Applications must be submitted online no later than November 15.

A complete application consists of the following components:

1. AMCAS application and all required components of the application (see 2 and 5 below).
2. Complete official transcripts from all colleges attended. Transcripts should be sent from the colleges directly to AMCAS.
3. Yale Secondary Application submitted online no later than November 15.
4. An evaluation from the applicant’s Premedical Advisory Committee or individual letters from at least three of the applicant’s instructors. These letters should come from individuals who are in a position to comment knowledgeably on the applicant’s accomplishments, abilities, experience, and/or personal qualifications. They may come from those who have taught or worked with the applicant in undergraduate or graduate school classes, in research settings, clinical settings, extracurricular or community service activities, professional settings, or other contexts. For M.D. applicants, it is helpful to have at least one of the letters from someone in the sciences, but this is not mandatory. For M.D./Ph.D. applicants, letters of recommendation should be written by individuals who can evaluate your research potential as a physician-scientist. One letter should be from the research mentor with whom you have been most recently associated. These evaluations must be sent to the Office of Admissions via AMCAS Letter Service. Detailed instructions regarding electronic transmission of evaluation letters will be found at https://medicine.yale.edu/md-program/admissions/how-to-apply.
5. Scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) must be submitted in conjunction with the AMCAS application. For information on the MCAT, applicants should communicate directly with the MCAT Program Office, reachable by telephone at 202.828.0600. Information on the MCAT can also be obtained online at http://www.aamc.org. Only MCAT scores from tests administered during the current calendar year and the three prior calendar years will be considered for the current application cycle.
6. A fee of $110 or an AMCAS fee waiver must accompany the Yale Secondary Application. The fee is not refundable.

During the course of the admissions process, selected applicants will be invited for personal interviews with members of the Committee on Admissions.