You apply to the School of Medicine Columbia M.D. Program through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The AMCAS application cycle opens in early May each year. Please keep in mind that
the AMCAS application verification process can take up to eight weeks before the primary
application is sent to our school. We encourage applicants to apply early in the cycle.
Our Admissions Office then uses the AMP system for our application process. Secondary
applications will be sent to all applicants following receipt of the AMCAS primary
application and preliminary screening by our office.
Our AMCAS application deadline for our current cycle, Fall 2023, was November 1, 2022. Our AMCAS application deadline for Fall 2024 consideration is November 1, 2023.
Like many medical schools across the United States, our interviews for the 2023 application
cycle will remain virtual and will be conducted via Zoom in our AMP application system,
on Wednesday afternoons from September 2022 – March 2023. We plan to hold several
on-campus events for accepted students and applicants invited for interviews in Fall
2022 and Spring 2023.
Admissions offers will be made on a weekly, rolling basis beginning in October 2022
through March 2023 with a wait list beginning in April 2023.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office as needed. We also encourage prospective
students to check our website for updates. (last update:1/13/23)
Note the following information regarding COVID-19 and our Admissions Cycles:
Pass/Fail & Online Coursework and Labs: For students who did not receive standard
letter grades or do not elect to receive standard letter grades during the Spring
2020 - Fall 2022 semesters due to school closures and conversion to online learning,
we will accept pass/fail courses and online labs. Although the School of Medicine
Columbia does not have prerequisites, there are strongly recommended courses.
Letters of Evaluation: During the committee review, the School of Medicine Columbia
will remain cognizant of the fact that clinical and observational experience may be
more difficult to obtain along with letters accompanying these experiences.
MCAT: The School of Medicine Columbia will continue to require a MCAT score for the
2022-23 application cycle. The last MCAT test date for Regular Decision consideration
for the 2023 cycle was September 10, 2022. If you decide to retake the MCAT after
submitting your AMCAS application, please login to your AMCAS application and add
your new MCAT testing date. We will receive your new score automatically from MCAT,
once scores are released. For the 2022-23 cycle, a secondary application will be sent
to all applicants following the initial screening process. Please note that you will not be considered for interviews until we receive your completed
secondary application and all pending MCAT scores.
Your Background
We're looking for a diverse group of students who are interested in making a big impact
on the health of our state. We use a holistic process to review each application,
taking into account your unique academic and professional background. As a South
Carolina based school, we prioritize applicants who have significant ties to South
Carolina.
Our students are getting hands-on clinical experience, exposure to state-of-the-art
technology and the opportunity to explore specialties like rural health. Are you
ready to join them?
You should plan to take the MCAT exam before applying. We also ask each student to review our technical standards to ensure that they are able to meet the physical, emotional and social demands of
our program.
Staying on Track
We keep our class sizes small so we can give you the attention you deserve. That
also makes our admissions process very competitive, so it is important that you stick
to our timeline in order to be considered for admission.
Important Information About Licensure
Programs Leading to Licensure Each state has its own licensing board with specific medical licensure requirements.
The Doctor of Medicine program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- Columbia is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
Graduates are eligible for professional licensure in the state of South Carolina,
but must complete the process and requirements for professional licensure in the state
of their residency.
