Requirements & Procedures

Premedical Requirements

Prospective medical students must have earned 71 semester hours or the equivalent in an accredited US or Canadian college or university.

• Biology/lab (8 semester hours)
• Inorganic Chemistry/lab (8 semester hours)
• Organic Chemistry/lab (8 semester hours)
• Physics/lab (8 semester hours)
• Math/Statistics (6 semester hours) - Any college-level math course
• Biochemistry (3 semester hours)
• English (6 semester hours)
• Humanities Courses (6 semester hours) – (includes additional English course work, Languages, Art, Music, History, Philosophy, Religion, etc.)

Also Recommended:

• Anatomy & Physiology
• Cell Biology
• Developmental Biology & Embryology
• Genetics
• Neuroscience
• Microbiology

 

The Medical College Admissions Test

The MCAT is required of all applicants and can be taken at any time, but no later than January of the year that you are seeking admission. Only MCAT scores taken within the last 3 years prior to matriculation will be considered.

For MCAT information, see: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/

 

AMCAS and Secondary Applications

For AMCAS information, see: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/applying-medical-school-amcas/

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) application must be used by all prospective applicants to the College of Medicine. The deadline for filing the completed AMCAS application is December 15 of the year immediately preceding the school year in which the applicant expects to enter medical school. Once AMCAS has notified HUCM Admissions that the application has been verified, the College of Medicine will invite, via email, the applicant to submit a secondary application.

 

Technical Standards of the College of Medicine

A physician must have the knowledge and skills to function effectively in a broad variety of laboratory and clinical situations. Students matriculating in and graduating from Howard University College of Medicine must be able to meet the technical requirements of the academic program and not pose a threat to the well-being of patients or themselves.

The COM faculty has declared that matriculating students and candidates for admission should have the capabilities and skills described below to graduate.

The COM requires compliance with these technical standards with or without accommodation. Access the complete Technical Standards of the College of Medicine.

 

AAMC PREviewTM exam

The PREview exam was developed to measure applicants’ knowledge of effective and ineffective behaviors related to core pre-professional competencies. This knowledge serves as a foundation for further learning and developing in these areas during medical school and is a necessary precursor to behaving effectively. The AAMC collaborated with subject matter experts in the medical school community, including faculty, admissions officers, and student and diversity affairs officers, to develop the PREview exam for medical school admission. Engaging subject matter experts ensures the exam meaningfully and fairly measures pre-professional competencies and is scored to align with medical schools’ expectations and standards for future medical school students.

Competencies

The AAMC PREview exam assesses examinees’ understanding of effective pre-professional behaviors across the following eight core competencies for entering medical students. For more information on the AAMC PREview, please visit the following website https://students-residents.aamc.org/aamc- preview/about-aamc-preview-professional-readiness-exam

Figure 1. AAMC core competencies for entering medical students.

 

 

Other Admissions Facts

• Applicants must demonstrate academic achievement and potential as well as appropriate intellectual personal and social traits.
• Applicants must demonstrate an interest in solving the problems associated with health disparities and should have experience working or volunteering with underserved communities.
• Applicants should meet the GPA and MCAT scores: Science GPA of 3.0 and a MINIMUM total MCAT 494 (New MCAT).
• Admission into any of the Dual M.D. degree programs and the regular M.D. degree are highly competitive. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee an interview, nor admission.

If you are accepted to the College of Medicine:

Students who have accepted our offer of admissions are expected to submit medical forms (immunization and history, and transcripts [if classes were taken after the AMCAS verification], no later than June 30).

For accepted International Students ONLY, financial information must be submitted no later than June 30.

 

Criminal Background Checks

To maintain the safety and well-being of patients, maintain the ability of accepted applicants and enrolled medical students to become licensed as physicians, and reduce liability concerns affecting medical schools and their affiliated clinical facilities, AAMC recommends a criminal background check for all enrolled medical students.

Students conditionally admitted as incoming freshmen into the Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) will be subject to a Criminal Background Check (CBC) through the AMCAS facilitated CBC of the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). To matriculate into the COM, all new entrants MUST satisfactorily pass the criminal background check. Additionally, a second background check and drug screening will be administered, and must be satisfactorily passed, prior to matriculation into the junior year of study.