The Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS) is a prestigious medical school that trains students to become healthcare professionals in the Military Health System. With a highly competitive admissions process, many aspiring medical professionals wonder if USUHS is easy to get into. The truth is, USUHS is known for its low acceptance rate, making it a challenging institution to gain admission to.

To apply to USUHS, prospective students must meet certain admission requirements. These include having a minimum MCAT score of 496 and a GPA of at least 3.0. However, successful applicants typically have much higher academic credentials, with an average MCAT score of 511 and a GPA of 3.7. Meeting these standards is essential for increasing your chances of being accepted into USUHS.

The admission process for USUHS involves submitting an application, completing an interview, and meeting with a selection committee to review your qualifications. With over 3,000 applicants vying for approximately 170 spots each year, it is crucial to stand out from the competition by excelling academically and demonstrating a strong commitment to serving in the Military Health System. Successful candidates will possess both the academic prowess and dedication needed to thrive in this unique educational environment.

USUHS Acceptance Rate	Details
Overall Acceptance Rate	8%
Number of Applicants	Over 3,000 applicants apply each year
Number of Spots	Around 170 spots available
Branch Distribution	63 Army students, 51 Air Force students, 51 Navy students, 2 Public Health Service students
MCAT Score Requirement	496 or higher
GPA Requirement	At least 3.0
Average MCAT Score of Successful Applicants	511
Average GPA of Successful Applicants	3.7

USUHS Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate 8%

Due to commissioning standards, all students must be at least 18 years old at the time of matriculation, but no older than 36 as of June 30 in the year of matriculation.

Applicants who are older than 36 by 30 June in the year of matriculation will have to request an age waiver prior to an offer; these waivers are often given. At this time, it is not necessary to submit a waiver request. We will inform you at the appropriate time.

Although grades are not the only criterion used in decision making, the quality of an applicant’s work at the pre-professional level is of major interest to the school, and the average GPA of our incoming class is a 3.6 (cumulative and in the sciences). The lowest cumulative GPA accepted is 3.0 (Undergraduate, Graduate or Postbaccalaureate Undergraduate).

Students must have attained a baccalaureate degree as of June 1 of the year of planned matriculation from an accredited academic institution in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico or another U.S. Territory. All academic prerequisites must be completed by June 1 of the year of matriculation. If you have not listed all of your prerequisites on your AMCAS application, please email a statement to your Admissions Counselor informing the Admissions Committee of any additional classes you will be taking, as well as when and where you are taking the class, the name of the class, and number of credit hours.
Applicants must have completed the following course work:

• One academic year of biology and one acadmic year of biology laboratory
  • Additional, upper level Biology coursework should be taken if one has had AP or IB Biology.
  • The Admissions Committee will accept general biology, human anatomy, human physiology (or anatomy and physiology combined), microbiology, zoology, animal biology and cell biology
  • The Committee will not accept biochemistry, botany, plant biology, environmental biology, prokaryotic biology, environmental science, ecology or geology
  • If you have taken a course which is not listed above, contact the Admissions Office via email for a personal response
• One academic year of general or inorganic chemistry and one acadmic year of general or inorganic chemistry laboratory
  • The Admissions Committee will accept general chemistry, biochemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry and introductory chemistry
• One academic year of organic chemistry and one acadmic year of organic chemistry laboratory
  • Biochemistry may be substituted for the second semester of organic. Biochemistry lab not required if using Biochemistry for second semester of the prerequisite.
  • The Admissions Committee will accept general organic chemistry, introductory organic chemistry, structures and reactions and chemical structural analysis
  • Please consult your school’s course catalog to make sure that your particular course is organic
• One academic year of general physics and one acadmic year of physics laboratory
  • The Admissions Committee will accept introductory physics, calculus-based physics, algebra-based physics and mechanics, fluids and engineering
• One semester of calculus or statistics
  • The Admissions Committee will accept business calculus, survey of calculus and introductory calculus. The committee will accept statistics courses from natural and social science fields
• One academic year of English, foreign language, writing intensive humanities, social science, or psychology courses. Any combination of two semesters or three quarters’ worth of classes is acceptable for this requirement

You must receive a letter grade of “C” or higher for the courses to meet the prerequisite requirement. CLEP courses are not accepted for the prerequisites. This requirement cannot be waived. AP or IB courses for which your undergraduate institution has given you credit are acceptable for Calculus, Statistics, Inorganic Chemistry, and Physics. AP or IB courses for which you have been given credit are also acceptable for the requirement to have one year’s worth of credits in English, the Foreign Languages, Psychology, or the Humanities. If you have received credit for coursework through the AP or IB systems, we strongly recommend that you take upper level coursework in the sciences and humanities to demonstrate your ability to thrive in rigorous, advanced college courses. Courses may be taken in a classroom setting or online through a U.S. accredited univeristy or college. Please see our FAQ’s for more information on course requirements.

uSUHS medical school requirements

Applicants must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and provide scores from tests that have been taken within three years of desired matriculation. The fall MCAT is the latest testing date considered by the admissions committee for those students applying to the School of Medicine for admission the following summer. If you do not have MCAT results to submit, you must take the exam during the months of June through September 2020 to be eligible. MCAT scores received before January 2018 are not accepted. Applicants cannot take the MCAT and enter the school in the same year. Arrangements must be made to have the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) furnish official reports. Applicants should not send personal MCAT score reports to the school. The AMCAS designator code for USU is 821.

Although test scores are just one of the indicators the admissions office uses to evaluate applicants, the MCAT is important, and the average MCAT for matriculants is 508-509. MCAT scores below 496 will not be accepted.

MCAT(link is external)

Commissioning Requirements

Meet the requirements for holding a commission in the uniformed services:

• Applicants must be physically qualified by not having any pre-existing conditions that would prevent them from performing the duties of a military doctor
• Applicants must be morally qualified by passing a security investigation if they are accepted

Average UGrad GPA3.64Average MCAT Score509Total Med School Enrollment687

Test Scores

Average MCAT Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems127

Average MCAT Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems127

Average MCAT Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior128

Average MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills127

Deadlines

RegularNovember 1

Admissions Requirements

• MCAT Scores: Required
• Essay / Personal Statement: Required
• Science GPA: Required
• Non Science GPA: Require
• Extracurricular Activities: Optional
• Letters of Recommendation: Required
• Interview: Required
• State Residency: Optional

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must be citizens of the United States; be at least 18 years old at the time of matriculation (but no older than 36 as of June 30) in the year of admission (age waivers will be considered); meet military regulations related to physical health; possess a baccalaureate degree by June 1 in the year of admissions; and fulfill academic prerequisites. Prerequisites are one year each of Biology, Physics, and General Chemistry with lab. Students should also complete one-year of Organic Chemistry with lab or one semester of Organic Chemistry with lab and one semester of Biochemistry. Students should also complete one year of a writing intensive Humanities, Social Science, Language or Psychology course. One semester of Calculus or Statistics is required. AP credit will be considered for courses.The MCAT is required, and scores must be from within three years of desired matriculation. For applicants who have retaken the exam, all scores are considered, with emphasis given to the most recent administration.

Other Admission Factors

Academic

MCAT Scores

Science GPA: Non-Academic

Interviews

USUHS medical school ranking

The American Academy of Family Physicians, the largest U.S. physician specialty society, has recognized the university’s family medicine department has one of the nation’s top 10 for the past three years, he reported.

USU is unique among medical schools, as it produces highly trained medical professionals for both the military and the Public Health Service, Reamy said. Students arrive with a commitment to military or federal service and the men and women in uniform they will care for, often in harm’s way.

About 40 percent of USU’s graduates go into primary care, about twice the percentage of those at other medical schools, Reamy said. “From its founding, the Uniformed Services University has really had a focus and attention to excellence in primary care – family medicine, pediatrics and general international medicine,” he said. “Over the years, that focus has not changed, but it has become a little more publicly known.”

In addition, the university distinguishes itself with a heavy emphasis on preventive medicine and research directly relevant to the military: traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, emerging infectious diseases and combat casualty care, he said.

The National Science Foundation recognized USU as one of the nation’s top medical schools to receive federal research funding over the past 10 years. Reamy called that a testament to the quality of its programs. “You get federal research funding because you are doing excellent research,” he said.

The U.S. News and World Report ranking, he said, “recognizes the unique role that USU is playing in terms of providing research in areas that directly affect the health and welfare of the military, but also have secondary benefits across medicine in the United States.”

Navy Cmdr. Robert Hawkins, director of the nurse anesthesia program within the Graduate School of Nursing, also spoke by telephone with American Forces Press Service and said the program’s high rankings in the new report recognize the quality of the professionals it produces.

A demanding curriculum that combines scientific concepts and extensive clinical practice prepares students to operate as independent practitioners. That will be critical, he said, particularly because most students deploy within nine months of graduation.

While savoring recognition for its masters-degree-level nurse anesthesia program, USU is preparing to transition to a doctoral program this spring, Hawkins reported. That transition, based on American Association of Colleges of Nursing recommendations, will extend the program from 30 to 36 months.

The first doctoral-level class will arrive at USU in May and graduate two years later.

Hawkins said he’s optimistic this next step in the program will further enhance the bedside care military nurse anesthetists provide – whatever care their patients need, and wherever that care is provided.

USUHS programs

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is the nation’s only Federal health sciences university. USU educates, trains, and comprehensively prepares uniformed services health professionals, scientists, and leaders to support the Military and Public Health Systems, the National Security and National Defense Strategies of the United States, and the readiness of our Uniformed Services.

USU consists of the:

• F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine 
• Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing 
• Postgraduate Dental College 
• College of Allied Health Sciences 

USU is the only institute of higher learning to provide a military unique curriculum, in a joint environment, that educates and trains leaders in healthcare relevant to the military missions.   

USU is a global leader in state-of-the-art research including TBI, PTSD, precision medicine, rehabilitation and prosthetics, emerging infectious diseases, tropical medicine, and cancer. 

USU faculty serve as a direct connection for DoD for expertise in centers and programs related to global health, TBI, PTSD, disaster medicine, neuroscience, rehabilitation medicine, cancer and human performance.  

The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Resources Management & Policy (HRM&P) is responsible for providing a cost-effective, quality health benefit to 9.4 million active duty uniformed Service Members, retirees, survivors and their families. The MHS has an approximate $50 billion annual budget and consists of a worldwide network of 50+ military hospitals, 350+ health clinics, private-sector health business partners, and the Uniformed Services University.  Developing and maintaining this integral financial portfolio supports and promotes the Military Health System’s strategic imperatives.

Mission

HRM&P provides health resources funding management and direction from multiple sources, including the military Services.

Vision

Work to balance an integrated capability that keeps within budget to afford the best quality healthcare support possible for the beneficiary population as well as operational readiness mission requirements.

Areas of Responsibilities

• Develops policies, procedures, and standards that govern the management of DoD health and medical programs 
• Reviews, evaluates, and undertakes management oversight activities for DoD health and medical policies, plans, programs, and systems 
• Serves as resource manager for all DoD health and medical financial, and other resources.