md phd waitlist movement

Medical School Waitlist FAQ — 18 Questions Answered

• By Med School Insiders
• March 7, 2023
• Reapplicant , Waitlist

The dreaded medical school waitlist. Being waitlisted can feel like a blow after years of hard work and years of living with the dream of being accepted into your top choice schools. It’s important that you don’t see being waitlisted as a defeat. Sure, it’s not the acceptance you were hoping for, but it’s far from a rejection.

In this post, we’ll answer 18 medical school waitlist FAQs, including important questions about the waitlist procedure, how to get off the waitlist, and what to do while you wait. Our comprehensive guide works through every question we’ve heard from students regarding waitlists and how to best navigate them.

Below we’ll answer the following questions about the medical school waitlist procedure. If you don’t see the answer to a question you have, leave your question in the comments section at the end of the article. We’ll do our best to alleviate your concerns and may end up adding your question to future iterations of this guide.

• How Do Medical School Waitlists Work?
• Why Do Medical Schools Use Waitlists?
• What Percentage of Applicants Get Into Med School?
• Why Was I Placed on a Medical School Waitlist?
• What Are the Benefits of Being on a Waitlist?
• How Do I Get Off Medical School Waitlists?
• When Do Waitlisted Students Get Accepted?
• When Does Medical School Waitlist Movement Occur?
• How Many Waitlist Positions Are There at Each School?
• How Do Medical Schools Decide Who Gets Off the Waitlist?
• How Late Can You Receive a Waitlist Offer?
• What’s the Process for Accepting a Waitlist Offer?
• Should I Accept the Waitlist Spot?
• Should I Contact a Medical School if I’m Waitlisted?
• How Long Will I Have to Wait?
• What Should I Do While I’m Waiting?
• What Should I Do if I Don’t Get Off Any Medical School Waitlists?
• When Should I Start the Reapplication Process?

1 | How Do Medical School Waitlists Work?

For starters, there are two kinds of waitlists; the pre-interview waitlist and the post-interview waitlist.

The pre-interview waitlist occurs before medical school applicants make it to the interview stage . Since an admissions committee can’t be certain of how many applicants will accept their offer to interview with their program, some schools send out more invitations than they have interview slots. When a student turns down an invitation to interview, the admissions committee checks their waitlist and selects the next most qualified student to fill the slot.

The post-interview waitlist happens after interviews have finished. By the middle of March, allopathic (MD) medical schools in the US are required to send out offers of acceptance equal to the number of students in their entering class. In order to offset the number of rejections a school receives, most medical schools send out several more acceptance offers than are actually available.

Medical schools cannot know for sure how many applicants will reject or accept their offer, so they create waitlists of qualified candidates. When an applicant declines their invitation, the admissions committee can move on to the next candidate whose qualifications best fit what they’re looking for.

2 | Why Do Medical Schools Use Waitlists?

Waitlists are a powerful tool for medical schools. Each school only has a limited number of spots available to students based on resources, budgets, class sizes, etc. A school can only accept so many candidates each year, which means acceptances can’t be sent to everyone who is qualified. Available spots are limited, and waitlists are a way to keep qualified candidates interested while the first successful candidates make their choices.

Another big reason for schools to utilize waitlists is that it gives them a chance to gauge a candidate’s interest without using up an acceptance offer. During the waitlist process, a candidate can submit additional information and choose whether or not to accept the waitlist offer, which can indicate a candidate’s level of interest.

Being waitlisted signifies that you’re on the right track but still have areas you need to improve. It’s a better gauge than only sending out rejection and acceptance letters, and it can be the exact push some applicants need to improve specific areas of their application.

3 | What Percentage of Applicants Get Into Med School?

According to AAMC , in 2021-2022, 62,443 people applied to medical school, sending out an average of 18 applications each, meaning there were a total of 1,099,486 applications. 22,666 applicants successfully matriculated to medical school out of 62,443 students, so the percentage of applicants who got into medical school was 36%.

4 | Why Was I Placed on a Medical School Waitlist?

Being placed on a waitlist is very common. There are a number of different reasons you could be placed on a medical school waitlist, but generally, being placed on one means that while you are qualified and the school is interested in you, currently, there are applicants they’re more interested in.

It could be another applicant has a higher MCAT score or GPA, more varied research experience that’s relevant to the school, multiple publications, or maybe, overall, they crafted a more compelling narrative than you. It’s hard to say precisely why you were placed on a waitlist, but it indicates the school believes you’ll make a good fit, just not quite as good a fit as the other applicants they’ve made offers to.

5 | What Are the Benefits of Being on a Waitlist?

Being placed on a waitlist isn’t all bad. After all, a ‘maybe’ is always better than a ‘no.’ Sure, an acceptance would be a lot better, but being put on a waitlist or multiple waitlists is a clear sign that you are close. Schools are considering you, and you still have a chance of getting one or more acceptances based on the waitlist offers you’ve received.

Keeping your momentum and staying in a positive mindset during this time is key, so be sure to recognize the silver lining of being placed on a waitlist.

Being on a waitlist for one of your top choice schools after already receiving an acceptance at a lower priority school means you still have some options. You’re safe with your original acceptance, and there’s still a chance you could be accepted at your top choice school.

Do not discount the waitlist. It may be disappointing, but you’re still very much in the game.

6 | How Do I Get Off Medical School Waitlists?

There are a few different ways to get off of a medical school waitlist, but the most important thing any waitlisted student can do is follow the school’s unique instructions and policy.

Every medical school is different, so it’s important to pay careful attention to the school’s waitlist policy and follow any instructions the school provides in their correspondence with you. If the school gives you instructions, they expect those instructions to be followed. If they say not to contact them, do not contact them. If they recommend you improve an aspect of your application, do everything you can to improve that aspect. If they say not to send follow-up materials, don’t.

If the school allows follow-up materials, sending a well-crafted and sincere letter of intent is an excellent move. A letter of intent is you “putting a ring on it” and fully committing to accept the program’s offer if they make it. In other words, a letter of intent lets the admissions committee know that you’re a sure thing.

A letter of intent can also include any relevant updates you’ve made to your qualifications, or you can send an additional update letter that includes things like improved grades, additional letters of recommendation, or recent publications—anything that makes you a more appealing candidate.

But the key is to not overdo it and bombard an admissions committee with correspondence. Be passionate, not obsessive. Create a schedule of continual, relevant updates that ensures your name is always in front of the admissions committee in a positive, constructive way.

Find more details in our comprehensive guide to How to Get Off Medical School Waitlists — 7 Strategies .

7 | When Do Waitlisted Students Get Accepted?

Waitlist acceptance rates vary; it all depends on how smoothly the regular admissions process went for the program. It’s important to remember that there is still no guarantee you will eventually be accepted if you’ve been waitlisted.

Hearing whether or not you’ve been accepted also completely depends on the program’s individual waitlist process. Medical schools are required to provide applicants with two weeks to consider their offer of acceptance before the end of April, and most medical schools give successful applicants until the beginning of May to say whether or not they will accept their offer.

So, waitlisted students likely won’t hear anything until the beginning of May, and, depending on the program, the waitlist process could extend into the summer. Whether you’re being accepted or not, most medical schools will let applicants know when the waitlist process is over.

8 | When Does Medical School Waitlist Movement Occur?

Oftentimes, waitlists are more static than dynamic. You can be placed on a waitlist fairly quickly, potentially right after interviews or even before, which is far in advance of when you’ll learn whether or not you will be accepted.

Every medical school is different, but many schools wait until May to make a final decision in order to give their accepted applicants time to decide if they’ll accept their acceptance. It’s also very possible you won’t hear anything until the summer. People have been taken off of the waitlist as late as August—which only leaves them a few weeks to get ready for medical school, which sometimes includes a move to another state.

While every school is different, expect waitlist movement to begin in May, but know that things can keep moving around until a few weeks before the school year begins in September.

9 | How Many Waitlist Positions Are There at Each School?

The number of waitlist positions at each school varies, and it can range anywhere from 30 to 600.

AAMC has a handy guide that pulls together relevant waitlist information for each individual school. Use this resource to see how many waitlist positions are available at the schools you’ve applied to. Note that not all schools release this data, and for some, the answer is simply that the number of waitlist positions varies from year to year.

Knowing how many waitlist positions are given out can give you a better idea of your chances. For example, if you’re on a waitlist of 300, your chances of getting off of the waitlist aren’t very good. On the other hand, if you’re on a waitlist for a school that only offers 30 waitlist spots, your chances of getting off that waitlist are much more likely.

10 | How Do Medical Schools Decide Who Gets Off the Waitlist?

Medical schools are looking for the best-matched candidates for their school. The process for choosing who will get off of waitlists is much the same as deciding who they will send acceptance letters to, and each school’s criteria is slightly different. These criteria include your marks and test scores, the impact of your personal statement, what others had to say about you in letters of recommendation, what (they believe) you will be able to contribute to the school, and how well aligned you are with the school’s goals, values, etc.

The decision largely comes down to how many applicants accept the initial offers a school sends out. As successful applicants choose other schools, spaces open up and are given to those on the waitlist based on who admissions committees believe is the next best candidate.

11 | How Late Can You Receive a Waitlist Offer?

If you’re on a waitlist, the earliest you’ll likely hear from schools is the beginning of May, but the waitlist procedure continues on throughout the summer as applicants make their final decisions and shift acceptances is around.

You might not hear about getting off a waitlist until two or three weeks before the beginning of classes in September. This can be quite stressful, as waitlisted students don’t know for sure where they will be attending school in September or if they even have an acceptance.

Receiving waitlist offers so late in the year poses issues for students who are reapplying. If you want to apply for the next application cycle, you will need to submit your application in June —when you can still receive an acceptance at the schools you are waitlisted for.

12 | What’s the Process for Accepting a Waitlist Offer?

A waitlist notification is much like an acceptance. You typically get an email updating you of your status with an option to accept or decline/withdraw. It’s usually a simple button, but if the school uses a portal, you may need to log in to make your choice.

You can still be on a waitlist even after accepting another admission offer. In fact, it’s strategic to do so if you were accepted to a lower-tier program but are still on the waitlist for your dream school. April 30th is the date students are only allowed one acceptance; however, they can be on as many waitlists as they want.

You are never totally locked into something once you accept, though you may lose the deposit that was required to accept the offer. The fine print of every school differs, but in the end, if you get into your dream school at the last minute while having previously planned to go to another school, the worst they can do is keep your deposit.

Learn More: How to Balance Multiple Medical School Acceptances .

13 | Should I Accept the Waitlist Spot?

This depends on how badly you want to go to the school you’ve been waitlisted by. If you’ve been accepted by a program you’re equally as interested in attending, the decision is a pretty simple one, but if you’ve been waitlisted by your #1 choice and dream medical school, it’s important to stay on the waitlist and commit to improving your application.

At the risk of stating the obvious, being waitlisted is not the same as being rejected. It means the program considers you to be an appealing candidate who needs some improvement. Students reject offers of acceptance all the time, so you could be one rejection away from attending your dream school.

14 | Should I Contact a Medical School if I’m Waitlisted?

Whether or not you contact a medical school after you’re waitlisted depends on the instructions the school provided you and if you have new information to share.

If a school specifically says not to contact them with further information, don’t contact them. Follow any instructions they provide and carefully examine the school’s policy surrounding waitlists—schools expect these guidelines to be followed.

If contacting the school is acceptable, wait until you have a relevant update to share. This could mean sending a letter of intent , which is a promise to the school that you will choose them should they accept you.

You can and should send an update letter if you have something notable to update the school about, such as relevant work experience, an award, or a significant improvement to your application. Again, read the instructions carefully, and don’t send an update if the school says not to contact them after you’ve been waitlisted.

15 | How Long Will I Have to Wait?

This depends on the strength of your application, how you compare to other waitlisted applicants, and how many accepted applicants rejected their initial offer.

If you’re on a waitlist, you will very likely have to wait until the beginning of May before you hear anything definitive, as most schools give their accepted applicants until then to make a final decision. Depending on the individual school’s waitlist policy and procedure, you might end up waiting until the summer before you hear whether or not you’re accepted.

16 | What Should I Do While I’m Waiting?

While on the waitlist, it’s important to take a close look at your application and any instructions the program gave you when they informed you that you were on the waitlist. If the program highlighted specific areas of your application that they felt needed improvement, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and work on making those improvements. Now is not the time to give up!

Do whatever you can to make yourself a more appealing candidate. If the program allows you to send additional materials, keep the program informed of any new qualifications or achievements. If you’re fully committed to joining a program, it’s also essential to communicate that to the admissions committee through a letter of intent (to one school only.)

17 | What Should I Do if I Don’t Get Off Any Medical School Waitlists?

If you don’t get off of any waitlists, it’s time for some deep reflection and reassessment. Assuming you don’t have any other offers you want to accept, you have a tough decision to make—do you pursue a different career path, or do you double down on your efforts and reapply with an improved application?

This is a completely personal decision that only you can make. What we can say for certain is that reapplying with the same or similar application will yield the same results, which is a waste of both your time and the admissions committee’s. If you are reapplying, you need to make significant improvements. You must make a new plan, improve weak areas of your application, seek help where needed , and possibly reassess the schools you are applying to .

18 | When Should I Start the Reapplication Process?

Be careful not to miss the ideal reapplication window , as applying with all of the same details, marks, experience, etc., will not improve your chances of acceptance. You must take the time to IMPROVE your application before reapplying.

The reapplication process depends on how many acceptances you have received and how many times you were waitlisted. Do you have any acceptances, or have you been waitlisted by every program? Are the schools you’ve been waitlisted by places you actually want to attend, or were they your backups? Were you waitlisted by several schools, or are you waiting for 1-2 options?

The decision to reapply is a tough one to make. You’ve already put so much time into this year’s application, and the idea of starting over is daunting, to say the least. Assess your options and be honest with yourself about your chances of acceptance.

If most of your options are schools you don’t have much of an interest in attending, it might be worth it to put in the effort to get into your top school next year rather than settle on your backup plan now. If you know you did your absolute best and have little to improve upon, your chances of acceptance are going to be about the same when you reapply.

You need to take a hard, honest look at your application to figure out what areas you can improve upon. Reapplying to medical school is a ton of work, especially after just putting in that work to apply the first time. But if you don’t get started soon, you won’t have a chance to improve your application in time for the next admissions cycle.

If you want to apply for the following application cycle, your timeline will be quite tight. You might only find out which waitlist you were on at the beginning of May, and applications open by the beginning of June.

As we say time and time again, the most important strategy for applicants is to apply as early as possible due to rolling admissions. If you did not receive an acceptance the first time around, this is all the more important. You absolutely must make sure you apply soon after applications open to set yourself up for acceptance as a reapplicant.

You must take the time to figure out which areas of your application are weak. What was it that held you back from gaining an acceptance? If you didn’t receive any interviews, this is a clear sign that there was an issue with either your primary or secondary application. If you received multiple interviews but didn’t receive any acceptances, it could be that poor interviews were your downfall .

At this point, you have a decision to make. Can you make the necessary improvements to your application in time to reapply that same June for the following cycle? Or do you need to take time gaining more experience and refining your application elements to ensure you can submit a rock-solid application the following year?

Luckily, for anyone waitlisted, you have some reassurance that you are on the right track. Getting on a waitlist shows you are on the cusp of gaining an acceptance and are not that far off. If you can pinpoint how you can improve your application and execute those changes quickly, you have a good chance of being accepted to medical school the following cycle.

Plus, if you’re on a few waitlists, there’s always a chance that an acceptance will come through as you go through the reapplication process.

Read our Reapplying to Medical School Guide to learn more about how to assess your application and how to make significant improvements where it matters most.

Tailored Application Services

After the extraordinarily long, tedious, and nerve-wracking medical school admissions process , being waitlisted probably doesn’t feel much different than being straight-up rejected. BUT THIS IS NOT THE CASE! Now is not the time to give up.

It is crucial that you pay attention to your inbox and read up on the waitlist procedures of any waitlist offer you receive. Remember that each school has a different process, and it’s up to you to know what that process is.

Med School Insiders can give you the advice you need to make the necessary improvements to your application and impress your top choice schools.

Learn more about our Comprehensive Medical School Admissions Packages , which are tailored to your needs, strengths and weaknesses, and the specific schools you’re applying to.

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• Medical School Application
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Medical School Waitlist Timeline for 2024 and 2025

Month by month waitlist breakdown and protocols.

• October 30, 2020

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: 2024 waitlist timeline , part 3: 2024 waitlist protocols for md programs.

Medical schools notify applicants of their status (accepted, waitlisted, or rejected) on a rolling basis from the time of interview until orientation. Some schools also have a “deferred decision” process whereby an application is put on hold while other candidates are reviewed. Applicants may send letters to the school admissions team throughout the admission cycle to update schools on new accomplishments or demonstrate interest. Schools will usually add these letters as an addendum to the student’s admissions file for the committee to review. Students are advised to use their best judgement and only send letters if they think it will significantly impact their candidacy.

Are you unsure if this applies to you? Please email [email protected] , we’re happy to help!

MD Schools: Schools accept at least the number of applicants to fill their class.

DO Schools: COMs report to AACOMAS the names of students that have paid a deposit and accepted a place in the incoming class.

MD Schools: Accepted students must commit to one program and withdraw or decline acceptance offers from all other schools they have been accepted at. This is usually when there is more movement on the waitlist .

DO Schools: AACOMAS reports back to COMs about students holding spots at multiple schools and schools may withdraw acceptances if students have committed to more than one school.

April 2024 until Orientation

MD and DO Schools: Schools take students off the waitlist on an as-needed basis up until orientation starts. 

Part 3: 2024 Medical School Waitlist Timeline and Protocols

Coming Soon

Unsure of what to do now that you’re on a waitlist?

Should you get ready to apply for next cycle, should you take a gap year, should you retake the mcat, what about a masters or post-bacc program.

These are important questions to think about and we’d love to help you form a game plan. 

Medical School Waitlist Sources:

MD Schools: https://www.aamc.org/services/admissions-lifecycle/traffic-rules &  https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7056/download

DO Schools: https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/how-to-apply-to-osteopathic-medical-college/aacomas-traffic-guidelines

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Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

March 12, 2021

Life on a PhD Waitlist: Is There Anything You Can Do?

Anyone who’s been on an admission waitlist can tell you that it’s a frustrating place to be! On the other hand, the fact that the committee has waitlisted you shows that you’re very close to the top of their admit list. 

Consider the fact that your materials have been read, brought into the committee room, and heavily debated by a group of faculty in comparison with other applicant materials. The fact that you were not rejected outright means that someone on the committee advocated for you based on genuine interest in your research goals and confidence in your capacity to succeed in a PhD program. Thought it’s a painful position to be in, remember that this signal of confidence is something to celebrate! 

If you’ve been waitlisted by a PhD program, what should you know, and what can you do?

There are some important things to consider and be aware of when you’ve been waitlisted at a PhD program.

Do you want to stay on the PhD waitlist?

First, consider whether you want to stay on the waitlist. Ask yourself:

• Do you have other offers?
• Is this your top-choice school?
• Is it the only school you were waitlisted at (with rejections everywhere else)?
• Has anyone from the department reached out to you privately to express genuine interest in your research goals? 

If you definitely want to stay on the waitlist, look carefully at the correspondence you received from the program and see whether there’s anything you need to do or to let them know. For example, do you need to confirm that you want to remain on the waitlist? If so, you can take that as an opportunity to briefly affirm your interest in their program with a formally written Letter of Continued Interest that covers topics like: 

• If the program truly is your first choice and you did not demonstrate that in your application materials, now is your chance to clearly state that you would halt any other admissions processes if offered a spot in the program. 
• Furthermore, this would be a good opportunity to provide a few details about what specific aspects of the program (courses, faculty research, university resources) truly will support your concrete research goals. 

Most PhD programs aren’t interested in having a lot of contact from you, and you don’t want to turn them off by being overly chatty, so make sure that you compose a formal and efficient explanation of your continued interest in a letter that is a maximum of 1-page in length, single spaced, and in 12-point font. If you have letterhead from a current employer or university, now is the time to use it. Remember to keep your letter short and to-the-point, and certainly don’t send the committee any other unasked-for materials. Conversely, if they ask for academic updates since your application deadline, be sure that you supply them!

If a professor from the program has contacted you personally with a note expressing interest in your work or providing additional explanation about your placement on the waitlist, politely ask that professor if he or she might have time to schedule an appointment with you to discuss research interests (not your chances of admission). In a given year, professors aren’t always able to take on additional students due to personal, professional, or institutional reasons, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested in your work. It can’t hurt to initiate a dialogue about your research and, if you keep the conversation to research, you have the chance to give the faculty member even more confidence in your capacity to handle academic stress with poise. Just by listening, you might also learn something about what parameters shaped the composition of the admitted cohort that were out of your control. 

The PhD notification timeline

Second, understand the timeline you’re dealing with. For most U.S. PhD programs, April 15 is the final date for accepted students to provide notification of intent to enroll. Schools require a commitment from admitted students by that deadline in order to fill their cohort. If there’s movement off the waitlist, you can expect to hear something as April 15 approaches (and even slightly afterward) as the department solidifies its final list of incoming PhD students.

Another thing to keep in mind: if you’ve received notification that you’re on a waitlist, you’re dealing with a program that is at least being transparent about its waitlisting procedures. In many cases, you could be on a waitlist and not even know it. Most programs start letting admitted and rejected students know their status in late February or early March, but as they wait to learn which admitted students will say yes or no, the process lasts until mid-April or later. 

Many schools will rank candidates below their “admit” list, but not send a notification of any kind unless a space opens up – in other words, you might not hear anything at all from the school until they determine, in April, whether they have space for you. (Talk about frustrating!) Schools that do this will send their final rejection notifications in April, too.

If you’re on the waitlist and you haven’t heard anything as April 15 approaches, you can consider contacting the admissions chair to ask what your rank is on the waitlist – that will give you a clearer picture of whether you have a realistic chance.

Financial Implications of the PhD waitlist

Third, consider whether there would be any financial aid or funding implications to being admitted to a program late (if you do decide to remain on the waitlist and are admitted). Some programs may have distributed all of their fellowship funds early to students at the top of their list. If you are in a position to accept a spot in the cohort without funding, it is worth mentioning this in your letter of continued interest. Many universities will only admit the number of PhD students for whom they can guarantee a five-year funding package, which includes teaching appointments. However, if the committee knows that you are willing to pay for the degree on your own or have secured extramural grants to support your research, they may open an additional space in their cohort. As you progress through the degree, you can search for additional teaching opportunities and grant applications to support you. 

Bottom line

Unfortunately, being on the waitlist does require some patience, but the fact that you’re waitlisted at a very competitive program means that your application is strong, and that the admissions cycle isn’t over yet. And of course, if you aren’t admitted in the final stages of the cycle but you’re certain that the PhD is your path, keep in mind that the doctoral degree is just the beginning of a lifelong research career. If you were placed on the waitlist, that means the committee believed you were qualified for the degree. Though aspects of the admissions process over which you have no control (like the candidate pool, annual funding, availability of certain advisors, or institutional parameters) may have knocked you out of the running this year, those variables are not likely to be the same next year.  

Do you need help making sense of your waitlist status and determining your next admissions move? Accepted’s expert advisors can help you with that (and with any other element of your PhD application). Check out our Waitlist Services for more information on how we can help you get ACCEPTED.

Related Resources:

• Plotting Your Way to a PhD: 8 Topics in PhD Admissions , a free guide
• How to Be a Competitive PhD Applicant and Apply to the Best Programs for You
• Your Guide to Getting off the Waitlist in 2021

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Medical School Admissions

Decision process.

The Warren Alpert Medical School notifies interviewees of committee decisions on a rolling basis.

The Warren Alpert Medical School notifies interviewees of committee decisions on a rolling basis. Applicants to the MD-ScM Program are considered for admission to the Regular MD program initially. MD-ScM admission decisions are determined in mid-March. All MD/PhD decisions are announced in March.

Admissions Decisions

Acceptance decisions are provisional, pending the AAMC-recommended Criminal Background Check. Post-interview decisions are transmitted through Alpert Medical School's secure online application system and via email. Only offers of admission are sent via US postal service. All Admissions Committee decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Deferring Entrance

Candidates should apply in the year they intend to matriculate. Sometimes unique opportunities become available during the application cycle for activities which will better prepare a student for a career in medicine. Admitted applicants may request to defer matriculation by emailing the Office of Admissions with a description of their plans. Deferrals are not automatic, and are approved on a case-by-case basis. Successful requests are for participation in intellectually rewarding opportunities and service programs during the time of deferral from AMS.  To be fair to those students on our waitlist, requests for deferrals must be made by June 1st.  

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Waitlist for Offers of Admission

Information for applicants offered a place on the waitlist for admission to the MDCM program. 

Please note that waitlists for each applicant category are distinct , and positions on waitlists cannot be interchanged between categories. The  Undergraduate Medical Admissions Office  retains only a certain number of positions on the waiting list for each applicant category. Offers of admission are made when places become available, and this can occur right up until the beginning of classes.  

As such, we recommend that candidates on the waitlist prepare their immunization records and the Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification.  University level candidates admitted to the program must submit their immunization by May 1, 2024 and complete the Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification requirements by July 31, 2024.

Students admitted or promoted to the program after May 1 must submit proof within 2 weeks of receiving their offer, but no later than the first business day before Orientation.

• It is expected that candidates' contact information on the Applicant Portal is up-to-date. Please ensure that we can reach you in the event that we are able extend an offer to you. 

Waitlist Rank:  Candidates will be notified of their waitlist position through an email notification .  Candidates who do not wish to remain on the waitlist are encouraged to cancel their application in the Applicant Portal, to provide the next candidate on the waitlist the opportunity to be considered for a position.

If you indicated either preference for the site selection, you will see a # beside MTL & OUTA, to indicate your waitlist number for each Campus

Special Pathways or Cohorts

• MD PhD waitlist order depends on availability of seats per residency cohort.
• If you are on the MD PhD waitlist no number is provided. Should a seat become available, you will be contacted directly.
• If you are eligible for an offer for both the IMG-4 and IMG-2 pathways, you will only receive the waitlist number for the IMG-2 pathway.  Should a seat become available in the IMG-4 pathway, you will be contacted directly.  

Waitlist Progress

*Offers are made as spaces become available. Additional offers in any pool will not necessarily be made .

Department and University Information

Undergraduate medical admissions.

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