Most U.S. medical schools require the MCAT for regular admission, but some BS/MD, BA/MD, early assurance and post-baccalaureate linkage programs waive it for the students they enroll. A few Canadian MD programs also admit students without considering MCAT scores. These medical schools that don’t require the MCAT have separate eligibility rules, academic conditions and application timelines, and a waiver almost always belongs to one program rather than to everyone who applies to the school.
The programs below are limited to those whose schools described an MCAT waiver or alternative when their websites were checked on Oct. 17, 2026. Policies can change, so confirm the requirements for your application year before committing to a no-MCAT path.
MCAT Waiver Programs at a Glance
- An MCAT waiver usually applies to a specific combined, early assurance or linkage program, not every applicant to the medical school.
- Combined programs admit students from high school, while early assurance programs generally select students during college, most often in the sophomore or junior year.
- Several pathways impose GPA, course, test score, citizenship, residency or partner-college conditions that continue after acceptance, and at least one (Marshall) states that early assurance acceptance does not guarantee medical school acceptance.
- Tufts now requires a 510 MCAT, with section-score and attempt limits, for Early Assurance students who receive a conditional acceptance during or after the 2027-2028 academic year. LECOM says an exemption may apply rather than guaranteeing one.
- Some guaranteed and early selection programs, including Pitt’s Guaranteed Admission Program and George Washington’s BA/BS-MD and Early Selection programs, still require the MCAT and set a minimum score.
Can You Get Into Medical School Without the MCAT?
Yes, you can get into medical school without the MCAT through certain combined, early assurance, post-baccalaureate linkage, osteopathic and Canadian pathways. Most U.S. medical schools and many Canadian schools, however, require recent scores from regular applicants. IMA’s guide to the MCAT sections provides more background on the exam and its role in admissions, and IMA’s explainer on What Is a Good MCAT Score? shows how schools read a score once you have one.
A waiver belongs to a particular program, not automatically to the entire school. Rochester exempts students in REMS, its Early Assurance Program and its Post-bac Linkage Program, while all other Rochester MD applicants must take the MCAT. Albany Medical College and Tufts likewise require the exam from regular applicants even though each offers a designated pathway with a different policy.
Marshall does the same: its admissions criteria require the MCAT with a 505 minimum for consideration, and that minimum does not guarantee an interview or admission. Only students in Marshall’s designated programs who meet those programs’ criteria are exempt.
Skipping the test does not mean skipping the rest of a strong application. Every program in this guide still weighs grades, coursework, character and evidence that you understand what clinical work involves. Hands-on patient contact through clinical internships for pre-med students is one way to build that evidence before an early assurance interview.
If your plans include regular admission, review MCAT registration early enough to choose a testing date.
BS/MD and BA/MD Programs That Waive the MCAT
Combined programs let you enter a defined undergraduate-to-medical-school pathway from high school. The waiver remains tied to meeting the program’s academic and conduct conditions. If you are comparing the format more broadly, IMA’s guide to BS/MD programs explains how combined pathways differ from regular admission, and IMA’s overview of Three-Year Medical School Programs in the United States covers accelerated MD options that are a separate question from the MCAT.
Because these programs choose students as high school seniors, applicants usually show their interest in medicine before college through shadowing, volunteering and summer programs. Medical internships for high school students are one way to see patient care up close before you apply to a combined program.
CUNY School of Medicine Seven-Year BS/MD
The CUNY School of Medicine program overview describes an accelerated seven-year pathway through the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. Students earn a BS in biomedical science in three years and can then enter the four-year MD program without taking the MCAT. CUNY designed the program for students committed to improving access to care in communities with provider shortages.
Applicants need a minimum cumulative average of 85 across the first three years of high school, three personal essays and five letters of recommendation. Under CUNY’s BS/MD requirements, ACT or SAT scores are optional through Spring 2027, with no penalty for leaving them out. Transfer students who have completed no more than one semester of college work can also apply if they have at least a 3.5 college GPA. For the current cycle, all application steps must be finished by December 1. For CUNY’s regular MD statistics and interview format, see IMA’s CUNY School of Medicine admissions guide.
Brown University PLME
Students in Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education do not need the MCAT to matriculate at the Warren Alpert Medical School, as the Brown PLME FAQ confirms. They must maintain strong academic standing and professionalism. You apply to Brown through the Common Application and answer PLME-specific essays rather than submitting a separate application. Brown’s Early Decision option remains binding even if PLME does not admit you, so Brown encourages students applying to several combined programs to use Regular Decision.
PLME enrolls approximately 50 students each year. It is not an accelerated program: it is an eight-year path built on Brown’s Open Curriculum, so you complete a full undergraduate degree before medical school. International students can apply through the Common Application, although Brown strongly encourages permanent U.S. residency or dual citizenship. IMA’s Brown medical school admissions guide covers the regular MD route.
University of Rochester REMS
Rochester Early Medical Scholars is an eight-year BA or BS plus MD program offering selected students a conditional admission guarantee and an MCAT exemption. First-year applicants indicate interest through the Common Application or Coalition for College Application. The stated deadlines are November 1 for Early Decision and November 15 for Regular Decision.
REMS is the most competitive combined degree program at the University of Rochester. Strong applicants typically have a 3.95 unweighted GPA, rank in the top three percent of their graduating class, take rigorous math and science including calculus, biology and chemistry, and have medical experience such as shadowing or hospital volunteering.
Albany Medical College Combined Programs
Albany Medical College’s combined programs include seven- to eight-year pathways with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Union College and Siena University. Albany reserves up to 45 first-year places across these programs, and its MD admissions page states that combined-program applicants do not need the MCAT.
Applicants must be high school seniors who rank in the top 10% of their class or have at least a 3.5 GPA. They must also be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Albany considers each applicant for only one of the three combined programs. The SAT (or ACT) is required for these programs, tests must be completed by the November test date and scores must be sent officially. The application deadline for all three programs is November 1. IMA’s Albany Medical College admissions guide covers the school’s regular MD route.
Early Assurance Programs That Waive the MCAT
Early assurance programs generally admit students after they have established a college academic record. Each option below restricts eligibility by institution, year in college or another stated condition. Because most of them expect an application in the sophomore or junior year, the summers after your first and second years matter. Many students use pre-med summer internships during that window to add clinical experience before an early assurance deadline.
Georgetown University Early Assurance Program
Georgetown’s Early Assurance Program offers assurance of admission at the end of sophomore year without requiring the MCAT for Georgetown, but accepted students who want to apply to another medical school must take the MCAT. Applicants must be in their fourth semester at Georgetown and complete four pre-med course sequences by the end of May. Transfer students cannot apply. Interested students contact their dean’s office in early January of sophomore year.
After admission, students must keep an overall GPA and a BCPM GPA of at least 3.6 and cannot receive a C or lower in any course, as set out in Georgetown’s undergraduate EAP requirements. IMA’s Georgetown University School of Medicine admissions guide covers the regular application.
University of Rochester Early Assurance Program
Rochester extends its MCAT exemption to an Early Assurance Program for students at partner colleges. The University of Rochester admissions page identifies Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Colgate, Hamilton, Haverford, Hunter College, Middlebury, Spelman, Swarthmore, Williams and Xavier University of Louisiana as partners. Students at those colleges learn the details from their pre-health advisor.
Rochester also lists a Post-bac Linkage Program, with Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, as an exception to its MCAT requirement. That makes it one of the few options in this guide for people who have already finished college. Ask the pre-health advisor at Bryn Mawr or Columbia about the linkage conditions, because Rochester does not publish them on its admissions page. IMA’s University of Rochester medical school admissions guide covers the regular MD application.
Tufts University Early Assurance Program
The Tufts Early Assurance Program offers selected students assurance of admission. Tufts sophomores can apply to the traditional MD track, and sophomores at Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College and all University of Maine campuses can apply to the Maine Track. Eligibility includes cumulative science and total GPAs of at least 3.7, grades of B+ or better in biology, chemistry and physics (including labs), B or better in all other courses, and two semesters of biology, two semesters of general chemistry and one semester of organic chemistry by the end of sophomore year.
The MCAT waiver now depends on when you are conditionally accepted. Students who received a conditional acceptance before the 2027-2028 academic year enter without an MCAT score. For conditional acceptances received during or after the 2027-2028 academic year, students must earn at least 510 overall and reach at least the 50th percentile in the Bio/Biochem (BBFL), Chem/Phys (CPBS) and Psych/Soc (PSBB) sections on the same exam before final acceptance. Tufts allows two attempts at most, does not accept superscores and accepts only exams taken by September of the application year, so a January retake is not an option. Tufts strongly encourages practice MCAT exams in any case.
The program is selective: Tufts receives over 100 applications a year, interviews around 20 candidates and usually admits about half of those interviewed. IMA’s Tufts University School of Medicine admissions guide covers the regular route.
University of Toledo MedStart
The University of Toledo’s MedStart program accepts students during their junior year at an accredited U.S. college (the fourth year in a five-year degree) and does not require the MCAT for program acceptance. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and provide an ACT or SAT score taken before college. Toledo recommends a cumulative GPA of at least 3.7 and a science GPA of at least 3.5, and it strongly recommends an ACT of 30 or higher or an SAT of 1350 or higher. It strongly encourages taking the MCAT during senior year for preparation and potential eligibility for merit scholarships requiring competitive scores.
Application details for the next MedStart cycle have not been posted yet, so watch the program page for the opening date. Decisions are generally communicated by March 1. Students who are already starting their final undergraduate year and can apply through AMCAS are not eligible, and an accepted student who submits an AMCAS application to another medical school is treated as withdrawing. In 2024, the newest year Toledo reports, 16 of 143 applicants were accepted. IMA’s University of Toledo College of Medicine admissions guide covers regular admission.
Marshall University MD Early Assurance Program
Marshall’s MD Early Assurance Program is open to Marshall students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and apply in the spring of their second undergraduate year. Students who successfully complete the undergraduate portion do not need the MCAT and enter the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine after meeting its matriculation requirements.
The entry bar is specific. Applicants need a minimum composite ACT of 24 or SAT of 1160 from a single test date (Marshall does not accept superscores), plus a 3.7 BCPM GPA and a 3.5 overall GPA at the end of the summer semester of their application year. Participants must keep those GPAs through the undergraduate portion and complete 30 credit hours of 300- and 400-level science after acceptance. Marshall also states plainly that acceptance into the MD Early Assurance Program does not guarantee acceptance into the School of Medicine. For the 2026 cycle, applications were due March 25, 2026; the 2027 dates had not been posted as of Oct. 17, 2026. IMA’s Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine admissions guide covers the regular route.
Albany Medical College Early Assurance for Union Students
Union College’s early assurance pathway lets successful students bypass both the MCAT and the regular Albany Medical College application. Students apply at the end of sophomore year and, if accepted, are assured admission to Albany’s MD program two years later, provided they stay in compliance with academic and conduct standards. Applicants need overall and science GPAs of at least 3.50, grades of B or higher and an ACT above 31 or SAT above 1400.
The timeline runs through Union’s health professions advisory committee review starting in January of sophomore year. Application materials are due June 15 after sophomore year, interviews take place at Albany Medical College in August, decisions arrive by early September of junior year, and students commit in October, agreeing not to apply to other medical schools.
University at Albany EAPP
The University at Albany Early Assurance Pathway Program with Albany Medical College recruits UAlbany sophomores who are first-generation college students, come from low-income backgrounds or have a sustained interest in underserved populations. Students who maintain satisfactory records do not need the MCAT. After acceptance, students must keep 3.50 GPAs in science and math and overall each semester and keep progressing toward service and clinical goals. Supporting letters and a UAlbany institutional letter are due July 1.
University at Albany REAP
UAlbany also participates in the Rural Early Assurance Program with SUNY Upstate Medical University. It is for New York State UAlbany students whose home ZIP code is on Upstate’s list of rural ZIP codes and who apply during their second semester of sophomore year. Transfer students are not eligible. Applicants need cumulative and science GPAs of at least 3.5, and participants must keep those averages and earn no grade below B- in science and math. Students who maintain satisfactory records are not required to take the MCAT. Eligible students are notified by email in January, and materials are due July 1. IMA’s SUNY Upstate Norton College of Medicine admissions guide covers Upstate’s regular MD admission.
Osteopathic Option at LECOM
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine presents an alternative, but you should not assume the waiver is automatic. Under LECOM’s Early Acceptance Program, enrolled students may be exempt from the MCAT and do not need to submit an AACOMAS application. Students can apply as high school seniors, while current college students should check with their pre-health advisor.
The 2+4 and 3+4 medical tracks require a single-sitting SAT of 1340 or ACT of 28 to apply. High school applicants to the medical track need at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA, rising to 3.7 for the pre-bachelor’s 2+ and 3+ tracks, while college applicants need a 3.40 overall and 3.30 science GPA. The LECOM application portal is open from May 1 to April 1, and some partner colleges require a separate application for their part of the program.
For admission to its College of Osteopathic Medicine, LECOM’s entrance requirements allow an Academic Index Score calculated from undergraduate and graduate GPAs with ACT or SAT scores in place of MCAT scores. The same page describes a competitive MCAT as the 50th percentile or higher. Before choosing this pathway, compare the distinctions in IMA’s MD vs DO guide and read IMA’s Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine admissions guide.
Canadian Medical Schools That Don’t Require the MCAT
Three verified Canadian MD programs state that they do not require the MCAT. Their other admissions conditions still apply, so an MCAT-free policy should not be treated as general eligibility for every applicant.
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa application process makes clear that the MCAT is not an admission requirement for its MD program. Applicants must complete at least three years of full-time university study, equivalent to five courses per term each year, by June 30 of the year they would enter.
NOSM University
Under NOSM University’s admissions FAQ, the MCAT is not required. If an applicant submits a score, NOSM does not consider it.
McGill University
McGill University’s MCAT requirements page confirms that no applicant to its undergraduate medical program has needed the exam since the 2024 admission cycle. Its application does not provide a place to submit a score, and McGill does not consider one.
Programs That Now Require the MCAT or Have Closed
Several programs found on older no-MCAT lists no longer qualify. Dartmouth’s Geisel Early Assurance Program now requires accepted students to take the MCAT before matriculation and earn at least 503. East Carolina University’s Brody Early Assurance Program lists a minimum MCAT score of 500, or the current regular-admissions standard for the year the student applies. IMA’s guides to Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and ECU Brody School of Medicine cover both schools in more depth.
Marshall has closed its former BS/MD program, with the final cohort selected in early 2025. Toledo’s BACC2MD pathway requires application materials that include MCAT scores, due by May 30. Tufts’ change for conditional acceptances during or after the 2027-2028 academic year, described above, also belongs on this list. Confirm each current policy on the program’s own website rather than relying on an older list.
Some well-known guaranteed and early selection programs have never been MCAT waivers, even though they are often grouped with them. The University of Pittsburgh’s Guaranteed Admission Program for the School of Medicine selects incoming first-year Pitt students, but those offered the guarantee must finish a Pitt degree in four years, keep a 3.70 science and overall QPA and achieve a minimum composite MCAT of 517. Pitt also requires SAT or ACT scores for this guarantee, so test-optional applicants are not reviewed for it. George Washington University’s 4+4 BA/BS-MD program for high school seniors requires a 3.60 GPA and an MCAT score that meets the program cutoff, and its Early Selection program requires a 3.6 GPA and an MCAT of at least 514. IMA’s George Washington University School of Medicine admissions guide covers GW’s regular admissions.
| School | Program | Who applies | MCAT requirement the school states |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | Guaranteed Admission Program (GAP) | Incoming first-year Pitt students who submit SAT or ACT scores | Minimum composite MCAT of 517, plus a 3.70 science and overall QPA |
| George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 4+4 BA/BS-MD | High school seniors | An MCAT score that meets the program cutoff, plus a 3.60 GPA |
| George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Early Selection | Sophomores at partner schools | MCAT of at least 514, plus a 3.6 GPA |
| Tufts University School of Medicine | Early Assurance Program | Conditional acceptances during or after 2027-2028 | 510 overall, 50th percentile or above in BBFL, CPBS and PSBB on one exam, two attempts at most |
| Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth | Early Assurance Program | Dartmouth students | 503 or higher before matriculation |
| ECU Brody School of Medicine | Early Assurance Program | Students who meet Brody’s early assurance criteria | 500, or the current regular-admissions standard for the year of application |
| University of Toledo | BACC2MD | UToledo undergraduates in the pathway | MCAT scores due with application materials by May 30 |
Medical School Programs Without the MCAT at a Glance
The table summarizes the programs described on the school pages cited above, including who applies and the MCAT policy stated when those pages were checked on Oct. 17, 2026. Review the full program section before using a row to make an application decision. If you are also weighing schools by their usual admitted-student numbers, IMA’s list of medical school GPA and MCAT averages gives that comparison.
| School | Program | Pathway | Who applies | MCAT policy the school states |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY School of Medicine | Sophie Davis BS/MD Program (7 years) | BS/MD | Students entering college (apply by December 1) | Students move into the MD program without taking the MCAT |
| Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University | Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) | BA/BS-MD | High school seniors through the Brown application (about 50 enroll each year) | PLME students are not required to take the MCAT to matriculate |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | Rochester Early Medical Scholars (REMS) | BA/BS-MD | First-year college applicants | Exemption from the MCAT |
| Albany Medical College | Combined degree programs with RPI, Union College and Siena University | BS/MD | High school seniors (apply by November 1) | Applicants to combined degree programs do not need to take the MCAT |
| Georgetown University School of Medicine | Early Assurance Program | Early assurance | Georgetown students in their fourth semester | Accepted students are not required to take the MCAT for this program |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | Early Assurance Program | Early assurance | Students at 12 participating colleges | Exempt from the MCAT requirement |
| University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | Post-bac Linkage Program | Post-baccalaureate linkage | Linkage students at Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University | Listed as an exception to the MCAT requirement |
| Tufts University School of Medicine | Early Assurance Program | Early assurance | Tufts sophomores (or Maine Track home school) | Waived for conditional acceptances before 2027-2028; from 2027-2028, a 510 with section minimums is required |
| University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences | MedStart | Early assurance | College juniors at accredited U.S. schools | MCAT not required for acceptance into the program |
| Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine | MD Early Assurance Program | Early assurance | Marshall University students in their second year | Students who complete the undergraduate portion do not take the MCAT; EAP acceptance does not guarantee medical school acceptance |
| Albany Medical College | Early Assurance Program for Union College students | Early assurance | Union College sophomores | Lets successful students bypass the MCAT |
| Albany Medical College | Early Assurance Pathway Program (EAPP) with UAlbany | Early assurance | UAlbany sophomores who meet the program’s background criteria | Students who keep satisfactory records are not required to take the MCAT |
| SUNY Upstate Medical University | Rural Early Assurance Program (REAP) with UAlbany | Early assurance | UAlbany sophomores from rural upstate New York ZIP codes | Students who keep satisfactory records are not required to take the MCAT |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) | Early Acceptance Program (medical track) | Early acceptance (DO) | High school seniors and some college students at partner schools | Students may be exempt from the MCAT |
| University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine | MD Program | Canadian MD | Applicants with at least 3 years of full-time university study | MCAT is not an admission requirement |
| NOSM University | Undergraduate Medical Education (MD) Program | Canadian MD | MD program applicants | MCAT is not required; submitted scores are not considered |
| McGill University | MDCM Program | Canadian MD | All undergraduate medical program applicants | No applicants require the MCAT (since the 2024 admission cycle) |
How to Decide Whether an MCAT Waiver Program Fits
Check When You Must Commit
Combined programs ask you to choose a medical school path as a high school senior, and most of the early assurance pathways above expect an application during sophomore or junior year. Decide whether you are ready to commit to one school that early, and note any rules in the program sections above about applying to other programs or other medical schools. Union students commit in October of junior year and agree not to apply elsewhere, Toledo treats an AMCAS application to another school as a withdrawal, and Georgetown requires the MCAT if an EAP student later applies to a different medical school.
Compare Every Continuing Condition
A waiver does not remove academic expectations. Reread the GPA, grade and course conditions in each program section above, and check whether a program limits participation by college, citizenship, residency or home ZIP code before you plan around it. Some conditions are high: Tufts asks for a 3.7 science and total GPA, Marshall a 3.7 BCPM GPA, and Georgetown a 3.6 with no grade of C or lower.
Programs also expect you to keep building experience after acceptance. UAlbany’s EAPP and REAP, for example, ask participants to keep progressing toward service and clinical goals. Supervised medical internships for undergraduates can help you meet that kind of expectation, because interns take vitals, help with intake and triage and assist with direct patient care under supervision.
Keep a Regular Admissions Plan Available
As the program sections above note, some schools encourage MCAT preparation even when they waive the exam. If regular admission may remain part of your plan, decide when to take the MCAT without waiting until a waiver pathway is no longer available.
A lower-than-hoped-for score also does not make this list your only option. IMA’s guide to medical schools accepting low MCAT scores covers that separate question. If you decide to take a year between college and medical school to retest or strengthen your application, pre-med gap year programs can add the clinical depth that admissions committees look for in a reapplicant or a later applicant.
Choose a Path That Preserves Your Options
Start by matching your current stage of education and eligibility to the programs above, then read the school’s current requirements before applying. Treat an MCAT waiver as one part of a larger admissions path, not as permission to overlook grades, coursework or program commitments.
If you decide that regular admission gives you the flexibility you need, build enough preparation time into your schedule and review IMA’s guidance on how to study for the MCAT.
Clinical Experience Still Counts Without the MCAT
Removing the MCAT from an application shifts more weight onto everything else. Early assurance committees interview students after only two or three years of college, so they look closely at whether you have seen medicine from the patient’s side of the room and understand the work.
International Medical Aid (IMA) runs medical internships abroad in Kenya and other sites for students preparing for health careers. IMA’s pre-med internships place interns in hospitals and clinics where, under the supervision of local clinicians, they take vitals, help with patient intake and triage and assist with direct patient care. Pre-health internships like these fit naturally into the summers before a sophomore- or junior-year early assurance application, and they also help students who later choose regular admission.
When you compare internships for pre-med students, look for supervised patient contact, clear learning goals and experiences you can describe in specific terms in an interview. Pre-med internships abroad can also show how care is delivered with fewer resources, a perspective that fits programs such as CUNY’s BS/MD, UAlbany’s EAPP and REAP, which focus on underserved and rural communities. An internship does not replace a program’s own requirements, and no internship guarantees admission to any program in this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Get Into Medical School Without Taking the MCAT?
Yes, but only through programs with a stated waiver or through schools that do not consider the exam. In the United States, these options are primarily combined, early assurance and linkage pathways. Most regular U.S. medical school applicants still need recent MCAT scores.
Which U.S. Medical Schools Don’t Require the MCAT?
No-MCAT policies usually apply to particular pathways rather than an entire U.S. school. Verified options include designated programs at CUNY, Brown, Rochester, Albany Medical College, Georgetown, Tufts, Toledo, Marshall, SUNY Upstate and LECOM, including early assurance pathways offered with Union College and the University at Albany. Rochester’s Post-bac Linkage Program, with Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, is also an exception to its MCAT requirement. Eligibility and continuing conditions differ by program.
Do Any BS/MD Programs Not Require the MCAT?
Yes. CUNY’s seven-year BS/MD program and Albany Medical College’s combined programs waive the MCAT, while Brown PLME and Rochester REMS provide no-MCAT combined pathways leading to medical school. Each requires you to enter through its designated undergraduate admissions process. Not every combined program is a waiver: George Washington’s BA/BS-MD program requires an MCAT score that meets its cutoff.
Which Early Assurance Programs Waive the MCAT?
Verified early assurance options include Georgetown, Rochester, Tufts (for conditional acceptances before 2027-2028), Toledo MedStart, Marshall, Albany Medical College’s pathway for Union students and UAlbany’s EAPP and REAP. These programs limit eligibility by factors such as college, academic year, GPA, citizenship or geographic background.
Does Tufts Still Waive the MCAT for Early Assurance?
Only for students who received a conditional acceptance before the 2027-2028 academic year. Students receiving conditional acceptance during or after 2027-2028 must earn at least 510 overall, reach the 50th percentile or above in the BBFL, CPBS and PSBB sections on one exam, and do so within two attempts before final acceptance. Superscores are not accepted.
Do Canadian Medical Schools Require the MCAT?
Some do, but the University of Ottawa, NOSM University and McGill University state that their MD admissions processes do not require the MCAT. NOSM and McGill also say submitted scores are not considered. Other admissions requirements still apply.
Is There a DO School That Doesn’t Require the MCAT?
LECOM may provide an MCAT exemption through its Early Acceptance Program or use an Academic Index Score in place of MCAT scores for College of Osteopathic Medicine admission. Because LECOM uses the word “may,” confirm how the policy applies to your record before relying on an exemption.
Can I Skip the MCAT If I Have Already Graduated From College?
Usually not, because most waiver programs select high school seniors or current undergraduates. One exception is Rochester’s Post-bac Linkage Program with Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, which Rochester lists as an exception to its MCAT requirement. The Canadian MD programs at Ottawa, NOSM and McGill also do not require the MCAT, though each has its own degree and residency rules. Otherwise, graduates apply through regular admission with an MCAT score.
Does Early Assurance Guarantee a Seat in Medical School?
It assures admission only if you meet every continuing condition, and some programs go further in limiting the promise. Marshall states that acceptance into its MD Early Assurance Program does not guarantee acceptance into the School of Medicine, Tufts now requires a minimum MCAT before final acceptance for 2027-2028 conditional acceptances, and Union’s pathway depends on staying in compliance with academic and conduct standards.
Do Guaranteed Admission Programs Always Waive the MCAT?
No. Pitt’s Guaranteed Admission Program for its School of Medicine requires a minimum composite MCAT of 517 along with a 3.70 science and overall QPA, and George Washington’s Early Selection program requires an MCAT of at least 514. Dartmouth’s Geisel Early Assurance Program requires 503 and ECU Brody’s requires 500.
Should I Still Prepare for the MCAT If I Am in a Waiver Program?
Often, yes. Toledo strongly encourages MedStart students to take the MCAT in senior year for preparation and merit scholarships, and Tufts strongly encourages practice exams. Georgetown EAP students who decide to apply to another school must take the exam. Keeping a test plan protects you if a program’s conditions change or you decide to apply elsewhere.
How Can I Strengthen an Early Assurance Application Without an MCAT Score?
Keep your science and overall GPAs above the program’s minimums, finish the required course sequences on time and build real clinical experience before your interview. Supervised clinical work, such as an IMA internship in which you take vitals and help with intake and triage, gives you specific patient-care examples to discuss with an admissions committee.
