Admission requirements

Applicants must successfully complete a minimum of three years of undergraduate coursework (15 credits or 90 credit hours) of a four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized university. Applicants may be enrolled in the third year of a four-year degree at the time of application.

Schulich Medicine encourages diversity within its admitted students. Therefore, there are no prerequisite courses or preferred degree programs. 

Applicants are encouraged to pursue education in Arts, Humanities and Sciences, in keeping with their own interests and that of the art and science of medicine. Students who studied psychology, philosophy, economics, engineering, nursing, music, physiotherapy, etc. have entered the program.

The Admissions Committee reserves the right to assess the following for any applicant:

• Level of difficulty of courses taken.
• Relevance of courses for future medical studies at Schulich Medicine.
• Performance achieved in these courses.

Minimum GPA of 3.70, as established by the Medicine Admissions Committee, must be met in each of two undergraduate years. GPA is calculated using OMSAS's grade conversion scale.

Consideration of the 2 years

GPA will be calculated on grades reported for a September-to-April academic year that contains:

• At least 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours). 
• At least 3 full or equivalent courses (18 credit hours) whose published academic level is at or above the year of study:
  • Year 1: 3 of 5 full or equivalent courses (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 1st-year level.
  • Year 2: 3 of 5 full or equivalent courses (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 2nd-year level.
  • Year 3, 4 and additional undergraduate years: 3 of 5 full or equivalent courses (18 of 30 credit hours) at or above the 3rd-year level.
• A maximum of 1 full or equivalent pass/fail course (6 credit hours) per year*. 

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) minimums are based on the competitiveness of the applicant pool each application cycle. In an effort to maintain equity of assessment, MCAT requirements may vary from year to year.

Minimum MCAT scores for the 2025/2026 application cycle

Eligible scores

• Schulich Medicine requires the MCAT be written prior to the application deadline.
• All sections of the MCAT are considered.
• If written more than once, scores from the most recent writing of the MCAT are used.

The Western ABS invites applicants to tell their story and share who they are beyond grades and test scores, providing opportunity to highlight:

• non-academic strengths,
• impactful or transformative life experiences, and
• personal values.

By reflecting on their journey to applying to professional school, applicants help us understand how they align with the School’s mission to serve diverse communities with integrity and care.

To support applicants in their preparation, the Western Autobiographical Sketch (Western ABS) questions are available through our website. This approach ensures every applicant has equal access to the questions, providing ample time to review and prepare in a way that best reflects their authentic experiences.

The Western ABS will be comprised of both written and oral (video) components and will be administered through Kira Talent. This will open on October 8, 2026, and must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. (ET) on October 14, 2026. No extensions or exceptions will be granted. Failure to complete the Western ABS by the deadline will result in your application being deemed incomplete and ineligible for further consideration.

Kira Talent

The Western Autobiographical Sketch (Western ABS) will be administered through Kira Talent. Prior to the assessment opening, further instructions will be emailed to the email address you provided in your OMSAS application. Please note: we cannot accommodate requests to update or change your email address; inquiries of this nature will not receive a response.

This email will allow you to access the Kira Talent platform, complete your registration, and pay the required assessment fee. The email will come from no-reply@kiratalent.com, with the subject line: Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry has invited you to complete your Western ABS for Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program - Western ABS 2026

For technical support, applicants must contact Kira Talent directly. Support is available 24/7 through the “Help” button in the platform or by email, during business hours at support@kiratalent.com. Please be aware that the Medicine Admissions Office cannot provide technical support.

If you have not received your Western ABS invitation email from Kira Talent by October 8, it is your responsibility to contact Kira Talent at support@kiratalent.com.

Accessibility and Accommodation

The Kira Talent platform provides built-in accessibility features that support applicants in completing the Western ABS. These features are in compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards and include:

• Closed captioning on recorded video content
• Support for up to 200% zoom
• Support for keyboard navigation
• Audio notifications for timed questions (for screen readers)
• Compatibility with other assistive technologies

Because the questions are posted in advance and the platform supports a range of accessibility features, additional accommodation requests for this component are not permitted. This structure is designed to create a fair, consistent, and equitable process for all applicants.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Western ABS

At the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, we recognize AI tools are becoming part of everyday life and appreciate the capabilities they bring. However, as future medical and dental professionals, it is imperative that you present your most authentic self during the application process.

We encourage you to record and write your responses authentically. While we cannot prevent applicants from using AI, we strongly discourage reliance on it. Mechanisms are in place throughout each stage of the admissions process to identify AI-generated responses. Beyond these measures, reviewers, interviewers, and Admissions staff can readily recognize when AI has been used.

Please be advised that direct copying and pasting into the written components of Kira Talent will trigger a flag. The use of Kira Talent allows us to access plagiarism-detection software into our assessments to identify work that is not authentic. Any form of plagiarism (AI generated or other) will trigger a flag on your submission. Any flagged submissions will render an application ineligible for further consideration in the admissions cycle.

As health care providers, you will not be able to lean on AI to deliver life-changing news or navigate complex conversations. Patients expect empathy, compassion, and genuine human connection—not “robotic” responses. In your future career, you will be required to communicate effectively in delicate and sensitive situations.

For these reasons, we urge you to avoid depending on AI during this process. Demonstrating your authentic voice and professional readiness is essential to your success as a health care professional.

Western ABS Questions

1. Describe a life experience that demonstrates your teamwork and/or leadership skills. How might the skill(s) be helpful to a career in Medicine?
2. Describe a life experience that demonstrates your respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion. How might this help you in a career in Medicine?
3. Describe a life experience that required critical thinking and problem solving. How might such a skill or skills be helpful to a career in Medicine?
4. Describe a life experience that demonstrates your commitment to serving and/or advocating for others. How might this be helpful to a career in Medicine?
5. Please tell us about a personal life experience that describes a challenge that you have faced. The experience should NOT be related to academic life or research. What did you learn, and why would this be an asset to our MD program?

In order to obtain the uniform and specific information that admissions committees are looking for from the reference process, referees are required to complete an online confidential assessment form.

• 1 referee should be academic- or employment-related
• 1 referee should be non-academic
• 1 referee can be of your choosing

Selection and notification

In order to have a fair selection process, applicants are evaluated based on academic requirements and non-academic attributes. Select applicants will be invited for an interview. 

Interview invitations and declines are communicated by email from the Admissions Office in late January or early February.

Interview format

Admissions interviews are held in late February and early March.

Interviews are structured, standardized and conducted virtually by 3-person panels that may consist of physicians, community members, and current medical students.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities through the interview process. 

Decision communication

First round offers, wait lists, and declines are communicated by email from the Admissions Office in early May. For candidates who receive an offer of admission, campus preference is considered but cannot be guaranteed.

Subsequent offers from the wait list are communicated by phone from the Admissions Office, beginning in early June and continuing until the class is filled. The wait list will remain open until the start of the MD program. Wait list details are confidential. Ranked position of candidates will not be released.

Decision review

Candidates who do not receive an offer of admission may request a decision review, provided such a request is based on new and significant information pertinent to the application.

A decision review request must be received by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, no later than two weeks after the issue of the original decision. Requests will be passed on to the Executive of the Medicine Admissions Committee whose decision is final.

For information about requesting a decision review, email admissions.medicine@schulich.uwo.ca.

Effective July 1, 2025, all publicly assisted universities in Ontario are required to reserve no less than 95% of their annual admissions to medical health education programs for Ontario residents.

Exempt:

• MMTP seats, which are funded by the Department of National Defense.
• MD/PhD and MD/Master's combined program seats.

For definitions of 'medical health education program' and 'ordinarily resident in Ontario', please refer to the following online resources.

Province of Ontario     OMSAS

Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Canada at the time of application.

Permanent residents of Canada must submit a copy of the front and back of their current permanent residency card to OMSAS by the application deadline.

All medical students must have the skills and abilities described under Technical Standards for Students in the MD Program within the Essential Skills and Abilities Required for Entry to a Medical Degree Program published by the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine (COFM), October 2016.

These are standards are necessary for success in the MD program and to be sufficiently competent to participate in supervised residency training. 

Learn more

Applicants who receive and accept an offer of admission from Schulich Medicine must meet all post admission requirements by the stated deadlines.

Failure to complete post admission requirements and/or comply with the stated deadlines may result in an offer of admission being withdrawn.

Learn more