Admissions Policies
Pre-requisite coursework
We require that your undergraduate coursework has been completed at an accredited college or university within the
U.S. or Canada and that your grades are documented in letter-grade format on your transcript and not pass/fail.
Substitutions are not acceptable for any of the required courses and the science course work must be taken in a seated
class.
Academic preparation should include the prerequisite courses listed on our website regardless of your field of study or
advanced degree at http://www.med.unc.edu/admit/requirements/academic-requirements. Typically, the prerequisite
courses are taken as a whole during an undergraduate program, alternatively others will take the prerequisite
coursework after earning their four-year degree. Whichever path you choose, your degree and your prerequisite
coursework must be satisfactorily completed within five (5) years prior to submitting an AMCAS application to our
school.
If you are not within the five (5) year limit, then you must do one of the following before applying:
• Repeat the prerequisite science coursework (30 credit hours or more) -OR-
• Demonstrate current mastery in the natural sciences by satisfactorily completing a graduate science program in
the natural sciences before applying to our medical school -OR-
• Complete 30 credit hours or more in upper level science course work in Chemistry, Biology, Physiology, Physics,
Microbiology, etc. before applying.
• Complete the required Humanities and Social and Behavioral Science courses listed on the website.
Please note that CLEP credits are not accepted for required courses, and we do not accept verification from the World
Education Services (WES) or a similar type of organization, or entity, for the required coursework.
GPAs that are significantly below our averages
You should have a competitive GPA. If you are applying to medical school, your GPA should reflect strong academic
ability especially in the natural sciences. Information about our minimum GPA requirements can be found here:
https://www.med.unc.edu/admit/requirements/academic-requirements/. If you do not meet the minimum
GPA requirements, we require that you either enroll in a post-baccalaureate or science graduate program, in the natural
sciences, and complete at least take at least 30 credit hours or more before applying. This gives you the opportunity to
show an improvement in your academic ability, and to prepare for graduate level coursework. And it is also important
that your post-baccalaureate or graduate work be completed before applying, as this will enable us to consider and
evaluate your success in the program. Remember, your goal is to demonstrate proficiency in the natural sciences, and
only having a few credit hours of post-grad work on your AMCAS application will not give us the evidence that we need.
Reapplications
Applications to UNC School of Medicine are limited to a total of four (4) cycles of application--the initial application
plus three (3) re-applications. This applies to all applications submitted prior to the 2017 application cycle.
Acceptance coursework and degree programs
Acceptance into the UNC School of Medicine is contingent upon showing successful completion of all course work and degree
granting programs indicated on your AMCAS application or described in your interview prior to matriculation. Please remember
that you must submit final official transcripts from each U.S. institution showing successful completion of coursework and degree
programs by July 1
st
of the matriculating year.
Deferrals
Admitted students who have paid their enrollment deposits may request to be considered for a deferment of their
matriculation no later than June 1
st
. The Deferral Review Group will consider requests individually and will typically grant
deferrals for research, academic programs (an additional year of graduate studies) scholarship for medical internship or
service programs. Deferrals are usually allowed for one year. If you know that you will not be ready to matriculate into
medical school prior to applying, it is best to consider waiting until you are.
