Admissions FAQs

Once your application is submitted, you will not receive any further correspondence from our office regarding your status. Students can login to the online supplemental application. The DukeMed Supplemental Application is a self-managed process and we do not send emails to you until the interview. You will find your current application status as well as a progress meter displayed on your 'Applicant Dashboard' located on your Duke supplemental Application Portal.

If you would like confirmation your secondary application was submitted, please check the application dashboard page on the Duke Supplemental Application. You will not receive a confirmation email once your application is submitted. The login for your Duke Supplemental Application is here.

DukeMed will see all of your MCAT test scores. We do not combine scores of the sections to make your cumulative score higher. The highest score of any single attempt will be used.

The minimum MCAT score is 500. While the MCAT will be one factor of your application reviewed, we expect a minimum level of academic competency to be able to be successful in the fast paced curriculum.

Each applicant must submit a minimum four (4) letters of recommendations. We would prefer that the letters have a significant level of familiarity with the applicant, whether it is from the academic, research, clinical or community service environments. Letters should not be a reiteration of academic achievements or course grades. If your school submits a committee letter, this satisfies the four-letter rule. In other words, if you have a committee letter, you won't need to submit four letters of recommendation. Letters should be on letterhead, dated and signed. Letters must be received by the deadline of November 15^th.

Yes, additional letters can be sent as long as the letters are in support of your application.

In MSAR we indicate a maximum of six letters, however with 8000+ applicants, please choose carefully as our screeners will not necessarily read more than four since that is what we publish as recommended in lieu of a single composite letter.

Your application in our system indicates incomplete since we have not yet received all the letters you have indicated in AMCAS. If you do not plan to have a letter sent from other letter writers, please update AMCAS to indicate as such and that will automatically update our system as well.

• Verified AMCAS Application
• Duke SOM Supplemental Application (secondary application)
• Required four letters of recommendation
• Official MCAT scores
• Application fee ($100)

Please update your address or contact information on the AMCAS application. Once updated in AMCAS, the DukeMed application will be automatically updated.

We only accept credit card or e-check payments for $100 (USD). Credit card and e-check payments must be made online via our Admissions System. You will receive a link to the Admissions System once the application has been verified by AMCAS. Students who are granted fee waivers by AMCAS’s Fee Assistance Program (FAP) will be given fee waivers for the completed Duke secondary application. We will not waive the fee for any other requests.

You are welcome to submit application updates with your secondary application. We will allow publications that have been accepted, elections to honorary societies, service or travel awards, and any updates to your application that were not submitted in your original application including academic or social infractions that would adversely affect your application. To make an application update, please go to your secondary application 'additional consideration' section and upload updates there.

Once your application is verified by AMCAS, an automated email will be generated by the Duke system with your Supplementary Application. If you cannot find this email, please ensure you have checked all folders of your email, including the spam folder before reaching out to our office.

Duke’s application review process is rigorous and ongoing throughout the whole admissions season (August until January). The status of your application will be found in the online supplemental application. If the status you are viewing has not changed for some time, and DukeMed has concluded their interviews (typically the end of January), unfortunately this means you will not be considered for an interview this admissions season.

Given the rolling/ongoing nature of how DukeMed reviews applications, we are unable to provide notice prior to the formal decisions letters will be sent via email in mid-late February.

Applicants must complete an undergraduate degree from an accredited United States university prior to matriculation.

DukeMed no longer requires pre-requisites for course completion at DukeMed. The choice of appropriate courses is the student’s and should prepare them not only for the MCAT but also broadly for the environment in which students will increasingly be expected to practice medicine. Any judgment about your preparation in this area will be based on the MCAT performance, the inclusion of sociology/psychology-based exposure(s) in your list of activities, and the quality and breadth/depth of your essays. If you are invited to interview, these experiences will contribute to discussions with our MMI raters and interactions during the interview day with faculty and students.

Any courses that are taken at community colleges and accepted at your undergraduate institution will also be accepted. In addition, AP coursework will be considered if approved by your undergraduate institution.

Duke Med will accept online courses during the Spring, Summer and Fall 2020 semesters.

Applicants who have done their undergraduate studies in Canada are considered in the same manner as United States citizens. Financial aid is limited for students who are not American citizens.

Our unique curriculum does not allow the transfer of students to our curriculum. At DukeMed, the basic curriculum is completed during the first year of medicine and the initial clinical rotations are completed in the second year of the curriculum. A third year of required scholarly work in clinical or basic science research and/or in an approved dual degree program is required. This is followed by a fourth year of required advanced clinical work. As a result equivalency with a more traditional curriculum is not possible.

Therefore DukeMed does not consider transfer into its curriculum and only in situations where the spouse of a currently enrolled student or spouse of a DukeMed faculty are involved AND only if there is space in our class.

No. Duke Medicine takes all majors into consideration when applying to the program

AP credits that are accepted by your undergraduate institution are also accepted as part of your medical school application.

We take a holistic approach to application reviews. We will consider both your undergraduate and graduate degrees when reviewing your application. It is always advisable to have higher GPAs in Masters Programs when you have had a lower GPA for undergrad.

DukeMed considers international students and requires completion of an undergraduate degree from an accredited United States university or Canadian University. If the undergraduate degree is from a non-US University, at least two years (minimum 48 credit hours) at a US-accredited University will be required. 

The MD/PhD program does not consider international candidates.

International students are considered for admission to DukeMed without regard to their country of origin.

Eligible applicants to DukeMed include individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of their application as well as undocumented students. If admitted, undocumented students could be eligible for institutional financial aid on the basis of financial need.

Duke will accept MCAT Scores from 2020 for applicants applying for entry in Fall 2024*

MCAT tests must be completed by the end of September 2023 in order to be considered for the upcoming application cycle.

October 15th at 11:59 pm EST is the last day to submit completed AMCAS application. November 15th at 11:59 PM EST is the last day to submit the completed Duke Supplementary application.

Admissions Committee will notify applicants of its decisions in mid-February. 

Securing a place as a Duke University School of Medicine MD, PCLT or MSTP (MD/PhD) student in the 2024 entering class requires the following:

• Adhering to the AMCAS guidelines for choosing a medical school, “Plan to Enroll” becomes available for accepted applicants to select in the Choose Your Medical School tool, located within the AMCAS application (note: only applicants who receive an acceptance offer from a participating school will be able to see and use the tool).
   
• Continuing to adhere to the AMCAS guidelines on May 1, “Commit to Enroll” becomes available for accepted applicants to select, in addition to “Plan to Enroll,” in the Choose Your Medical School tool, located within the AMCAS application (note: selecting “Commit to Enroll” does not automatically withdraw applicants from other medical schools). Per the AMCAS Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants, applicants should narrow their acceptance offers to one MD, PCLT, or MSTP Program, with no limit on the number of alternate list offers they may hold.
   
• By June 15, applicants must "Commit to Enroll" at Duke University School of Medicine and withdraw all other wait list offers..
   
• Your non-refundable $100 e-check tuition deposit must be received by May 1, by 11:59 PM, EST. The $100 deposit will be applied toward your Fall tuition.

Early application does not necessarily increase your chances of getting admitted, however it may allow you to interview earlier than others.

There is limited financial aid for international students. Please refer to the financial aid website here for further details: https://medschool.duke.edu/education/student-services/office-financial-aid/prospective-students

Duke Supplemental Application Fee Waivers are considered for applicants who have received an AMCAS Fee Waiver. To be considered for a Duke Supplemental Application Fee Waiver you must have been approved for the AMCAS Fee Waiver Assistance Program.

Your fee assistance request will be approved after you submit your completed secondary application. No payment will be required.

No, Duke scholarship/financial aid is determined independently of your offers from other schools and as such, Duke does not match other scholarship/aid offers you may receive from other schools.

DukeMed will hold virtual Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) this year. We will hold interviews Monday through Thursday from mid-September through the end of January. DukeMed Office of Admissions will contact you via email if you have been selected for an interview.

Duke sends rolling invitations to interview while the interview season is active (September through January). During this time, if selected for an interview, you will receive an email with further details and your status will be changed on your secondary application.

After Duke concludes their interviews, typically at the end of January, if you have not yet received an invitation to interview, you will not be considered for an interview. Formal decision letters will be sent via email in mid-late February.

You must submit your application through AMCAS and indicate MD/PhD. You will be given the option of MD/PhD with MD consideration or MD/PhD only. If you choose MD/PhD only, your application will not be reviewed by the MD program.

If you selected MD consideration on your MSTP application the MD program will review your application after the MSTP committee has made a decision.

All PCLT applicants will be considered for the traditional MD track if not considered by the PCLT program.

We will not be offering any in person events, including tours.

The campus is open if you wish to visit.

Personal characteristics and learning skills are as important as excellence in academic performance. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to service to others and to society. Applicants should demonstrate well-informed and carefully explored reasons for seeking a career in medicine.

We do not offer an undergraduate program in medicine. All students accepted into our School of Medicine are required to have completed at least an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university before applying into medical school. There are some schools that have combined undergraduate/MD programs and the AAMC website could provide more details on those program and requirements.

Duke Med strongly recommends that students have access to reliable transportation, such as personal vehicles, in order to travel to clinical training sites located off main campus. With limited public transportation options in Durham, if you do not have a personal vehicle, you should be prepared to rely on alternate modes of transport such as Uber/Lyft or other personally-sourced modes of transportation. Please note that training at clinical sites in the community is a fundamental part of our curriculum in preparing you to care for patients and families.

Clinical experiences can include paid or volunteer experiences in:

• EMS/EMT
• Medical Scribing
• Hospice
• Clinic Research Coordinator
• Crisis Center Hotline
• Hospital (Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Medical Assistant (MA)
• Shadowing (in person or virtual)

Where you attain the experience is immaterial as long as you have the experience. These experiences should highlight your relationship with patients.

DukeMed does not have a set requirement for number of hours shadowing or on clinical duties. The value of clinical work is placed in your interactions with the people that you are working/caring for.

We do accept applicants who have attended schools outside of the US as long as the schools are accredited by the US. If not, the applicant should have completed at least two years of university work at an American-accredited university or college before application.

You can choose best how to prepare for your MCAT test.

Yes, our application screeners will be taking COVID related disruptions into consideration as they review applications. We are aware of the multiple issues that have resulted, including pass/fail grading, online or canceled labs, interrupted experiences, the potential for late letters of recommendation and delayed transcripts, etc. and all these factors and any others incurred will be considered.