Admissions Process

Updated May 19, 2021

Mercer University School of Medicine is taking many steps to address concerns related to the educational upheaval students are experiencing as a result of COVID-19. If you have additional questions, please contact the admissions office for further clarification.

Policy regarding pass/fail grades and online courses due to COVID-19

Mercer University School of Medicine will make every effort to provide interview opportunities in a fair and equitable fashion under these extenuating circumstances. Our institution will accept pass/fail grades and/or courses that were converted to online formats during the COVID-19 pandemic, including laboratory sections. This includes the Spring and Summer semesters of the 2019-2020 academic year and the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters of the 2020-2021 academic year. If students choose the pass/fail grading option for coursework taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, they will not be penalized or considered at a disadvantage during the admissions process. Applicant grades will be considered in the context of a holistic evaluation that also takes into account the student’s passion for the well-being of others and commitment to the residents of Georgia.

For an M.D. program application packet to be considered complete, the following items must be received by the applicable deadline, which varies by application type (early decision versus regular pool):

• Completed secondary application
• Non-refundable processing fee ($90) This fee is automatically waived for applicants who have a valid Fee Assistance Program waiver from AMCAS.
• Copy of a notarized declaration of domicile in the state of Georgia
• Copy of a state issued photo identification document
• At least three (3) letters of recommendation or one committee letter

An email acknowledgment will be sent within two business days upon completion of the application packet, which will confirm that the file is complete and eligible for further screening by the Admissions Committee.

An initial offer of acceptance is contingent upon the School of Medicine’s receipt of the following:

• Documentation that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Documentation of domicile in the state of Georgia at least 12 months prior to the start of classes.
• Official transcripts of completion of premedical requirements and documentation of completion of a bachelor’s degree or a more advanced degree from an accredited college or institution in the United States.
• Official and final transcripts by June 30 prior to matriculating in August. Data in transcripts must be consistent with that reported in an applicant’s Primary AMCAS Application.
• Acceptable criminal background check facilitated by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

The applicant must also meet the School of Medicine’s Technical Standards for Admission.

Yes. This means that completed applications are reviewed sequentially as they arrive. Interview invitations, ranking of interviewed applicants, and offers of acceptance also occur on a rolling basis. It is advantageous for applicants to complete their applications as early as possible, well ahead of the deadline, whether one applies for early decision or as a regular pool applicant.

The applicant must have established domicile in the state of Georgia at least by their application submission AND maintain domicile for 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the first day of classes of the school term for which he or she is applying.

Applicants who are not able to claim Georgia as their state of legal residence will not be allowed to designate Mercer University School of Medicine as a recipient of their Primary AMCAS Application.

The deadline for the Early Decision Program is August 1 for admission the subsequent academic year. If an applicant has not established residency prior to that date, they will not be able to apply as an Early Decision Program applicant.

Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree, an advanced degree, or be on track to completing an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by June of the intended year of matriculation. For applicants who are on track to graduate with a bachelor’s or a more advanced degree by June of the intended year of matriculation, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to stipulate that eventual acceptance of an applicant into the program is contingent upon documentation that the applicant has obtained the undergraduate or advanced degree from the program in which he/she is enrolled.

All prerequisites are not required to be completed at the time of applying, although we recommend that applicants take the MCAT only after completing prerequisites. A standard stipulation in acceptance letters initially sent out is that eventual acceptance of applicants is subject to documentation of completion of these required premedical courses with official transcripts by June of the intended year of matriculation.

Minimum course requirements are one year or two semester-hour laboratory courses in each of the following:

• General Biology
• General or Inorganic Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Physics

A semester of Biochemistry with lab may be taken instead of a second semester of Organic Chemistry. AP credit may be used in place of one semester of the Physics requirement. If the AP credit was received for one or more of the other courses listed above, one year of advanced courses with lab in the same discipline must be completed. All courses must have corresponding labs.

No. We suggest that an applicant major in an area that interests them and take the pre-requisite courses. Close to 70% of those accepted to the M.D. program have majored in biology, biological sciences or a premedical track, and the remainder complete their degree in a variety of other disciplines.

Mercer University School of Medicine participates in the AMCAS Letters Service, which means that all letters of evaluation (recommendation) must be submitted through the AMCAS Letter Service. The types of letters that can be sent to AMCAS on an applicant’s behalf include: committee letter, letter packet, or individual letter.

An applicant invited to submit a secondary application must have at least three (3) letters of reference submitted through the AMCAS Letter Writers Service before an interview invitation is considered. As a general rule, letters of recommendation should be sought from referees who know the applicant well as a student, coworker, colleague, or employer. When possible, we recommend that at least one letter of reference be submitted from a science faculty member who has taught the applicant and that at least one letter of recommendation be submitted from a physician, healthcare professional, or health care manager with whom the applicant has had a mentor-mentee, employment, or volunteer relationship.

We do not accept emails or hard copies of letters submitted directly (by applicants or letter writers) to the Admissions Office, Admissions Committee members or interviewers. The Association of American Medical Colleges has established a centralized set of guidelines for letter writers.

No. MUSM uses the applicant’s highest MCAT score to determine secondary application eligibility. At least one MCAT score must be from a test taken after April 1, 2020.

Applicants who retake the MCAT after submitting an application are allowed to note additional intended MCAT test dates on their Primary AMCAS Application.

If an applicant to the Early Decision Program is invited to submit a secondary application and retakes the MCAT after submitting their application, the most recent MCAT score will be available to the Admissions Committee through updates to the Primary AMCAS Application assuming the applicant remains under consideration by the Admissions Committee.

The criteria for invitation of secondary applications are identical regardless of whether one applies for the Early Decision Program or regular pool. An invitation to submit the secondary application is essential for further consideration. An invitation to submit a secondary application does not constitute a guarantee of an invitation to interview. It does not imply that the committee considers an applicant meeting the above criteria academically qualified. There is further screening of academic qualifications, experiences and attributes before an interview invitation is considered.

To receive an invitation to complete a secondary application, the applicant must meet the admissions requirements and the following criteria:

• Has taken the MCAT at least once within the last three years
• A minimal MCAT percentile rank of 24
• MCAT percentile rank “multiplied by” cumulative undergraduate BCPM-GPA “greater than” 93

For applicants with earned graduate degrees, an invitation to submit a secondary application is sent if the minimal MCAT percentile rank is 24 or greater, regardless of cumulative undergraduate BCPM-GPA.

Cumulative undergraduate BCPM-GPA refers to the cumulative undergraduate BCPM-GPA reported on completed Primary AMCAS Application verified by AMCAS.

Note: Criteria for admission are reviewed by the Admissions Committee on an annual basis and any revisions will be published on this page reasonably in advance.