About UICOM

Our Curriculum

International Students

Interview Day

Tuition and Financial Aid

FAQs

HOW TO APPLY

Application Timeline

MONTH

EVENT
May 3 AMCAS applications available
May 27 AMCAS applications may be submitted
June 16 Deadline for Early Decision Primary Application
July 30 Deadline for Early Decision Secondary Application
July – Dec Secondary Invitations are sent 
Aug – Feb Campus Interview Invitations
Sept. 10 Last opportunity to take the MCAT
Oct.  1 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available at fafsa.gov 
Oct. – March Admissions offers sent to selected candidates
Dec. 1 Deadline for UICOM Secondary Application
Dec. 8
 Deadline for completion of Altus Suite (CASPer, Duet, and Snapshot)
March 1 Deadline to submit Scholarly Concentration Program App
April 30 AAMC acceptance protocol deadline
July 1 Commit to Enroll Deadline
Aug. 8
 Mandatory College of Medicine orientation

PRE-REQUISITES

OVERVIEW

  • A baccalaureate degree must be earned prior to matriculation
  • Courses can be taken at community colleges, which does not negatively impact your application. However, advanced level biology and biochemistry requirements must be completed at a four-year science degree granting institution.
  • Pre-requisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
    • We accept courses that are marked with a pass or satisfactory evaluation.
  • AP coursework counts towards the below prerequisite requirements
  • Online coursework accepted on a case-by-case basis from regionally accredited institutions. Please reach out to the office of OMCA for details: [email protected]
  • Pre-requisite courses must be completed at an accredited institution.
  • For international and Canadian applicants, please visit our International Applicant page for more details and additional requirements, when relevant.
  • Non-traditional applicants: non-traditional applicants are those who are more than one year out from their bachelor’s degree, and may have even spent time in another career before turning to medicine. We encourage all non-traditional applicants to apply! Please keep in mind that any coursework you may have taken during your undergraduate years can be applied towards the prerequisites below (they do not expire!) A GAP year may be considered for those without clinical experience.

Biological and Physical Science prerequisites:

  • Two courses of general biology with laboratory
  • Two courses of general chemistry or equivalent with laboratory
  • Two courses of organic chemistry with an accompanying laboratory*
  • One course of biochemistry which must be completed at a four year science degree granting university
  • Two courses of general physics with laboratory
  • One course of advanced-level biology (junior or senior level that must be completed at a four year science degree granting university)

*The second semester of organic chemistry can be waived if your university does not have it as a prerequisite for biochemistry.

Behavioral/Social Science prerequisites:

  • Candidates must complete three courses in the Behavioral/Social Sciences. For example: Psychology, Ethics, Economics, Gender Studies or Sociology, etc.
  • If an applicant is uncertain whether a course will count toward a behavioral science prerequisite, the applicant must provide documentation on the content of the course in question and send it to [email protected] to be considered.

THE APPLICATION

Primary Application

The MCAT

  • All candidates must take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) no more than three years prior to enrollment.
  • For the 2022-2023 cycle, tests taken January 2020 through the final test date in 2022 will be accepted.

Secondary Application

  • Only those who are eligible meet the eligibility are eligible to receive a Secondary Application
  • The Secondary Application is specific to UICOM, and needs to be completed and returned to the OMCA by December 1 of the application year.
  • Please note that Secondary Application fees are non-refundable.

International Student Documentation and Non- US Citizens

  • International students (with the exception of Canadian citizens) must upload a photo of their visa(s) to the Other Documents section of the Secondary Application Portal. For more details on applying as an international student, visit our International Applicant page.
  • Permanent resident aliens must provide a copy of their green card to the application protal.

Other required assessments

  • Altus Suite – Comprehensive Admissions AssessmentsAll applicants applying to the , at are required to complete Altus Suite for the 2022/2023 admissions cycle.

    Altus Suite is a standardized, multi-part online assessment that measures different competencies and attributes that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. Altus Suite will complement the other tools that we use for applicant review and evaluation. In implementing Altus Suite, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process.

    Altus Suite consists of:

    • Casper: 100-120 minute online, open-response situational judgment test
    • Snapshot: 15-minute one-way video interview with standardized questions*
    • Duet: 15-minute value-alignment assessment*

    You will register for Altus Suite for **

    Access TakeAltus.com to create an account and for more information on important dates and requirements, and the Altus Suite assessments.

  • Visit UICOM-specific CASPer Test Dates before registering.

Letters of Recommendation

  • A minimum of three academic or professional letters of recommendation from individuals who know the applicant well will be required. In lieu of three letters an applicant may submit a letter packet from a pre-professional committee. Letters should critically evaluate the candidate’s academic ability, strengths and weaknesses, motivation for medicine, maturity, difficulty of coursework, and special attributes/assets. Letters will be reviewed after submission of the supplemental application and associated fee. Letters from family members will not be considered.

    • Traditional applicants (those who graduated from college less than a year prior to matriculation)

      • It is recommended that traditional applicants provide letters from faculty with whom they have completed courses, faculty with whom they have conducted research, and other faculty with whom they have worked closely.

    • Non-traditional applicants (those who graduated from college more than a year prior to application)

      • We will accept letters of recommendation written by supervisors or other professionals overseeing your work.

  • All letters of recommendation must be written on official university or organization letterhead and signed.

  • See the chart below for possible Letters of Recommendation combinations

Example A

Example B


Example C
(Non-Traditional Applicants)

  

Example D
(Non-Traditional Applicants)
-Faculty (3) 

or 

Health Professions Advisory Committee Letter/Packet

 -Faculty (2)

-Research PI (1)

 -Faculty (1)

-Supervisor (2)

or

Supervisor (1) and -Research PI (1)

 Supervisor/ Research PI (3)
All letters on university letterhead and signed All letters on university letterhead and signed All letters on university or company letterhead and signed All letters on university or company letterhead and signed

The Early Decision Program (EDP) – Optional

The Early Decision Program (EDP) is a procedure by which a medical school applicant may request and receive an early decision regarding their application to the medical school of their first choice prior to seeking an acceptance elsewhere. If our College of Medicine is your first choice, you may participate under the following conditions:

    • Your completed application must be submitted to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) by June 16, 2022.
    • The MCAT must have been taken no later than July of the application year.
    • Your application fee, Supplemental Application, Letters of Recommendation, and additional supporting documents must be on file with the OMCA by July 30, 2022.
    • You must meet with the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruitment to recieve approval by emailing [email protected].

Applicants who are not offered admission in the Early Decision Program will be considered in the regular applicant pool by request.

Transfer Students

  • We are not currently accepting applications for transfer into the University of Illinois College of Medicine from students currently enrolled in another medical school.

Common Questions

  • You will receive an email notifying you when your application is complete and moved to a screening queue. Failure to turn the following list of items, in any part, will result in an application processing delay. Visit the Secondary Application Portal to review your submitted items:
    • AMCAS application
    • Secondary Application
    • MCAT score
    • CASPer score
    • International Documentation (visa(s) upload)
    • Proof of permanent resident status (green card)

  • Letters of Recommendation are reviewed manually by a member of the OMCA Team. Please allow 72 hours for the review of your letters once they are received.
  • Letters of Recommendation that do not meet our minimum requirements will have text in the “notes” section for the applicant to act on.
  • Letters of Recommendation are not required for a complete application but must be complete for a file to be advanced for interview.

Once your application is complete, it will be moved to a screening queue, whether your new score is available or not. To avoid being moved to the screening queue until your new score comes in, please ensure that you’ve indicated a future MCAT date in the primary application through AMCAS before submitting your secondary. 

UICOM carefully screens each of its applicants–approximately 7,600– holistically, which may result in a delay in hearing from us. If it’s been over 6 weeks since your application was marked complete, you are welcome to submit an update via the “Other Documents” section of the Secondary Application Portal to reaffirm your interest in our institution, or provide other updates that are relevant to the Committee on Admissions (such as updates on research, employment, experiences, etc.). These will be reviewed by the Committee.