General Information & Admission Requirements

Washington University School of Medicine offers its students three pathways leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree:
• Four-year M.D. degree program.
• Five-year M.A. and M.D. degrees program: Provides 12 months of research.
• Seven-year Ph.D. and M.D. degrees program (Medical Scientist Training Program): One of the oldest, largest and most successful programs of its kind in the nation, the program admits up to 25 students for each entering class.

Personal Requirements for Admission

Standards for admission are high. Applicants must possess personal qualities of character, aptitude, integrity and motivation suitable for a career in medicine. Other personal attributes considered include extracurricular accomplishments and avocational interests.

Academic Requirements

Applicants must present evidence of superior intellectual ability and scholastic achievement as demonstrated by their academic record and performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Required course work includes a minimum of one year in biological science, general or inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and mathematics through calculus, including integral equations and differential equations. Although many applicants will have majored in one of the natural sciences, applications from those who have majored in the humanities or social sciences are equally welcome.

How To Apply

The first step is to submit an application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The AMCAS electronic application is available from the AAMC web site at: www.aamc.org.

Important Admission Information

• Applicants are encouraged to apply early. The application deadline is December 1.
• In addition to the AMCAS application, applicants must submit letters of evaluation, complete a secondary application and pay a $50 application service fee.
• Following an evaluation of applicants’ credentials, carefully selected applicants are invited to St. Louis for an interview with a member of the Committee on Admissions. Campus visits include extensive time with current students and tours of the hospitals, laboratories, Bernard Becker Medical Library, residence hall and other facilities of Washington University Medical Center.
• Admission decisions are made and the applicant is notified of the decision following a timetable that begins October 15 and continues until the entering class is filled.

Merit Scholarships and Fellowships

Up to 16 merit-based scholarships are given annually to members of the first-year class. These full-tuition scholarships are awarded without regard to financial need to students of proven academic excellence and distinguished personal achievements. Application is by invitation from the Committee on Admissions.

The Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowships for Women provide full-tuition scholarships for graduate and professional school study at Washington University. All women accepted for admission up to the Olin application deadline of February 1 may apply for consideration.

Financial Assistance

The ability to finance a medical education does not influence the student selection process. Because all students accepted for admission have proven scholastic ability, financial assistance is awarded solely on the basis of documented financial need. Students eligible for financial aid may request an application after they are accepted to the school. Decisions usually are announced within one week of receipt of the processed financial aid statement.

Cost of Education

Under the Tuition Stabilization Plan, tuition remains the same for the entire four-year program of study. Furthermore, tuition is comprehensive; there are no additional fees for health care coverage, hospitalization or disability insurance, and each student is provided a laboratory-grade microscope to use during the first and second years of study.

The following items provide an estimate of the expenses for a single student in the 38-week first-year class for the 2005-2006 academic year. Allowances for entertainment, travel, clothing and other miscellaneous items must be added to the estimate.

Expenses
$39,720 Tuition Stabilization Plan
1,082 Books and medical supplies
810 Medical instruments
8,824 Housing and food
1,815 Personal
1,764 Travel
$54,015 TOTAL

Inquiries

Admissions
Committee on Admissions
Washington University School of Medicine
Campus Box 8107, 660 S. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110-1093
Telephone: (314) 362-6858 Fax: (314) 362-4658
E-mail: wumscoa@wustl.edu

Financial Aid
Committee on Student Financial Aid
Washington University School of Medicine
Campus Box 8059, 660 S. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110-1093
Telephone: (314) 362-6845 Fax: (314) 362-3045
E-mail: money@msnotes.wustl.edu

Web Site: medschool.wustl.edu

Graduates of Washington University with a Doctor of Medicine degree are expected to have broad competence in the basic skills that underlie the general practice of medicine and surgery. All graduates must be able to take a history, examine a person, synthesize the findings into a diagnosis and plan of evaluation and treatment independently. Thus, medical students must possess the requisite sensory, motor, communicative and cognitive capabilities to accomplish these requirements in a reliable manner in order to be competent and safe medical practitioners.

Washington University encourages and gives full consideration to all applicants for admission, financial aid and employment. The University does not discriminate in access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status or disability. Present Department of Defense policy governing ROTC and AFROTC programs discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation; such discrimination is inconsistent with Washington University policy. Inquiries about compliance should be addressed to the University's Executive Director of Human Resources, Washington University , Campus Box 1184, One Brookings Drive , St. Louis , MO 63130-4899 , (314) 935-5990.

The Protective Services Department of the School of Medicine is committed to developing and providing integrated services which promote the safety of people and the security of real and intellectual property. Information regarding the Department and its services as well as the federally required annual security report can be found at http://medschool.wustl.edu/~fmd/proderv.het .

Information is current as of April 2005.