Wayne State Medical School Admissions Requirements

Last Updated on July 28, 2023

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Colleges and universities nationwide are offering a pass/fail or credit/no credit option in addition to transitioning to online platforms. For any pre-requisite coursework: Wayne State University School of Medicine strongly recommends that you do not take these courses online. However, during these uncertain times, we will be flexible if no in-person courses are available and will accept courses from other 4-year colleges & universities with preference given to your home institution. For all courses: Strong candidates will select courses to be graded as opposed to P/F if the option is available. We will accept pass/fail coursework to fulfill prerequisites if taken during or after the Winter 2020 term.

wayne state medical school mcat requirements

Colleges and universities nationwide are offering a pass/fail or credit/no credit option in addition to transitioning to online platforms. For any pre-requisite coursework: Wayne State University School of Medicine strongly recommends that you do not take these courses online. However, during these uncertain times, we will be flexible if no in-person courses are available and will accept courses from other 4-year colleges & universities with preference given to your home institution. For all courses: Strong candidates will select courses to be graded as opposed to P/F if the option is available.

MCAT Testing Information:

Applications will be accepted from individuals who were unable to take the MCAT due to COVID-related test cancellations. For these candidates, we will base decisions on the information that is available to us at the time of the application. Assuming that MCAT testing resumes prior to October, we will require applicants to have taken the MCAT before we make admissions decisions for the Class of 2025.  We encourage applicants to not delay applying because an MCAT score is not yet available.

Early Decision Program: 

Early Decision Program (EDP) application deadline is August 3. Due to COVID, students may take the MCAT up to August 3 and still apply for the program.

Selection Factors

The Wayne State University School of Medicine evaluates candidates through a holistic admission process. In addition to fulfillment of all admission requirements, your entire record, including grade-point average, Medical College Admission Test scores, recommendations and interview results, will be considered. The Admission Committee uses this process to evaluate your personality, maturity, character and suitability for a career in medicine.

Relevant experience

Prior experience in the health care field is a desirable characteristic and improves your chances of being admitted to the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Percentage of accepted applicants with relevant experience:

• 79 percent — non-medical/clinical community service or volunteer experience
• 89 percent — medical/clinical community service or volunteer experience
• 1 percent — military service
• 39 percent — medical/clinical paid employment

wayne state medical school acceptance rate

Pre-med advising and information sessions

Wayne State University’s Pre-Med and Health Advising Center provides prerequisite advising, academic support and professional development strategies for all Wayne State University students pursuing admission to competitive health care programs.

Applications

Applications are submitted starting in June of the year prior to expected matriculation. The AMCAS application opens June 1, and Wayne State University School of Medicine accepts applications any time between June 1 and December 31. Applications are preferred by November 1. Check the AAMC website for details on the AMCAS and medical school application process.

Wayne State University School of Medicine will review your application whenever it is received. It will also send you a secondary application. However, you will not be invited to an interview until your scores have populated.

Yes, assuming you are a U.S. or Canadian resident (or hold a permanent resident or asylum visa), hold a bachelor’s degree, have completed the prerequisites at a U.S. or Canadian university, and have taken the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test).

When does Wayne State start sending out secondary applications?

Wayne State University will send out secondary applications no later than two weeks from receiving your AAMC-verified application. Occasionally, the request for a secondary application will end up in your junk or spam folder, so make sure to check them often.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine does a holistic review of all applications. We consider many factors in the review, including GPA, MCAT score, health and patient care experiences, community service, employment, and other activities and experiences. We assess attributes that cannot be measured by exams or transcripts. 

Consider additional coursework in biology, chemistry or physics in a graduate or postbaccalaureate program. Once you have 20 credit hours of those types of courses on your AMCAS application, we will consider those hours instead of your undergraduate coursework.  Once an application is submitted and verified, AMCAS does not allow any coursework updates.

Interviews will begin in August and continue through February. First decisions – other than those through the Early Decision Program – will take place in mid-October. The Wayne State University School of Medicine does not participate in rolling admissions, and interview spots do not fill up before the application deadline.

Each Interview Day will take place over a half-day. Applicants may select to attend either a morning or afternoon session based on availability. The Interview Day consists of five parts:

• A long-form interview conducted by up to two admission interviewers
• Five multiple mini-interviews (MMIs) conducted by community partners
• Lunch with current Wayne State University School of Medicine students
• A tour of the school
• An interview with a current medical student

Yes, the Wayne State School of Medicine participates in the Early Decision Program (EDP). Students must submit an application and MCAT scores by August 1. A 3.65 GPA and 65th percentile score on the MCAT are required. Interviews of qualified students will occur in August or September and notifications will be sent as soon as possible, but no later than October 1.

If you do not get accepted in the EDP, your application goes back into the regular pool of applicants. October 15 is the earliest that the Wayne State School of Medicine can send out offer letters to students not accepted in the EDP. The EDP program is binding.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine admits an incoming class of 290 every year.  Our incoming class is made up of approximately 60 percent in-state residents and 40 percent out-of-state residents. We have approximately 50 to 55 percent male students and 45 to 50 percent female students. 

Read the mission statement of the school you are applying to, and ask yourself:

• How do my background an experiences align with this mission?
• Is this explained in my essay?
• Have I adequately demonstrated this in my experiences on my AMCAS application?

To what extent do research and community service influence admission decisions or a candidate’s suitability for the college?

Speaking only from Wayne State School of Medicine admission perspective, research is optional in your application. Altruism, however, is not. 

Letters of Recommendation

Wayne State University School of Medicine requires three letters of recommendation. At least two must be from faculty members. One must have been written within the past 12 months. If you are in a postbaccalaureate or graduate program, we strongly encourage you to submit at least one letter from your program. If you are applying to the M.D./Ph.D. program, at least one letter must be from a researcher.

Letters should come from professionals who can assess your communication skills with patients and other professionals, your dependability, your professionalism, and your work ethic. Some examples include doctors you have shadowed, principal investigators or someone you have done research with, faculty advisors of clubs, or other health care professionals who can comment on your abilities to work with patients.

Financial Aid

You must complete the FAFSA — which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid — online at fafsa.gov.

Applications can be completed starting October 1 of the year prior to expected enrollment.

At Wayne State School of Medicine, there are two types of scholarships: need-based and merit-based.

• Need-based scholarships require you to complete the FAFSA. Awards are based off how many Pell and/or subsidized loans you used in your undergraduate education
• Merit-based scholarships are determined using different criteria that is reviewed by the scholarship committee. The donor agreements determine the criteria that are used. Some are based strictly on academic merit (GPA and MCAT), others factor in need and others look for community service and extracurricular activities.

There is no separate application for scholarships at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

The highest merit-based scholarship available is awarded up to the in-state tuition amount.

No. The School of Medicine does not qualify for the Great Lakes Award or Wayne State’s Good Neighbor Policy. . If you believe that you should be considered for in-state tuition, you must submit a residency reclassification form.

Canadian students are eligible for our private and endowed scholarships unless restricted by the memorandum of agreement. The amount awarded varies by scholarship.

Many medical students get involved in research throughout their four years at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Some are able to balance schedules to perform research during the school year, while others focus on extracurricular research during their time between the M1 and M2 years. With residency spots becoming more competitive, anything students can do to broaden their CV is helpful.

We have many students engaged in public policy. Some Wayne State University medical students even have J.D.s and have used them when publishing articles about public policy within health care. Wayne State University’s main campus has anthropology, health communication, education, science, and public health programs. Students can find opportunities to engage in research in those areas through those programs.

Women’s health is one of the School of Medicine’s major focuses. This is evident in the renewal of another 10-year NIH contract worth $165 million to support the Perinatology Research Branch at Hutzel Women’s Hospital that is part of Detroit Medical Center.

The grading system is pass/fail with the option to honor independent of Z-scores. Statistics based on Z-scores requires certain people to do well and certain people to do not so well. This set up a very competitive academic environment since many students wanted to receive “honor” for AOA and residency purposes. Now that students can honor without having other students score low on exams, the overall camaraderie has improved and students tend to be more helpful when studying. Students no longer have to worry that if they help someone, they may hurt their own chances of honoring.

Additionally, rather than just relying on summative assessments such as exams, we have moved to incorporate more formative assessments, such as narrative feedback, after small-group sessions. This has helped to increase cooperation and team-building throughout the curriculum.

Wayne State Medical School Ranking

U.S. News and World Report named the Wayne State University School of Medicine a Top 100 medical school for research in its annual Best Medical Schools rankings.

The magazine ranked the School of Medicine 66th in research of the 188 medical schools eligible for ranking. Last year the school ranked 71st in the category.

The school also was ranked 89th in the category of Primary Care.

Known for urban clinical excellence focusing on medical and biomedical education, hands-on clinical experience, research and community care, the WSU School of Medicine also received top performing recognition for its ranking in Diversity and Medical Schools With the Most Graduates Practicing in Health Professional Shortage Areas.

This is the first year that the magazine published a ranking of the most diverse medical schools. The Howard University College of Medicine in the District of Columbia took first place in the new ranking, which considers the proportion of students who are Black or African American, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander.

The WSU School of Medicine ranked 26th among Most Diverse medical schools and 51st in Medical Schools With the Most Graduates Practicing in Health Professional Shortage Areas.

“We should all be proud of our markedly increased ranking by U.S. News & World Report,” said Mark E. Schweitzer, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president of Health Affairs for WSU. “We have an outstanding research-focused, diverse medical school with a 153-year mission of serving those in need. It’s encouraging to see that more people are beginning to acknowledge us. Thank you to all our faculty who made this possible.”

Each year, U.S. News & World Report issues its Best Medical Schools report and rankings based on a number of indicators, including quality assessment, peer assessment scores, residency director scores, research activity, primary care rate, faculty-student ratio, number of graduates entering specialty fields, and ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty.

Wayne State Pre Med Requirements

• Meet with an academic advisor to review pre-med requirements.
• Begin introductory science courses:
  • General Biology with lab
  • General chemistry with lab
• Be aware of course add/drop deadlines in case you need to change your schedule.
• Begin to explore academic majors (while you must take science courses to qualify for medical school, you do not need to major in science).
• Identify sources of academic support (e.g., tutors, supplemental instruction, study skills training, study groups, counselors and professors). Wayne State University’s Academic Success Center is a valuable resource right on campus.
• Attend study skills seminars and test-taking workshops to maximize performance in your courses.
• Monitor your academic progress, including your grade-point average.

• Develop a balance between your academic and personal goals.
• Understand and emulate the characteristics of a good physician (e.g., intellectual curiosity, respect for diversity, high moral character, compassion, integrity, honesty, humility and hard work).
• Develop professional attributes, including teamwork, responsibility, reliability and time management.
• Develop and pursue interests outside of your formal education.
• Consider joining a pre-med student organization.
• Begin to research the medical field.
• Begin to investigate opportunities for patient care experience and/or general exposure to the health care field at places such as hospitals, clinics, hospice facilities and nursing homes.
• Consider taking part in community service activities.
• Utilize your summer wisely — volunteer or work in a medical setting for patient care or observational experience

• Meet with your advisor to review medical school application and admission procedures.
• Explore Medical College Admission Test preparation, medical schools and the application process through the Association of American Medical Colleges.
• Attend medical school admission seminars, workshops and conferences offered by your college and/or other institutions.

• Maintain a balance between your academic and personal goals.
• Continue to emulate the characteristics of a good physician.
• Continue your development of professional attributes.
• Continue to research the medical field.
• Learn about managed care, medical ethics, medical research and other health care issues. If possible, enroll in a sociology or philosophy course that addresses health care concerns. Read materials that cover these topics.
• Consider volunteer work or employment in a health care or patient care facility during the regular academic year. We recommend a minimum of four hours a week per semester.
• Interview physicians and consider shadowing a doctor in a hospital or clinic.
• Get involved in extracurricular activities you enjoy.
• Get involved with your pre-medical association and/or other student organizations that relate to medicine and/or science. Consider leadership roles within these organizations.
• Continue to get involved in community service activities.
• Continue to utilize your summers wisely. Consider additional medical experience, summer enrichment or research programs.