Medicine, Doctor of (M.D.)

Admissions

medschool.vcu.edu/admissions

VCU School of Medicine receives all applications through the American Medical College Application Service centralized medical school application processing service. Applicants can access the electronic application on the AMCAS website. Updated application information can be found on the VCU School of Medicine website or on the AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements for Applicants platform. Applications for the School of Medicine can be submitted beginning the last week of May of the year preceding intended matriculation.

All applications must be received by October 15 of the year preceding intended matriculation. Applicants who previously matriculated to another medical school and withdrew or were dismissed will not be considered for admission. All applicants must be U.S. or Canadian citizens, permanent residents of the U.S. or must be able to show proof of current legal immigration status in the U.S. at the time of application. Documentation of permanent resident status or current active immigration status must be submitted for all non-U.S. citizens.

Applicants who meet the minimum academic standards indicated below will be invited to complete a secondary application. Payment of a non-refundable $100 application fee and completion of the supplemental application, including submission of letters of recommendation through the AMCAS portal, are required for further consideration. The final date for returning supplemental information is 30 days from the date the supplemental application is granted.

The School of Medicine will not matriculate students from any degree-seeking program at VCU, or any other institution, until students have completed degree requirements for the program in which they are currently enrolled.

The School of Medicine participates in the AAMC Early Decision Program. This program permits an applicant to file a single application through AMCAS by August 1 of the year preceding intended matriculation. All applicants filing under the Early Decision Plan will receive consideration for admission and a response on or before October 1. The early notification date of this plan ensures that those who are unsuccessful have ample time to request further distribution of their applications to other medical schools. Further information on the Early Decision Program can be found on the AMCAS Early Decision Program website.

The MCAT is required as part of the application. It is necessary that the test be taken no later than September of the year of application. This test is produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges and is administered at authorized Pearson VUE testing centers throughout the United States, Canada and select international locations. Information regarding the MCAT is available through premedical advisers or directly from the AAMC MCAT website.

Applicants are required to complete a baccalaureate and/or graduate degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution prior to enrollment. Students must demonstrate that they have acquired an education that extends beyond the basic sciences to include other subjects such as social sciences, history, arts and languages. Broad academic training provides prospective physicians with the strong scientific skills necessary to continue studying medical science, as well as a comprehensive understanding of social, historical and cultural forces that affect their professional identity formation and the lives of their future patients.

As of January 2025, VCU School of Medicine updated premedical course requirements as follows effective for the 2026 application cycle and beyond:

Required course work includes:

• Biochemistry - one semester or institutional equivalent
• Biology with lab - one academic year (may be satisfied by botany, general biology or general zoology)
• English - One academic year of intensive writing courses that can be through a course(s) in English or another subject where the course has been designated a writing-intensive course
• General Chemistry with lab - one academic year
• Math - one academic year (must be college algebra or higher)
• Organic Chemistry I with lab - one semester or institutional equivalent
• Organic Chemistry II with lab - one semester or institutional requirement (ONLY if required by institution for major or as a prerequisite for upper-level course work)
• Physics with lab - one academic year

Highly recommended course work includes:

• Biostatistics
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Upper-level biological science¹ (may be satisfied by anatomy, cell biology, embryology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology or neurosciences)

To obtain a broad education consistent with their major, students are encouraged to pursue their own intellectual interests in college. Courses in medically related science areas will not relieve students of their responsibility for these subjects in the M.D. curriculum. Science GPA is highly regarded by the admissions committee.

Outstanding academic ability demonstration of the AAMC Premed Competencies for Entering Medical Students, and alignment with the mission, vision and values of VCU School of Medicine are of particular importance to the admissions selection committee in the application review process. Successful applicants must meet the following academic minimum standards:

• Minimum undergraduate science GPA 3.3 (average 3.7)
• Minimum MCAT 503 (average 513)
• Graduate GPA 3.5 or above if applicable (minimum 24 credit hours in a basic science degree program)

For all applicants who meet minimum academic standards, a thorough review of experiences, essays, letters of recommendation and responses to supplemental application questions help determine priority for interview offers. Successful applicants must demonstrate a minimum of 40 hours of in-person shadowing in the U.S. as well as a minimum of 60 hours of direct, hands-on patient care activities (examples include EMT, hospice, language interpretation, medical assistant, nursing care, scribing, etc.)  Successful applicants must also demonstrate a minimum 100 hours of meaningful service activities designed to address community-identified needs (examples include AmeriCorps, crisis hotlines, food banks, hospice/nursing homes, homeless shelters, Peace Corps, Special Olympics, volunteering for tutoring/after-school programs, etc.)

The interview is an opportunity for the applicant to demonstrate competency of values and skills required to successfully complete the rigorous medical education program with an emphasis on interpersonal communication skills necessary to provide outstanding patient care with a compassionate bedside manner. All interviews are conducted utilizing the Multiple Mini Interview format in a virtual setting. All applicants are required to attend an information session so they can learn more about the medical education program from SOM administrators and students. Each year, more applicants are interviewed than can be accepted in the class. Therefore, an interview is not an indication of acceptance to the School of Medicine.

Offers for admission for applicants who applied through the Early Decision Program are made no later than October 1. Offers for applicants to the regular M.D. program are made after the AAMC uniform acceptance date of October 15. Currently, offer dates to fill the class include October 16, December 16, February 1 and March 15. Should these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, offers of admission will be made on the following business day. Applicants who do not receive an offer for admission on the final offer date are invited to join the alternate list. Offers of admission are made to applicants from the alternate list as vacancies occur until the class is full up until the day classes start.  VCU School of Medicine participates in the AAMC Choose Your Medical School tool to support enrollment management. Accepted students must commit to enroll to VCU School of Medicine no later than June 15 of the year of intended matriculation.

Since offers of admission are made in advance of actual attendance, all acceptances are made on condition of satisfactory completion of courses planned or in progress.

All applicants who receive an offer of admission prior to May 1 will have two weeks to accept the offer; after May 1, applicants who receive an offer of admission will have only one week to accept the offer. To accept an offer of admission, the applicant must complete a Matriculation Form in their MedAdmit portal and pay a $100 matriculation fee that will hold their seat and offset first-semester tuition/fees if the applicant matriculates. The matriculation fee is refundable on or before May 1 if the accepted student decides to withdraw their acceptance; the matriculation fee is non-refundable for accepted students who withdraw their acceptance after May 1. By the act of matriculation into the School of Medicine, the student accepts the responsibilities related to this opportunity and agrees that during the time they are a registered student that they will follow the rules and regulations established by the governing bodies of the School of Medicine and the university.

Transfer Students

The VCU School of Medicine does not typically consider applications for transfer admission. In the rare instance where a transfer student would be considered, the student must demonstrate rare and extraordinary personal or educational circumstances. Applicants for transfer admission will only be considered for transfer into the clerkship (M3) year of the curriculum.

Application

In instances where there are demonstrable rare and extraordinary personal or educational circumstances, applicants for transfer must also meet the following criteria in order to be considered for admission:

• Demonstrate a compelling reason to be at the VCU School of Medicine
• Be transferring from an LCME-accredited medical school
• Be in good academic and professional standing within their current medical school
• Have the written approval of the dean of the transferring institution
• Have premedical and medical school credentials comparable to those of students in the class they will join

Students who meet the defined criteria should submit a letter to the Associate Dean for Admissions describing the compelling reason for the requested transfer no later than Sept. 1 prior to the start of the anticipated enrollment. If the student meets criteria for transfer, the ADA will confer with the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education and Student Affairs to determine if there is availability to accommodate an additional learner.

Acceptance

To be accepted for transfer into the first clinical (clerkship) year, students must have successfully applied as above and subsequently meet the following criteria:

• Successfully completed all preclinical course work at an LCME-accredited medical school
• Passed Step 1 of the USMLE licensing examination

It is a rare circumstance to have positions available for transfer. If there are more acceptable candidates than positions, selection will be based on the strength of the application. The decision of a transfer application is at the discretion of the admissions committee after consultation with the SADMESA regarding equivalency of educational experiences and clinical availability. 

Advanced Standing

The VCU School of Medicine does not accept students for admission with advanced standing.

Virginia Commonwealth University in agreement with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 provides reasonable accommodation to any individual who advises us of a disability. We wish to provide new and current students who have a disability the opportunity to voluntarily identify themselves.

Early identification permits the Division for Academic Success the opportunity to acquire verification of the disability, if required, and the opportunity to get appropriate accommodations in place as soon as possible. All accommodations requests are handled on an individual basis. Examples of some accommodations are; alternative testing format, assistive technology, computer software programs, extended test taking time, note takers, quiet testing area, readers, scribes, and sign language interpreters.

If you are an individual with a disability and wish to identify yourself as such, please contact the Division for Academic Success. It is important to note that all disclosures are confidential and are released only with your permission. A comprehensive VCU Handbook for Students with Disabilities is available upon request. We also are available to answer questions about accommodations and services.

Mail: VCU Division for Academic Success, Box 980124, Richmond, VA 23298-0124

Phone: (804) 828-9782 or VTDD (804) 828-4608

Fax: (804) 828-4609

Website: das.vcu.edu

Medical education curriculum

The curriculum for the M.D. degree is divided into four phases:

• Scientific Foundations of Medicine
• Applied Medical Sciences
• Clinical Concentrations (also called Clerkships)
• Advanced Clinical Concentrations

In addition, there are multiple longitudinal courses throughout the curriculum:

• Diagnostic Reasoning (pre-clinical phase)
• Geriatrics Education
• Interprofessional Education
• Physician, Patient and Society
• Point of Care Ultrasound (pre-clinical phase)
• Population Health and Evidence-based Medicine
• Practice of Clinical Medicine (pre-clinical phase)
• Telehealth (clinical phase)

M1: The Scientific Foundations of Medicine – These sections comprise the first semester and provide the foundational knowledge of the basic sciences necessary for the practice of medicine. 

• Molecular Basis of Health and Disease (Biochemistry and Genetics)
• Fundamentals of Physiology
• Principles of Autonomics and Pharmacology
• Infection and Immunity (Microbiology and Immunology)
• Foundations of Disease

M1-M2: Applied Medical Sciences – These sections are taught during the second and third semesters. Using an integrated, organ-system approach, normal functioning is taught in tandem with disease and its treatment. 

• Marrow (Hematology/Oncology)
• Movement (Musculoskeletal Systems) and Anatomy
• Gastrointestinal and Anatomy
• Endocrinology
• Reproduction and Anatomy
• Cardiovascular
• Pulmonary
• Renal
• Neurosciences
• Behavioral Sciences
• Applied Clinical Anatomy Capstone

M3-M4: Clinical Concentrations – Covering the remaining two and one-half years, the clinical concentrations include traditional clinical clerkship training, electives and advanced clinical training in field(s) of interest. Scheduling flexibility permits students to intersperse elective opportunities immediately to promote exploration of career interests and maximize individual learning needs. Specialty-specific choices such as electives and advanced clinical training opportunities are selected with the guidance of a specialty adviser. All students complete eight core clerkships, two acting internships and a variety of electives related to speciality interests:

• Core clerkships
  • Ambulatory (4 weeks)
  • Family medicine (4 weeks)
  • Internal medicine (8 weeks)
  • Neurology (4 weeks)
  • Obstetrics/gynecology (6 weeks)
  • Pediatrics (6 weeks)
  • Psychiatry (4 weeks)
  • Surgery (8 weeks)
• Advanced clinical training
  • Inpatient acting internship (4 weeks)
  • Critical care acting internship (4 weeks)
• Specialty-driven electives
  • Career exploration electives (up to 4 weeks in clerkship phase)
  • 44 weeks of electives (24 weeks minimum of clinical elective time/20 weeks maximum on non-clinical elective time)

Transition courses: Each phase of the curriculum commences with a transition course.  The Transition to Medical School course is as a comprehensive introduction to the expectations and responsibilities inherent in the medical profession. Over a two-week period, students gain essential insights into curricular requirements, faculty, teamwork dynamics, support services and facilities. The Transition to M3 course is a comprehensive three-week course featuring instructional sessions and simulation exercises aimed at equipping students for the challenges of the clinical setting and the academic demands of the clerkship year. The Transition to M4 course occurs before the commencement of clinical electives and acting internships at the start of the fourth year of the curriculum. This course focuses on topics and skills necessary to successfully navigate the required components of the M4 year. Sessions include topics on ICU management, electrolyte emergencies, transitions of care, escalation of care and calling consultants. As part of their final preparations for graduation, students engage in the Transition to Residency course, which will prepare students for a successful intern year in their respective residency programs. 

Geriatrics education: Developed using the core competencies as defined by the American Geriatrics Society and the Association of American Medical Colleges, this four-year curriculum includes interactive case-based sessions, patient and caregiver panels and online case simulation. By the end of M4, students will be able to evaluate older patients that exhibit acute and chronic illness in a manner consistent with the patients’ prognosis, values and goals. The management of older patients will be informed by a core-defined knowledge of age-related changes in human biology and pharmacology, as well as systems of care. Students also learn how to manage common geriatric syndromes and conditions, including (but not limited to): delirium, dementia, immobility, falls, under-nutrition, polypharmacy, pre- and post-operative complications, social isolation, failure to thrive, discharge planning, and elder abuse. 

Practice of Clinical Medicine: This longitudinal course begins the first week of medical school where students participate in an intensive “boot camp” to learn the essentials of obtaining a history and physical examination. The week culminates with students performing their first complete history and physical examination on a standardized patient. Throughout the first two semesters, students learn to develop communication skills, how to ask patients about specific types of historical information and detailed organ-specific examinations. Students practice these skills using standardized patients in our state-of-the-art simulation center. The third semester, students are placed with community preceptors to practice these skills with actual patients. 

Physician, Patient and Society: This course encompasses the humanistic, ethical and legal responsibility of physician to their patients and society. Topics covered include the physician-patient relationship, integrative/complementary medicine, palliative care, spirituality, health disparities, physician bias and cultural competency, and the practical application of ethics and law to the practice of medicine.

Population Health and Evidence-based Medicine: During the first three semesters, students develop an understanding of the determinants of health such as socioeconomic, educational and environmental circumstances, the assessment and measurement of health status at the population level, the ability to effectively evaluate the quality of medical literature, and biostatistics. During the clerkship phase, the course focuses on the application of prior knowledge in analyzing evidence which contributes to decision-making in patient care.

Interprofessional Education: This course involves learners from the various health professions schools. Introductory course work encompasses topics such as team formation, defining quality, improving quality, leadership, complexity and error, measuring error, error-prevention tools and techniques, and an independent quality/safety improvement project. During the clinical and advanced clinical concentrations students will study and analyze in real time the impact of safety/quality improvement projects within the various health systems where clinical rotations are performed.

Ultrasound: The VCU Point-of-Care Ultrasound course is a longitudinal course throughout the pre-clinical curriculum. The course gives students the opportunity to learn bedside clinical ultrasound at the same time they are learning basic physical exam and history skills in their Practice of Clinical Medicine course. The course consists of sessions with ultrasound-trained practicing clinical faculty that provide direct feedback and guidance to the learner. Each session will have a standardized patient to scan, and pathology will be discussed or displayed on the simulators. 

Diagnostic Reasoning: An 18-month longitudinal course that has two distinct but related purposes: 1) to help medical students prepare for M3 and beyond by honing their critical-thinking and diagnostic skills by building their differential diagnosis capabilities and 2) to help prepare for Step 1 examination by both improving critical-thinking skills and making the student practice with USMLE-style multiple choice questions. Students interview a standardized patient to obtain the pertinent histories and then utilize the case system to “order” physical exam and diagnostic studies to go from their broad differentials based on history alone, and narrow down to a final diagnosis and two plausible diagnoses that they have ruled out using their exam and diagnostic studies. Students also form clinical questions about their cases utilizing medical literature.

Telehealth: Telehealth is both the present and future of medicine. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were already advances in the delivery of virtual health care. With the emergence of COVID-19, those advances were accelerated, and this included the involvement of learners in telehealth delivery. In recognition of the increased need for telehealth, the AAMC has developed telehealth competencies that span the spectrum from new graduate to experienced physician. During the clerkship phase of the curriculum, students participate in telehealth visits as well as attend lectures that address updates in telehealth regarding initiatives to address disparities, regulatory and legal requirements, or other emerging issues, and additional opportunities for skill sessions practice.

U.S. Medical Licensing Examination

All students are required to pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 prior to the start of the clinical concentrations (clerkships).

Students who do not pass the examination on the first attempt will be placed on a leave of absence. During this time the student will be allowed two additional attempts to pass the examination. Failure to pass the examination after three attempts will result in immediate dismissal. Students who fail Step 1 on the first attempt may request additional financial aid to take a commercial board preparation course. These funds will be granted one time only.

All students are required to take the USMLE Step 2 CK for the first time after completion of their core clerkships or by the annual established date by the Office of Medical Education. Failure to do so will result in dismissal. Students are required to pass USMLE Step 2 CK for graduation. Students are allowed three attempts to pass Step 2 CK. If they do not pass by the third attempt, they will be automatically dismissed. 

Withdrawal from the School of Medicine

Students may withdraw after meeting with the senior associate dean for medical education and student affairs and submitting a letter requesting withdrawal.

Requirements for graduation

The VCU School of Medicine has established the following requirements students must satisfy in order to complete the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program.

Advancement to the clinical curriculum

To progress to the core clerkships and electives in the M3 year, students must:

• Pass all courses in the Scientific Foundations of Medicine phase of the curriculum
• Pass all courses in the Applied Medical Sciences phase of the curriculum
• Pass the USMLE Step 1 Exam

Advancement to graduation for the M.D. program

Candidates for graduation from the four-year curriculum must:

• Pass all required and elective coursework in the four-year curriculum
• Complete and log all required clinical experiences

  • Specific requirements regarding the required clinical experiences that must be logged prior to graduation can be found in the Completion of Required Clinical Experiences Policy.

• Be in good academic standing
• Pass specified qualifying examinations including USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK
• Satisfactorily complete VCU CSE
• Satisfactorily complete required curricular experiences
• Demonstrate satisfactory compliance with the Technical Standards for Medical Students, including exhibiting the professional characteristics expected of a physician
  • Specific requirements regarding technical standards can be found in the Technical Standards for the M.D. Program Policy.
• Adhere to all VCU SOM and university policies

Competency-based graduation track

Candidates for graduation from the three-year CBG curriculum must:

• Pass all required and elective coursework in the three-year CBG curriculum
• Complete and log all required clinical experiences

  • Specific requirements regarding the required clinical experiences that must be logged prior to graduation can be found in the Completion of Required Clinical Experiences Policy.

• Be in good academic standing
• Pass specified qualifying examinations including USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK
• Satisfactorily complete VCU CSE
• Satisfactorily complete required curricular experiences
• Demonstrate satisfactory compliance with the Technical Standards for Medical Students, including exhibiting the professional characteristics expected of a physician​
  • Specific requirements regarding technical standards can be found in the Technical Standards for the M.D. Program Policy.
• Adhere to all VCU SOM and university policies

VCU’s clinical skills exam

All students are required to take and pass a CSE at the beginning of the fourth year of medical school to assess the core clinical skills of communication, data collection (history and physical exam), clinical reasoning (differential diagnosis, diagnostic therapeutic plan) and other institutional learning objectives. A passing score on this exam is required for graduation, and failure of this exam requires remediation, which may include retaking the exam.

Time to completion of requirements

Students must complete all required components to advance to graduation within six years of initial matriculation, including any academic leave of absence.

Sample plan of study

Course	Title	Hours
M1 year
Fall semester (MEDI 100)
Transition to Medical School
Practice of Clinical Medical Bootcamp
Molecular Basis of Health and Disease
Principles of Physiology
Principles of Autonomics and Pharmacology
Immunity and Infection
Foundations of Disease
Practice of Clinical Medicine
Patient, Physician and Society
Population Health and Evidence Based Medicine
Ultrasound
Diagnostic Reasoning
Geriatrics
Spring semester (MEDI 150)
Marrow (Hematology / Oncology)
Movement (Musculoskeletal)
Gastrointestinal
Endocrine
Reproduction
Practice of Clinical Medicine
Patient, Physician and Society
Population Health and Evidence Based Medicine
Ultrasound
Diagnostic Reasoning
Geriatrics
IPEC 502	Interprofessional Quality Improvement and Patient Safety	1
M2 year
Fall semester (MEDI 200)
Cardiovascular
Pulmonary
Renal
Neuroscience
Practice of Clinical Medicine
Patient, Physician and Society
Population Health and Evidence Based Medicine
Ultrasound
Diagnostic Reasoning
Geriatrics
Spring semester (MEDI 250)
Behavioral Sciences
Practice of Clinical Medicine
Step 1 Study
M3 year
Fall and spring semesters (MEDI 300)
M3 Transition to Clerkships
Internal Medicine Clerkship
Surgery Clerkship
OB/GYN Clerkship
Pediatrics Clerkship
Family Medicine Clerkship
Neurology Clerkship
Psychiatry Clerkship
Ambulatory Clerkship
Foundational Career Exploratory electives
Patient, Physician and Society
Population Health
Telehealth
M4 year
Fall and spring semesters (MEDI 400)
Transition to M4 - Clinical Concentrations
Two acting internships, one ward and one critical care (four weeks each)
Step 2 Clinical Knowledge exam
28 weeks of clinical electives
Up to 20 weeks of non-clinical electives
Patient, Physician and Society
Interprofessional Critical Care Simulations
IPEC 561	IPE Virtual Geriatric Case	2
Transition to Residency

The competency-based graduation program allows students to complete the medical curriculum in three years instead of four and gain a head start in the chosen specialization. The program assesses competency through rigorous assessments of entrustable professional activities and specialty-specific milestones. In addition to a continuum of education, training and practice, goals of implementing a three-year graduation program include the reduction of student debt and retaining students at VCU Health who will ultimately practice medicine in Virginia. Having students rapidly enter the workforce will aid in the impact of the impending physician shortage. 

Students may express interest in the program at the end of the first year of medical school. Students are selected for the program through a rigorous review process including assessment of pre-clinical grades; audit of feedback from patient encounters, preceptors and small group leaders in the Practice of Clinical Medicine course; an interview with the specialty residency director; and an essay of interest. Approximately halfway through the third-year clerkship phase, there will be an intensive review to determine if the student is on track with their competency achievement to be able to graduate after their clerkship year (May of their third year or summer of their fourth year.) The student will apply to VCU Health or a VCU Community Family Medicine residency program and enter the match in December of their third year.

Students accepted into the competency-based graduation program follow the same third-year curriculum with the exception of the foundational elective period being replaced by the fourth-year acting internship requirement and the first block of the traditional fourth year is replaced with a critical care elective. Students are assigned to a specialty coach with whom they meet regularly to review assessment data as well as set and achieve performance and wellness goals. Students also complete the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge and Clinical Skills exams in the third year instead of the fourth. 

The goal of the program is multifaceted in that it will 1) attract high-achieving students to the VCU School of Medicine, 2) improve the transition from undergraduate medical education to graduate medical education through a transparent handover including the coach, program director and student, 3) retain high-achieving students as residents at VCU Health and 4) address the physician shortage in that students who remain in Virginia for residency are more likely to stay and practice in the state. 

VCU’s School of Medicine participates in the Consortium of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs, which includes more than 25 medical schools that offer an accelerated curriculum.