Logo for University of Iowa Health Care This logo represents the University of Iowa Health Care

Applying

General Information

How do I apply to Carver College of Medicine?
1. You must file an application to our school with the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
2. If your application meets our minimum qualifications, we will extend you a secondary application.
3. All application materials are due by December 15. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit application materials by October 15.
4. After we receive all of your materials (application, supplemental questions, letters of recommendation, application fee), we may invite you to campus for an admissions interview.
5. Our Admissions Committee makes final admissions decisions on applications between October and March.

Am I eligible to apply to Carver College of Medicine?
Applicants for admission to the M.D. program must be citizens or documented permanent residents of the United States or have asylum status. Applicants must have received a bachelor's degree or be in a degree program with expectation of receiving the degree prior to enrollment.

Transfer students:  we do NOT accept transfer applications.
Early admission:  we do NOT offer an early admission program.
B.A./M.D.:  we do NOT offer a joint B.A./M.D. program.
Foreign degrees: we do accept foreign degrees. 

Reapplicants: Applicants may only apply for 3 successive years and no more than 4 times total.  If you plan to re-apply, you may schedule an appointment with our admissions staff to discuss your application before you re-submit your AMCAS. Allow enough time before you reapply to act on the advice given and develop a plan.

Course Requirements

Prospective students must have earned college credit in the following courses:

  • Biology: 2 semesters of introductory courses with labs, and 1 advanced course. Recommended advanced courses include molecular and cell biology, human physiology, genetics, microbiology. 
  • Chemistry: 3 semesters of introductory courses, to include General and Organic with labs. 
  • Physics: 2 semesters of introductory courses with labs
  • Biochemistry: 1 course that includes a comprehensive review of molecular structures and biochemistry of carbohydrates, nucleic acids and proteins, central metabolic pathways, enzyme functions, and metabolism of carbon based molecules.
  • English: 2 courses (composition and literature). If you satisfy the English requirement for your undergraduate degree program, you also satisfy our English requirement. 
  • Mathematics: 1 advanced mathematics course or statistics course.
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities: 4 courses. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete coursework that addresses race/racism in the United States. Other recommended courses include behavioral psychology, sociology, foreign language, and other non-science writing-intensive courses.

We accept community college coursework. We accept online coursework from accredited universities. AP/CLEP coursework may satisfy course requirements if listed on a college transcript. Applicants may apply while in the process of completing pre-requisite coursework. However, we recommend that applicants complete all required science coursework before they submit an application.

Grade-point-average

Applicants must have achieved an overall and science* grade-point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) for all undergraduate college work. Applicants who have not achieved the former must have completed a minimum of 20 hours of science postbaccalaureate or graduate work at 3.5 or higher. In programs where premedical science courses are offered on either a graded or pass/fail basis, we strongly recommend that you take those courses for a grade.

*Science grade-point average on the AMCAS is determined by coursework in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, & Math (BCPM)

Medical College Admission Test

The MCAT is required for all applicants. Applicants for the 2024 application cycle must have taken the MCAT between January 2020 and September 2023. The MCAT is offered on various dates between January and September.

American Medical College Application Service

We participate in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and require prospective students to file AMCAS applications. AMCAS is a nonprofit, centralized application processing service for applicants to participating medical schools.

The AMCAS application for the 2024 entering class will be available online in May 2023. You may certify and submit your application to AMCAS beginning June 2023. Completed AMCAS applications must be submitted to AMCAS by November 1, 2023.

Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR)

The MSAR is a resource that allows students to see profiles of different medical schools including useful information such as course requirements, admissions statistics, curriculum offerings, and tuition and aid information.

Visit the Carver College of Medicine's profile here.