How to Get Into Perelman School of Medicine: The Definitive Guide (2026-2027 Cycle)

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (often called Penn Med or UPenn Med) is a private medical school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1765, which makes it the first medical school established in what would become the United States. The MD program is part of Penn Medicine, the academic medical center anchored by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), and it sits on Penn’s single campus in University City, a short walk from Wharton, Penn Carey Law, the School of Nursing and the rest of the university.

This guide covers the 2026-2027 application cycle, which is for students who want to start medical school in August 2027. It explains what Perelman looks for, how the IMPaCT curriculum and its three Cores work, what the 2026 entering class looked like, what the school costs in 2026-27, and how to answer each of the six current secondary questions, with a full illustrative example and analysis for every prompt. It also covers the MD/PhD program, dual degrees, interviews and the people who lead the school. Facts were checked against the school’s own pages in October 2026.

Key Takeaways

• Anyone with a U.S. or Canadian bachelor’s degree can apply, and international applicants are welcome. Admissions standards are the same for all students. If your degree is from outside the U.S. or Canada, you must first complete a full-time year of science coursework at a U.S. or Canadian school. DACA and undocumented applicants are welcome.
• The academic bar is very high, but there is no published cutoff. The 2026 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 and a median GPA of 3.98, with an MCAT range of 510 to 528.
• There are no required courses. Perelman asks you to show competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics instead of checking off a fixed list.
• Two deadlines matter: AMCAS by October 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and the supplemental application, $100 fee, MCAT score and letters by November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Every verified applicant receives the supplemental.
• Decisions come on one date in March. Perelman does not admit on a rolling basis, and only interviewed applicants are considered. For the 2025 entering class, 800 of 7,097 verified applicants were interviewed, about 11%.
• Costs for 2026-27: tuition is $73,852 and the first-year cost of attendance is $117,173 for every student, with no residency difference. About 35 full-tuition merit scholarships are awarded each year.
• The curriculum is built for customization. IMPaCT runs in three Cores, and more than half of each class stays beyond four years for dual degrees, research or global health.
• Next step: submit AMCAS early, plan your letters (a committee letter, or at least three faculty letters including one from a science professor), and start drafting the 3,000-character ambiguity essay before the supplemental arrives.

Key Statistics About Perelman School of Medicine

The snapshot below collects the figures applicants ask about first. Class statistics are for the 2026 entering class, enrollment is for the 2026-27 academic year and cost figures come from the school’s 2026-27 student budget. Application, interview and accepted-applicant figures are for the 2025 entering class, the newest cohort with those counts. Perelman charges the same tuition to every student, so there is no in-state or out-of-state split.

Three points help you read these numbers correctly. First, the school’s class profile reports medians and means for the students who enrolled, so those figures describe the class that chose Penn. For the 2025 entering class, all accepted applicants had the same medians (MCAT 522, GPA 3.98), so the bar for admission and the bar for the enrolled class are the same in practice. Second, about 11% of verified applicants were interviewed for the 2025 class, and only interviewed applicants can be admitted. That interview ratio is not an acceptance rate: the number of acceptance offers is not published, so no true acceptance rate can be calculated. Third, a range is not a minimum. The lowest MCAT in the 2026 class was 510, but that does not mean 510 is a safe target. The Admissions Statistics and Class Profile section below explains the numbers in more detail.

Mission and Educational Priorities

The Perelman School of Medicine states its mission this way: “Our mission is to advance knowledge and improve health through research, patient care, and the education of trainees in an inclusive culture that embraces diversity, fosters innovation, stimulates critical thinking, supports lifelong learning, and sustains our legacy of excellence.” The school’s overview page uses a closely related version that also stresses a community that “embraces equal opportunity.” Both versions put research, patient care and education side by side, and that balance shows up everywhere in the MD program.

The admissions office adds its own, more specific mission. Perelman says it “will select students who are poised and prepared to become future physician leaders in health care,” and that those students will serve their communities and contribute to society through clinical, educational, research, health policy and entrepreneurial work. The word “leaders” matters. Perelman is not only looking for people who will be good clinicians. It wants people who will change how care is delivered, studied or paid for.

What this means for you as an applicant:

• Research is expected, but it does not have to be bench science. Every MD student completes a Scholarly Pursuit project, and the school counts clinical, community, health policy and education research. Your file should show that you can ask a question and work to answer it.
• Service is part of the mission, not an extra. Perelman describes service as “the cornerstone of our mission” and names student-led clinics and community partners such as the University City Hospitality Coalition. Long-term, local, hands-on service reads better than a long list of short commitments.
• Leadership means taking responsibility for something. The admissions mission mentions health policy and entrepreneurial efforts. Leading a project, building a program or improving a process counts as much as holding a title.
• Holistic review is real. The Committee on Admissions reviews applicants on four stated criteria: personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength. The secondary questions on life experiences, economic hardship and ambiguity exist to collect evidence for the first three.

Perelman’s admissions competencies page also lists behavioral and social sciences as a core area. It asks applicants to understand the social, cultural and behavioral factors that affect health, and the societal forces that create barriers to care. If your experiences include patients who struggled with cost, language or access, that is not a side story. It is central to how this school describes good preparation.

Accreditation and Institutional Identity

Perelman’s MD program is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for MD programs in the United States and Canada. The school reports that it “has received full accreditation, with a follow-up review in 2026.” LCME accreditation is what makes graduates eligible for the USMLE licensing exams and for ACGME-accredited residency programs, so it is a baseline requirement rather than a mark of rank.

A few points about the school’s identity are worth knowing:

• Name. The school became the Perelman School of Medicine in 2011 after a gift from Raymond and Ruth Perelman. You will still see “Penn Med,” “Penn Medicine” and “UPenn Medical School” used informally. Penn Medicine is the larger enterprise that combines the school with the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
• History. Founded in 1765, it is the oldest medical school in the country. Penn is also home to the first teaching hospital in the United States: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania opened in 1874 as the first hospital built by a university for teaching medical students. Pennsylvania Hospital, founded in 1751 as the nation’s first hospital, is now part of Penn Medicine and is still one of the school’s teaching sites.
• One campus. Perelman has a single campus in University City, centered on the Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center. There are no regional campuses to apply to separately.
• Research scale. In FY24, Penn reported $1,010,817,000 in total sponsored research and $588,138,132 in NIH awards (Penn Medicine Facts and Figures 2025).
• Rankings. In January 2023, Perelman announced it would no longer submit data to U.S. News & World Report for its medical school rankings, starting in 2024. The school said the rankings measure the wrong things. Any current U.S. News medical school listing for Penn is built only from public data, so treat it with care when you compare schools.

Penn’s reputation is one reason it is so competitive, but it is a weak reason to give in your essays. The admissions committee already knows the school is well known. They want to know what you will do with its resources. If you are still building the clinical side of your application, internships for pre-med students that put you in direct contact with patients are a better use of your time than reading rankings.

Medical Programs and Affiliations

Perelman offers several ways to earn an MD. You apply to either the MD program or the MD/PhD program through AMCAS. Applicants must choose one; you can change your choice until October 1, but you cannot be considered for both. Most other dual degrees are added after you enroll.

MD program

The traditional MD runs on the IMPaCT curriculum described in the next section. Most students finish in four years, but more than 50 percent of each class stays at Penn longer to complete a dual degree, a certificate, global health work or research. The MD program also includes 15 areas of concentration (described below) that can be completed within four years and appear on your transcript and Medical Student Performance Evaluation.

MD/PhD (Penn Medical Scientist Training Program)

The Penn Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) combines medicine and research for students who want careers as physician-scientists. It was founded in 1958, is one of the oldest programs of its kind, and has more than 200 students in 12 graduate groups. Those groups include the biomedical graduate programs plus bioengineering, anthropology, health care management, history and sociology of science, and chemistry. In AY 2026-27, Perelman enrolled 229 MD/PhD students, and 25 joined in the 2026 entering class.

Most students begin by taking the first two years of medical school while also taking graduate courses and doing lab rotations. Two courses run by the program, Topics in Molecular Medicine and Case Studies in Translational Research, connect the two sides from the start. From the third year, students focus on graduate studies. During the research years, the Clinical Connections program pairs each student with a faculty preceptor, usually a physician-scientist, so they can keep their clinical skills current and see a physician-investigator career up close. After the thesis defense, students take a clinical warm-up course and return to clerkships and electives. MD/PhD interviews are scheduled by graduate group alongside the MD interviews. MD/PhD students pay five years of tuition: two years at MD rates and three years at PhD rates.

MD/JD

If you are interested in law and medicine, you can combine the MD with a JD from Penn Carey Law. It is one of the MD/Master’s and professional combinations Perelman students can pursue at Penn. MD/JD students pay 7 semesters of MD tuition and 5 semesters of Penn JD tuition, so the combined program covers 12 semesters of study. Because the JD is a second degree earned after you matriculate, it fulfills the Scholarly Pursuit requirement. MD/JD students still complete the rest of the MD requirements, including the required Bioethics week in Core 3.

MD/Master’s degrees

Perelman’s formal MD/Master’s programs are:

• MD/MBA: Master of Business Administration, with Wharton
• MD/MBE: Master of Bioethics
• MD/ML: Master in Law and Health
• MD/MPH: Master of Public Health
• MD/MSHP: Master of Science in Health Policy Research
• MD/MSTR: Master in Translational Research

Students can also arrange other combinations at Penn, such as MD/MSCE (Clinical Epidemiology), MD/MSME (Medical Ethics), MD/MSE (Engineering), MD/MSEd (Higher Education), MD/MSNS (Nutritional Science) and the MD/JD. Most MD/Master’s programs are designed for five years, with most of the master’s coursework done in the year between the third and fourth years of medical school. Several of them (MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/MSCE, MD/MSHP, MD/MSME and MD/MTR) cost 7 semesters of MD tuition, as long as 3 semesters are paid to the other Penn program.

You do not apply to these programs through AMCAS. You can mark a master’s interest on your application, but it is optional. Students traditionally apply for a master’s degree around their second year. The MD/MBA is a good example of how this works: Perelman students apply to Wharton in Round 1 of their third year, take the GMAT or GRE, spend their fourth year at Wharton and split the fifth year, and the MBA counts as their Scholarly Pursuit.

Areas of concentration

Perelman’s areas of concentration let you add a recognized focus without adding a year: Academic Surgery; Bridging the Gaps; Clinical Informatics; Clinical Neuroscience; Community Health IMPaCT; Global Health; Healthcare Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology (H-MET); Leadership in Healthcare Improvement and Safety; the Measey Primary Care Pathway; Medical Education; Medical Humanities; Palliative Care (CARE-7); Public Health in Medicine; Spirituality and Health; and Women’s Health. Each one involves seminars or courses, an internship or capstone and scholarly work. In the Class of 2026, 159 students graduated: 61 with the MD only, 47 with the MD and one or more areas of concentration, 33 with the MD and a second degree, and 18 with a second degree plus areas of concentration (Perelman dual degrees and areas of concentration; 2026 MD+ outcomes).

Pipeline and linkage programs

Two programs serve students before medical school. The Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) program offers two consecutive summers of mentored research on Penn’s campus, after sophomore and junior years, to students from 10 partner institutions. Students who complete PASS are eligible for linkage admission to Perelman. PASS is open only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The Johnson Scholars Program is a four-year enrichment program for Penn undergraduates whose life or family experiences may make a medical career harder to reach.

Clinical affiliations

Penn Medicine’s hospitals are the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (including the Pavilion of the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs), Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Hospital and Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Penn Medicine’s Facts and Figures 2025 also lists Doylestown Health. The Core 2 clerkship page notes five major teaching hospitals within walking distance of the school.

Curriculum Overview

Perelman’s MD curriculum is called IMPaCT, which stands for Integrating Medicine Patient Care Transitions. It is organized into three Cores, not into years, and the school says it integrates “basic sciences and clinical experience from day one.” The IMPaCT curriculum also stresses self-directed learning, teamwork and technology in evidence-based, patient-centered care.

The table shows when each Core runs and how it is graded.

Core 1: the science of medicine, taught alongside patient care

Core 1 runs about a year and a half. The basic science and clinical medicine curricula are built in blocks that each focus on an organ system, so you learn the physiology, pathology and clinical picture of one system together. Clinical anatomy is linked directly to radiologic imaging, ultrasound and physical exam findings, and it includes a virtual reality component. Ultrasound is taught over three semesters, so by the end of Core 1 you can acquire and read images for patient care.

Small-group sessions use learning teams, which keep the same students and faculty working together. Learning happens through seminars, workshops, case discussions, standardized patients and virtual patients. Clinical sessions start early and focus on skills you will need on the wards, including building relationships with patients of every culture and gender.

Core 1 also leaves room for your own interests. Three afternoons a week are unscheduled. Students use that time to work at community clinics, take classes outside medicine, do research, play sports, keep up hobbies or rest. Electives in Core 1 include Humanism, Arts and Medicine, Narrative Medicine, Nutrition, Leadership, Advocacy and Writing for Publication. The last week of Core 1 is a clerkship preparation week. Core 1 is graded Pass/Fail.

Core 2: the clerkships

Core 2 begins in January of the second year, earlier than at many schools. It is organized into four 12-week blocks:

• Block A: Obstetrics and Gynecology (6 weeks) and Pediatrics (6 weeks)
• Block B: Family Medicine (4 weeks) and Internal Medicine (8 weeks)
• Block C: Surgery (8 weeks) and Specialty Services (Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology and Anesthesiology, 4 weeks)
• Block D: Neurology (4 weeks), Psychiatry (4 weeks) and Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)

Clerkships cover acute and chronic illness across all ages in inpatient and outpatient settings. Clinical therapeutics, advanced communication, patient safety, structural and social determinants of health and interprofessional teamwork run through every clerkship. Two longitudinal pieces run alongside the blocks. Doctoring 2 is a monthly series that uses near-peer mentoring, narrative medicine and long-term faculty preceptors to help students process the clerkship year. The Health Systems and Clinical Skills Practicum is a seven-session course on health systems science and clinical skills. Core 2 is graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail.

Core 3: flexibility and the transition to residency

Core 3 runs from January of the third year to May of the fourth year. It includes 24 weeks of flexible and open time that students use for an area of concentration, a dual degree, research, short-term projects in global health, community or public health medicine or health policy, USMLE preparation, career planning or personal life. Requirements include:

• A 4-week inpatient sub-internship in internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine or family medicine
• Four advanced Penn clinical electives (16 weeks) and two more electives (8 weeks), which can be Penn electives, U.S. away rotations or research
• A Scholarly Pursuit of at least 12 weeks
• The Measey Specialty Transition Pathways (STeP) to Residency program, an individualized coaching program that starts after residency applications are submitted and ends with specialty boot camps
• A one-week Bioethics requirement
• USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, with the option to take Step 1 before Core 2

Scholarly Pursuit

The Scholarly Pursuit requirement is a focused, mentored, full-time project built around a specific hypothesis. It can be fulfilled in three ways: a three-month research project with a faculty mentor, a yearlong research project after Core 2, or earning a second degree after you matriculate (which is why MD/PhD, MD/JD and MD/Master’s students satisfy it through their second degree). Core 3 describes the standard path as at least 12 weeks with a faculty member, a project in the lab, clinic or community, and a formal paper.

Graduation requirements and exams

Students must take Step 1 by June 30 of their third year and must pass it to graduate. Step 2 must be taken by November 15 of the graduating year and must also be passed to graduate. Students also take the Clinical Skills Inventory (CSI) exam after finishing their Core 2 clerkships and complete ACLS certification, and graduates take the Declaration of Geneva at commencement.

What the curriculum means for your application

The curriculum rewards students who will use flexible time well. When you write about why Perelman fits you, name the parts you would actually use: the unscheduled afternoons in Core 1, a specific area of concentration, the 24 flexible weeks in Core 3 or a dual degree. A vague statement that you like the “innovative curriculum” tells the committee nothing.

Admissions Requirements and Application Process

Degree and coursework

All applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the United States (including territories) or Canada before they matriculate. Perelman does not require specific courses. Instead, you must show competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, and the school’s admissions competencies page also lists English language fluency and communication skills and the behavioral and social sciences. Work with your pre-health advisor to decide which courses show those competencies best.

A few course policies are worth knowing:

• Community college credits are considered case by case. The committee looks at why you took them (cost, schedule or location, for example) and whether you took upper-level courses at a four-year school or in a postbaccalaureate program.
• Old coursework: if it has been more than five years since your last biology, chemistry, physics or math course, refresher coursework is recommended. It does not need to repeat introductory classes; higher-level courses are fine.
• AP and IB credit is accepted if it appears on your transcript, but you are encouraged to take the next course in the sequence.
• Pass/Fail during the pandemic: if your school gave you the choice of a letter grade and you chose Pass/Fail for a prerequisite, you must give a written explanation.

MCAT

You must take the MCAT within three years of applying. For fall 2027 entry, that means a test date between January 2023 and September 2026. Perelman has no minimum MCAT or GPA for screening, and it considers your most recent MCAT score. A postbaccalaureate or graduate GPA is not used to offset a lower undergraduate GPA, so a strong postbac shows readiness but does not replace your college record. You can submit your supplemental and fee before your MCAT score arrives.

International applicants and applicants with degrees from outside the U.S.

International applicants are reviewed with the same standards as everyone else. Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for federal loans and must show that they can pay tuition and fees through school scholarships or personal funds. If you earned your bachelor’s degree outside the United States or Canada, you must complete a year’s worth of full-time coursework in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and math (as AMCAS classifies them) before you apply. Degrees from Canadian institutions are exempt, and those applicants can apply directly. Perelman welcomes applications from DACA and undocumented students.

Experience

Perelman does not publish a minimum number of clinical, research or service hours. Its competencies page describes what it values instead: lived experience, records of scientific inquiry, critical thinking, career motivation, communication, cultural competence and service orientation. In practice, nearly three in four members of the 2026 entering class (72%) had post-undergraduate experience before matriculating. Shadowing is recommended rather than required. In the 2025 entering class, 99% reported research or lab work, 97% physician shadowing or clinical observation, 90% medical or clinical volunteering, 87% non-clinical community service and 48% paid clinical employment. Plan for steady clinical work where you take responsibility for patients, a research experience you can describe in depth, and service that lasts. Pre-med summer internships can be a practical way to add hands-on clinical hours during college breaks if your school year is full.

Letters of recommendation

All letters must go through the AMCAS Letter Writer Application. Perelman accepts either:

• A composite or committee letter (a letter or packet from a pre-health advisor or career services office, with or without individual letters attached), or
• At least three letters from faculty members who know you well, with at least one from a science faculty member whose course you took.

Academic letters are essential from any school where you are currently enrolled or have completed a program or degree. Letters must be signed and on official stationery. Perelman has no maximum, but AMCAS allows only 10 letters. Your letter requirement is not complete until every letter you assigned in AMCAS has arrived. Reapplicants must resubmit their required letters. Non-traditional applicants who have been out of school for a while still need academic references, including one in science, and may need to take a science course to get one.

Situational judgment tests

Perelman’s list of application components is the verified AMCAS application, the supplemental application, the required letters, the MCAT score and the application fee. It does not list CASPer, PREview or any other situational judgment test.

Primary and secondary applications

You apply through AMCAS. For the 2027 cycle, AMCAS began accepting submissions for verification on May 28 and began sending applications to schools on June 26. Our AMCAS application guide walks through each section of the primary.

Every verified AMCAS applicant receives Perelman’s supplemental application. The fee is $100 unless you have AMCAS Fee Assistance. Perelman encourages students to apply early so there is time for AMCAS verification and letters to arrive. Deadlines are strictly enforced.

Early Decision Program

Perelman’s Early Decision Program is extremely selective and very limited. You must meet the average GPA and MCAT of the previous entering class, provide a CV or resume and have valid reasons for choosing Perelman. Contact the Office of Admissions before June 1 with your CV, undergraduate transcript and MCAT score report. Approved EDP applicants must submit AMCAS by August 1 and complete their file by August 15 (adjusted if that date falls on a weekend or holiday). EDP decisions are released October 1. As with any early decision program, you may apply only to Perelman until you hear back, so use it only if Penn is clearly your first choice and your numbers meet the bar.

Decisions, deposits and enrollment

Perelman does not use rolling admissions. Only interviewed applicants are considered, and the school has a single admission date in March for both MD and MD/PhD applicants. Accepted applicants are invited to Penn Preview in April. By April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET, you must select Plan to Enroll in the AMCAS Choose Your Medical School tool, pay a $100 deposit and submit the acceptance statement. The deposit is refundable and is applied to tuition. The deadline to Commit to Enroll is June 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and orientation begins in August. Requests to defer entry are considered case by case; five admitted applicants in the 2025 entering class cycle deferred. The waitlist is reviewed competitively by the Executive Committee on Admissions, and its size varies by cycle; in the most recent reported cycle, 15 acceptance offers went to waitlisted applicants. There is no transfer admission program.

2026-2027 timeline

Although the deadlines are in October and November, do not wait. Prepare your primary and your secondary drafts before the cycle opens so you can submit AMCAS in June and return the supplemental within a couple of weeks of receiving it. Applications are reviewed for interviews from August onward, so a complete file in late summer is reviewed in a calmer part of the season. The official Perelman application procedure and 2026-2027 admissions timeline are the final word on dates.

Tuition, Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid

Perelman is a private school, so every student pays the same tuition. The school’s MD student budget for 2026-2027 lays out the full cost by year.

Living expenses are built from monthly allowances of $2,024 for rent, $665 for food, $157 for books and supplies, $226 for personal costs and $128 for transportation. If you add the four 2026-27 totals, the result is $476,292. That is a planning figure, not a school-published total, and tuition usually rises from year to year, so expect the real four-year cost to be higher. Tuition rules also follow your program: all students pay 8 semesters of MD tuition, several MD/Master’s students pay 7, MD/JD students pay 7 semesters of MD tuition and 5 of JD tuition, and MD/PhD students pay five years (two at MD rates, three at PhD rates). For a wider comparison, see our guide to the total cost of medical school and our list of the most expensive medical schools in the United States.

Merit scholarships

Perelman awards about 35 full-tuition MD scholarships each year. Every accepted student is considered automatically; there is no separate application. Awards are announced in April. Selection criteria are outstanding academic performance, a broad range of intellectual interests, demonstrated leadership, commitment to interests beyond academics and unique life experiences that may contribute to a medical career. A full-tuition award covers $73,852 in 2026-27 but not fees, insurance or living costs, so a scholarship recipient still faces about $43,000 in other first-year costs.

Need-based aid

Need-based aid at Perelman comes as a four-year scholarship award based on a need analysis. To apply, submit:

• The FAFSA (Penn’s code is 003378), which is used for federal loans only and needs no parent information
• The CSS Profile (code 2951), which requires parent information
• Parents’ and students’ (and spouses’, if applicable) federal tax returns and W-2 forms through Penn’s document portal

The recommended deadline is March 21. Perelman requires parent information even though graduate students are “independent” under federal rules, and it requires information from both parents when they are divorced, separated or unmarried. The school takes an expected parental contribution into account, but students may be able to replace that contribution with an additional loan. The need-based award is set for four years and rarely increases, though you can appeal if your family’s finances change significantly. Packaging takes about two to three weeks after your file is complete.

Debt and loans

The average educational debt of Perelman MD graduates in 2024 was about $150,000. In 2024-25, 82% of Perelman students received financial aid. U.S. citizens and permanent residents can borrow federal loans. Federal graduate loan rules changed for 2026-27, so check the current limits with the financial aid office before you borrow. Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for federal loans. Accepted DACA students are eligible for need-based and merit scholarships (they apply for need-based aid through the CSS Profile) but not for federal Title IV loans; private loans with a creditworthy co-signer may be available. The How To Apply For Aid page lists every document.

Campus Facilities and Student Life

The Jordan Medical Education Center and simulation

The Henry A. Jordan M’62 Medical Education Center is the home of the Perelman School of Medicine. It was among the first medical education centers in the country to put learning space together with active clinical and research facilities, so students can move from the classroom to the exam room to the lab in one building. It sits beside the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Pavilion of the Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs at HUP.

The Penn Medicine Clinical Simulation Center trains students and clinicians with six human patient simulators in realistic settings (including a labor and delivery room and an emergency department) and 12 exam rooms for standardized patient training. Core 2 also uses computerized simulation mannequins and standardized and virtual patients alongside real patients.

One University

Because Penn has a single campus for its undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, Perelman students can take courses in other Penn schools at no additional cost. The school calls this its “One University” concept. It also makes interprofessional education easier: medicine, dentistry, nursing, law and social work students can train together.

Perelman Houses and advising

The Perelman Houses were founded in 2013 to build smaller communities inside the school and connect students across class years. Each house has four Advisory Deans and two or three Master Clinicians, and houses organize peer mentoring, advising and social, academic and service events. House Council members are chosen during the first year. The Office of Student Success and Professional Development runs the Advisory Deans, peer mentoring, academic resilience support and coaching.

Student organizations

Perelman lists a wide range of organizations open to all students, from the American Medical Association to the annual student production “Spoof.” Penn’s Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) represents medical students in university life, and affinity groups such as the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) are active. Check the Perelman student life page for the current list before you name a group in an essay.

Service and community health

Service is one of the clearest themes in Perelman’s description of itself. Students work in community and student-led clinics, in programs such as Bridging the Gaps, which links health and social service students with underserved communities, and with long-standing partners such as the University City Hospitality Coalition. The three unscheduled afternoons in Core 1 give students real time for this work. If you already do local clinical service, look for the Penn program closest to it and describe how you would continue.

Living in Philadelphia

Most students live off campus in University City and nearby neighborhoods. The 2026-27 budget allows $2,024 a month for rent, which gives a sense of local costs. Five major teaching hospitals are within walking distance of the school, so many students do not need a car for core clerkships, though sites such as Lancaster General Hospital and Chester County Hospital are farther away. Perelman does not offer a visit program or campus tours, but it holds virtual information sessions in the summer and posts the recordings.

Clinical Rotations and Research Opportunities

Core clerkships and clinical sites

Required clerkships make up Core 2 (see the curriculum section for the full block list). They take place mainly in Penn Medicine’s hospitals and practices: the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, plus Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Hospital, Penn Medicine Princeton Health and Penn Medicine’s network of community practices. Clinical education also takes place at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the VA Philadelphia Medical Center, and five major teaching hospitals are within walking distance of the school. Clinical rotations begin in January of the second year. Core 3 adds a required sub-internship, four advanced Penn electives and two additional electives that can be away rotations at other U.S. hospitals or research blocks. The Core 2 clerkship page lists current blocks and lengths.

Research

Perelman is one of the largest research schools in the country, and every MD student must complete a Scholarly Pursuit. Options range from a 12-week project to a funded “year-out” research sabbatical. The school’s special study and research page describes fifth-year fellowships and funding, with examples such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia orthopedics clinical research and the FOCUS on Health and Leadership for Women fellowship. Research can be in a lab, a clinic or the community. Because so much faculty research is translational (from mRNA vaccines to CAR T cell therapy), students interested in turning lab findings into treatments have unusual access to examples.

For your application, what matters is not how famous your lab was but whether you can explain your question, your methods, what went wrong and what you learned. That is the skill the ambiguity essay tests.

Global health

Perelman’s global health program includes international partnerships in Botswana, Guatemala, India and the Dominican Republic, and research and clinical experiences from one month to a year in every region of the world. The Global Health area of concentration adds coursework and research on top of the field experience. In 2025, 21% of Perelman’s graduating seniors reported a global health experience during medical school. If you have already worked in global health, the secondary’s global activities question is where you describe it. If you have not, look for experiences that give you real responsibility, such as a medical internship in Peru for students building Spanish-language clinical skills, rather than a short trip with no defined role.

Community clinics and primary care

Perelman supports student-led clinical work in Philadelphia and community engagement through its Office of Academic Success, Community Engagement, Networking and Development (ASCEND). The Measey Primary Care Pathway prepares students for family medicine, general internal medicine, outpatient pediatrics and geriatrics through mentoring, clinical experience, research, courses and community engagement; students can apply in their first, second or third year. CARE-7, the palliative care program, teaches communication and palliative care skills over four years using simulation and immersive clinical practice.

Transition to residency

The Measey STeP to Residency program places graduating students in a specialty-based pathway for nine months, with a foundations course and a coach who helps build an individualized learning plan. In 2026, 33.1% of graduates matched into primary care fields (led by internal medicine at 18.6% and pediatrics at 10.6%), 36.4% into surgical fields (including dermatology at 6.6% and integrated plastic surgery at 6%) and 30.5% into other specialties (including psychiatry at 8% and anesthesiology at 6.7%). The full breakdown is on the 2026 post-graduate outcomes page.

For undergraduates who want hands-on clinical exposure before applying, medical internships for undergraduates can help you see whether you enjoy direct patient care before you commit to a research-heavy school like Penn.

Notable Alumni, Faculty, Leadership and Admissions Staff

Perelman’s leaders, faculty and graduates show what the school values in practice. The profiles below use the school’s own leadership, faculty and alumni pages. Use them to understand the school, not to name-drop: mention a person in an essay or interview only if you have a real connection to their work.

Leadership

Jonathan A. Epstein, MD (Dean, Perelman School of Medicine; Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System; Robert G. Dunlop Professor)

Dr. Epstein is Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, and he holds the Robert G. Dunlop Professorship. In that dual role he leads both the school and its ties to the Penn Medicine health system, which runs the hospitals where Perelman students train. For applicants, the dean’s office sets the school-wide mission you will be asked to reflect in your essays: research, patient care and education in an inclusive culture. Reading the dean’s mission page before you write the Why Perelman essay is a simple way to make sure your reasons match the school’s own priorities.

Lisa M. Bellini, MD (Executive Vice Dean, Perelman School of Medicine; Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, University of Pennsylvania Health System; Professor of Medicine)

Dr. Bellini is Executive Vice Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, and she is a Professor of Medicine. Her academic affairs role covers faculty and educational matters across the school and health system. For applicants, her position is a reminder that Penn treats medical education and the health system as one enterprise: the faculty who teach Core 1 sessions are often the same physicians who supervise clerkships at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and its sister hospitals.

Jennifer R. Kogan, MD (Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education; William Maul Measey President’s Distinguished Professor in Medical Education; Professor of Medicine)

Dr. Kogan is Vice Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, which means she leads the MD program, and she holds the William Maul Measey President’s Distinguished Professorship in Medical Education. She is also a Perelman graduate. In her welcome to students she writes that her own journey began as a Penn medical student and that she never left. For applicants, she is the person responsible for the IMPaCT curriculum you will describe in your essays and interviews, so her office’s pages on Core 1, Core 2 and Core 3 are the most reliable guide to how the program actually runs.

Skip Brass, MD, PhD (Associate Dean and Director, Combined Degree and Physician Scholar Programs; Director, Penn Medical Scientist Training Program)

Dr. Brass is Associate Dean and Director of Combined Degree and Physician Scholar Programs, and he directs the Penn Medical Scientist Training Program. The MSTP was founded in 1958, is one of the oldest programs of its kind and enrolls more than 200 students across 12 graduate groups. In his welcome to applicants he describes combining medicine with graduate work in the biomedical sciences, engineering, economics or the social sciences as the first step in a lifelong quest for knowledge and service. MD/PhD applicants should read the program’s own pages closely, because the MSTP runs its own admissions information and interview scheduling through the graduate groups.

Admissions and student affairs

Neha Vapiwala, MD (Associate Dean for UME Admissions)

Dr. Vapiwala is Associate Dean for UME Admissions. The school describes her role plainly: she guides the Admissions Committee in selecting applicants, oversees recruitment and interview days and sets strategic priorities for admissions criteria and processes. Her welcome on the admissions home page tells applicants that caring for patients is a privilege. For applicants, the practical point is that the committee she guides uses holistic review with four stated criteria: personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength. Write your secondaries so that each of those four is visible somewhere in your file.

DaCarla Albright, MD (Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness)

Dr. Albright is Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Wellness. She oversees student progression, supports students with academic or personal needs and oversees residency planning, along with programming that encourages professionalism, self-care and wellness. For applicants, her office is where support lives once you enroll. If you are asked in an interview how you handle stress or setbacks, it is fair to mention that you have looked at how Perelman supports students, but the stronger answer is a specific example of what you already do.

Horace DeLisser, MD (Associate Dean for Student Engagement, Networking, and Enrichment)

Dr. DeLisser is Associate Dean for Student Engagement, Networking, and Enrichment. He supports school initiatives in wellness, humanism in medicine and community engagement, works with the admissions office on recruitment and develops and oversees pipeline programs. Those programs include Perelman’s pre-medical enrichment efforts such as the Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) program, whose completers are eligible for linkage admission. For college students who are still two or three years from applying, his area is the most relevant part of the school to watch.

Stacey R. Rose, MD, MSEd (Associate Dean for Student Success and Professional Development)

Dr. Rose is Associate Dean for Student Success and Professional Development. She oversees the office that runs Advisory Deans, peer mentoring, academic resilience and coaching. Combined with the Perelman House system, where each house has four Advisory Deans, this is the advising structure students meet in their first weeks. Applicants who worry about the jump from college to medical school can use this as a concrete example of the support available, and it is a reasonable topic to ask a student interviewer about.

Prithvi Sankar, MD (Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Residency Planning)

Dr. Sankar is Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Residency Planning and oversees residency application advising and preparation for all medical students. His office is one reason to read Perelman’s published outcomes carefully. In 2026, 33.1% of graduates matched into primary care fields, 36.4% into surgical fields and 30.5% into other specialties. If you name a specialty interest in your essays, those figures show that Perelman graduates go into a wide range of fields.

Faculty

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD (Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research; Director, Institute for RNA Innovation, University of Pennsylvania)

Dr. Weissman directs Penn’s Institute for RNA Innovation and holds the Roberts Family Professorship in Vaccine Research. His laboratory studies RNA and innate immune biology and applies those findings to vaccine research and gene therapy. He shared the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Katalin Karikó for the nucleoside-modified mRNA work that made mRNA vaccines possible. For applicants, his work shows the translational research culture at Perelman. Do not claim you will work in his lab unless you have contacted the lab; instead, explain the kind of research question you want to pursue.

Carl H. June, MD (Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy; Director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies; Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn)

Dr. June is the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He directs Perelman’s Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania. His group is best known for developing CAR T cell therapy, which engineers a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer. For applicants interested in oncology or immunology, his center is one example of the research Perelman students can reach through the Scholarly Pursuit requirement or a research year.

Alumni

Michael S. Brown, MD (Penn MD 1966 (C’62, M’66); Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1985; UT Southwestern)

Dr. Brown earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at Penn (C’62, M’66). With Joseph Goldstein he discovered the LDL receptor and how cells regulate cholesterol, work that won the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and laid the groundwork for statin therapy. He has spent his career at UT Southwestern, where he directs the Jonsson Center for Molecular Genetics. For applicants, his path is a classic Penn physician-scientist story: clinical training first, then a basic science question that changed everyday patient care.

Stanley B. Prusiner, MD (Penn MD 1968; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1997; UCSF)

Dr. Prusiner graduated from Penn’s medical school in 1968. He identified prions, infectious proteins that cause diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is a professor of neurology and biochemistry at UCSF and directs its Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. His work is a useful example for the ambiguity essay: he pursued an idea that many scientists doubted for years, and he had to keep acting on incomplete evidence.

Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD (Penn MD 1982, PhD 1984; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019; Johns Hopkins)

Dr. Semenza earned his MD (1982) and PhD (1984) at Penn. He discovered HIF-1, the protein that helps cells sense and respond to low oxygen, and shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is a professor at Johns Hopkins. For MD/PhD applicants, he is a direct example of what Penn’s combined-degree training has produced, and his career shows why the MSTP asks applicants for a detailed account of research experience.

Vanessa Northington Gamble, MD, PhD (Penn MD 1978 and PhD; University Professor of Medical Humanities, The George Washington University)

Dr. Gamble earned her MD at Penn in 1978 and was the first Penn MD/PhD student to complete a PhD outside the sciences, in the history and sociology of science. A physician and historian of medicine, she chaired the committee whose work led to the 1997 presidential apology for the Tuskegee syphilis study, and she is University Professor of Medical Humanities at The George Washington University. For applicants, her career shows that Penn’s MD/PhD path includes the humanities and social sciences, and her work is relevant to anyone writing about trust between patients and the medical system.

Rajiv J. Shah, MD (Penn MD 2001 (M’01, GRW’01); former USAID Administrator (2009-2015))

Dr. Shah earned his MD at Penn in 2001 along with a master’s in health economics from Wharton. He served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2009 to 2015 and later became President of the Rockefeller Foundation. For applicants interested in global health, policy or the MD/MBA path, his career shows how Penn’s dual-degree options can lead to work far outside the clinic.

Arlene Bennett, MD (Penn MD 1964 (ED’60, M’64); psychiatrist)

Dr. Bennett, a psychiatrist, earned her MD from Penn in 1964 after earning a degree from the Penn School of Education (ED’60). She was the first African American woman to receive an MD from the University of Pennsylvania. For applicants, her place on the school’s own list of notable alumni connects to a question Perelman asks every applicant this cycle: how your life experiences would contribute to the Perelman and Penn community.

Admissions Statistics and Class Profile

The 2026 entering class

Perelman’s 2026 entering class had 154 students: 129 in the MD program (84%) and 25 in the MD/PhD program (16%). The class included 79 men and 75 women. The average age was 24, with a range of 20 to 29. Nineteen percent were non-science majors, and 72% had post-undergraduate experiences before starting medical school. Students came from 29 states of legal residence and 67 undergraduate schools.

The GPA range for the class was 3.66 to 4.00 and the MCAT range was 510 to 528. For the 2025 entering class, the school reports a GPA range of 3.25 to 4.00 and an MCAT range of 513 to 528. The table and these ranges come from the 2026-27 Total Enrollment and Entering Class Profile and the admissions FAQ.

How to read these numbers

• Median versus mean. Half the class scored 522 or higher on the MCAT, and half had a 3.98 GPA or higher. The mean is a little lower because a few students had lower scores.
• Range is not a minimum. The lowest values in a class are usually students with unusual strengths elsewhere in their file. They are not a cutoff.
• Year-to-year ranges move. The lowest GPA in the 2025 class (3.25) was well below the 2026 low (3.66). That is a reminder that holistic review leaves room for context, not a signal that a lower GPA is safe.
• This is a matriculant profile. It describes the students who enrolled, not everyone who was admitted.

Applications, interviews and acceptance rate

The newest application and interview counts are for the 2025 entering class.

About 11% of verified applicants (800 of 7,097) were interviewed, and only interviewed applicants can be admitted. That is an interviewed/applicants ratio, not an acceptance rate. The number of acceptance offers is not published, so no true acceptance rate can be calculated. Do not divide class size by applicants either: that gives a matriculation ratio (153 of 7,097 for the 2025 class), not an acceptance rate, because many admitted students enroll elsewhere. No one matriculated through the Early Decision Program in the 2025 class, which shows how small that route is. Perelman’s current estimate of new entrants is 150: 106 MD, 25 MD/PhD, 5 other combined-degree students, 13 in other special programs and 1 Early Decision seat.

Accepted applicants for the 2025 entering class had a median MCAT of 522 (mean 521.8) and a median GPA of 3.98 (mean 3.95), with a median science GPA of 3.98. Their section medians were 131 in Chemical and Physical Foundations, 129 in CARS, 131 in Biological and Biochemical Foundations and 131 in Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations. Those match the 2026 matriculant medians, so the enrolled class is a fair picture of who gets in.

Experiences and background of the 2025 class

Research is close to universal in this class, and nearly every student shadowed. Paid clinical work is less common (48%), so clinical exposure through volunteering, shadowing or structured programs is the usual pattern. What sets files apart is depth: what you did, for how long and what you learned. For a cross-school comparison of medians, see our table of average GPA and MCAT scores by medical school.

Residency mix

Perelman charges every student the same tuition and publishes no preference for Pennsylvania residents. The 2026 class came from 29 states of legal residence, so Pennsylvania residency is not a requirement or a stated advantage. In the 2025 entering class, 17 of 153 matriculants were Pennsylvania residents, 130 came from other states and 6 were international students. Pennsylvania applicants were interviewed at a rate of about 11% (66 of 580), similar to out-of-state applicants (705 of 5,988, about 12%).

Tips and Strategies for Admission

When it comes to medical school, most applicants to Perelman are qualified. That makes the process stressful for applicants and hard for the admissions committee, which has to choose among many strong files. These strategies come from what the school says it values.

1. Treat the 522 and 3.98 as context, not a target

Your scores need to be in range for Penn to be a reasonable choice, but they will not set you apart. If your MCAT is well below the class median, consider whether a retake is realistic before you apply, and build a school list that includes schools where your numbers are closer to the middle. Our guide on whether to apply to the hardest medical schools to get into covers how to balance a list.

2. Show the four holistic review criteria

The committee looks at personal attributes, life experiences, overcoming obstacles and academic strength. Make sure each of those is visible somewhere: in your personal statement, activities, letters and secondaries. The secondary questions on life experiences, economic hardship and ambiguity give you direct room for the first three.

3. Show leadership with empathy

Perelman wants future physician leaders. The strongest applicants show leadership skills paired with empathy: they took responsibility for a project or a team and paid attention to the people affected. A title such as “president” matters less than what changed because you led.

4. Show curiosity about a specific area of medicine

Penn wants students with a desire to keep learning and a real interest in some field. You do not need to know your specialty. You do need to show that a question has held your attention long enough to do something about it, whether that is a research project, a clinic process you improved or a topic you kept studying after the class ended.

5. Build clinical experience with real responsibility

The school does not set hour minimums, but strong applicants can describe patients they have worked with and what they did. Choose roles where you take part in care, such as medical assistant, scribe, EMT, patient care technician or structured pre-med internships where you take vitals and help with intake under supervision. Then reflect on what you saw.

6. Do research you can explain

Every Perelman student completes a Scholarly Pursuit, and the 2026-2027 secondary asks how you act with incomplete information. Pick a research experience you understand well enough to explain the question, your role, what went wrong and what you learned.

7. Plan your letters early

Decide by spring whether you will use a committee letter or three faculty letters. Make sure at least one science faculty member knows your work well. Because your letter requirement is not complete until every letter assigned in AMCAS arrives, do not assign letters you are unsure will come.

8. Prewrite your secondaries

Perelman’s six prompts total 7,700 characters, and the ambiguity essay alone allows 3,000. You can draft all of them in May using the prompts in the next section, then revise when the supplemental arrives. Aim to submit within about two weeks of receiving it.

9. Use your life experiences honestly

Students who have been through difficult experiences add to the life of the class. Perelman asks about economic hardship and life experiences directly, so you do not need to work these stories into every essay. Answer the question asked, be specific and do not exaggerate.

10. Compare Penn with other Ivy League schools carefully

Many applicants apply to several Ivy League medical schools at once. They share high medians but differ in curriculum, cost and culture. Our tips for getting into Ivy League medical schools can help you write a Why Perelman essay that would not fit any other school.

Secondary Application Questions, Example Responses and Analysis

Every verified AMCAS applicant receives Perelman’s supplemental application. The fee is $100 (waived for AMCAS Fee Assistance recipients), and the supplemental, fee, MCAT score and letters are due November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. For the 2026-2027 cycle there are six prompts. All limits are in characters, including spaces. Check each limit in your portal before you paste, and write to the limit you see there.

The examples below are original teaching material. Each is labeled “Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay.” They show structure and specificity. Do not copy them; your own experiences are what the committee wants to read. For prompts from other schools, see our medical school secondary essay prompts database.

Two related notes. First, applicants who chose Pass/Fail for prerequisites when letter grades were available must give a written explanation. If your portal includes a field for it, explain the choice briefly and factually. Second, MD/PhD supplemental questions for the 2026-2027 cycle have not been published. If you apply to the MSTP, expect questions about your research interests, a dated list of your research experience and any publications, and follow the exact wording and limits in your portal.

Prompt 1: Time off between college and medical school

Have you taken or are you planning to take time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation? If yes, please describe your activities during this time.

Limit: 700 characters. Who answers: Conditional: answer only if you have taken or plan to take time off.

What it asks. This is a short, practical question. If you are going straight from college to medical school, you can skip it. If you have taken or will take time off, the school wants to know what you are doing and why it prepares you for medicine. Seventy-two percent of the 2026 entering class had post-undergraduate experience, so time off is normal at Penn.

How to approach it. Give dates, roles and hours first, then one sentence on what the time has taught you. If your plans for next year are not final, describe what is confirmed and what you are applying for.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (684 characters):

Yes. Since graduating in May 2026, I have worked full time as a clinical research coordinator in an outpatient heart failure clinic, and I will stay through July 2027. I consent patients into a registry study, schedule follow-up visits, enter data and present enrollment numbers at the weekly team meeting. Two evenings a week I volunteer at a free clinic, where I take vitals and help Spanish-speaking patients finish intake forms. The job has shown me how much careful, unglamorous work sits behind one data point, and the clinic keeps me close to the patients that data is meant to serve. I am also finishing a biostatistics course online to prepare for research in medical school.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. The response answers the yes/no first, then gives dates, role and duration, which is what a short logistical prompt needs. Each activity is described by what the applicant does (consent, schedule, enter data, take vitals, help with intake) rather than by job titles alone. One reflective sentence ties the two activities together and shows why the year matters for a future physician. The final sentence adds a concrete academic step that fits Perelman’s required Scholarly Pursuit project. Mistakes to avoid: apologizing for the gap year, listing activities with no dates, or repeating your AMCAS descriptions word for word. With 700 characters, every sentence has to carry a fact or a point. If you are still deciding what to do with a gap year, structured pre-med gap year programs with direct patient contact give you concrete material for this answer.

Prompt 2: Global activities

Have you participated in any global activities outside of the U.S. prior to submitting your AMCAS application?

Limit: 1,000 characters. Who answers: Conditional: write only if you have had global activities outside the U.S.

What it asks. Perelman has a large global health program, and this question collects your experience outside the U.S. It can include study abroad, international internships, research, service or work. It does not ask you to prove you are a global health expert.

How to approach it. Say what you did, where, when and in what role. Describe one moment that changed how you think. Be honest about the limits of your role. You may mention experiences listed elsewhere in your application, but add new information instead of repeating your AMCAS entry; copying and pasting is not your friend here.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (938 characters):

Yes. In spring 2025 I spent a semester in Santiago, Chile, in my university’s public health study abroad program. I took courses in Spanish on the Chilean health system and spent two mornings a week with a community health worker at a neighborhood primary care center. My role was limited: I helped update the clinic’s paper registry of patients with diabetes and joined home visits to older adults who had missed appointments. On one visit, a man explained that he had stopped his insulin because the bus fare to the pharmacy cost more than he could spare that month. The health worker solved it with a phone call to a neighbor who drove to the same pharmacy. I learned that the most useful fix is sometimes local knowledge, not more medicine. I want to keep learning from partners abroad, and I plan to explore Perelman’s Global Health area of concentration and its partnerships in Botswana, Guatemala, India and the Dominican Republic.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. The example answers yes, then gives place, dates, program and the applicant’s actual role, stated modestly. A single patient moment shows what the applicant learned instead of claiming impact they did not have. The closing sentence connects the experience to verified Perelman programs (the Global Health area of concentration and its named international partnerships) without overstating what the applicant knows about them. Mistakes to avoid: describing short trips as if you treated patients, centering yourself as a rescuer, and copying an AMCAS activity entry. If you have no global activities, a short honest ‘No’ is fine.

If you are reading this guide far enough in advance and want hands-on global experience you can describe here, look at medical internships abroad through International Medical Aid, which places students in Kenya and other sites. Well-run pre-med internships abroad give you a supervised clinical role, which makes for a much stronger answer than a short trip with no defined responsibilities.

Prompt 3: Life experiences and your decision to pursue medicine

How would your life experiences contribute to the Perelman and Penn community, and how do they inform your decision to pursue a medical education?

Limit: 1,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants who receive the supplemental.

What it asks. This prompt has two parts. First, how would your life experiences contribute to the Perelman and Penn community? Second, how do those experiences inform your decision to pursue a medical education? A strong answer covers both in 1,000 characters.

How to approach it. Pick one or two life experiences, not a list. Show one specific moment, then say what you would bring to Perelman (to a House, a learning team, a clinic or a student group) and how the same experience shaped your choice of medicine. Avoid generic diversity language; specific detail is what makes this essay work.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (956 characters):

I grew up working weekends in my parents’ laundromat, in a neighborhood where English was most people’s second language. Because I could read forms quickly, neighbors brought me hospital bills, school notices and discharge papers while their clothes dried. When a regular customer returned to the emergency room because she had misread her new heart medication instructions, I realized that a good treatment plan can still fail at the kitchen table. That moment is why I want to become a physician: I want to be the person who makes the plan and makes sure it can be followed. At Perelman, I would bring this habit of plain explanation to my House, to peer teaching in Core 1 learning teams and to service work with community partners such as the University City Hospitality Coalition. I would also bring patience with people who are embarrassed to ask questions. I know what it costs them, and I want my classmates and future patients to feel safe asking.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. The prompt has two parts, and the example answers both. The first part (what the applicant would contribute to the Perelman and Penn community) is answered with specific settings: a Perelman House, Core 1 learning teams and a community partner Penn Medicine names on its admissions site. The second part (how life experience informs the decision to pursue medicine) is answered by the misread-medication story and the sentence that follows it. The experience is ordinary but specific, which is better than a dramatic story told in general terms. Mistakes to avoid: answering only one half of the prompt, listing identity labels without showing what you do with them, and promising to join clubs you have not looked up.

Prompt 4: Acting with limited information

We all periodically have to make decisions under challenging circumstances. Physicians and physician-scientists sometimes need to proceed and act with limited information. Please describe a time when you faced a situation that was ambiguous, confusing, or uncertain, and how you navigated the matter despite lacking all of the necessary information.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants who receive the supplemental.

What it asks. This is Perelman’s longest essay. It asks for a real situation that was ambiguous, confusing or uncertain, and how you went ahead without all the information. It is not a “challenge” essay about something hard. It is about decision-making when the answer was unclear.

How to approach it. Set up the uncertainty quickly: what you did not know and why it mattered. Then spend most of the space on your reasoning: what you did to learn more, which options you weighed, what you chose and why. Include the result, even if it was mixed, and end with what you would do the same or differently. Situations from research, clinical work, a job, family responsibilities or leadership all work.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (2,845 characters):

On a Saturday morning in my junior year, I arrived at our lab’s animal facility to run the third week of a behavioral study on sleep loss in mice. The temperature log on the housing room door showed that the room had run several degrees warm for about ten hours overnight. It was back in range when I arrived, and the animals looked normal. Our protocol said nothing about what to do after a temperature excursion. My principal investigator was at a conference in Japan, where it was the middle of the night, and the postdoc who supervised me did not answer her phone.

I had two cohorts scheduled that day. If I tested them and the heat had changed their behavior, I could contaminate three weeks of data without knowing it. If I canceled, the timing of the sleep loss protocol would break and both cohorts might be lost. I did not know whether ten hours of mild heat mattered for this measure, and no one who did know was available.

I started with what I could find out. I called the facility’s on-call veterinary technician, who confirmed the excursion was real, that it had stayed below the level that triggers an animal welfare alert and that the animals had food and water. I searched our lab’s shared drive and found that a previous student had tested animals after a similar event, but with no notes on whether the data were used. I then looked at the design itself. One cohort was at its final test day, so canceling would end it with no usable endpoint. The other was at day two, so it could be restarted the next week at a lower cost.

I decided to test the day-two cohort’s baseline only, pause the rest of its protocol and restart it later, and to run the final-day cohort as planned while marking every data point with the date and the excursion. I wrote down what I knew, what I did not know and why I chose each step, and emailed it to my PI and postdoc before I began, so they could stop me if they disagreed.

When my PI replied that night, she agreed with pausing the second cohort but said she would have also delayed the first by a day to let the animals settle. We kept the final-day data but analyzed it separately, and it later matched the other cohorts closely. She asked me to draft a one-page excursion procedure for the lab, which we now use.

I learned three things. First, when information is missing, I can still make the decision smaller by finding which choices can be undone. Second, writing down my reasoning before acting turned a guess into something others could check and correct. Third, being partly wrong was useful because I had made my thinking visible. In medicine I expect to make decisions like this with far more at stake, often with a patient waiting. I want to keep the same habits: gather what can be known quickly, protect the options that can be reversed and tell the team what I did and why.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. The prompt asks for three things: a situation that was ambiguous or uncertain, how the applicant proceeded without full information, and, by implication, what that says about how they will act as a physician or physician-scientist. The example sets up the uncertainty precisely (unknown effect of the excursion, no protocol, supervisors unreachable), then walks through concrete steps: gathering facts, finding precedent, separating reversible from irreversible choices, acting, and documenting. It includes a partly wrong judgment and the supervisor’s correction, which reads as honest reflection rather than a success story. The closing paragraph links the habits to clinical work. The research setting fits a school that trains many physician-scientists and requires a Scholarly Pursuit project, but a clinical or personal example can work just as well. Mistakes to avoid: choosing a situation that was merely stressful rather than uncertain, skipping the reasoning to rush to the outcome, and claiming the decision was perfect.

Prompt 5: Economic hardship

Have you or your family experienced economic hardships, regardless of current income status?

Limit: 1,000 characters. Who answers: Conditional: write only if yes.

What it asks. Perelman asks whether you or your family have experienced economic hardship at any point, regardless of your income now. The committee is not ranking applicants by adversity. It wants context for your record and a sense of how you have handled difficulty.

How to approach it. If the answer is yes, state the facts plainly: what happened, when and how it affected your schooling, work and choices. A family job loss, a move to a smaller home or years of working while in school all count. End with what the experience taught you or how it shapes your view of patients. If the answer is no, say no; do not stretch a minor setback into hardship.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (832 characters):

Yes. When I was 14, the auto parts plant where my father had worked for 19 years closed. He found shift work at a warehouse at about half his old pay, and my mother added evening office cleaning to her daytime job. We qualified for free school lunch, and for two winters we kept the heat low and closed off the upstairs. I started working 15 hours a week at a grocery store at 16 and kept working 20 hours a week through college to cover books and my share of rent. I took the MCAT once because I could not afford a second attempt, so I studied with library books and free practice materials for eight months. My family’s finances are steadier now, but those years shaped how I use time and money, and how I listen to patients who say a prescription is too expensive. I will not assume a missed refill means a patient does not care.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. The answer starts with ‘Yes’ and then gives concrete facts about what changed and how the family adjusted. It shows the effect on the applicant’s education (work hours, one MCAT attempt, free study materials) without asking for sympathy. The prompt’s phrase ‘regardless of current income status’ is addressed directly with ‘My family’s finances are steadier now.’ The final two sentences connect the experience to patient care in a believable way. Mistakes to avoid: exaggerating, comparing your hardship to others’, and leaving out how it affected your academic record, since that context is the main reason the question exists. Remember that everyone’s life is “normal” to them. You do not need a dramatic story; you need an accurate one that shows how you endured and adapted.

Prompt 6: Why Perelman

Please share your reasons for applying to the Perelman School of Medicine.

Limit: 1,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants who receive the supplemental.

What it asks. This question can feel like it will make or break your application. It will not, but it deserves extra time. The committee wants to see that you know how Perelman works and that its features match what you have already done and plan to do.

How to approach it. Start with your own goal. Then choose two to four Perelman features that serve that goal: a part of IMPaCT, an area of concentration, a dual degree, a clinical or community program or the House system. For each, give one sentence on why it matters to you. Skip praise of Penn’s history and rank. If you have a personal connection to Penn, such as working in the health system, you can mention it briefly, but the essay should still stand on its own.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (941 characters):

I want to become a primary care physician who also studies why chronic disease care breaks down outside the clinic, and Perelman’s structure fits that plan. In Core 1, the three unscheduled afternoons would let me keep doing the free clinic work that has anchored my last two years, this time in Penn’s student-led clinics. The Measey Primary Care Pathway would give me mentors in general internal medicine early, before I have to choose a residency. I am also drawn to the Community Health IMPaCT area of concentration, because it trains students to help low-income patients obtain care, which is the exact gap I saw in my registry job. Core 3’s 24 weeks of flexible time, or a fifth year for the MD/MSHP, would let me turn a clinic question into a real health policy project. Finally, Perelman’s House system and the One University option to take courses across Penn suit how I learn best: in small groups and with people outside medicine.

Why it works and mistakes to avoid. Every reason in the example is a verified Perelman feature (IMPaCT Core 1’s unscheduled afternoons, the Measey Primary Care Pathway, the Community Health IMPaCT area of concentration, Core 3 flexible time, the MD/MSHP, Perelman Houses and One University courses), and each is tied to something the applicant has already done or plans to do. The opening sentence gives a career goal that makes the list feel like a plan rather than a brochure. Mistakes to avoid: praising Penn’s history or rank, naming faculty you have never contacted, and listing programs without saying why each one matters to you. Before you submit, recheck every program you name on Perelman’s site.

Interview Format and Preparation

If you are reading this section because you have an interview invitation, congratulations. It means the committee was impressed by your file and wants to meet you.

What is confirmed

• Invitation only. Interviews are granted by invitation and held between September and January on dates the Office of Admissions sets.
• Format. Perelman holds one-on-one interviews with faculty and students: two individual interviews, one with a faculty member and one with a student. It does not use the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, and regional interviews are not offered.
• Interview day. The day includes an orientation, time with current students, a financial aid discussion and a look at the curriculum.
• Numbers. For the 2025 entering class, 800 applicants were interviewed: 66 from Pennsylvania, 705 from other states and 29 international applicants.
• MD/PhD. MD/PhD interviews are scheduled by graduate group, alongside the medical school interviews.
• Only interviewed applicants are admitted, and decisions come on a single date in March.

Perelman offers video interviews. Your invitation will say whether your 2026-2027 interview is virtual or in person and give the logistics, so follow it exactly.

What to expect

Because the format is traditional, expect conversational questions about your background, experiences and goals, including “Why Perelman?” and “What makes you a good fit here?” With one faculty interviewer and one student interviewer, expect two different conversations: the faculty member may press on your research and goals, and the student may ask how you would fit into the Perelman community. Prepare for both. Read your own AMCAS application and supplemental again the night before, because your interviewers may have read them.

How to prepare

1. Know your file. Be ready to talk about every activity, especially your research question and the situation in your ambiguity essay.
2. Prepare a specific Why Perelman answer. Name the parts of IMPaCT, the areas of concentration or the programs you would use, and connect each to something you have done.
3. Practice common questions out loud. Our list of the most common medical school interview questions is a good starting point. Student Doctor Network’s interview feedback pages for Penn also collect applicants’ reported questions; practice with a friend, family member or mentor.
4. Prepare questions for the student interviewer. Ask about the Perelman Houses, how students use the unscheduled afternoons in Core 1 or what Core 3 flexible time looks like in practice.
5. Mention real connections. If you have worked with Penn faculty, worked in the Penn Medicine health system or completed PASS or the Johnson Scholars Program, the interview is a natural place to say so. A personal connection helps show your interest in the school.

If you want structured practice, the admissions consulting we offer includes mock interviews and feedback.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Penn use AMCAS?

Yes. Perelman uses AMCAS as its primary application service for both the MD and MD/PhD programs. The AMCAS deadline for the 2026-2027 cycle is October 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. After AMCAS verifies your application, Perelman sends every verified applicant a supplemental application, which is due with the $100 fee, MCAT score and letters by November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submit AMCAS as early in the summer as you can.

What is the median MCAT and GPA at Perelman?

For the 2026 entering class, the median MCAT was 522 and the median overall GPA was 3.98. The mean MCAT was 521.4 and the mean overall GPA was 3.96. The range was 510 to 528 for the MCAT and 3.66 to 4.00 for GPA. These figures describe students who enrolled, and Perelman does not publish a minimum. If your numbers are well below the medians, apply to Perelman as one part of a balanced list.

What dual-degree programs does Penn offer?

Perelman’s formal MD/Master’s programs are the MD/MBA with Wharton, MD/MBE (Master of Bioethics), MD/ML (Master in Law and Health), MD/MPH, MD/MSHP (Health Policy Research) and MD/MSTR (Translational Research). Students can also arrange combinations such as MD/JD with Penn Carey Law, MD/MSCE, MD/MSME, MD/MSE (Engineering), MD/MSEd and MD/MSNS. The MD/PhD is a separate program you apply to through AMCAS. Indicating a master’s interest on AMCAS is optional; students usually apply for a master’s around their second year.

Does Penn accept international applicants? DACA?

Yes to both. International applicants are held to the same admissions standards as everyone else, but they are not eligible for federal loans and must show they can pay through school scholarships or personal funds. If your bachelor’s degree is from outside the U.S. or Canada, complete a full-time year of AMCAS-classified science coursework at a U.S. or Canadian school before applying. Perelman welcomes DACA and undocumented applicants, and accepted DACA students are eligible for need-based and merit scholarships.

What are Perelman’s prerequisites?

There are no required courses. You must show competency in biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, and the school also values communication skills and the behavioral and social sciences. AP and IB credit counts if it appears on your transcript. Community college credit is reviewed case by case. If your last science course was more than five years ago, take a refresher course, which can be an upper-level class.

How hard is it to get into Perelman?

Very hard. Perelman enrolled 154 students in 2026, and the class’s median MCAT of 522 and median GPA of 3.98 are among the highest in the country. For the 2025 entering class, 7,097 verified applicants competed for about 153 seats, and only 800 (about 11%) were interviewed. The number of acceptance offers is not published, so there is no true acceptance rate, and you should not estimate one by dividing class size by applicants. What you can control is a complete, early application with specific secondaries.

How many people apply to Perelman each year?

For the 2025 entering class, Perelman received 7,097 verified applications: 580 from Pennsylvania residents, 5,988 from other states and 529 from international applicants. It interviewed 800 of them and enrolled 153. Because every verified applicant receives the supplemental, the interview decision is the main screening step.

Is there a minimum GPA or MCAT for Perelman?

No. Perelman does not screen applicants with a minimum GPA or MCAT score, and it considers your most recent MCAT. A postbaccalaureate or graduate GPA does not replace a lower undergraduate GPA. In practice, the 2025 accepted applicants had a median MCAT of 522 and a median GPA of 3.98, so strong numbers still matter.

Can I defer my admission to Perelman?

Deferral requests are reviewed case by case. Five admitted applicants deferred in the 2025 entering class cycle. If you think you may need a deferral for research, service or personal reasons, ask the Office of Admissions about the process after you are admitted.

Does Perelman have an Early Decision Program?

Yes, but it is extremely selective and very limited. You must meet the average GPA and MCAT of the previous entering class, provide a CV and have valid reasons for choosing Perelman. Contact the Office of Admissions before June 1. If approved, submit AMCAS by August 1 and complete your file by August 15. Decisions come October 1.

Can I apply to both the MD and MD/PhD programs?

No. You must choose one program, and you are not considered for both. You can switch your choice until October 1 of the application cycle. If you are unsure, compare your research experience honestly with what the MSTP expects, and talk with research mentors before you decide.

What is Perelman’s curriculum like?

Perelman uses the IMPaCT curriculum in three Cores. Core 1 (August of Year 1 to December of Year 2) integrates basic science and clinical medicine and is graded Pass/Fail, with three unscheduled afternoons a week. Core 2 (January of Year 2 to December of Year 3) is the clerkship year, graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail. Core 3 (January of Year 3 to May of Year 4) includes a sub-internship, electives, the Scholarly Pursuit and 24 weeks of flexible time.

Is Perelman pass/fail?

Only in part. Core 1 is graded Pass/Fail. Core 2 clerkships and the Core 3 sub-internship and electives are graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail. Students must also pass USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 to graduate.

How much does Perelman cost?

For 2026-27, tuition is $73,852 and tuition plus fees is $80,511 for every student. The total first-year cost of attendance, including health insurance and living costs, is $117,173. Third year costs $121,773 and fourth year $120,173. Perelman awards about 35 full-tuition merit scholarships a year and offers need-based scholarships through the CSS Profile.

When are Perelman’s secondary essays due?

The supplemental application, the $100 fee, your MCAT score and your letters must all be received by November 15 at 11:59 p.m. ET. You can submit the supplemental before your MCAT score arrives. Deadlines are strictly enforced, and applications are reviewed for interviews from August, so try to return the supplemental within about two weeks.

How many secondary essays does Perelman have?

There are six prompts for the 2026-2027 cycle: time off (700 characters), global activities (1,000), life experiences and your decision to pursue medicine (1,000), acting with limited information (3,000), economic hardship (1,000) and why Perelman (1,000). The time off, global activities and economic hardship prompts apply only if your answer is yes.

What kind of clinical experience does Perelman want?

Perelman does not publish an hour minimum. It looks for evidence of service orientation, communication and an understanding of patients’ social and practical barriers. Roles where you take part in care, such as clinical internships for pre-med students, scribing or EMT work, give you the most to write about. Long-term commitment matters more than total hours.

Does Perelman accept transfer students?

No. There is no transfer admission program at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Can I visit Perelman before applying?

Perelman does not offer a visit program or campus tours. It holds virtual information sessions in the summer and posts recordings of them. Penn Preview in April is for accepted students.

Does Perelman require CASPer or PREview?

Perelman’s application components are the verified AMCAS application, supplemental application, letters, MCAT score and fee. No situational judgment test is listed. Check your portal in case requirements change during the cycle.

Related Medical School Guides

If you are applying to Perelman, these guides cover schools with a clear geographic or program connection. They are not ranked by selectivity, and none should be treated as a backup based on statistics alone.

• How to Get Into Drexel University College of Medicine: another Philadelphia MD school, useful for applicants who want to train in the same city.
• How to Get Into the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University: a North Philadelphia MD option with a strong urban community health focus.
• How to Get Into Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University: a Center City Philadelphia MD school, a few miles from Penn.
• How to Get Into Penn State College of Medicine: Pennsylvania’s other large academic MD program, based in Hershey and separate from the University of Pennsylvania.
• How to Get Into Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine: a Pennsylvania MD school with a community-based model in the northeast of the state.
• How to Get Into Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine: a nearby Northeast MD option in New Jersey for applicants building a regional list.
• Our second Perelman guide, How to Get Into Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania: a companion guide to the same school with its own take on the application.

For a full list of MD programs by state, including Pennsylvania, see our guide to how many medical schools there are in the US.

How International Medical Aid Can Help

International Medical Aid (IMA) helps pre-health students build the hands-on clinical experience and reflection that schools like Perelman look for. IMA runs clinical internships in Kenya and other sites. Interns work under the supervision of local clinicians, taking vitals, doing patient intake and triage, and helping with direct patient care. Programs include structured reflection, which gives you concrete stories for secondary prompts like Perelman’s questions on global activities and acting with limited information.

IMA’s pre-health internships are open to students at different stages, from first-year undergraduates to gap-year applicants. You can compare all of IMA’s international healthcare internships by location and focus. IMA is not affiliated with the Perelman School of Medicine, and participating does not give you any admissions advantage. What it can give you is real experience to reflect on and write about.

IMA also helps you prepare the application itself, from your AMCAS and personal statement to your secondaries and interviews. Learn more about the medical school admissions consulting we offer if you want feedback on your Perelman essays.

Next step: if your clinical experience is thin and you have a summer or gap year ahead, review IMA’s internship options now, so the experience is complete before you write your supplemental.

Final Thoughts and Sources

You might feel overwhelmed after reading this whole guide. That is normal. Read it again as you prepare, and focus on three things: a complete AMCAS application submitted early, a set of six secondary drafts you can finish soon after the supplemental arrives, and clear, specific reasons why Perelman’s IMPaCT curriculum, programs and community fit what you have already done. We want to help you put together the strongest possible application, and more than anything, we want to see you with an acceptance letter from the Perelman School of Medicine in hand.

Sources and notes. School facts were checked on October 17, 2026, and the AAMC MSAR profile on October 18, 2026. Class figures are for the 2026 entering class, enrollment is for AY 2026-27, costs are for AY 2026-27, outcomes are for the Class of 2026 and debt is for 2024 MD graduates. Application, interview, matriculant-residency, accepted-applicant and premedical-experience figures are for the 2025 entering class from the AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), 2026 edition; the share of students receiving aid is for AY 2024-25 and global health participation is for 2025 graduating seniors from the same profile.

• Perelman School of Medicine: 2026-27 Total Enrollment and Entering Class Profile; MD Admissions home (2027 applicants); Application Procedure; 2026-2027 Admissions Timeline; Admissions FAQ; General Academic Competencies.
• AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), Perelman School of Medicine profile, 2026 edition (2025 entering class data), accessed October 18, 2026: applications, interviews, matriculants, accepted-applicant MCAT and GPA, premedical experiences, screening policies, interview format, deposit, deferral, waitlist, clinical sites, financial aid share and global health participation.
• Curriculum: IMPaCT Curriculum; Core 1; Core 2; Core 3; Evaluation and Degree Requirements; Scholarly Pursuit.
• Programs: Dual Degrees and Areas of Concentration; MD/MBA; Penn MSTP (home, curriculum overview, facts and figures, Clinical Connections, director’s welcome); Pre-Medical Enrichment Programs; Special Study and Research; 2026 Post-Graduate Outcomes.
• Costs and aid: PSOM MD Student Budget for Academic Year 2026-2027; Tuition policy; How To Apply For Aid; Financial Aid Overview.
• Institution: PSOM Overview; Office of the Dean; LCME Accreditation; Teaching Facilities; Student Life; Penn Medicine Facts and Figures 2025; Office of the Dean announcement on U.S. News participation (January 24, 2023).
• People: Office of the Dean leadership; Undergraduate Medical Education Leadership Team; faculty pages for Drew Weissman and Carl June; Penn Medicine notable alumni.
• Secondary prompts: Perelman does not post its supplemental prompts publicly. The six 2026-2027 prompts were checked against current-cycle compilations from Med School Insiders, Shemmassian Consulting, MedSchoolCoach and Student Doctor Network applicant reports on October 17, 2026. Confirm wording and limits in your portal.

Medical review is listed with the published guide.