Admissions FAQ

This is a state-supported program, and therefore we will accept only U.S. Citizens and Permanent Resident Aliens with a “Final” resident alien card in their possession.  At the discretion of the admissions office, asylees and those pending a permanent resident alien card may be sent a secondary application if they communicate with the admissions office that they will have a permanent resident alien card in hand by November 1 of the application cycle.  It will be up to the applicant to determine if they want to submit their secondary application and fee before receiving their permanent resident alien card. Fees will not be refunded if the deadline is not met. We will not be allowed to process any application that does not meet these requirements.

Because of the innovative integration of our curriculum and clinical content, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine does not accept transfer requests. Students with advanced standing must apply as a traditional incoming M1 applicants.

This begins during your first year of college and sometimes earlier. It is essential to work closely with your undergraduate advisors and Premed Advising Office. These resources will help you understand academic requirements and assist with constructing your educational program. Taking the proper courses in the appropriate sequence should prepare you to take the MCAT at the earliest possible time. Optimally, students will prepare to take the MCAT during the spring of their junior year in college.

UCF receives nearly 5,500+ applications annually. Of that applicant pool, approximately 500 will be interviewed. The final matriculating class will be 120.  According to data reported through the Association of American Medical Colleges, about 10% of those applying to medical schools nationwide have applied to UCF.

Yes, the UCF M.D. program requires specific coursework to enter the program. The required coursework is consistent with the coursework required by other M.D. Programs which are:

• Biology with lab – 2 semesters/3 quarters
• Chemistry with lab – 2 semesters/3 quarters
• Physics with lab- 2 semesters/3 quarters
• Organic Chemistry with lab – 2 semesters/3 quarters
• College English – 2 semesters/3 quarters
• College Math – 2 semesters/3 quarters

To begin the UCF M.D. program, all applicants will have completed at least a bachelor’s-level degree from an accredited U.S. institution.

Unfortunately, no. All applicants for this program must take the MCAT exam within three years before acceptance into the program. For example, an applicant would have to take the MCAT in 2020, 2021, or 2022 to be eligible for consideration for the class beginning in July 2023.

By enrollment, all applicants must have a bachelor’s degree. To be competitive for an interview, applicants should have an MCAT of at least a 500 and an overall and science (BPCM) GPA of 3.00 or higher.

The primary application is via the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Completing the AMCAS application will be the first step toward being an applicant for the UCF M.D. Program.

Most M.D. Programs that the LCME accredits use AMCAS as the initial application to the M.D. Program. AMCAS provides applicants with a single-source application for all participating M.D. Programs. The AMCAS application is usually available in May for completion and submission by the end of that calendar year. The AMCAS application must be submitted in the calendar year before the year that an applicant desires to attend an M.D. Program. For example, an applicant that wants to begin medical school in July 2023 may start their AMCAS application as early as May 2022. AMCAS Applications must be submitted by November 15, 2022, at the very latest, for a Fall 2023 enrollment.

The UCF M.D. program will not require any specific bachelor’s degree major. We suggest that you select a major with an area of interest. If it is not a science-related major, we strongly recommend that you use your non-major electives to take as many science-related courses as possible. This will help show an admissions committee that you have an aptitude for the sciences and may help prepare you for academic success in the M.D. program.

Yes. Online courses taken at a regionally accredited institution in the United States will be considered in the admissions process. Please be aware every medical school may have its requirements for admission. You should consult the Medical School Admissions Requirements and each institution’s admissions website to determine their specific requirements.

Yes. Online degrees earned at a regionally accredited institution in the United States will be considered in the admissions process. Please be aware every medical school may have different requirements for admission. To determine their specific needs, you should consult the Medical School Admissions Requirements and each institution’s admissions website.

Neither UCF nor the College of Medicine plans to provide on-campus housing to M.D. Program students at the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona. There are several apartment buildings within the confines of the Lake Nona Medical City area. Furthermore, several housing communities are located within the Lake Nona area and an easy drive to the UCF COM. Information about housing options will be provided to students at their admission.

If you have completed a Master’s Degree or less at a non-U.S. institution, you need to obtain a second Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree at a regionally accredited U.S. institution. All prerequisites would need to be completed in the United States. Additionally, foreign graduates need to demonstrate medical motivation through medical volunteering and shadowing. The Committee will look for other areas, including community service, teamwork/leadership activities, and research.

Suppose an applicant has completed a foreign medical degree. In that case, they should visit ECFMG.org before applying to medical school in the U.S. If you have completed a foreign medical degree and would like to use it for medical school at UCF, you would need to complete either a science-based Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the U.S. at an accredited institution to demonstrate proficiency in the U.S. education system. All applicants must take the MCAT by the application deadline. Additionally, foreign medical graduates would need to present medical motivation through medical volunteering and shadowing. The Committee will look for other areas, including community service, teamwork/leadership activities, and research. To be eligible to apply, you must be a U.S. Citizen, “Final” Resident Alien, or have INS approved Asylum in the U.S.

Applicants currently enrolled in a Master’s, Ph.D., or another professional-level degree program must complete all requirements before enrollment in the M.D. program. We highly encourage those admitted to any graduate-level degree program to complete that program before enrollment into the M.D. Program.

The UCF M.D. program is a state of Florida program and will not give preference to applicants from UCF or any other academic institution.

While CLEP may help you receive your bachelor’s degree, we will not substitute CLEP for required coursework when considering an application for an interview. We will substitute AP and IB passing scores and Dual-Enrollment courses for prerequisites needed. If you earn accelerated credit for science courses, we will expect to see additional coursework in that discipline to indicate that you have mastered that subject. For example, if you had AP credit for Chem I, we would expect to see a solid grade in Chem II while in college; or, if you had AP credit for both Chem I and Chem II, we would expect to see you take an upper-level chemistry course in college and do well in that subject.