Application Requirements

The MD Program has 192 positions available for exceptional qualified applicants. A quota exists in Medicine. 85% of the positions are reserved for Alberta residents and 15% of the positions are for Non-Alberta residents.

Please review the requirements for application to the MD Program carefully. Should you submit your application but fail to meet any of the below requirements your application will be deemed incomplete or ineligible. Please note that meeting the requirements for application does not guarantee admission.

Please refer to the FAQ page for answers to popular questions. 

For more information regarding deadlines and transcripts click here 


Academic

Education

All applicants to the Doctor of Medicine Program must be registered in a baccalaureate degree from a program recognized by the University of Alberta and obtain their degree the year admission is sought or already have completed their degree program. We have no preference for which institution you attend nor which degree program you complete, provided that the institution and program you choose is recognized by the University of Alberta; you should be pursuing your own interests while fulfilling the requirements of your degree program. The MD Program does not require any specific pre-requisite courses. Applicants must have a minimum of 60 transferable units of course weight (ucw). This does not mean that applicants can apply after simply completing 60ucw, but rather that their degree must present a minimum of 60 transferable ucw. 

Courses from external institutions are converted to University of Alberta ucw. Labs that are co-requisites for lectures and are reported as separate courses on external transcripts will not be included in the total ucw; at the University of Alberta a course with a lab component is reported singularly as 3 or 6 ucw.

IB/AP credits received towards your baccalaureate degree are not considered part of post-secondary coursework and will not be used towards your application.

NOTE: We are unable to provide transcript pre-assessment. This includes, but is not limited to, the transferability of courses, recognized degrees, and cGPA calculations. Please contact the Office of the Registrar directly for inquiries regarding recognized degrees. The Office of the Registrar is unable to provide pre-assessment of transcripts for cGPA calculations.

cGPA

cGPA Calculation for 2024/2025 Application Cycle

To calculate cGPA, we include all transferable post-secondary coursework to which a grade was assigned while the student was enrolled full-time (by University of Alberta definition) during the academic year (September through April) or full-time during the Spring and Summer terms (May through August).

For undergraduate students, to be considered full-time you must complete 18 transferable units of course weight (ucw) during the academic year (September through April) or 12 ucw during the Spring and Summer terms (May through August).

All coursework completed as part of a course-based graduate program will be evaluated based on the above guidelines.

All coursework completed as part of a thesis-based graduate program to which a grade and course weighting was assigned will be included in the calculation of cGPA.

For information regarding how Winter 2020 coursework and grades are factored into cGPA calculation, please see the Use of Winter 2020 in cGPA Calculation notice.

For applicants presenting 4 or more full-time academic years (September through April) of transferable post-secondary coursework, we may exclude the lowest academic year (September through April) from calculation; provided that it is not the most recent full-time academic year. 

Meeting the minimum cGPA for application does not guarantee admission to the Doctor of Medicine Program. We encourage our applicants to have an alternate career path in mind as the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of positions we have available in our program.

NOTE: We are unable to provide transcript pre-assessment. This includes, but is not limited to, the transferability of courses, recognized degrees, and cGPA calculations. Please contact the Office of the Registrar directly for inquiries regarding recognized degrees. The Office of the Registrar is unable to provide pre-assessment of transcripts for cGPA calculations.


Albertans
The minimum cumulative GPA (cGPA) required to be eligible to apply for Albertan applicants is 3.30 on the UofA 4.0 grading scale.

Non-Albertans

The minimum cGPA required to be eligible to apply for Non-Albertan applicants is 3.50 on the UofA 4.0 grading scale.

Transcripts

Applicants must send official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions ever attended directly from the issuing institution to the Office of the Registrar. Photocopies, hand-delivered copies, unofficial copies, and WES evaluations will not be accepted. Students who have attended an international institution may be required to provide further supporting documentation, such as course descriptions. Please refer to your UAlberta Launchpad for required checklist items and forms. Required supporting documentation must be received by the Office of the Registrar before they are able to evaluate your file. Failure to provide these may result in your application being deemed incomplete, resulting in the closure of your file.

For concerns regarding your transcripts and supporting documentation please contact the Office of the Registrar directly.

Unofficial interim transcripts can be uploaded via your UAlberta Launchpad.

Official electronic transcripts can be sent to transcripts@ualberta.ca.

Transcript Mailing Address:

Office of the Registrar
201 Administration Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2M7

Note: Students do not need to request University of Alberta transcripts; we have access to them through the Office of the Registrar.

ApplyAlberta

The University of Alberta may be able to obtain transcripts from participating Alberta post-secondary institutions on the applicant's behalf via ApplyAlberta. You will have agreed to this process when completing the Application for Admission. Please check your UAlberta Launchpad for details of which transcripts the Office of the Registrar has requested on your behalf. Please be aware that there are instances where your institution may refuse to send transcripts to us, typically due to unpaid fees or if there is a discrepancy in your identifying information. If this occurs you must settle your account with that institution and request a transcript be sent to us yourself.

NOTE: We are unable to provide transcript pre-assessment. This includes, but is not limited to, the transferability of courses, recognized degrees, and cGPA calculations. Please contact the Office of the Registrar directly for inquiries regarding recognized degrees. The Office of the Registrar is unable to provide pre-assessment of transcripts for cGPA calculations.

Graduate Students

All applicants are subject to the same application requirements.

Applicants who have obtained a Masters or PhD are eligible to receive additional points towards their rank score. If the conferral date is not present on the official transcript submitted for the October 1, 2024 deadline, applicants, including current UofA students, must submit a letter (detailed information below):

Graduate Degree Additional Points Deadline (February 5, 2025) for Interview

Should applicants complete a Graduate Degree before the time of interview offers, they are eligible to be awarded additional points. If the Graduate Degree conferral date is not present on your official transcripts submitted for the October 1st deadline, applicants must: 

Masters by Thesis or PhD

Applicants must submit a letter stating a successful defence on or before February 5, 2025 to have additional points added to their rank for offer of interview. We recommend that as soon as applicants have successfully defended their thesis, and have completed all required revisions, that they should request that their Departmental Chair or Supervisor email  MDAdmissions@ualberta.ca an official and original letter stating such on institution letterhead. This letter must include the date the applicant defended, that all required revisions have been accepted, and the predicted degree conferral date. The Official Transcript displaying the Graduate Degree conferral date must follow this letter as soon as it is available. 

Masters by Course Work

Once applicants have completed their Masters Degree Program by course work, including any practicums, they can request that an official letter from the Faculty Associate Dean or Department Chair be sent to MDAdmissions@ualberta.ca on or before February 5, 2025. This letter must state that they have successfully completed  all of the requirements for their Masters Degree Program on "this date", that they have completed any required practicums, and the predicted degree conferral date. The Official Transcript displaying the Masters Degree conferral date must follow this letter as soon as it is available. 

Graduate Degree Additional Points Deadline (May 1, 2025) for Offer of Admission

Should applicants complete a Graduate Degree before the time of admission offers, they are eligible to be awarded additional points. If the Graduate Degree conferral date is not present on your official transcripts submitted for the October 1st deadline, applicants must: 

Masters by Thesis or PhD 

Applicants must submit a letter stating a successful defence on or before May 1, 2025 to have additional points added to their rank for offer of admission. We recommend that as soon as applicants have successfully defended their thesis, and have completed all required revisions, that they should request that their Departmental Chair or Supervisor email MDAdmissions@ualberta.ca an official and original letter stating such on institution letterhead.This letter must include the date the applicant defended, that all required revisions have been accepted, and the predicted degree conferral date. The Official Transcript displaying the Masters Degree conferral date must follow this letter as soon as it is available. 

Masters by Course Work

Once applicants have completed their Masters Degree Program by course work, including any practicums, they can request that an official letter from the Faculty Associate Dean or Department Chair be sent to MDAdmissions@ualberta.ca on or before May 1, 2025. This letter must state that they have successfully completed all of the requirements for their Masters Degree Program on "this date", that they have completed any required practicums, and the predicted degree conferral date. The Official Transcript displaying the Masters Degree conferral date must follow this letter as soon as it is available.

Concurrent Registration

Applicants accepted to the University of Alberta MD Program who are presently  enrolled in an academic program (graduate or other) that is ongoing at the time of acceptance to the MD Program, are asked to advise the Associate Dean of the University of Alberta MD Program of their enrolment in the other program. Students are not permitted to be registered in two programs simultaneously unless they have informed the Deans of both programs and have obtained both Deans' explicit written permission.
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

All applicants must complete the MCAT and meet the minimum requirements for each section in a single test sitting to be eligible to apply to the Doctor of Medicine Program.

Meeting the minimum MCAT scores for application does not guarantee admission to the Doctor of Medicine Program. We encourage our applicants to have an alternate career path in mind as the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of positions we have available in our program.

The last MCAT test date we will accept for the 2024/2025 application cycle is August 24, 2024. Please note that you must pay for and submit your Application for Admission, and submit your MCAT Self Declaration form on Launchpad for your scores to go forth in the manual verification process. The verification process is not automatic and therefore requires processing time. 

For the 2025/2026 application cycle the last MCAT testing date we will accept is tentatively August 24, 2025. MCAT test scores must be released and verified in your UAlberta Launchpad by the application deadline, which is tentatively set as October 1, 2025 at 1:00:00PM MT.

When choosing your MCAT test date you should keep in mind that test results must be released to us, entered into your application, and verified in the UAlberta Launchpad prior to the application deadline. As such, you should be reviewing the test score release dates when choosing your test date.

You must release your scores to us via the THx system on the AAMC website prior to this deadline. The MCAT must have been written within the last five years prior to application deadline. As such, for the 2024/2025 application cycle, we will not be accepting scores from test dates prior to October 1, 2019. For the 2025/2026 application cycle, we will not be accepting scores from test dates prior to October 1, 2020.

Should you fail to have a discrepant MCAT score corrected and verified prior to the application deadline your application will be considered incomplete, resulting in the closure of your file.

The single set of test scores that you submit with your application are the only set of scores we will use. You must meet the minimum requirements in one sitting. We do not require applicants to declare their most recent MCAT test date as long as the test date that they are declaring meets the minimum requirements, and was not written prior to October 1, 2019. 

The MCAT is comprised of four sections:

1. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (CPBS)
2. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS)
3. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (BBFL)
4. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behaviour (PSBB)

For course recommendations to complete the MCAT, please refer to the AAMC website.

Note

The University of Alberta MD Program is making a change to our MCAT requirement. Commencing July 2022, we will take a threshold approach to the MCAT as applicants’ MCAT scores will no longer be used competitively. Once applicants meet our MCAT eligibility requirements (see below), their scores will not be used to assess their application.


Albertans
The minimum MCAT score to be eligible to apply for Albertan applicants is 124 in all categories (CPBS, CARS, BBFL, PSBB)

Non-Albertans

The minimum MCAT score to be eligible to apply for Non-Albertans is 128 in CARS and 124 in CPBS, BBFL, and PSBB


Non-Academic 

Citizenship and Residency

The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry welcomes applications from qualified individuals who:

  1. Are residents of Canada, either as a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
  2. Meet the eligibility criteria
  3. Believe they would be competitive in the selection criteria

We regret that we are unable to admit international students. Review the following links to the  Study in Canada and the International Undergraduate Admissions pages should you wish to attend another program at our institution.

Residency Status

Please refer to the University of Alberta Calendar for the residency definition. If you feel that this definition reflects your current and expected residence, you may claim Alberta residency on your application. We reserve the right to correct your residency claim should we feel that the information in your application does not support your claim and would refer the applicant to the Code of Applicant Behaviour. Any inquiries related to residency will be directed to the above statement.

Personal Activities

The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta values diversity in our entering medical class. To this end, the Personal Activities section gives you the opportunity to highlight your life experiences that you feel will enhance your application. The Personal Activities section is comprised of five subsections:

Employment: In this section, please let us know about jobs you have held (paid employment). Unless your experience was impactful, consider including activities completed within the last 10 years. Include a brief description of the nature of the work, your responsibilities (highlight any managerial or leadership positions), a brief description of the time commitment (ie. part-time during summer, seasonal, full-time, long-term, and whether undertaken during the academic year alongside course work), and the total number of verifiable hours worked in each position.

As a general rule, graduate school itself is not considered employment. However,  Teaching Assistantships and Research Assistantships undertaken during graduate school can be included in the Employment section. 

You must provide a minimum of one entry and up to a maximum of four. You can use up to 325 characters per entry. Be selective and concise in your responses, but be sure to provide sufficient information to be clear and accurate for an evaluator.

Teamwork, Collaboration, & Leadership: This section lets you highlight your experience as a team member and/or a leader. Unless your experience was impactful, consider including activities completed within the last 10 years. Briefly describe areas where you have provided mentorship and/or leadership to others or been a member and/or a leader of a team. This applies to scholastic, sports, volunteer, arts, and community activities. Include a brief description of your role and responsibilities as a mentor, team member, or leader, including skills/tasks such as communication, collaboration, mentorship/empowerment, and conflict resolution you engaged in in your role. If applicable, indicate the duration and the time commitment (ie. part-time during summer, seasonal, full-time, etc) as well as the total number of verifiable hours committed. The Committee understands that applicants often have singular, particularly significant experiences that they would like to include in more than one section. You are encouraged to do so, provided that, in your judgment, this experience is more impactful than all other possible experiences for that section that you could have listed in its place. 

You must provide a minimum of one entry and up to a maximum of four. You can use up to 325 characters per entry.

Volunteer Work: Please share some examples of volunteer work that you have done. Unless your experience was impactful, consider including activities completed within the last 10 years. Include total number of verifiable hours worked in each activity, a brief description of the nature of the work (including population served), and time commitment (ie. part-time during summer, seasonal, full-time, etc). The Committee understands that applicants often have singular, particularly significant experiences that they would like to include in more than one section. You are encouraged to do so, provided that, in your judgment, this experience is more impactful than all other possible experiences for that section that you could have listed in its place.  

You must provide a minimum of one entry and up to a maximum of four. You can use up to 325 characters per entry.

Life Experience & Achievements: This section is where you can share achievements, accomplishments, and experiences that you feel particularly proud of, or that have been part of what has defined your life. These might be in any domain, including, but not limited to, arts, music, sports, athletics, science, research, languages, communication, cultural and ethnic experiences, and travel. Some examples of things that you could include in this section: competing (as part of a team or individually) at a provincial, national, or international level; representing your school or country in some way; languages learned/spoken; or long-term commitment to a cause or organization. There are no requirements to list academic achievements in this section. If you do choose to include academic achievements that you feel set you apart (e.g., scholarships or awards that are highly competitive or unique), please limit this to one entry. If you do choose to include an award, a brief description of the terms of the award and its significance would be meaningful. Please note that we are seeking diverse applicants and we suggest refraining from using all entries to discuss experiences within the same domain. The Committee understands that applicants often have singular, particularly significant experiences that they would like to include in more than one section. You are encouraged to do so, provided that, in your judgment, this experience is more impactful than all other possible experiences for that section that you could have listed in its place. Include a brief description of the time commitment (ie. part-time during summer, seasonal, full-time, etc) as well as the total number of verifiable hours committed. 

You must provide a minimum of one entry and up to a maximum of four. You can use up to 325 characters per entry.

Personal Highlights: This section is comprised of three questions, all of which are mandatory.

  1. Please list and describe your top two personal achievements/experiences. (750 characters per)
  2. Please share a life experience where you encountered challenges and describe how you addressed the situation(s). You may include a different experience that you have not previously addressed in your application which will further serve the goal of learning more about you as an applicant. (2000 characters)
  3. Please share an experience that you have had which was significant enough, potentially even life altering, that helped you become a better person. (1500 characters).

Please note that applicants are not required to reveal anything that is considered protected under human rights legislation.

For Employment, Teamwork, Collaboration, & Leadership, Volunteer Work, and Life Experiences & Achievements: you should be selective and concise in the activities you choose to include. A minimum of one entry, to a maximum of four, is required per section. Details about each activity are required including the description of time commitment, number of verifiable hours committed, and description of activity. For example, when calculating the number of hours committed to an activity, please do not include hours dedicated to sleep. We strongly recommend that you discuss the information you are choosing to include with your verifier and notify them that they will be contacted in the new year (2025) . For employment activities we recommend that you confer with your payroll department to confirm hours of employment, but do not directly list the payroll department email for the activity unless they have confirmed that they can act as the verifier for this activity.

As all activities are verified, you must provide us with the contact information for someone who can confirm the details you have provided for each activity. Do not use yourself as a verifier. When possible, avoid using family members or close friends as verifiers.

For ongoing activities with no end date, you may put the October 1, 2024 application deadline. 

Personal Activity (PA) Verifier Emails

Applicants must ensure that each verifier has access to the email address, that the applicant provides in their PA forms, for the whole 2024/2025 cycle. Every activity must have a verifier with a valid email address, as email is the primary method of contact for verification purposes. If applicants are listing work-related email addresses, it is possible that the verifier may lose access to such addresses if the verifier changes jobs etc. Therefore, applicants should ask verifiers for regularly monitored personal email addresses where possible. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that the verifier can be contacted anywhere from the beginning of February 2025 to the end of May 2025.

Email address domains linked to Alberta Health Services (and other provincial, federal, and municipal health services), government services, and the military typically have firewalls preventing verification emails from going through. Therefore, providing email addresses related to these groups should try to be avoided when providing verifier contact information. 

NOTE: After the October 1, 2024 deadline, applicants will not be able to access their own Personal Activity Forms to change any information. The MD Admissions team is unable to provide personal advising in regards to Personal Activity entries and inquiries will be directed to the information above. 

Reference Letters (Recommendations)

For application to the Doctor of Medicine Program you will submit the contact information for two referees, or recommenders, as part of the Application for Admission. Please only select individuals (ie. coach, co-worker, employer, leader of volunteer organization or club, professor, supervisor, research supervisor, teacher, etc.) who know you in a supervisory or professional capacity and who presently know you well enough to speak to your moral and ethical character.

When filling out the recommender portion of the AFA please keep the following in mind:

  1. Once you save your recommender's information the application immediately sends them the request via email.
  2. You must fill out the text box otherwise your recommender will not know what the email is regarding. We recommend stating your name, that this reference is regarding the Doctor of Medicine Program at the University of Alberta, and that the reference letter deadline is October 1, 2024 at 1:00:00PM MT.

Your referees, or recommenders, will complete their reference letters in the form of a series of standardized questions; this must be submitted to us by October 1, 2024 at 1:00:00PM MT. We will not be accepting formal written letters. We also recommend that your referees/recommenders do not complete this form using the Firefox browser. 

Referees absolutely cannot be relatives, family members, friends, close family friends, or personal physicians.

Email address domains linked to Alberta Health Services (and other provincial, federal, and municipal health services), government services, and the military typically have firewalls preventing recommendation emails from going through. Therefore, providing email addresses related to these groups should try to be avoided when providing referee contact information. Instead, personal email addresses should be used. 

Additional Testing (CASPer)

All applicants who successfully complete and submit their Application for Admission will be required to do additional testing in Fall 2024. The online assessment (CASPer) is provided by Acuity Insights. Successful completion of CASPer is mandatory in order to maintain admission eligibility. In order to take CASPer, you will be responsible for securing access to a computer with audio capabilities, a webcam, and a reliable internet connection on your selected test date. We do not require that you do the CASPer Snapshot for the 2024/2025 application cycle.

CASPer tests are valid for 1 year. Additionally, CASPer test results are valid for one application cycle only. If an applicant has used a CASPer test for the 2023/2024 application cycle, they must complete a new CASPer test for the current cycle (2024/2025). 

Please go to https://acuityinsights.app/ to sign up and reserve a test using your U of A Student ID Number and a piece of government-issued photo ID. 

  • If you do not currently have a University of Alberta Student ID, please enter a placeholder ID of seven 0s (ex. 0000000). You must update this number later when you receive your University of Alberta Student ID for your application to be considered. Acuity Insight's Distribution Release Deadline is October 29, 2024. CASPer test results must be released to us by December 1, 2024.

CASPer test results are valid for one application cycle. Applicants who have already taken the test in previous years will, therefore, be expected to re-take it. Applicants who will be taking the CASPer at an earlier testing date than those mentioned on our website will not need to retake the test. The testing dates listed below are specifically for students who will not have written it at any point prior for any other institution.

TENTATIVE

July 21, 2024 @ 2:00PM MDT
August 8, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT
August 29, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT
September 12, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT
October 3, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT
October 10, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT
October 16, 2024 @ 6:00PM MDT

Please note that these are the current dates and times as we know them to be true. CASPer test dates after October 16, 2024 will not be accepted. You can begin registering for the CASPer when fall dates become available. If you are already completing the CASPer on a date not listed above for a different Canadian institution we will accept the score from that test date. Direct any inquiries on the test to support@acuityinsights.app. Alternatively, you may use the chat bubble in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen on the Acuity Insights website.

Acuity Insight's Distribution Release Deadline is October 29, 2024. CASPer test results must be released to us by December 1, 2024. Typically, we begin uploading CASPer results to Launchpad after the December 1, 2024 deadline. When scores are uploaded, the status will change to a green checkmark. CASPer status does not impact submission on October 1, 2024. Please note that CASPer tests may show up as a red x on past applications as we clear scores from previous applications. 

Interview

Interviews for the 2024/2025 application cycle will again be conducted virtually. Interview notifications are sent in mid February. Applicants who receive an interview invitation will find out more information about the weekend, including social events, in the Candidate Information package. Please note that anything you have included in your application may be discussed with you during the interview process. We recommend that you review your application prior to arrival. We understand and respect that you may choose to share highly sensitive personal information either on your application or during the interview process; this information is kept in the strictest confidence and is unlikely to negatively impact your application. We do appreciate the strength that is required to discuss these topics.

2024/2025 Application Cycle Interview Dates

March TBD (Kira Talent)

Important Notes

1. Conduct by individuals seeking admission to the University of Alberta that compromises the integrity and fairness of assessment for admission threatens the proper functioning of the University. Procedures outlined in the Code of Applicant Behaviour should be reviewed and adhered to.

2. You must be conscientious when choosing referees, writing personal activities, and during the interview weekend. If you receive a negative assessment or if the validity of the information you have provided on your application comes into question your application may be negatively impacted. Please review the Code of Applicant Behaviour to ensure that you are not jeopardizing your application; our expectation is that our applicants behave in a professional manner at all times.

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