Application Process


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Students applying to other health professions schools (dentistry, optometry, osteopathic medicine, or podiatric medicine) follow the same procedures as those outlined for pre-meds; the major difference is in the completion of appropriate application materials (AADSAS for dentistry, AACOMAS for osteopathic medicine, AACPMAS for podiatric medicine, PharmCAS for pharmacy, or individual applications to schools of optometry).

Traditionally, students begin applying to health professions schools during the summer before their senior year. The majority of medical, dental, and podiatric schools employ the services of a centralized application processing service to assist students in making the initial application. Such services collect, compute, and collate application data then forward the standardized information to the colleges selected by the applicant. Additional information about these services can be found in the Resources section of this booklet.

The Honors College will maintain a file for MU students applying to schools in the health professions. You are encouraged to start your file with your health professions advisor no later than spring of your junior year (approximately 16 months before expected medical school matriculation). Your advisor has a list of the information necessary to complete your file. Included in your file will be letters of recommendation received for use in your application to medical schools.

Most medical schools use a centralized application processing service for the primary application, AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) for allopathic medical schools, and AACOMAS (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service) for osteopathic medical schools. Students can, and do, apply to both types of medical schools simultaneously. It is recommended that you complete your AMCAS/AACOMAS application and complete your file with the Honors College as early as possible to allow time for letters of recommendation to be returned and to make sure deadlines are not missed. Applications submitted near the deadline put students at a decided disadvantage at many schools. AMCAS deadlines range from October 15 to December 15. To avoid conflicts with class demands, you are encouraged to download application materials before leaving campus in the spring so you can work on these forms over the summer. AMCAS begins processing applications on or about June 1, and candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Most students are well advised to submit their application soon after receiving their April MCAT scores. The AMCAS application can be found at: www.aamc.org. The AACOMAS application is available at: www.aacom.org. Students have until early September to complete their file at the Honors College. Students applying to the UMKC pharmacy school must submit their application by December 15.

NOTE: Students applying to the University of Missouri School of Medicine are asked to be sure to designate Writing Intensive courses with a "WI" when listing their courses on the AMCAS form. Medical schools do not receive copies of transcripts. They rely on how you have listed courses on the AMCAS application when verifying course requirements.