Frequently Asked Questions

Applicants to the Saint Louis University School of Medicine often have many questions about the admissions process. This FAQ answers some of the most common questions we receive about admission to the SLU School of Medicine.

The Committee on Admissions has access to all past scores from every MCAT attempt. They will focus on the highest total score from a single exam sitting. We consider all test scores to be valid within four years of the application year.

Our admissions committee evaluates applications holistically, including academics and all other relevant experiences and we do not use any GPA cut-offs when considering applicants. Applicants must achieve a highest total score of 498 or above to be considered. You may find averages for the previously accepted class on the Requirements and Standards page. Other than the MCAT threshold, we do not pre-screen applicants; anyone who feels they have a strong application is encouraged to apply.

As with many medical schools, SLUSOM uses a rolling admissions process. Applications received early in the cycle may be invited to interview earlier in the acceptance cycle and may be more likely to receive an acceptance early in the cycle when the most positions are available. Once the class is full, we send offers of acceptance as positions in the class become available. The acceptance process begins October 15 and goes until July before new student orientation.

Every applicant is allotted a maximum of three letters of recommendation. The letters may be from a pre-medical committee with the option of two additional letters or you may submit three individual letters of recommendation. Applicants should not submit additional letters.

The committee recognizes the challenge for nontraditional applicants to stay in contact with undergraduate professors. Therefore, you are encouraged to find authors who may provide a well-rounded endorsement for your candidacy at this point in your career. For example, nontraditional applicants have used letters from postbaccalaureate professors, employers, physicians they have shadowed or from individuals with whom they've done research.

The Committee on Admissions usually recognizes undergraduate credit for Advanced Placement courses when indicated on a transcript. AP coursework is acceptable for prerequisites except for biology and chemistry courses. Upper-level coursework may also be used to fulfill the course requirements. For the most up-to-date policies on requirements, please visit our MSAR page before submitting the secondary application.

You could enroll in English, literature or composition courses to be completed by the end of the application cycle. Still, most writing-intensive, humanities-type courses are acceptable to satisfy the English requirement. However, business, health or science-based courses cannot be used to fulfill the requirement. When submitting your secondary application, indicate this and provide supporting documentation, like a syllabus. Applicants must have at least 18 credit hours total of English and/or humanities courses.

We are committed to enhancing people's health by training skilled, compassionate and socially responsible students. Our students have a solid academic foundation, strong interpersonal and communication skills, and demonstrate empathy, ethics and cultural humility. The AAMC PREview exam provides an opportunity to assess these critical pre-professional competencies. It identifies applicants who are prepared to learn about professionalism in medical school and meet future healthcare challenges.

The PREview score is a required component of the application. Early in the application cycle, applicants can be invited to interview without a PREview score, but their post-interview decision will be withheld until a PREview score is received. Once all PREview administrations have passed, we will cancel interviews of applicants who have not completed this requirement.

The PREview score will be used post-interview as a part of a holistic review. It is intended to complement the application, not detract from it.

We have modified our criteria for the 2020 spring semester and summer sessions to deem online lecture and laboratory courses acceptable on this temporary basis. Science courses taken before universities went online should have been taken at the school with in-class lab components. We remain open to adjusting future policies as needed.