AMCAS Application: The Absolute Guide (2024)

Important tips to help you navigate the AMCAS application.

If you’re passionate about medicine, then you may have decided that a career as a doctor is right for you. Whether your goal is to be a family physician or pursue a more specialized field, such as orthopedics or gynecology, the first step on your journey is to attend medical school. Understanding the AMCAS application is key to your success.

If you are applying to allopathic, meaning M.D. granting medical schools in the U.S, you will want to understand the ins and outs of the American Medical College Application Service, also known as AMCAS. AMCAS is used to apply to all allopathic medical schools in the United States except medical schools in Texas.

Offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the AMCAS is a centralized application service used by almost all the medical students in the U.S. In this sense it’s like the Common Application used by undergraduate programs. Along with grades and test scores, you can expect to use the AMCAS to submit your recommendations, personal statements, and other information to your target colleges.

While the AMCAS makes applying to multiple schools easier, using this system can be a challenge. If you want to ensure medical schools receive all of your application components as early as possible in the application cycle (a goal for anyone applying to medical school), it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the application system early in the process. Keep reading for our guide to submitting your AMCAS application successfully.

Follow the steps below to ensure you know what to expect when completing your AMCAS application.