Frequently Asked Questions

Typically, early June is the earliest date for submission of an application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The UND SMHS deadline for the AMCAS application submission is Nov. 2. The remainder of the application (secondary application, secondary application fee, final MCAT scores, letters of recommendation) must be submitted by Nov. 16. Please keep in mind, however, that the number of interview slots is limited, so a timely submission of your application is important. Applications that are incomplete at the Nov. 16 deadline will not be considered. For more information about the application process and deadlines, visit the Application Process page.

Yes. You can submit your AMCAS application without all or some of your letters and without your final MCAT score by the Nov. 2 deadline, and we will send you a secondary application. The secondary application, secondary application fee, letters of recommendation and final MCAT results must be received by the end of business on Nov. 16. Incomplete applications will not be considered for admissions. 

Once your AMCAS application has been submitted, it is final. No changes can be made. On the secondary application, you have the opportunity to address an changes or additions you would like to have considered in your application.

Once your secondary application has been submitted, it is final. No changes can be made. No further changes can be made to the secondary application once you submit it. If you have the opportunity to interview, you may correct the information within the interview.

Anyone who submits an AMCAS application to the UND SMHS will receive a secondary application.

Beginning in early July, we will send secondary applications via email to all applicants from whom we have received an AMCAS application. The first step in the process is to review an applicant's primary and secondary applications to determine if our residency requirement is met (for more information, visit Applicant Eligibility. Next, starting at the beginning of October, the Admissions Committee members will thoroughly review all completed applications that meet the residency preferences on a rolling basis.

If you are offered an interview, you will receive an invite to interview through your email listed on your AMCAS application. You will be able to choose your interview time through the email. A week prior to the interview you will receive an email with details of the interview day. You are asked to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled interview time. You will be interviewed by three members of our Committee on Admissions, a clinician, a scientist, and a medical student. The interviews typically last 30 to 45 minutes, but plan to be at the school for a couple of hours to allow time for questions with some current medical students, refreshments, a building tour, and a SIM tour. 

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply by repeating the application process described in the How to Apply section of the Application Process page. Applicants who applied to UND SMHS and were not admitted may request feedback from the Office of Student Affairs & Admissions to identify ways they can significantly improve their applications before reapplying. There is no limit to the number of times an applicant can reapply.

Opportunities to transfer are rare. We only accept transfers from students at the start of their third year of medical school and who are in good standing at an LCME-accredited school. If you wish to be considered for a transfer, you must contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions no later than February 15 of the year in which you wish to transfer.

You must utilize the AMCAS letter service to submit all letters; we will not accept any letters of recommendation sent directly to our office. For complete information about our letter of recommendation requirements, visit Application Process page and view How to Apply.

The Admissions committee will only review the first three letters submitted.  Committee Letters and letter packets counts as two letters, no matter the number of letters attached.  An additional letter submission would be required to meet the three-letter requirement.  An individual letter from the committee letter or letter packet may be submitted separately to meet this requirement.

For complete information about our letter of recommendation requirements, visit Application Process page and view How to Apply.

The UND SMHS does not require a minimum MCAT. We consider a range of variables in applicants, not just metrics, but a minimum cumulative and BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics, math) GPA of 3.0 or higher is expected. The average GPA for applicants accepted into the 2019 entering class was 3.5 and the average MCAT was 507.

For additional attributes and experiences we look for in applicants, visit the Being Prepared page and view Selection Criteria.

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is given multiple times each year. For most application cycles, the latest test you can take the MCAT is mid-Septembers to have the test results to us by the deadline of Nov. 16.

MCAT scores may not be older than three years at the time of application.

The committee will look more closely at the most recent results, but all MCAT scores will be considered.

There is no required major for our medical school. You should choose a major that interests you and you can excel in at college. We urge applicants to take a variety of courses, from humanities, to behavior sciences, to applied sciences.

We do not have required prerequisite coursework. There is recommended coursework, visit the Being Prepared page and view Selection Criteria.

There is no timeline for when a bachelor’s degree must have been completed within. The goal of recommended course material is to prepare you for the MCAT and the rigors of medical school. Some applicants find that they need to retake some science courses before launching into a medical school curriculum.

Completion of a bachelor’s degree is required before matriculation, but not application.

Anyone can apply to UND SMHS, but as a state-supported school, we grant admissions preference to North Dakota residents or those who have strong ties to the state. We also admit a small number of applicants from Minnesota, Montana, and Wyoming. INMED (Indians into Medicine) applicants do not have a residency preference but do have other requirements.

For more information on our residency preference, please visit the Applicant Eligibility page. It is the responsibility of applicants to assess their suitability for UND SMHS before applying.

There have been no applicants who did not meet the residency preference accepted in the recent past. Approximately 20 percent of UND SMHS matriculants were not residents of North Dakota at the time of application; these applicants met one of the other residency preferences.

For more information on our residency preference, please visit the Applicant Eligibility page. It is the responsibility of applicants to assess their suitability for UND SMHS before applying.

You must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident of the U.S. to apply.