AMCAS 2027 Timeline Month by Month

The AMCAS 2027 timeline began when the AAMC opened the application on May 5, 2026. Applicants could first submit on May 28, 2026 and AMCAS began sending verified applications to medical schools on June 26, 2026. From here, the cycle moves through the first regular acceptances on Oct. 15, 2026, the April 30, 2027 decision date and matriculation in summer 2027.

A dated calendar matters because each stage depends on the one before it, while individual medical schools set their own secondary, interview, application and enrollment dates inside the AAMC framework. If you also need the broader sequence across application services and years, IMA’s guide to how the medical school application timeline works provides that wider context.

The 2027 AMCAS Cycle at a Glance

• The application opened May 5, submission began May 28 and transmission of verified applications to medical schools began June 26, 2026.
• AMCAS says verification may take six to eight weeks during the June through September peak. An application enters that queue only after submission and receipt of every required official transcript.
• Each medical school sets its own deadline. Common 2027-cycle AMCAS deadlines run from Oct. 1 through Dec. 15, 2026. AMCAS does not grant deadline extensions.
• Regular MD acceptances may begin Oct. 15, 2026. Plan to Enroll opens Feb. 19, 2027. The AAMC recommends choosing one school and withdrawing other acceptances on or before April 30, 2027.

The Complete 2027 AMCAS Calendar

The calendar below places the national milestones beside selected school-specific dates. According to the AAMC Premed Calendar for the 2027 cycle, three dates set the frame for everything else in the 2027 cycle: the day the application opened, the first day applicants could submit and the first day AMCAS sent verified applications to schools.

Rows credited to an individual medical school are examples. Each school establishes its own dates for supplemental applications, interviews, decisions and enrollment, so the calendar above gives you a framework rather than one universal school schedule. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, for one, lists the same opening, submission and transmission dates on its own admissions calendar.

Where the Cycle Stands in September 2026

In mid-September 2026, every row of the calendar above through Aug. 17 has passed and the Oct. 1 Early Decision notification date is next. The AMCAS application is still open, secondary applications and interviews are under way and AMCAS remains within its June through September peak. The AAMC processing status posted Sept. 18 said AMCAS was processing applications that reached Ready for Review on Sept. 4, about two weeks earlier.

That status is a snapshot, not a promised turnaround for your application. The 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide says verification may take six to eight weeks during peak season. The clock does not begin at account creation or transcript ordering. Your application enters the verification queue only when it has been submitted and every required official transcript has been received.

If you have submitted, check whether the application says Ready for Review and confirm that AMCAS has marked every transcript received. A missing transcript holds the application, and AMCAS emails applicants every 10 business days while one remains outstanding. Letters and MCAT scores are not required for verification.

If you have not submitted, there may still be school deadlines ahead, but you need to evaluate each program separately. The University of Kansas School of Medicine, for example, strongly encouraged submission by Sept. 1 even though its regular AMCAS deadline is Oct. 15. IMA’s guide to when it is too late to apply to medical school covers the broader decision without replacing each school’s stated deadline.

The AAMC AMCAS transcript processing tool lists the common application and transcript deadlines for the 2027 cycle. The table below shows the application deadline beside the corresponding date by which AMCAS must receive all required transcripts.

To meet a school’s deadline, your application must be submitted, not processed, by 11:59 p.m. ET. Regular applicants’ transcripts generally must arrive within 14 calendar days, or on the next business day when that date falls on a weekend or holiday. Electronic transcripts can take up to two business days to process after receipt, while mailed transcripts can take up to 25 business days from the date sent. AMCAS grants no extensions, and the Medical Schools section of your application contains the latest deadline information.

May 2026 Opening Day and Building the Application

May 5 was an opening day for data entry, not submission. Applicants could begin the 2027 application, enter their information and review sections before the May 28 submission date. Because the AAMC says your ability to change an application becomes very limited once you submit it, the useful goal during those three weeks or so was accuracy rather than simply finishing each field.

The Work and Activities section allowed up to 15 experiences and could not be edited after the original submission. Applicants who need the field limits and entry requirements can use IMA’s guide to the AMCAS Work and Activities section.

Coursework also needed close attention. AMCAS requires courses to be entered under the institution where they were originally attempted and exactly as they appear on that institution’s official transcript. AMCAS says the most common reasons it returns an application include leaving out the original grades and credit hours for repeated courses, failing to list 10 or more courses, credits or grades as they appear on the transcript and listing coursework out of chronological order. The AMCAS course classification guide addresses that part of the application in detail. A returned application can create a serious timing problem because AMCAS uses the date you recertify and resubmit to determine whether you met a school’s deadline.

Late May and June 2026 From First Submission to First Transmission

The weeks between opening day and the first submission date were also when applicants settled their medical school designations. AAMC data for 2025-2026 show an average of 19.5 applications per applicant, but that historical mean is not a recommendation for your list. Your choices should reflect school requirements and budget, which IMA addresses in its guide to how many medical schools to apply to.

Cost also affected those choices. The AAMC set the 2027 AMCAS processing fee at $180, including one school designation, plus $48 for each additional school. Fee Assistance Program awards are not retroactive, so the AAMC tells applicants seeking assistance to wait for approval before submitting. The full medical school application cost guide puts those AMCAS charges in context.

Submission opened on May 28, which was also the day AMCAS began verifying applications. June 26 was the first day AMCAS transmitted verified applications to medical schools. No applicant was behind on transmission before that date because schools could not receive verified 2027 applications earlier.

July to September 2026

Once schools received verified applications, they could send school-specific secondary applications, which the AAMC says will likely carry their own fee. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine began sending its supplemental invitations on July 7, 2026 after receiving verified AMCAS applications. Loma Linda University School of Medicine lists July through November for receiving verified applications and sending secondary invitations. These examples show why your working calendar should follow each school rather than one assumed turnaround.

The volume can be substantial. New medical students responding to the AAMC’s 2025 Matriculating Student Questionnaire reported a median of 20 completed secondary applications. The AAMC protocols for applicants set no turnaround time for a secondary. They ask you to submit every application form, fee, letter and other required document on or before each school’s published deadline.

The Early Decision Program deadline was Aug. 3, 2026 for the application and transcripts. Under the AMCAS Early Decision Program terms, an applicant applied to one participating school and agreed not to submit other applications until receiving a rejection, obtaining a formal release or reaching the Oct. 1 notification deadline.

Interviews had started at some schools by late summer. Pittsburgh’s interview season began Aug. 17 and runs through Dec. 11, 2026. Loma Linda sends most regular MD interview invitations from September through March, while the University of Kansas School of Medicine schedules regular interviews from October through January. Most medical schools require an interview, but the process varies. Respond promptly to an invitation and notify the school immediately if you cannot attend a scheduled date. Among 2025 Matriculating Student Questionnaire respondents, the median number of interview offers was three.

The final 2026 U.S. MCAT dates were Sept. 11 and 12, with scores scheduled for release on Oct. 13, 2026. AMCAS can verify an application without the score and sends scores automatically when available, but each school decides how late it will accept a test. Kansas, for example, set Sept. 11, 2026 as the latest test date for regular consideration for its 2027 entering class. IMA’s guide to MCAT registration and 2027 test dates covers the testing calendar. If you are judging your readiness from practice results, use the MCAT score calculator as a planning aid rather than an admissions prediction.

October to December 2026

Oct. 1 is the Early Decision notification deadline. By that date, participating schools tell Early Decision applicants their decision, and a school may defer an applicant to its regular pool instead. For anyone not accepted, this is the point at which the regular deadlines in the table above start to matter, and the first of them falls on the same day.

Oct. 15 is the first day a medical school may notify a regular MD applicant of acceptance under the AAMC protocols for admission officers. Decisions other than acceptance may arrive before Oct. 15. The date does not mean every school will begin sending acceptances that day. The University of Kansas School of Medicine, for example, schedules regular decision notification for March, while Loma Linda University School of Medicine makes decisions on a rolling basis from November through June until its class is filled.

This period also contains many application and secondary deadlines. Most of the common AMCAS deadlines in the table above fall in these three months, but your designated schools control the dates that apply to you. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine lists Oct. 15 for its MD AMCAS application and Nov. 15 for its supplemental application. Loma Linda lists Nov. 2 for the AMCAS application and Nov. 16 for the secondary application and letters.

Interviews continue during these months. If you receive an acceptance, begin the steps needed to determine financial aid eligibility rather than waiting until the spring decision period. School-specific forms and due dates still control what you must submit.

January to April 2027

Interviews and decisions continue into 2027 according to each school’s schedule. By March 15, the AAMC protocols ask each school to have issued a number of acceptance offers at least equal to its expected first-year class size. That benchmark does not mean a class is final or that waitlist movement has ended.

Beginning Feb. 19, 2027, accepted applicants can use the Choose Your Medical School tool to select Plan to Enroll at one school. Until April 30, you may keep other acceptances, remain on waitlists and continue interviewing. Schools see only aggregate Plan to Enroll totals during this period, not which individual applicants selected another school.

Before April 30, the protocols ask schools to provide at least two weeks for applicants to answer an acceptance offer. They also say an initial deposit should not exceed $100 and, except for Early Decision applicants, should be refundable at least until April 30. If you enroll, that deposit should be credited toward tuition.

On or before April 15, the AAMC protocols for applicants recommend that anyone holding more than one acceptance narrow the selection to no more than three schools and withdraw from other accepted schools. The recommendation concerns acceptances you hold. It does not ask you to give up a place on a waitlist.

The April 30 Medical School Milestone

On or before April 30, the AAMC recommends choosing the one school where you plan to matriculate and promptly withdrawing your acceptances from every other school. You may remain on waitlists. This is a recommendation in the AAMC protocols, not a universal hard commit deadline that replaces individual school policies.

Commit to Enroll becomes available April 30. Plan to Enroll indicates your current planned school, while Commit to Enroll indicates a final selection and that you have withdrawn all other applications. Selecting Commit to Enroll does not withdraw those applications for you. You must notify the other schools directly. Beginning April 30, schools can see which of their accepted applicants selected Plan to Enroll or Commit to Enroll.

Schools establish their own instructions and deadlines for using these options. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, for example, requires accepted students to select Plan to Enroll on April 30, 2027. After April 30, a school may use its own procedure to confirm your intention to matriculate, request a statement of intent, require a deposit or request both. If it cannot confirm your intention, it may choose to rescind the acceptance, but rescission is not automatic simply because April 30 passed.

After April 30, the recommended minimum response period for a new acceptance becomes five business days. That may fall to two business days within 30 days of orientation. The protocols do not override school policies. The AAMC defers to schools when circumstances such as delayed financial aid offers may warrant an exception. If a protocol date falls on a weekend or holiday, the recommendation moves to the next business day.

May to August 2027

Waitlist offers can still arrive after April 30. If one reaches you, read the new school’s response deadline carefully because the window can be short, then promptly notify any school you will not attend.

Commit to Enroll deadlines are school-specific. Loma Linda University School of Medicine requires the selection by June 10, 2027, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine by June 25, 2027 and the University of Kansas School of Medicine by June 30. Kansas states that failing to select Commit to Enroll by its deadline will result in withdrawal of the acceptance. These examples are why your school’s instructions matter more than treating April 30 as a universal final commitment date.

For the months after you accept a place, the AAMC timeline for applicants lists completing financial aid forms as early as possible, arranging housing and attending orientation. Loma Linda holds first-year orientation and matriculation on July 26, 2027. Pittsburgh lists the same date as its required start for first-year students. Kansas lists mandatory orientation in mid-July and classes beginning in late July.

If the cycle ends without an acceptance, begin your next decision with a careful review rather than assuming every part of the application must be rebuilt. AMCAS considers you a re-applicant only at schools that previously received your verified application. Most sections roll over, but you must review the entire application and send official transcripts and letters again. IMA’s guide to reapplying to medical school can help you organize that next cycle.

Planning for a Later AMCAS Cycle

This calendar shows the sequence you need to account for when planning ahead. The AAMC says AMCAS typically opens in the first week of May, with submission beginning about a month later. Verification time then sits between submission and delivery to schools.

MCAT timing has its own delay. Scores are usually released about 30 to 35 days after the test. Registration for the full 2027 testing year, with U.S. dates from Jan. 15 through Sept. 11, 2027, opens Oct. 20 to 22, 2026 by test center location. Choose a date that accounts for score release and each intended school’s latest accepted test date rather than assuming one national cutoff.

The summer before applying or a gap year can also be used for medically related employment, education, research or service, which the AAMC includes among its planning suggestions. International Medical Aid offers pre-med internships abroad involving clinical rotations and physician shadowing. Consider any experience according to your learning goals, available time and responsibilities rather than treating it as an admissions guarantee.

Keep Your Next Deadline in View

Your next action depends on where you are in the cycle. If your application is awaiting verification, confirm that every transcript has arrived. If schools have sent secondary applications or interview invitations, work from their published dates. If you hold an acceptance, record the school’s financial aid, Plan to Enroll, Commit to Enroll and orientation deadlines in one place.

The AMCAS calendar provides the national framework, but your designated schools determine the deadlines that can change your outcome. Focus on the nearest date that applies to you, complete that step accurately and then prepare for the next stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Does AMCAS Open for 2027?

AMCAS 2027 has already opened. The application opened on May 5, 2026 for applicants seeking to begin medical school in 2027. Applicants could start entering information on that date but could not submit immediately. The AAMC says AMCAS typically opens during the first week of May each year for the following year’s entering class.

When Can You Submit AMCAS 2027?

You have been able to submit AMCAS 2027 since May 28, 2026. The application is still open in mid-September 2026. Your actual cutoff is the deadline set by each designated school. To meet it, submit by 11:59 p.m. ET on that date rather than waiting for AMCAS to finish processing.

How Long Does AMCAS Verification Take in 2026?

AMCAS says verification may take six to eight weeks during peak season. As of Sept. 18, 2026, it was processing applications that became Ready for Review on Sept. 4, about two weeks earlier. Your application reaches that status only after you submit and AMCAS receives every required official transcript.

When Is the AMCAS Deadline?

There is no single AMCAS deadline for every school. The AAMC page listing AMCAS participating medical schools and deadlines says all application deadlines are set by individual medical schools. Common deadlines in the 2027 cycle run from Oct. 1 through Dec. 15, 2026. Submit by 11:59 p.m. ET, make sure transcripts arrive within the applicable 14-day window and check the Medical Schools section of your application because posted dates can change. AMCAS does not grant extensions.

When Do Medical Schools Start Sending Acceptances?

Regular MD acceptances may begin on Oct. 15, 2026, while Early Decision applicants must receive a decision by Oct. 1. Schools do not all notify applicants on the earliest permitted date. The University of Kansas School of Medicine, for example, schedules regular notification for March. The AAMC protocols expect every school to have made at least as many offers as it has first-year seats by March 15.

What Is the April 30 Deadline for Medical School?

April 30 is the date by which the AAMC recommends choosing one school where you plan to matriculate and withdrawing your other acceptances. You may remain on waitlists, and Commit to Enroll becomes available that day. Commit to Enroll does not contact other schools for you. Schools set their own tool instructions and final commitment deadlines, and after April 30 they may use their own procedures to confirm that you intend to enroll.

Do You Need Your MCAT Score Before You Submit AMCAS?

No. AMCAS can verify your application before your MCAT score is released and automatically sends the score to schools when it becomes available. Medical schools set their own latest acceptable test dates, so you still need to compare your planned score-release date with every school’s policy.