For the most up‑to‑date policy information, refer to the Western Academic Calendar and the Schulich Medicine Admissions website.
About the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (Schulich Medicine/the School) provides outstanding education within a research-intensive, distributed learning environment where tomorrow’s physicians, dentists, health researchers and other scholars learn to be socially responsible leaders in the advancement of human health locally, regionally and globally.
The Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program functions as 1 program in 2 campuses.
Year 1 and 2 class curriculum and simulation learning is delivered primarily at Western University (Western/the University) for the London Campus and at the University of Windsor for the Windsor Campus.
Clinical learning across years 1, 2, 3 and 4 is delivered in London and Windsor academic hospitals and in community hospitals, offices and clinics that are affiliated learning sites. These are located on the London and Windsor Campuses and in over 60 communities throughout Southwestern Ontario.
Students’ clinical learning is focused in, but not restricted to, their home campus. This includes mandatory clinical experiences in teaching centres affiliated with the School, with early exposure in Family Medicine (Year 1), and core Clerkship rotations (Year 3) and Clinical Electives (Year 4) in home campuses and Distributed Education.
Each student in the MD Program, regardless of home campus, is registered as a student of, and prospective graduate from, Western University. Students at the Windsor Campus are jointly registered to allow access to facilities at the University of Windsor.
The London Campus has been the traditional home to the MD Program. Governance of the Windsor Campus is a joint affiliation between Western and the University of Windsor, and is in its second decade of success. The curricular model delivers equivalent MD Program learning with identical graduation competencies, curriculum structures, assessments and graduation outcomes for each campus.
Program Information
The Schulich Medicine MD Program is a 4-year competency-based curriculum wherein medical students will achieve the required graduating competencies to enter any Canadian or international residency program.
The Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Strategic Plan 2021-2026 guides our MD Program to “Lead in health with our region for the world” through values of: Belonging, Excellence and Accountability. The MD program is also committed to delivering medical education in a model and environment that embraces and advances equity, diversity and inclusion.
Broad goals of the curriculum include:
- Improving culturally competent patient care using an outcomes-based approach.
- Aligning with Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) in Canada at the postgraduate level.
- Ensuring students demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the needs of Canadian patients and communities locally, regionally and nationally.
- Preparing students for life-long learning in an equitable, diverse and inclusive world.
Curriculum Overview
The MD Curriculum is designed to develop adaptive learners who will be well prepared to meet the challenges of health care delivery for tomorrow. They will be leaders who seamlessly integrate into teams of other health care professionals to provide patient-centered care that is grounded in evidence, shaped by the local needs of the populations they serve, and accountable to quality outcomes.
Years 1 and 2
Courses involve:
- Case-based learning in teams
- Laboratory experiences in foundational sciences
- Small group learning
- Clinical skills
- Independent study for clinical, research and community service
- Interactive large group learning (including team-based learning)
- Project-based experiential and inquiry-based learning
- Supervised clinical learning experiences
The first 2 years of the curriculum provide the foundation for clinical decision-making and problem-solving through the integration of basic and clinical sciences. A strong emphasis is placed on developing professional identity, career planning and maintaining personal wellness.
Year 3
A 52-week integrated clerkship course during which you become a member of clinical care teams in the following medical disciplines:
- Acute Care (Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine)
- Family Medicine Core
- Family Medicine Plus
- Medicine
- Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Paediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
During these rotations, you will learn and work under the direct supervision of Schulich Medicine faculty, postgraduate resident physicians and other health professional partners. You will be involved in the assessment, diagnosis, investigation and management of patients with acute and chronic conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Year 4
The MD Curriculum concludes with:
- Clinical Electives – Students broaden experiences, enhance competencies and explore careers at Schulich Medicine and other Canadian or international medical schools.
- Transition to Medicine – Prepares students to enter Residency. This component ensures satisfactory achievement of the cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills necessary to safely and competently evaluate patients with undifferentiated clinical presentations necessary for the transition to postgraduate medicine.
Year 4 students will be prepared and supported with their Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) application process and writing the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part 1.
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
Admission to the MD Program is highly competitive. Meeting the minimum requirements does not ensure an interview or acceptance.
You are eligible to apply for admission to the first year of the program if you satisfy the following requirements:
Degree Requirements
You must have completed, or be enrolled in the final year of, a 4-year undergraduate degree or equivalent from a recognized university at the time you apply. We do not give preference for the undergraduate program of study or the institution granting the degree and there are no course prerequisites. We do not consider graduate degrees for the Grade Point Average (GPA); only undergraduate years are used.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Minimum GPA, as established by the Medicine Admissions Committee, must be met in each of the 2 best undergraduate years. GPA is calculated using the OMSAS Conversion Scale.
Schulich Medicine will consider the GPA of an academic year taken during the year of application.
Academic transcripts must clearly show that applicants have met both the course load and course level requirements, as previously outlined.
If more than a full course load (30 credit hours) is completed during the September to April academic year, the best 5 full or equivalent courses will be used, provided these courses satisfy course level requirements.
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
MCAT minimums are reset each year based on the competitiveness of the applicant pool.
Schulich Medicine requires the MCAT be written within the 5 years prior to the application deadline. If you have written the MCAT more than once, we will use scores from the most recent writing. All sections of the MCAT may be considered.
You must arrange for verified MCAT results to be submitted directly to OMSAS.
If you are applying through the Southwestern Ontario Pathway, Access Pathway or Military Medicine Training Program, you may be considered for MCAT flexibility.
Transcripts
If you completed your undergraduate‑level university education outside of Canada, your foreign transcripts must be assessed by World Education Services (WES).
We must receive the assessment directly from WES. Assessments provided by the applicant are not eligible for consideration.
Non-academic Requirements
Citizenship
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants) at the time of application. Permanent residents (landed immigrants) must submit a copy of the front and back of their current permanent residence card to OMSAS by the application deadline.
Confidential Assessment Forms
References are required from 3 persons who, in your opinion, know you well enough to provide an informed critical assessment and make statements regarding your character, qualities and academic capabilities, but who are not family members, peers, friends or neighbours.
- 1 referee should be academic or employment related
- 1 referee should be non-academic or personal
- 1 referee can be of your choosing
Schulich Medicine reserves the right to contact referees to confirm evaluations and/or ask for additional information. You must ensure that the contact information for referees is complete, current and correct.
References will be accepted until the OMSAS Application deadline.
Western Abbreviated Autobiographical Sketch (AABS)
Schulich Medicine is committed to enrolling self-directed, motivated, resilient students who reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, demonstrate compassion and advocacy for the advancement of others and value inclusion with equity in patient care and learning. To help achieve this goal, we would like to learn more about you through your activities and life experiences.
If you are reapplying, you may re-use content from a previous Western AABS that you submitted.
Western AABS content must be authored entirely by you. Any other submissions can result in your application being disqualified.
Verifiers
- Provide a minimum of 4 different objective verifiers (e.g., professor, teacher, supervisor, coach) within your Western AABS.
- Indicate verifiers who can corroborate the entire scope and duration of the experience or activity that you describe.
- Ensure the verifier contact information is complete, current and correct.
- Ensure your verifiers are willing to be contacted.
Inability to do so may disqualify your application.
Schulich Medicine reserves the right to contact verifiers at any time during the application cycle.
Admission Categories
Application Pathways
- Access Pathway
- Indigenous Pathway
- Military Medical Training Program (MMTP) Pathway
- Southwestern Ontario Pathway
Transfer Students
We will consider admission via transfer into Year 3 of the MD Program only if a vacancy exists that year. We do not permit transfers into Years 1, 2 or 4.
We restrict transfer consideration to Canadian citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants) who are currently enrolled in a Canadian medical school.
Combined Programs
Admission Policies and Procedures
Interview
A select number of applicants will be invited for an interview based on undergraduate academic performance, MCAT scores, Western AABS and Confidential Assessment Forms.
Interviews are structured and standardized, and are conducted by a 3-person panel consisting of a physician, a community member and a current medical student.
Individuals who require accommodation(s) through the interview process are advised to email the Schulich Medicine Admissions Office for the accommodation request process.
False Admission Information
Falsification or misrepresentation of information from any portion of the application process, including interviews, will result in removal of the application from consideration, and may be considered in any future applications to the University.
Admission policies are reviewed annually and admission requirements from previous years may not apply. We encourage applicants to visit our website regularly, as the University reserves the right to review and change admissions policies and requirements at any time, without notice.
Language Proficiency
Schulich Medicine reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant whose facility in written and spoken English is judged to be inadequate.
Schulich Medicine reserves the option to request an applicant demonstrate English-language proficiency through successful completion of 1 of the following assessments:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT)
- Duolingo English Test
Accommodations and Medicine Admissions
The Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Western University, is committed to the provision of equal-access opportunities to qualified applicants.
To fulfill the requirements of the MD Program, you are required to acquire competency in a wide range of knowledge, skills and abilities, MD Program Graduation Competencies and the AFMC Entrustable Professional Activities.
Individuals who would like to request accommodation(s) in the Admissions process are advised to email the Schulich Medicine Admissions Office for the accommodation request process.
Current MD Program or International Degree Program (MBBS) Students
We will not consider applications from individuals who are currently registered in an MD Program or equivalent elsewhere in the world.
Applicants who have been conferred with an MD or equivalent degree, or who have been asked to withdraw from another medical education program, may not apply for admission.
Information for Successful Applicants
Post-admission Requirements
Applicants who accept an offer of admission must complete post-admission requirements, which include but are not limited to:
- Basic life support training
- Immunizations, tuberculin status and serology
- Police Vulnerable Sector Screening
Failure to comply with post-admission requirements and/or meet submission deadlines may result in the withdrawal of an offer of admission.
Tuition and Deposit
To confirm acceptance of our offer of admission, we require a $1,000 deposit by June 1. The deposit will be applied to your tuition fees.
Contact Information
Schulich Medicine Admissions Office
Email: admissions.medicine@schulich.uwo.ca