Understanding Medical School Rolling Admissions

The most important part of medical school applications is applying early due to rolling admissions. If you solicit any recent applicants’ advice, one of the first things they will recommend is to apply early in the cycle. We stand by that recommendation, and repeat it time and time again.

If it’s challenging to have all of the application materials together by the beginning of the submission season, it might be prudent to wait a year and apply in the next cycle. You are much better off waiting a year and submitting right away for the next cycle than to start your application late in the game. If you stay on top of your schedule and prepare well in advance, applying early is not complicated.

Rolling admissions are the reason early application is so important, and applying early can truly benefit your chances of acceptance.

What are Rolling Admissions?

The vast majority of medical schools, both MD and DO programs, employ rolling admissions. This means that from the start of the application season, applications are reviewed sequentially as they arrive.

Secondaries are then sent out, and secondary responses are once again reviewed as they arrive. Finally, interview invitations are sent, and acceptances are offered thereafter. Acceptance can occur any time after October 15th for MD schools, which is the mandated first day of possible acceptance. Thus, each school’s review process moves forward regardless of the application deadline and how many applications have been received.

This system contrasts the more traditional, non-rolling system that many students are accustomed to from their undergraduate applications. The alternative system is that all applications are due by a certain deadline, after which they are reviewed; subsequently, all acceptances are sent on a certain date.

The rolling system followed by medical schools means that early submission is essential.

Does the Timing of My Application Really Matter?

Rolling admissions create a system in which application timing is paramount. For example, consider the AMCAS application.

A large portion of students will submit their AMCAS primary app in June along with the first cohort of applicants. All of these applications will be reviewed, and then secondaries will be sent in late June and early July. Again, students who submit secondaries sooner will be reviewed first and (if chosen) will get the first interview options. As the season moves on, interview slots will be filled in this fashion. Each school has a limited number of interview slots they can offer.

Here’s An Ideal Strategy for How to Schedule Medical School Interviews.

Now consider a student who sends their primary application in August or September. At this point, many, possibly even the majority, of interview slots will be filled. Some students may have already completed interviews and will be well on their way to acceptance. The student who applies later is now competing for an interview when there are a limited number of slots remaining, which is a huge disadvantage. There simply may not be an opportunity remaining for them.

Getting accepted into medical school is challenging enough as it is, and as an applicant, it’s important to gain every advantage you can. Applying early in the season provides the best chance of acceptance. It puts you in line with other applicants who are on the ball, and since interview slots are not yet filled, you are not beginning with a disadvantage.

It sounds obvious to say medical school is competitive, but it’s important to remember, and it’s what makes the timing of your application even more critical. Each year, there are over 50,000 applicants applying for about 20,000 MD spots, and over 20,000 applicants applying for about 7,000 DO spots.

As competitive as medical school is, it makes sense to optimize your chances with early application. Failing to heed this advice is like starting a race minutes after most of the runners have already taken off.

Which Schools Use Rolling Admissions?

There is a small subset of schools that release their admissions on a designated day and thus may seem to employ the traditional, non-rolling system, but this is not truly the case.

Even if all acceptances are sent at a later date, secondaries and interview invites will be sent as applications come (on a rolling basis), benefiting earlier applicants just the same as any other school. A late applicant will still be competing for fewer available interview slots, so they will still be fighting an uphill battle. Thus, these schools effectively have a rolling admissions process as well.

It’s safest to treat your application the same for all schools. Aim to submit your primary application and secondaries as early as possible.

How Early is Early?

The exact date that AMCAS applications open for submission varies slightly from year to year. At the beginning of May, applications will become available. You will be able to access the portal to submit your application and can begin filing it out. Starting at the end of May or early June, applications will open for submission.

It is best to submit applications as soon as you are allowed to, or as close to it as possible. While this is good advice to heed overall, there is a bit of nuance to the application timeline within June. Many applicants wonder if applying at the start of June provides any benefit over applying mid-to-late June. Does waiting an extra couple of weeks hurt your application?

In general, the answer to this is most likely no. AMCAS applications that are submitted in June are all processed during that same month and then sent by AMCAS to schools at the end of June. So in theory, anyone who has their application processed by then would have the same standing in terms of application status.

Though there is no exact answer, in general, there is probably not much difference in applying June 1st versus June 15th. With that said, the earlier the better to ensure your application is processed in time to be sent out to schools at the end of June. And it is absolutely certain, without a question, that applying in June (or as early as possible) is better than applying in later months due to the rolling admissions process described above.

Basically, submitting a few days or a couple weeks later than when applications can first be submitted won’t hurt you, but remember, the process does not stop there. Secondaries come through a few weeks after you submit your primary application, and you’ll want to send those back as soon as possible as well, ideally within 7-14 days of receiving them.

By submitting your primary application as soon as possible, you gain time to adequately prepare for your secondary applications as well as extra time to prepare for your interviews.

Utilize our Medical School Secondary Application Guide, which is filled with our top strategies and answers to the most commonly asked questions.

How Late is Too Late?

As the application cycle goes on, processing can take longer at certain times based on application traffic. Some sources indicate that late July to early August is peak traffic time, with processing taking up to 2-4 weeks.

By submitting your primary application in late June or July, you may face some consequences, since you’re submitting your application after thousands of more prepared applicants. Later in the summer, August, is borderline, and if you are rushing through steps at this point, you may want to wait until the following cycle. Once you get to the end of the summer, waiting may be your best option since you can use that time to perfect your application and gain more valuable experience.

Learn more from our guide: How Late Can You Submit Your Primary Application? (Without Consequence).

What We Hope You’ll Take Away

Our strong advice is this: apply as early as you can with a complete, thorough, and well-crafted application. Ideally, submit your application by the middle of June.

Our experienced and professional advisers can help you make these deadlines with ease while creating the strongest application possible. They can assist with any aspect of the primary application, secondary applications, the interview process, and all of the above. Take advantage of these services early to ensure you submit a stand out application on time and ahead of the game!