Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes. WashU Medicine does screen applicants before the supplement; all eligible applicants will be contacted when they are able to complete our supplemental application.

Due to the structure of the Gateway Curriculum, WashU Medicine is no longer accepting advanced standing (transfer) applications from students at other medical schools.

Each of our applicants brings something different to the class, so there is not one thing that we are looking for. We look at your entire application very carefully, including your coursework, MCAT, research experiences, volunteer experiences, shadowing or other medical experiences, your personal statement and letters of recommendation. We like to see WHY you are choosing a career in medicine, and also why you are choosing WashU.

We know that WashU Medicine has a lot to offer.  We want someone who can take what WashU has and not only make the most of it but bring something more to the table.  Humility and being a team player are key attributes.  We look for applicants who are collaborative, open to feedback and life-long learning, and who have demonstrated grit and perseverance.

We would recommend looking at AAMC’s Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students.  This has been our benchmark for personal characteristics we are looking for.

Our strongest applicants have balanced and strong performance across all sections. Along with your GPA, your experiences (research; clinical/shadowing; volunteer; research) and your personal attributes (work ethic, determination, desire to help others, and communication skills), the MCAT is just one part of your application that the Admissions Committee considers. We do not use superscores; we will consider your highest total score from any single test day.

We are looking to bring in students from a wide variety of undergraduate institutions.  We examine this information for context within our review process. For example, if an applicant has attended college at WashU, they will have the advantage of knowing the city and institution, but this does not give them preference during the review process. Whatever college a student has attended, we look to see that they took advantage of special opportunities there.

We review applicants in the context of our institutional mission and vision. We are interested in educating tomorrow’s leaders in biomedicine. Many of our graduates are interested in academic or leadership roles. We seek excellent communicators, people who are energized by other people and people with multiple longitudinal life experiences. 

Since applicants have access to a variety of clinical experiences, there is no single preferred type of clinical experience. We are mainly looking to see that you have had some exposure to the medical profession in a clinical setting and been able to observe physician/patient interactions. You should have an idea of what you are getting into with a career in medicine, and should be able to reflect on what you have learned from your experiences. The strongest clinical experience will be ones where you were able to receive mentorship from a physician.

Research is not a requirement for applicants, but since we are a research-focused institution, it would be a little unusual for someone with no research experience or exposure to apply. Note that your research experience doesn’t have to be under basic science/bench research. There are many types of research and scholarship. The Admissions Committee looks at your overall research experience and, more importantly, your ability to critically think and analyze. We understand that many applicants come from schools without robust research programs.

An applicant does not need to have publications in order to be considered for admission. 

We see all types of undergraduate degrees and majors in our applicant pool; There is no specific major or degree type that is preferred by our Admissions Committee.

Our process does not place any specific weight on having a master’s degree. If you pursue one, ideally it should align with your interests and career goals rather than being aimed specifically at boosting your GPA.

Since graduate-level degrees are not required, we primarily consider your undergraduate GPA. However, the Admissions Committee will also look at all grades that are available in your self-reported Academic Record.

In general, postbacc grades become part of the undergraduate GPA. These calculations are made by AMCAS.

We encourage and welcome applications from non-traditional students. When we receive files from career changers, we want to be sure they understand the clinical environment and career path, so patient-facing activities are important.  Most important for any applicant, but especially non-traditional applicants, is to build a suitably wide school list. For specific scenarios, it would be better to seek advice from a premedical advisor.

We encourage and welcome applications from all types of applicants. In cases of applicants who have multiple gap years, are considered career changers, etc. we recommend that you reach out to a premedical advisor at your previous institution for guidance on applying to medical school. Being able to demonstrate why you are pursuing a career in medicine at this time will be helpful throughout the application process.

What percentage of the incoming class are out-of-state applicants? Is there an in-state preference?

We view reapplicants positively. However, we want to see how you have strengthened your application or learn about what you did/plan to do (e.g., any new activities, leadership, publications) during your gap time and how that related to medicine. It may be worth having an advisor take a look at your revised application, including your personal statement.

We welcome updates on your experiences/awards/honors/publications, etc., after the initial submission of your application.  Often, applicants will send us updates after their interview day. Letters of interest/intent are also accepted and reviewed. The Admissions Committee will have access to all letters received.

Update letters or other documents can be uploaded in our applicant portal or emailed to mdadmissions@wustl.edu. There is no specific format or deadline for update letters or letters of intent. While there is no limit to the number of updates that can be sent, sending a large number of updates consecutively can potentially be counterproductive.

International applicants, i.e. applicants who are not U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents, are compared to all other applicants; there is no separate pool between applicants. Visa status is not a consideration for our admissions decisions.

Per our policy, applicants must have completed 90 credit hours in an approved U.S. or Canadian institution. We accept credits from a limited number of “American Colleges Overseas” as defined in the AMCAS Applicant Guide. Study-abroad credits that appear on a U.S. institution’s transcript are acceptable for admission. We are able to consider students with an international undergraduate degree and a U.S. graduate degree if the latter includes 90 credit hours.

For more information on approved institutions, please visit our Requirements webpage.

Requirements may be met through credit by examination (AP, IB, or CLEP) or the like if they appear on a college transcript or if proof of completion can be documented (e.g. the Score Report from College Board or an IB transcript).

As of 2025, we ask applicants to apply to either MSTP or MD-only. In practice, MSTP applicants are simultaneously considered for MSTP and for MD-only. If MSTP chooses to not consider your application further, we will reach out to ask if you want to remain under continued consideration for MD-only or if you prefer to withdraw.

Decisions may be released at any time. All applicants will receive a decision (acceptance, rejection, or an invitation to join the alternate list) by April 15. There is no correlation between the date of your interview and the date when you can expect a decision.

Official notification will come via our admissions portal, mdapply.wustl.edu. Acceptances from the MD admissions process will have the subject line, “Acceptance to Washington University School of Medicine”. Other decisions will have the subject line, “Application to Washington University School of Medicine”. In many cases, accepted applicants will also receive a congratulatory personal phone call.

We use all of these formats. We know that students learn in many different ways. We try to choose the educational approach that will best serve students and the material. We have 7 “modules” as part of our pre-clinical Phase 1, and some modules use more in-person v. Zoom or vice versa. Each module includes lots of group learning in both large and small groups.

For more information on Attendance Policies, please visit our website.

During Phase 1, all medical students take a series of modules on a pre-determined schedule that is similar for all. There is some flexibility in the EXPLORE curriculum.

While students cannot accelerate the curriculum, students may take a leave of absence if indicated. Students would discuss these options with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for additional guidance.

Grading System for the three phases of the Gateway Curriculum:

Phase 1—Credit/No Credit for individual courses; Competent/Not-Competent at end of phase for six competency domains.

Phase 2-–Competent/Not-Competent in patient care for each core clerkship; Competent/Competent with Distinction/Not-Competent at end of phase in foundational knowledge, interpersonal communication skills, and patient care domains; Competent/Not-Competent at end of phase in systems-based practice, professionalism, and practice-based learning and improvement

Phase 3—Credit/No Credit for individual courses; Competent/Competent with Distinction/Not-Competent at end of phase in systems-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement; Competent/Not-Competent for each at end of phase for foundational knowledge, patient care, interpersonal communication skills, and professionalism.

Because we are a competency-based program, students complete multiple assessments that provide information about their level of knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes in each of the program objectives (also known as competencies). These assessments include things like tests, essays, direct observation of clinical skills by faculty or others, standardized patients and simulations, and project work, to name just a few. Assessments are combined in a portfolio for evaluation by a committee of faculty who look at a student’s overall performance in each program objective. The portfolio is also provided for the student, to review it with a coach (medical students generally work with the same faculty coach throughout the 4 years of training). At each step along the way, students receive feedback to better understand one’s strengths as well as one’s opportunities for growth and for advancement of skills. We believe this structure provides the developing doctor with lifelong and self-directed learning skills that are so critical to being an outstanding physician in this rapidly changing medical environment.

There are numerous clinical sites available to our students. Within the immediate medical center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital have a total capacity of about 1,893 beds. Both hospitals provide large amounts of care for the medically underserved in the St. Louis community. In 2022, the medical center hospitals logged 1,535,438 outpatient visits and 103,604 hospital discharges.

Students also rotate through other hospitals in the community including Missouri Baptist Medical Center, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Progress West. Other clinical settings include the Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) Care STL and Affinia, in addition to sites in rural Missouri with primary care preceptors. A substantial percentage of our students do rotations at other institutions, both inside and outside the United States.

Are all clerkships located at Barnes-Jewish Hospital or do students also perform their clerkships at other BJC-affiliated hospitals like Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Christian Hospital, and/or Missouri Baptist Medical Center?

Students can be assigned to a variety of locations for individual rotations but most clinical assignments are on our central campus.  Per our transportation policy, we ask students to acknowledge that they may need to travel to locations outside of the central campus. We do not have any satellite or regional campuses.

Yes, medical students complete their pediatric rotations at SLCH.

In Phase 1, students become exposed to clinical medicine through what the Gateway Curriculum terms “immersion experiences”—all of these occur before starting your core clerkships (in Phase 2).  Immersions that are three separate 3-week blocks where first-year students essentially do a “mini rotation” in the hospital or one of WashU’s affiliated locations. They take place in (i) an outpatient (including urgent/emergent care) setting, (ii) an inpatient setting, and (iii) a Perioperative-Periprocedural-Procedural (including Labor & Delivery) setting.  There are no other classes during these “Immersion” three-week blocks, which allows students to fully function as part of the team and get “immersed” in the clinical environment, early on.  During Immersions, attention is given to clinical skills, the social and health systems sciences and professional identity formation.  For example, for Immersions in the Department of Radiology, students spend time on a specific clinical service, such as the ultrasound service, where diagnostic scans and biopsies are performed.  They get to work with technicians, residents and attending physicians.

Clinical application of medical science is built into the didactic curriculum as well. Students hear from patients throughout Phase 1, depending on the teaching module, which helps contextualize the effects of certain diseases and disorders on various populations.

There are also numerous opportunities through affinity and extracurricular groups to go out into the community and learn ways to support different populations as well. For more information on Student Groups, visit the Student Groups Directory.

We have a formal “Patients, Physicians, Systems and Society” component that includes health equity and justice as a thread. Advocacy/global health is also one of the formal tracks within our EXPLORE program: https://md.wustl.edu/career-development/explore/advocacy-global-health-pathway/. Our curriculum provides international research opportunities as well as formal didactics in global and international health (see https://global.washu.edu/learning-programs/  and https://mdadmissions.wustl.edu/education/service-learning/international-health ).

WashU’s Bursky School of Public Health has many international experiences for our students. To learn more about the MD/MPH dual degree visit the School of Public Health’s website.

Ethics is a formal thread in the Gateway Curriculum, built into Phase 1 and Phase 3.  Moreover, one learns it in practice through role models. There is a high standard expected from faculty, which sets the right tone when students see medicine in practice.

WashU Medicine students consistently have pass rates above the national average on USMLE Step 1 (graded pass/fail since 2022). Students can obtain help with USMLE from many sources. Sessions are provided on exam content, general study strategies, and tips and tricks for success.

In addition to providing each student with a subscription to the UWorld question bank for Step 1 and 2, the school provides vouchers for practice exams. Any student who desires individualized help with the boards can obtain it from medical school faculty with experience mentoring students in preparing for boards.

The Office of Program Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement at Washington University School of Medicine is dedicated to overseeing the evaluation of the MD educational program.  The faculty and educational administration keep an open-door policy, meaning that they are always willing to talk to students about their concerns. Day-to-day informal access to curricular element leaders provides a means for students to communicate with faculty about learning methods and course material.

At the end of each module, clerkship, and elective, students complete evaluations regarding the curricular element, including relevance of the material, organization, quality of instructors/leaders, and educational methods. This information becomes part of a formal curriculum evaluation process reported through governing committees to consider changes for individual elements or the curriculum as a whole.

Input from students is highly valued by the faculty and administration and frequently leads to substantive changes. Examples of changes that have resulted include the following:

• The preclinical curricular elements are Credit/No Credit.
• Curricular element leaders are responsible for providing written responses to formative feedback provided by students.
• The teaching of biostatistics was overhauled to emphasize clinical applications of biostatistics and the use of biostatistics in the critical appraisal of new information.
• Interactive/active learning strategies (e.g., audience response systems, case-based learning, team-based learning) have been added to the classroom setting.
• Based on student requests, lectures are digitally recorded and available via the learning management system.
• Incorporated Narrative Assessment opportunities for all longitudinal team activities

International students (non-U.S. citizens/green card holders) are not eligible to receive need-based financial aid, but there is a possibility of being awarded a merit-based scholarship.  For more information on Financial Aid for International Students, visit the Office of Student Financial Planning’s website.  Such funding could be a full or partial tuition scholarship.  It may be possible to access loans in your home country.  WashU Medicine’s policy is that international students must escrow four years of tuition plus expenses.

We have many resources for financial aid, so don’t rule out WashU based only on its cost. More info can be found here.

Many students choose careers in primary care fields. Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and OBGYN are popular fields among our students. WashU Medicine enthusiastically support our students who match in Family Medicine, but  note that there is no Department of Family Medicine or residency program in this specific field at WashU.

For more information on career planning resources, please visit our Coaching & Advising webpage.

For more information on the fields our graduates have placed into, please visit our Student Outcomes webpage.

What is the composition of the student body?

The leadership of Washington University and the medical school is strongly committed to the recruitment, selection, education, retention and graduation of a student body with a wide range of perspectives and experiences, within a learning environment that supports respect, critical thinking, and creativity. For example, the class that entered in 2025 came from 71 different undergraduate institutions, 30 different states and 8 foreign countries.

For more information on the student body, please visit our Who Chooses WashU webpage.

We take pride in the approachability of everyone here at every level. Everyone is kind and invested in the success of students and patients. Our class members are intelligent and accomplished, yet easy to talk to and very fun. We have an excellent infrastructure for student research that has existed for decades and gets better every year. St. Louis is also an affordable city. The medical campus is in a great neighborhood located adjacent to Forest Park, an urban park with activities and museums.

One of the best ways to see what is unique about WashU (and the students here) is to take a look at the WashU Dis-Orientation Guide; it’s a publication put together by our first-year students annually and designed for incoming students.

Our student population brings a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and interests. Students come from different regions of the country, varied socioeconomic circumstances, and both traditional and non-traditional educational paths, including military service. There is no single profile that defines a student here. Many students pursue interests outside of science and medicine, and numerous student interest groups support these passions, including groups focused on art, music and theatre. From a student perspective, WashU really seems to be a place for students who are driven and curious. 

Upon matriculating into medical school, students are organized into one of three academic societies: Cori, Erlanger-Graham, and Lowry-Moore. Each of these societies coordinates a “Big Sib” program where every incoming student is matched with a second-year student who acts as a “big sib” to their assigned first-year.

In addition, students are assigned faculty coaches at the start of their first year—these are small groups of approximately eight people that continue throughout all four years of medical school.  There are also over 100 student groups on campus that help strength our students’ sense of community.

For more information on Student Life, explore the Student Life section of our website.

For more information on Coaching, visit our Coaching & Advising webpage.

Washington University School of Medicine is committed to supporting students throughout their medical education. Students have access to a variety of resources that support wellbeing, mentorship, and community. These include student organizations, peer and faculty mentorship opportunities, and university-wide resources that help students connect with supportive networks and services.

See the many facets of it here:  https://md.wustl.edu/resources/wellness/ and https://md.wustl.edu/academic-support/.

For more information about student resources and community groups available through the university, visit:

https://students.wustl.edu/trans-washu

Information about mentorship and ally networks within the medical school can be found here:

https://lgbtqmed.med.wustl.edu/lgbtq-at-washu/outlist/

We asked a current student to weigh in on this one: “As a current student, I would say that my classmates are a unique group of students coming from many different backgrounds.  I found that our class is very interested in collaborating with one another and succeeding together.  For example, it has been commonplace for students to share notes and study materials before big exams or rotations. Moreover, there are organizations and support staff on campus whose job is to help ensure student success, whether that be with the adjustment of moving to a new city, financial planning, scientific writing, registering for classes, even finding new social networks to make friends.”

Another thought in terms of thriving here is WashU’s emphasis on wellness.  See the many facets of it here:  https://md.wustl.edu/resources/wellness/ and https://md.wustl.edu/academic-support/ .

Students are actively involved in decision-making related to their medical student education through the committee structure.  Students are voting members on all committees that oversee and ensure continuous quality improvement of medical student programs.  Student members of these committees include both elected students (e.g., the medical education representatives), as well as students selected at large.   These committees review and make decisions about issues ranging from policy to accreditation standards. 

The student body is also represented through the student government class officers. These officers meet with the deans regularly to be kept up to date on things that are going on within the School of Medicine.

For more information on Student Involvement, we recommend checking out the Medical Student Government section under Student Groups in the Dis-Orientation Guide.

Along with community networks, student groups and local and global partnerships, our community engagement and service-learning initiatives provide students with invaluable opportunities to shape their professional identity, build trust with their patients and community, and contribute to society.

Our teaching partners, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, are important safety net hospitals in the city of St. Louis. Community engagement/service learning is integrated into the health equity and justice portions of the Gateway Curriculum.  While some activities are organized for the students, many are organized via student groups with a mentoring, health outreach, wellness or teaching focus.

We recommend exploring our Community Engagement webpage for additional information.

The WashU Medicine  Interprofessional Pro-Bono Health Clinic is interdisciplinary, with MD, PT, OT, and social service navigation. The clinic operates on Fridays from 1 to 4pm and is located at 4444 Forest Park Ave.

For more information on the Pro-Bono Health Clinic, visit their website.

There are many ways for our students to support and serve the surrounding community.  Through student organizations such as LMSA and SNMA, students participate in partnership programs that provide health education, screenings and other services in collaboration with community organizations.

Examples include work with Casa de Salud, a clinic that provides healthcare services for Spanish-speaking patients as well as refugee and immigrant communities in St. Louis, and Schnucks Health Screenings, which offer basic health screenings at local grocery stores in areas with limited access to healthcare services.

The School of Medicine also supports programs designed to introduce local students to careers in science and medicine. Programs such as Saturday Scholars and the Young Scientist Program provide local high school students opportunities to learn about medicine and research through experiences such as summer research opportunities and anatomy labs.

From a student perspective, we have our LGBTQmed group. Among other things, they are involved with both our patient population and the larger St. Louis community. There are also several organizations within BJC (our partner health system). Additionally, Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the safety-net hospital in St. Louis when it comes to the underserved and underinsured, so you will have the opportunity to work with patients from all different backgrounds during medical school.  Throughout your time as a student, there are lots of opportunities to be involved in the St. Louis community and have a real impact on patients. Learn a little bit more about our facilities and whom we serve.

WashU has many mentorship opportunities for students and trainees throughout their educational timeline.  Entering students are given “big sibs”, which are M2 “older siblings” when they first get to WashU.

Many students gain faculty mentors/contacts/advisors through contacts made in the classroom and in the clinic.  Other venues for forming these relationships are the student-led medical specialty interest groups and the student identity groups.

Another venue for mentoring is our Gateway Coaching Program, which all students participate in. Trained faculty coaches meet with students regularly in group and individual settings. Students in our Gateway Curriculum love their coaching group and the relationships they develop with their faculty coaches!

Consider the resources available through WashU Medicine’s emphasis on wellness.  We pride ourselves on supporting our students.

We have many resources at WashU Medicine. Every week in Phase 1, students meet with a physician who serves as their coach and provides them with confidential support throughout our entire educational journey. Students review their competency portfolio with their coach, and the Competency Attainment Committee reviews progress periodically and will reach out with resources and support as needed. There are frequent TA sessions, free tutoring, help sessions led by faculty during the modules, and discussion boards for questions. All faculty are also very receptive to helping students via email or after class. This is in addition to support such as easy access to mental health resources and health care! Wellness is important and definitely a focus of everyone at WashU Med when it comes to students.

The Becker Medical Library, the McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, and Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (FLTC) house extensive computer facilities for our students, including pay-for-print network printers.

In addition to desktop computers with full access, many students access the internet and online materials using their personal laptops and mobile devices via the wireless service provided at the medical school. Students are able to access all online course content and related materials stored at the medical school. These include course schedules, syllabi, interactive online sessions, topical videos, presentations, medical images and other course content.

Washington University is world-renowned for its research faculty, facilities and opportunities. As a WashU medical student, it is easy to gain research experience; there are abundant opportunities over the course of the Gateway Curriculum’s three phases. Students may complete research longitudinally over the duration of their time at WashU, working with experienced and dedicated mentors. Students have dedicated time to learning foundations of scholarship and to work on projects in Phase 1 as part of the EXPLORE Immersion. In recent years, more than 90 percent of medical students participated in research of some type during medical school.

In addition, for students who desire longer research experiences, there are one-year research opportunities, and opportunities to pursue dual degrees including the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MD/MSCI), Master of Business Administration (MD/MBA), Master of Population Health Sciences (MD/MPHS), Master of Public Health (MD/MPH), and Master of Biomedical Data Science and AI (MD/MSBDS-AI). For some of these programs, financial support is available.

For more information on research opportunities and resources, visit our Student Research webpage.

Participating in research is not a requirement, though there are plenty of opportunities to get involved! More than 90% of students will get involved in scholarly work of some type. All students participate in the EXPLORE program, which teaches the tools to explore four different pathways (Research, Education, Innovation, or Advocacy & Global Health).  It’s tied to career development and professional identity formation, as well.  WashU is more focused on helping students pursue their interests than on insisting that they complete a traditional research project. Students who do have a research interest often find opportunities via the Office of Medical Student Research.

For more information on research opportunities and resources, visit our Student Research webpage.