Admission requirements

med student closeups

Academic requirements

Applicants must successfully complete a minimum of three years of a four-year undergraduate degree (90 of 120 credits) 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.

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

Applicants accepted through an application pathway: Applicants not meeting criteria through
an application pathway:
BBFLS 125
CPBS   125
CARS   125
PSBB   125
BBFLS 126
CPBS   126
CARS   126
PSBB   126

 

Eligible scores

MCAT scores will be accepted provided the test was written no more than five years prior to the current OMSAS application deadline. Please also note:
  • 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.

 

Non-academic requirements

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.

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.

Referees must be objective individuals who know you well, but who are not family members, friends, neighbours or peers:
  • 1 referee should be academic- or employment-related
  • 1 referee should be non-academic
  • 1 referee can be of your choosing

Learn more

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

Other requirements

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.

Schulich Medicine reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant whose facility in written and/or spoken English is judged to be inadequate. 

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

Falsification and misrepresentation

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all application requirements are submitted through OMSAS by the application deadline.

Falsification or misrepresentation of information during any portion of the application process, including interviews, will result in removal of the application from consideration, and may be considered in any future applications to the University.

Admission policies are reviewed annually, so admission requirements from previous application cycles may not apply. We encourage applicants to visit our website regularly, as the University reserves the right to review and change admissions policies and requirements at any time, without notice.