JABSOM Admissions Process

All applicants must apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).

• June 1 – AMCAS application submission begins
• August 1 – AMCAS Early Decision Program (EDP) application deadline (11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time)
• November 1 – AMCAS Regular application deadline (11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time)

Please see AMCAS Participating Medical Schools & Deadlines for a comprehensive list of application deadlines.

1. Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) must be taken within three years of the anticipated year of matriculation to medical school.  Tests taken from January 2020 to September 30, 2022 (May 31, 2022 for Early Decision) will be considered for the 2023 entering class application cycle.  Tests taken in October 2022 or later are not valid for the 2023 application cycle. For more information regarding MCAT test dates, click here.
2. AAMC PREview™ Professional Readiness Exam must be taken on one of the 2022 exam dates.  For more information regarding AAMC PREview exam dates, click here.

A one-time $150 non-refundable and non-transferable secondary application fee* will be assessed to all applicants to JABSOM.  JABSOM will not waive the $150 secondary application fee nor accept the AMCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP) waiver.  If additional time is needed to submit your payment, please contact the JABSOM Admissions Office.

After your secondary application fee is received, within five days an email will be sent inviting you to complete our web-based JABSOM Secondary Application.

*Subject to change

After the secondary application fee is received by the Admissions Office, an email will be sent inviting you to complete our web-based JABSOM Secondary Application.  The secondary application consists of:

• Supplementary essays
• Science Prerequisite Verification
• Letter of Recommendation Verification (List of Letter Writer’s names)

Letters of Recommendations
You will be required to submit a minimum of two Letters of Recommendation, school’s composite letter of recommendation, or committee letter directly to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) Letter Service.

For more information, see the Guidelines for Requesting Letters of Recommendation.

NOTE: JABSOM will ONLY accept letters directly from the AMCAS service; therefore, instruct your letter writers or schools to mail or electronically upload their letters directly to AMCAS. For further instructions, please click here.

After receiving your completed secondary application, the Admissions Office will screen both your AMCAS and Secondary Application.  Please note all applications will go through a Residency and Academic screening.  To learn more about JABSOM’s Residency Screening, please go to the Residency Screening page under Prospective Students.

All interviews will be conducted virtually.  JABSOM invites an applicant to go through three interviews as follows:

1. Two assigned interviews with a clinical or basic science faculty, physician, JABSOM alumni, member of the medical community or fourth-year medical student
2. Final interview with the Director of Admissions or Admissions Committee member

Interviews are conducted from August through February.

All interviewed applicants are reviewed and rated by the Admissions Committee upon completion of their application dossier.  The Admissions Committee anticipates the completion of the review by mid-March.  By late March, applicants are notified of their final admissions status.

The John A. Burns School of Medicine does not use a rolling admissions process.  Exceptional candidates rated highly and recommended by the Admissions Committee for early notification of acceptance, will be offered an acceptance after review rather than at the end of the admissions process.

Acceptance
The class is comprised of 67 resident applicants.  Nonresident candidates must be highly ranked, preferably with some ties to Hawaiʻi, to be accepted (approximately 10 nonresidents).  JABSOM asks applicants with multiple acceptances to make a final decision in accordance with AAMC Traffic Rules.  No deposit is required to hold a seat in the class.

*Early Decision Program (EDP): Accepted students will be notified by October 1.

Waitlist
Applicants who are placed on the waitlist will be notified of that status and may receive notification of acceptance as withdrawals occur.  We have found that vacancies of this type might occur as late as a week prior to the start of school.

Criminal Background Check
JABSOM requires ALL accepted and waitlisted students to complete and pass a Criminal Background Check through Certiphi Screening, Inc.  Please see the AAMC Criminal Background Check Service page for more information.

Deferral of Matriculation
The school does not encourage deferred admission.  Accepted applicants wanting to defer must have a unique circumstance or an exceptional reason.  Requests for deferment are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Director and/or Admissions Committee.