Special Consideration Program

Through a partnership with undergraduate programs offered on the Mercer University Macon campus,  Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) offers a Special Consideration Program (SCP) for its Doctor of Medicine degree. Up to 60 incoming freshmen will be selected each year for this special program.

Eligibility Criteria (Incoming Freshman August 2024)

The applicant must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or a U.S. permanent resident.
• Have continuously maintained status as a legal resident of the state of Georgia four years prior to matriculation to an undergraduate program at Mercer University.
• Have been accepted Early Action I into an undergraduate program (for matriculation in Fall 2024) at Mercer University.
• Have at least two confidential letters of reference (at least one from a high school or dual enrollment science or math instructor and at least one letter of character reference).

SCP-Medicine Application Information

• The application for entry in August 2024 consists of three parts. In addition to the three-part application, students must also provide two reference letters and an official form of identification.
  • Access your Mercer status portal  after Early Action I decisions have been released to find more details and instructions for submission.
  • The deadline for submitting your complete application is Monday, January 15, 2024.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Incoming college freshmen who have not gone through this application process before registering for freshman year are not eligible to apply to this program.
• Complete applications submitted by the deadline are subject to screening by the M.D. Program Admissions Committee before a decision to invite applicants to an interview is made. The Admissions Committee invites up to 60 applicants to an interview at Mercer University School of Medicine as a step toward further consideration.
• Applicants invited to an interview will be notified by email by Monday, January 29.
• Interviews will be held Friday, February 9, 2024. A successful interview at Mercer University School of Medicine is required for acceptance into the Special Consideration Program in Medicine.
• Applicants who are accepted by the Admissions Committee into the Special Consideration Program will be notified by Thursday, March 7, 2024. The Admissions Committee typically accepts an additional 10 applicants to an alternate (wait) list, and these applicants will also be notified by  Thursday, March 7, 2024.
• Eventual acceptance to the M.D. program in August 2028  of a candidate accepted in 2024 into the Special Consideration Program/Pre-Medicine Track is contingent upon the applicant meeting the following requirements:
  1. Matriculating in the undergraduate program to which the applicant has been accepted at Mercer University for Fall 2024, and meeting the requirements to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University within four years of matriculation.
  2. Obtaining an undergraduate degree from Mercer University before matriculation into the M.D. program.
  3. Completing all pre-medical course requirements at Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. MUSM Admissions Office must receive official transcripts of all post-secondary college coursework from the institution(s) in which such work was undertaken by June 30, 2027.
  4. Obtaining a cumulative GPA and a cumulative BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics, math) GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of year one of undergraduate studies. This will be checked June 30, 2025. All GPA calculations are performed using the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) GPA formula.
  5. Obtaining a cumulative GPA and a cumulative BCPM GPA of at least 3.25 at the end of Year 2 of undergraduate studies. This will be checked  June 30, 2026.
  6. Obtaining a cumulative GPA and a cumulative BCPM GPA of at least 3.5 at the end of Year 3 of undergraduate studies.  This will be checked June 30, 2027.
  7. Documenting at least 100 hours of volunteer work consistent with Mercer University School of Medicine’s mission during your first three years of undergraduate studies. This should be documented in the Primary AMCAS Application and supported by letters of recommendation.
  8. Achieving an overall percentile rank of 64 or better on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
  9. Achieving a percentile rank of at least 50 in the Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems section of the same MCAT.
  10. Submitting a complete application by the deadline to the Early Decision Program in August 2026 (for admission into the M.D. program at Mercer University School of Medicine for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle that will matriculate in August 2027). Anticipated application deadline: August 1, 2026.
  11. No history of institutional action against the applicant during his/her studies at Mercer University.
  12. Positive letter of evaluation from Mercer University Health Vocations Advisement Committee.

Note: If the SCP applicant meets criteria 1-12 above, a subsequent interview at the time of submitting an M.D. program application in August 2026 is waived. If the applicant does not meet all of the above criteria or applies to the M.D. program as a regular pool applicant, an interview is not waived at the time of applying to the M.D. program. Also in this case, an interview is required but is not guaranteed, and such an applicant will be reviewed as any traditional applicant to the M.D. program applying during the senior year of undergraduate studies.

Frequently Asked Questions