Early Assurance Program

Through a partnership with the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program at Agnes Scott College (ASC), Decatur, Georgia, Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) offers a linkage program for admission to the M.D. Program at MUSM.

To be eligible to apply, an applicant to this linkage program must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
  • Have established residency in the state of Georgia for at least 12 months prior to matriculation.
  • Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution with at least 90 credit hours of coursework.
  • Enroll in the ASC Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical program on a schedule that allows for completion of all prerequisite courses at ASC by the end of the following spring semester (for example, by May of the intended year of matriculation).
  • Submit a Primary Application via AMCAS to Mercer University School of Medicine (program type: Early Assurance) by the deadline specified below, after initially being preapproved for this track by Mercer University School of Medicine Admissions Office (see steps below).
  • Have at least three (3) letters of reference submitted via AMCAS Letter Writer Service. At least one of these letters must be from a science faculty member that taught this applicant in college.
  • The applicant must complete the AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam. Find out more about the exam through the AAMC website.

Steps in the application process for applicants meeting eligibility criteria listed above:

  1. Applicant sets up an AAMC account. Applicant provides legal name, AAMC ID, date of birth and email address to the director of the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program at Agnes Scott College expressing intent to apply to the M.D. program at MUSM under this linkage program.
  2. Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program at Agnes Scott College passes this information to musmadmissions@mercer.edu verifying that those intending to apply are enrolled in the Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Med Program at Agnes Scott College.
  3. MUSM Admissions Office pre-approves applicants for the Early Assurance Track and notifies each applicant and the director of the Post-Bacc Pre-Med Program of this pre-approval.
  4. Applicant then goes to complete the Primary AMCAS Application and selects Early Assurance Program Type (not Regular Pool) and selects Mercer University School of Medicine. The deadline for submission of Primary AMCAS application and transcripts of prior undergraduate work is August 14, 2024 (for application for the 2025 AMCAS application year; for example, 2024-25 admissions cycle).
  5. Once Primary Applications are annotated as verified by AMCAS and passed to MUSM Admissions Office, MUSM Admissions Office will send by email an invitation to submit an online Secondary Application. The deadline for completing Secondary Application online and submitting notarized declaration of Georgia residency is 5 p.m. ET September 27, 2024. The nonrefundable fee for submitting a Secondary Application is $90 and can be paid online.
  6. Applicants will be directly notified by email when their file is complete and eligible for screening by the Admissions Committee.
  7. Mercer University School of Medicine Admissions Committee screens applications before a decision to invite applicants to interview is made. Applicants with a good undergraduate record and who have not already taken any prerequisites will be viewed as though they are academically qualified. An interview invitation is not guaranteed.
  8. If an applicant is invited to an interview, the applicant will be notified directly by email by 5 p.m. October 6, 2024. Applicants that do not receive an invitation to interview by this time can assume they are no longer under consideration by the Admissions Committee for the 2024-25 application cycle.
  9. For those invited to an interview, the interview day is October 10, 2024. Interviews will be virtual this year.
    At the time of the interview, applicants with a good undergraduate record (and those who already have not taken any prerequisites) will be viewed as though they are academically qualified and the interview will focus on the applicant’s work, volunteer and service experiences, personal characteristics, motivation to pursue medicine, goals, and long-term plans in reference to MUSM’s mission. However, applicants may not be rated at the time of the interview as academically qualified if they have a sub-par undergraduate academic record, and have taken one or more of the prerequisite courses as part of undergraduate coursework.
  10. MUSM will notify the applicant by November 22, 2024, if or not he/she has been offered conditional acceptance into the next incoming M.D. class at MUSM through this linkage program. Applicants the committee decides to not offer early assurance of acceptance will also be notified by November 22, 2024.

Eventual acceptance is contingent upon the applicant:

  • Maintaining a cumulative overall grade point average of 3.50 or greater (A = 4.00) at ASC with no individual grade of less than a “C” (a “C-” is less than a “C”) in any course and without repeating any ASC courses.
  • Completing all prerequisite science courses required by MUSM: two (2) semesters each of General Chemistry (with lab), Organic Chemistry (with lab), Biology (with lab) and Physics (with lab).
  • Completing all additional coursework required for admission to MUSM, if it was not completed as part of the bachelor’s degree*.
  • Completing all ASC Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program requirements published in the most recent ASC catalog by May of the intended year of matriculation in the M.D. program
  • Taking the MCAT only once in time to allow MUSM to receive MCAT scores no later than June 30 of the expected year of matriculation, and receiving a total percentile rank of 65 or better in this attempt.
  • Receiving the endorsement of the applicant’s candidacy to MUSM M.D. program by ASC’s Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical Program.
  • Being able to meet the Technical Standards for admission to the M.D. program as required by MUSM.
  • Completing and providing all necessary forms and documents required by MUSM to make its decision.
  • Passing the criminal background check (facilitated by AMCAS, and undertaken by Certiphi Screening Inc.).
  • Maintaining domicile in Georgia and providing documentation of domicile in Georgia.

If you have further questions, please contact musmadmissions@mercer.edu with “ASC Post-Baccalaureate Linkage Program” in the subject line.