2013-06-18

Primary AMCAS application

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AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) is a service organized by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) that facilitates the admission process to most (total of 137, 7 schools do not participate) American medical schools granting the MD degree. All schools participating in this process accept only applications submitted through this service. In order to complete the AMCAS application, by the appropriate deadlines, you are required to submit the following:
  • Identifying information - basic information and ID's including SSN (if you have one) and school ID
  • Schools attended - information about high schools and any post-secondary education institutions attended
  • Biographic information - addresses, country of origin and citizenship, languages spoken, ethnicity (optional), etc.
  • Course work - grades from all courses taken at educational institution listed in section Schools attended
  • Work/Activities - any work experience including a contact to a person for potential verification
  • Letters of evaluation - three options to choose from: committee letter, letter packet, or individual letter, depending on your undergraduate school's policy; letter request forms
  • Medical schools - selection of schools one is applying to with their respective deadlines
  • Essay - 5,300-characters limited (about one page) essay explaining why one would like to attend a medical school
  • Standardized test(s) - verify your past MCAT scores and/or indicate projected future test dates
  • Registration Fees - $160 processing fee (+1 school); $35 for each additional school (2nd and more)
  • Criminal Background Check (CBC) - ran on applicants as soon as they are accepted to a medical school
In certain parts of the application (such as identifying information, biographic information, letters of evaluation, medical schools applied to, and projected MCAT test dates), it is possible to make also post-submission changes.
You can register for AMCAS account here to register for MCAT exams or AMCAS Application.
(More information about AMCAS application is available in the official AMCAS video, in a detailed AMCAS instruction manual, or see the full list of instruction materials and videos.)


The Official AMCAS Video with detailed instructions: