Medical School Application Timeline

Creating a medical school application timeline allows you to make the most of each year. It ensures you are constantly building a competitive application and are on the right track for completing prerequisite courses and exams.

A Year-by-Year Application Timeline Overview for Undergraduates  

Freshman Year

At the beginning of your freshman year, meet with your pre-health advisor, who can help you finalize your classes for the fall semester and map out coursework for subsequent semesters. If you haven’t already chosen a major, your pre-health advisor can help you narrow your options. There’s no concrete rule that says you have to choose a science major to do well in medical school.  

As long as you complete your pre-medical coursework, you can build the strong scientific background you need. Start researching opportunities for volunteer, research, or health care-related work experience, either throughout the school year or over the summer. Once you start gaining clinical hours, jot down your thoughts, concerns, wins, and experiences in a journal. You can refer to it for inspiration once you begin writing your personal statement.  

Familiarize yourself with any school clubs, organizations, or resources available to pre-medical students, which can also help you gain volunteer or health care-related experience. This can be a great starting point for building relationships with faculty, advisors, and mentors throughout your undergraduate career. The sooner you begin networking, the more time you will have to deepen those relationships before applying to medical school.

If you haven’t already, you should also start looking into scholarships* you can apply to help cover your medical school tuition. While loans are an option, interest can accrue on them while you’re still in school.  

*Available to those who apply and qualify

Sophomore Year

Continue meeting with your pre-health advisor and gaining meaningful experience through volunteer positions, research opportunities, and more. And remember to keep journaling regularly.

You should start familiarizing yourself with the Medical College Admission Test^® (MCAT^®) and considering when you want to apply to medical school. You don’t have to settle on a concrete answer at this point, but it is a great time to research what you can do to ease your transition into medical school.  

If you know you want to go to medical school right after graduation, start preparing for the MCAT^® no later than the summer between your sophomore and junior years. Unlike other tests you’ve taken that focus heavily on memorization, the MCAT^® gauges how well you can apply your knowledge in different scenarios. By starting now, you can form a study group with other pre-med students and better structure your study sessions to avoid cramming at the last second.  

Now is also an excellent time to look into the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Fee Assistance Program if you’re concerned about the costs related to MCAT^® prep and the exam itself.

If you’re considering taking a gap year between your undergraduate studies and medical school, this may impact the flow of your junior and senior years.

Junior Year

At the beginning of the year, work with your pre-health advisor to decide when you want to start medical school and create your application timeline based on this decision.  

If you’re attending medical school right after your undergraduate studies, you’ll need to decide when you want to take the MCAT^®. Since your pre-medical studies alone won’t prepare you for it, you’ll need to supplement those courses with other forms of MCAT^® prep. These could include:

• AAMC MCAT^® Official Prep
• Kaplan MCAT^® Prep
• The Princeton Review MCAT^® Prep
• Khan Academy MCAT^® Prep – available until 2026

Your pre-health advisor may also help you determine your eligibility for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program and discuss when you should start requesting recommendation letters. You’ll also use this session to finalize your courses for the semester and ensure you’re on track to complete your pre-medical studies.  

You’ll need to create a list of medical schools that interest you and send this list to your advisor using the Medical School Admission Requirements^™ (MSAR^®) database. It’s important to note that only medical schools in the United States and Canada are part of this database. If you’re looking to attend medical school elsewhere, like at Ross University School of Medicine (Ross Med), for example—you can find more information on the schools websites. Ross Med hosts various information sessions and webinars throughout the year, so applicants can speak directly with the admission team, current students, alumni, and others.

Most Doctor of Medicine (MD)-granting medical schools accept applications through the American Medical College Application Services^® (AMCAS^®) though some schools don’t. They use the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) (TMDSAS). Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) programs accept applications through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) platform. Pay close attention to which platforms the schools on your list prefer.      

The summer between your junior and senior year, start drafting your personal statement and narrowing down your college list. This way, you can focus primarily on gathering recommendation letters, completing secondary applications, and preparing for interviews.

Should you decide to take a gap year, use your junior year to decide how to gain even more clinical experience before applying to medical school.

Senior Year

If you’re attending medical school right after graduation, you’ll need to start your applications now.

Winter

Start requesting recommendation letters and finalizing your personal statement. If you haven’t started your statement yet, begin writing it now, and working with your pre-health advisor to ensure that it’s strong. Regularly meet with your pre-health advisor to explore the benefits of applying through early decision and to set a deadline for when you plan to submit your applications.

May–June

AMCAS^® typically opens May 1, but you can’t submit applications until late May. Ideally, your application package should be complete by then so you can apply as soon as you’re able to. Remember to regularly check the website throughout May so you know exact submission dates.

July–August

You may receive requests for secondary applications from a few schools on your list. Make sure each response is tailored specifically to the school and shows your genuine interest in what that school can offer. Each school will have its own deadline for when it wants the application returned, so stay on top of your emails and deadlines.

September–March

Medical schools request interviews throughout this time frame. Make sure you have the appropriate attire and are prepared to travel if an in-person interview is requested. Some schools, like Ross Med, host virtual interviews to reduce the financial burden of traveling. However, applicants are still expected to dress professionally and be in a well-lit, quiet setting.  

October–April

This is usually when you’ll find out if you’ve been accepted into a program, wait-listed for a seat, or denied. Once you know you’ve been accepted into a medical school program, remember to immediately withdraw your application from other schools to maintain fairness to other applicants.

Gap Year Students

If you’re taking a gap year, everything you would have done during your junior year will need to be completed now. During your year off, you should focus on gathering recommendation letters and applying to medical schools. Keep in touch with your pre-health advisor as much as possible throughout this process.

Key Components of a Strong Application

Medical school applicants can have high grades and test scores, medical exposure, extracurricular activities, and clinical experience, so you’ll need to consider what in your application is unique to you. Rather than treating your application package solely as a checklist, view each one as an opportunity to show different facets of yourself.  

Pursue experiences that matter to you and use your personal statement to showcase a side of yourself that isn’t captured in other parts of your application. Maintaining strong bonds with instructors and mentors while gaining clinical experience can lead to glowing recommendation letters that speak to your commitment, resilience, and drive. This additional character reference from someone you’ve worked closely with for years gives admission teams more insight into what your unique perspective and talents can bring to the school and the field of medicine.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Underestimating the MCAT^®

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not properly preparing for the MCAT^®. The test takes around 7.5 hours to complete and focuses on knowledge application, not memorization. It will be a mental and emotional challenge unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, so it’s very important to treat preparation for it like a marathon instead of a sprint. Start studying no later than your junior year of college to give yourself enough time to grow familiar with the content, format, and platform.  

Not Reviewing Personal Statements  

Another common mistake is not having someone review your personal statements before submitting them. As you update your pre-health advisor on your application plan, don’t hesitate to ask them for feedback on your personal statements. Your advisor’s main purpose is to help you prepare for medical school and ensure you’re doing everything you can to create a standout application.  

Submitting a Generic Secondary Application

While it’s tempting to create a singular secondary application and send it to every school, it’s one of the worst mistakes you can make. Each medical school wants to know why you chose it out of all the medical schools available. Creating a cookie-cutter response shows that no thought was put into the decision and that you’re doing the bare minimum to get by.

Tailoring a unique response to each school shows your interest in what it offers and how it fits into your overall career goals.  

Not Properly Preparing for Interviews

Even though it is for a medical program, you should treat it like you would a job interview. This means dressing accordingly and presenting yourself in a professional manner. Additionally, you should research the school’s faculty and staff to learn more about your future instructors and peers.  

Doing your research also opens the door to you asking questions of the interviewers, instead of them having to do all the talking.  

While these people will start as mentors and instructors, by the end of your program they’ll be your peers. It’s important to show them what they can expect from you in a professional setting.

Ignoring Rolling Admissions

Rolling admissions can offer a huge advantage to students applying through early decision. Since these admissions teams review applications as they arrive, they can extend offers to prospective students whenever a seat becomes available. This offers a bit more flexibility to applicants since they aren’t limited only to receiving offers during a certain time frame.      

Ross Med offers start dates in January, May, and September. Rather than waiting a full year to begin medical school should you be wait-listed or denied, you could potentially start in just a few months at Ross Med.

What are rolling admissions, and how do they impact my chances?

Rolling admissions means schools evaluate applications as they’re received. Instead of narrowing their options to applications submitted within a specific time frame, admissions teams are always evaluating potential students. As spots become available, they extend offers to fill them.

Applying early to schools with rolling admissions can increase your chances of being accepted, since there’s a greater likelihood that more spots are available.      

Medical School Application Timeline FAQs

What is the best time to submit my medical school application?

The best time to submit your medical school application is as soon as possible. That said, make sure you’ve carefully reviewed each part of your application to minimize errors like typos, incomplete sentences, and wrong documents being uploaded.

What happens if I submit my AMCAS^® application late?

There’s a chance you’ll encounter processing delays, which can significantly lower your chances of being accepted into highly competitive programs. AMCAS^® typically opens in May and remains open until fall, giving you plenty of time to submit your application either early or on time. Every school sets its own unique application deadline, so you’re responsible for checking school websites to ensure you adhere to each one.

Should I apply through early decision?

If your materials are ready to go by August 1, yes. You can only apply to one U.S. medical school through early decision, but doing so allows your application to be among the first that admission teams view. If you’re not accepted, your application will automatically be put in the regular applicant pool. You can then submit this application to other programs.

How long does it take to hear back from medical schools?

The exact time varies by school, but generally, interview invitations are dispersed in late summer or early fall. You’ll usually know your standing within a few weeks of your interview.

With Ross Med’s three start dates each year, starting your medical school journey could happen faster than you think. Have questions about deadlines for each start date? Contact our admission team for more information. And if you’re ready, apply to Ross Med today!