Understanding the medical school application timeline
As you prepare to embark on your path from college to “white coat,” you probably feel motivated, excited, and maybe even a bit nervous. But even as you lean into that energy, keep in mind that the medical school application timeline is a marathon, not a sprint! It is an 18-month process that begins when you start studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and culminates with the moment you don your white coat.
You’ll apply a full year before you even enroll, which actually surprises some prospective students. So, if you want to begin medical school in the fall of 2027, you’ll need to submit your primary application this spring (2026). St. George’s University School of Medicine offers many resources to help you navigate the application process, so don’t hesitate to explore and reach out to us with your questions.
Whether your goal is an MD program through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), a DO program through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS), or the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), medical school application timelines can vary slightly. However, the cadence of the year is generally the same. The aforementioned three services—AMCAS, AACOMAS and TMDSAS—are the ones you will work with depending on your intended path.
Overview of the medical school admissions process
To avoid becoming overwhelmed, it can help to look at the medical school application timeline process in three high-level phases:
- Preparation (the “pre-med” years): Building up your resume and stats.
- Primary application: This is when you send your grades, activities, and personal statement to a central service.
- Secondary applications and interviews: At this point you’re writing and submitting school-specific essays, followed by the interview trail.
Medical schools can review applications in different cadences. At St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine, there are three “start months” throughout the year: January, April and August. Applicants apply for their preferred start date, and the application windows open and close for the three different start dates. With other schools, you may encounter rolling admissions, which means applications are reviewed upon arrival and openings are filled on a “rolling” basis.
Pre-application timeline: The college years
Preparation for your medical school application will begin long before you log into a website to apply. If you’re looking for information on what that pre-application timeline looks like, the admissions team at SGU School of Medicine is a great resource, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Here is how your undergraduate years should play out based on the medical school application timeline:
Freshman and sophomore years
- Protect your GPA: Your most important job? Get good grades and don’t let them get away from you. Medical schools tend to look at upward trends, but climbing out of a GPA hole is difficult. It’s also important to focus on your prerequisite science courses.
- Clinical exposure: Find opportunities to shadow physicians or to volunteer at a hospital. You need to know what a doctor actually does day-to-day and the best way to see it is in person.
- Relationship-building: Soon enough, you’ll need strong letters of evaluation. Brief write-ups like, “She got an A in my class” won’t make for a strong enough letter; get to know your professors so they get to know you!
Junior year
- The MCAT: Most students spend 3-6 months studying for this. Ideally, you want to take the MCAT by April or May of your application year so you have your scores available when application acceptance opens. SGU offers many resources to help guide you when the time comes.
- School research: Start building your list by looking at mission statements, average GPAs for acceptance, and locations. The latter may include international options including SGU’s School of Medicine. There are accredited schools based outside of the United States that offer strong US clinical rotations and a pathway to great success.
- Personal statement: A crucial piece of the admissions process that takes multiple revisions. Therefore, it’s best to start drafting it in January or February.
Senior year and/or gap year
Here is where you transition from preparation to actual submission!
- May: AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS open. You can log in to your university portal, enter your coursework, and fill out your bio.
- Late May/Early June: Submission begins; this is the moment you can finally hit “Submit” on your primary application! Pro tip: Verification can take weeks during peak submission times, so send in your application as close to opening day as possible in hopes of getting verified quicker.
When do medical school applications open?
Medical school applications open from early to mid-May depending on the service. The AMCAS tends to open in early May, allowing you to begin your application, with official submission beginning later in the month. This timeline gives you the best chance for rolling admissions. Following submission, your verified applications are sent to schools in late June, with secondary applications, interviews, and admission decisions occurring over the following months until acceptances are finalized in the spring. SGU offers resources that can help you through the application process.
AACOMAS and TMDSAS timelines
While AACOMAS tends to have a similar opening and submission timeline to AMCAS, TMDSAS typically opens in mid-May. However, submission timelines can vary, so it’s best to seek definitive information directly here.
Medical school application timeline in months
Let’s take a month-by-month look at a medical school application timeline throughout the year. Assuming you want to start school in fall of the following year, the breakdown would look something like this:
May to June: Primary application
AMCAS and AACOMAS applications open for data entry approximately on May 1, with TMDSAS starting in mid-May. You should immediately request official transcripts from every college you’ve attended, as you’ll need to submit your application, typically in late May or early June. Once you’ve submitted the service you’re working with, check every grade you’ve entered against your transcript. This takes 2–6 weeks and is known as the verification process. You aren’t “active” until this process is complete.
July to August: Secondary applications
Once a medical school receives your verified primary application, they will send you a secondary application. It’s worth noting that you might receive 10 to 20 of these secondary applications within a two-week window. These typically consist of two to three essays which address topics such as why you chose their school or what challenges you have overcome. Despite the large number of applications, it’s best practice to attempt to answer and return all of them within two weeks of receiving it. This reflects strong interest on your part and keeps you ahead of the rolling admissions curve. Also worth mentioning is that some schools require you to take situational judgment and interpersonal skills tests, namely the Casper and/or AAMC PREview. These are normally taken in the summer.
September to January: Interview season
If a school is impressed by your secondary application, you’ll be invited for an interview. Interviews can be a traditional one-on-one format, or Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). If you’re invited for an interview in August or September, that’s a great sign! Most candidates are invited between October and January, so if you haven’t heard from anyone by Thanksgiving, for example, don’t be discouraged; there’s still time. Something important to remember is that if you have new grades or publications, send an updated letter to schools that accept them. Check out some tips on questions you will likely need to answer when you interview.
October to March: Decision time
It’s worth knowing that MD schools usually cannot extend regular-decision acceptances until mid-October. If you are waitlisted, try to stay positive, as many people receive their letters later in the cycle. re forever.
After acceptance and onto the White Coat
Once you’ve been accepted, there are still a few more steps to complete in your medical school application timeline.
Choosing a school
By April 30th, you’ll usually have to narrow your choice down to one school (standard traffic rules for AMCAS). This is when you’ll want to revisit financial-aid packages, curriculum and location—some schools might offer some flexibility here. SGU, for example, often offers classes beginning in January, April, and August. If you missed the more traditional US cycle or just want to begin sooner, this could be a viable option for you.
Financial aid and onboarding
Be sure to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as it opens, which is often in October or December of the prior year. Filling out the FAFSA early will put you closer to the front of the line for available aid. You also will need to submit to a background check, share immunization records and a titer test to verify immunities against certain diseases.
Preparing to start medical school
The summer before med school should be about getting and staying healthy. Take the time to sleep, travel, and spend time with family; the study of anatomy will be waiting for you in the fall. Gear up for what will be an incredibly challenging era of your life.
If you’re early in the consideration process, look for a medical school that will provide you with a supportive community— one that offers global clinical opportunities. If SGU’s School of Medicine is on your list, take a look at what it has to offer.
Regardless of what schools you apply to, the key to success for navigating the medical school admissions timeline is organization. Utilize a spreadsheet, stay on top of deadlines and write your essays early. Most importantly, believe in yourself and don’t forget why you chose this path. Visit our application page anytime to start getting acclimated or to begin the process. And remember, we’re here to help.
