Applying to Medical or Dental School
AMCAS Application & FAQs
The 2026 AMCAS application will be available on approximately May 1, 2025. Applications may be submitted beginning approximately May 30, 2025.
For further information, please contact AMCAS at (202) 828-0600. Representatives are available M-F, 9-7pm ET. Questions can also be sent to AMCAS@aamc.org.
General Questions
Coursework, Grading System & GPA
Transcripts
Study Abroad
Work/Activities
MCAT
Letters of Recommendation
General Questions
Do I fill out the AMCAS form for MD/PhD application or is there a separate form?
Use the regular AMCAS application. When you select the schools you are applying to, you will be asked to specify the program type and you will select MD/PhD. In addition, on the AMCAS application, you will be required to fill out two additional essays for MD/PhD programs
Can I change the schools I want to apply to after I submit my application?
Yes, these can be updated at any time.
Why should I choose to allow my Bates Medical Studies advisors to see my application?
Bates advisors can serve as a resource to help you complete your application. By providing us access to your application we are able to see what section of the application you are working on, in addition to when you started and submitted your application.
What can delay my application verification process?
The peak application submission times are during the months of July, and August. If you submit your application in June, your application will be verified sooner and you will more readily receive secondary applications and eventually interviews. The AMCAS Verification process starts when your application has been submitted and your official transcripts have arrived at AMCAS. Make sure you request your transcripts in a timely manner and verify that they have been sent by Bates and received by AMCAS. Be sure your courses are listed chronologically and classified correctly. Lastly, be sure credits and grades are listed as they appear on your official transcript.
When should I complete my secondary applications?
Secondary applications should be completed as soon as possible. Most of the schools will send you secondaries. Once they receive your secondary application, your letters of recommendation, and MCAT scores your application will be moved forward to the next phase, in which you will be considered for an interview.
Transcripts
Does AMCAS require an official copy of my transcript from Bates?
Yes. You will need to request one from the registrar.
How can I have my transcripts provided to AMCAS?
Detailed instructions on how to request that your transcript be sent to AMCAS can be found through the Bates Registrar.
When answering questions in the Transcript Identification section, how should I designate Bates’ semester pattern?
Bates’ semester description is 4-4-1. (4 courses in the fall, 4 courses in winter, and 1 course in the spring)
How do I know that my transcript was received by AMCAS?
You will receive an email from AMCAS once they have received your transcript.
Coursework, Grading & GPA
Do I need to convert Bates credits to semester hours or will AMCAS do this for me?
Your AMCAS application will automatically convert most undergraduate credit hours (also known as units, hours, etc.) to either semester hours or supplemental hours based on conversions provided by undergraduate institutions. Indicate your credit hours or units exactly as they appear on your transcript. Do not attempt to enter conversions based on the Grade Conversion Guide or any other conversion method.
How does AMCAS calculate GPA? Do they include graduate school courses grades in the undergraduate GPA?
The AMCAS application provides a GPA for a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years and a cumulative GPA for all four of them. The graduate GPA is separate. In addition, AMCAS will calculate a BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics, math) GPA, AO (all other) GPA and CUM (cumulative) GPA.
What courses are included in the BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics, math) GPA that is calculated by AMCAS?
Each health profession has its own online common application service which has its own method of classifying courses for the science GPA. Usually, application services count courses listed in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics toward the science GPA. Application services will often include neuroscience courses under biology, but they do not include courses in psychology, geology, or computer science (engineering is usually a separate classification). Mathematics generally includes courses in applied math as well as statistics courses in the social sciences (e.g., sociology and psychology). For more information on which courses count toward the science GPA, consult the AMCAS website.
Should I enter the classes I intend to take next year, or only the classes I have already completed the coursework section of the application?
List courses in which you are currently enrolled and the classes you expect to enroll in prior to entering medical school. Indicate “Current/Future” as the course type. Do not request a transcript exception if the future classes will be at Bates. Only request a transcript exception if the future class will be taken at a different institution.
What course classification is this course?
Each course must be assigned a course classification based strictly on the primary content of the course. You are responsible for selecting the correct course classification. Use the AMCAS Course Classification Guide for assistance. AMCAS reserves the right to change classifications if the assigned classification clearly does not apply. In the event that you are unable to classify a course, refer to the description of the course on Bates website or consult with your Pre-health Advisor to choose the most appropriate classification.
What should I do if I am uncertain of how to list a particular course taken at Bates?
Review the list of options AMCAS provides and talk with faculty or members of the course department. AMCAS will accept the course classification you select as long as your official transcript doesn’t classify the course differently.
Study Abroad
How do I note study abroad credit on the AMCAS application?
Please see the How to Enter Study Abroad Coursework information on the AAMC website.
Do I need my study abroad transcript?
AMCAS only wants your official transcript from schools within the United States. You do not need to submit a transcript from the study abroad institution.
MCAT
Can I submit the AMCAS application without having a MCAT score?
Yes, applicants can submit the AMCAS application without having an MCAT score but will need to indicate when he/she expects to take the MCAT. The AMCAS application will be processed without the MCAT score and shared with schools. Once your MCAT score is available it will be automatically posted to your AMCAS application. Individual schools will make decisions on a case-by-case basis on whether they will wait for the new MCAT score before reviewing your application or extending an interview offer.
How many MCAT scores will AMCAS show on my application?
All MCAT scores will automatically be released to AMCAS.
Work/Activities
Should I enter my experiences in a bulleted format or a paragraph?
When completed, the application is sent to medical schools in plain text. It’s best if you type the information in a paragraph format or use dashes instead of bullets. If you plan to cut and paste your experience description into the application, draft it in plain text. Copying formatted text into the application may result in formatting issues that cannot be edited once your application is submitted.
What activities should I include on the Post-Secondary Experience portion of the application? How much information should I provide?
Here you will enter work experiences, extracurricular activities, awards, etc. Only list the activities that you were actively involved in. You do not have to fill each of the 15 slots – medical schools want to see quality not quantity. You may identify up to 3 experiences that you consider most meaningful. For those activities, you are given an additional 1325 characters to explain why. It is recommended that descriptions be written in resume style paragraphs and in plain text. In some instances to allow space for more than 15 activities, awards, jobs, etc., you may want to combine your activities in one entry. Specific examples include research projects that resulted in publications or shadowing.
Letters of Recommendation
Which type of letter of evaluation should I choose?
Each of the following letter types is considered one letter entry in the AMCAS application. Committee Letter: Includes a committee letter and all of your letters submitted in one packet. Select this if you interviewed with the committee and you wish to have all of your letters including your committee letter be sent to all of the schools you are applying to. Letter Packet: A Letter Packet includes a cover sheet and all of your letters. This packet does not include a committee letter. Select this if you would like us to submit your letters but you did not interview with the committee. Individual Letter: An Individual Letter entry would only need to be completed if you wish to send a specific letter to a specific school, meaning you do not wish to send all letters to all schools. If this applies, please reach out to James Smith to be sure you are completing this properly.
Who should I list as the Letter writer?
If you have a committee letter, use the name of the Bates Medical Studies Committee chair. If you do not have a committee letter, list one of your reference writers.
When should my letters of recommendation be submitted to AMCAS? Are they part of the primary application?
Letters of Recommendation are NOT submitted as part of your primary application. They do, however, need to be submitted as part of your secondary application. As soon as you receive your secondary application please let the Bates Pre-Health program specialist know so that your letters can be uploaded to AMCAS for processing.
How do I check the status of my letters? How do I know my letters were received by the medical schools?
AMCAS will begin accepting letter of evaluation submissions once the application period opens and your application has been processed. When a letter is uploaded to your application you will receive an email notification from AMCAS. In addition, you will receive an email notification from Bates for the individual and/or Committee letters uploaded by the Bates Medical Studies Committee. You may review the “Letters of Evaluation” or “Medical School Summary” AMCAS screens in order to confirm that your letters were properly added to your selected schools. Medical schools may be contacted one week after your application has been processed and your letters have been uploaded and submitted to individual medical schools.
Can I change the list of letter writers after I submit my application?
You may add a new letter after your application has been submitted, but you cannot delete or change existing letter entries. However, your letter writer can update the actual letter document linked to a letter entry by uploading a new version of the letter using the same Letter ID number as the original entry. Medical schools will be able to review the most recent version of the letter. These updates may be necessary if your letter writer needs to make a change to your letter, or if the original letter was not signed or on official letterhead. Do not make a new letter entry in your application for an updated letter.
AACOMAS Application & FAQs
The 2026 AACOMAS application will be open for submission starting approximately May 1, 2025.
For further information, please contact AACOMAS at 617-612-2889. Questions can also be sent to aacomasinfo@liaisoncas.com.
Does AACOMAS require an official copy of my transcript from Bates?
Yes. You will need to request a copy of your official transcript from the registrar’s office to be sent to AACOMAS.
How can I have my transcripts sent to AACOMAS?
Detailed instructions on how to request that your transcript be sent to AACOMAS can be found through the Bates Registrar.
Guidance for sending transcripts to AACOMAS can be found here.
Do I need to convert Bates Credits to semester hours or will AACOMAS do this for me?
Your AACOMAS application will automatically convert your undergraduate credit hours to semester hours. 1 Bates Credit = 4 Semester Hours
AADSAS Application & FAQs
The 2026 AADSAS application opens approximately May 15, 2025, and will open for submission beginning approximately June 5, 2025.
For further information, please contact ADEA at (617) 612-2045. Representatives are available M-F, 9-5pm ET. Questions can also be sent to aadsasinfo@aadsasweb.org