2024/25 AMCAS Application Timeline

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AMCAS applications open in early May of each year.

Unless you plan to take a gap year , you should begin preparing your med school applications during the spring semester of your junior year of premed studies (before May of your application cycle year).

Specific deadlines for submitting your application depend on the school you’re submitting to and may range from September to December. The application and interview process generally runs through March of the following year, and the admissions process starts that May (around when you’ll be graduating from your undergraduate program).

AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) is one of the 3 primary applications for prospective medical students in the United States. Applying to medical school is a significant process that requires a lot of preparation, paperwork, and time — for good reason.

Let’s review the ideal timeline of applying to med school with AMCAS for your best chance to get into medical school.

When does AMCAS open for the 2024-25 application cycle?

The AMCAS 2024-25 application opens on May 1, 2024. This date applies specifically to the AMCAS application for MD programs (allopathic medicine).

Other medical school applications for US students include AACOMAS (for DO programs) and TMDSAS (for Texas medical schools). The opening date for AACOMAS is May 4, 2024, and the opening date for TMDSAS is also May 1, 2024.

Some students choose to apply to all 3 programs, but this is not a requirement.

Important Dates

*Denotes an estimated date because an official date has not been announced.

Application Timeline: 2024-25 Cycle

Application deadlines can often be school-specific, but they typically fall between mid-October and early November in your application year.

Even though those are the deadlines, we do not recommend waiting until the last minute for any part of this journey. Your chances of matriculation may depend on applying early — especially for schools that accept students on a rolling basis.

A visual look at when important events happen in the medical school admissions timeline.

January–April 2024

May 2024

June 2024

July 2024

August 2024

September 2024–April 2025

January 2025 is technically the last month to submit primary applications. We do not recommend waiting this long, as it is likely to hurt your chances of being accepted by any med school. Most med school application deadlines are actually in November, so waiting this long also greatly limits which schools you may apply to.

October 2025-May 2025

FAQs

How soon should you submit your med school application?

Aim to submit your med school application as early as possible, preferably in early June of your cycle year. The longer you wait to submit, the lower your chances of being accepted get.

What is the deadline for AMCAS?

Deadlines for submitting your application via AMCAS depending on the schools you’re applying to. Check the AMCAS database for application deadlines for your preferred schools.

IMPORTANT: If you put your application off until just before the deadline, remember that you must request your transcripts no later than 2 weeks before your school’s application deadline. Otherwise, your application will not be processed by the deadline and you won’t be included in that school’s applicants for the cycle year.

How late can I take the MCAT for this application cycle?

You will need to take the MCAT no later than 35 days before your school’s AMCAS application deadline. Verify your MCAT score release date against your school’s application deadline. In general, this probably means the latest you can take the MCAT will typically be sometime between September and November (during the fall semester of your senior year of undergrad).

But waiting this long to take the MCAT is not a wise choice. We recommend taking the MCAT no later than June 27, 2024, but preferably before the end of April.

Which Schools Don’t Require the MCAT?

A few of the least competitive medical schools (typically outside of the U.S.) don’t require the MCAT in your AMCAS application. You may also be exempted from the MCAT if you apply to certain BS/MD programs at U.S. medical schools (although this exemption is getting less and less common each year).

Your MCAT score is typically a critical application data point that admissions committees use in student selection to medical school. Scores help admissions officers interpret grades and other academic data from undergraduate institutions with different curricular focuses and grading standards.

When should I submit secondary applications to medical schools?

You should submit your secondaries as soon as possible after they are requested by the medical school. According to our suggested timeline, this means you should submit your secondary applications in July of your application cycle.

Has AAMC Ever Moved Its Timeline?

Yes, there is a precedent for AAMC moving the date that schools receive applications in extreme situations. The last time they did this was in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Get Expert Help With Your Medical School Application from MedSchoolCoach

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Renee Marinelli, MD

Dr. Marinelli has practiced family medicine, served on the University of California Admissions Committee, and has helped hundreds of students get into medical school. She spearheads a team of physician advisors who guide MedSchoolCoach students.