» Application Process
Marshall selects students from a variety of academic, socioeconomic and personal backgrounds. Although most applicants are science majors, Marshall encourages its applicants to pursue their personal educational interests and abilities. Once the basic sciences requirements are met, Marshall welcomes majors from a variety of academic pursuits. The Admissions Committee considers the quality of your work more important than the field in which it is taken.
As a state-assisted medical school, Marshall gives preference to West Virginia residents. Approximately twenty positions will be available to well-qualified nonresidents from states adjoining West Virginia or to nonresidents who have strong ties to West Virginia. Regardless of their state of residency, applicants are considered only if they are U.S. citizens or have permanent resident visas.
Entrants should have a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university. Exceptionally well-qualified students may be considered after ninety semester hours of academic work if other requirements are met.
Minimum course requirements are:
| Course | Semester Hours |
| General biology or zoology (with lab) | 8 |
| Inorganic chemistry (with lab) | 8 |
| Organic chemistry (with lab) | 8 |
| Physics (with lab) | 8 |
| English | 6 |
| Social or behavioral sciences | 6 |
All required courses must be passed with a grade of "C" or better by June 1 of the year of matriculation. The level of these required courses should be equal to courses for those majoring in these respective fields. If AP or CLEP credits are on the college transcript, these may be accepted as a fulfillment of a prerequisite providing that there is evidence of proficiency in the subject: examples of proficiency may be successful completion of a more advanced course in that field or a strong MCAT score.
All applicants must take the MCAT, preferably in the spring of the year of application, but no later than the fall. The MCAT test must be taken within three calendar years of enrollment. Applications are available at www.aamc.org/mcat.
Applicants must exhibit excellence in character, motivation and ideals and should possess the many personal qualities essential for a career in medicine. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of four criteria: scholastic records, MCAT scores, academic references and interviews.
The School of Medicine encourages qualified members of groups underrepresented in medicine to apply. It does not discriminate because of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability or national origin.
The first step in the formal application process is submitting an on-line application with AMCAS, the American Medical College Application Service, which allows students to apply to any participating medical school with only one application and set of transcripts. Applications are available at www.aamc.org/amcas. Transcripts should be sent to AMCAS as directed. Applications for admission are accepted by AMCAS from June 1 to December 1 of the year prior to enrollment.
Because Marshall has a rolling admissions process, it is extremely important that applicants submit their application and supplemental materials as quickly as possible to enhance their chances of being accepted.
A supplemental application and reference forms will be forwarded to persons filing an AMCAS application who are residents of West Virginia or an adjoining state. There is a nonrefundable supplemental application fee of $50 for West Virginia residents and $100 for nonresidents. If the applicant has received a fee waiver from AMCAS, there will be no fee for application to Marshall. Supplemental application materials must be submitted no later than December 31.
Three written recommendations from professors must be provided. Two of these references must be from science faculty and one from the applicant’s major department.
Consistently, the mean overall and sciences GPA for entering classes is an average of 3.5. The Admissions Committee places emphasis on the academic record of upper-class years and takes into consideration improvement in the student's performance. Often applicants choose to strengthen their credentials through graduate work. Marshall offers a master’s level medical sciences track in its Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program that some applicants may choose as a route to enhance their competitiveness.
Interviews are arranged only by invitation from the Admissions Committee. Candidates selected for interviews meet with two members of the Admissions Committee for separate conversations. Following the interview, the application is reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Notification of acceptance is issued as soon as a decision is made.