The Admissions Committee strives to select a class in which all members have:

1. personal characteristics that will enable the student to provide sympathetic and intelligent patient care; and
2. an interest in others as might be demonstrated by community service, extracurricular activities, and/or leadership; and
3. a level of past academic performance which predicts a student’s chance of academic success in medical school.

In the selection of candidates for admission, the Committee considers the applicant’s

1. undergraduate and graduate academic performance and the MCAT Scores;
2. extracurricular activities, including community service and exposure to medicine and patient care;
3. employment record;
4. personal, educational, and socio-economic background and the response of the applicant to any challenges;
5. character with reference to honesty and integrity, empathy, maturity, leadership, self-discipline, and emotional stability;
6. ability to communicate and relate well with others;
7. motivation to pursue a career in medicine;
8. interest and suitability for special programs and/or future specific careers.

Furthermore, in the interests of both enriching the educational environment for all students and better meeting the future medical, educational, social and scientific needs of society, the Committee makes a special effort to select a class whose members represent a broad range of diverse life experiences, backgrounds and interests. This diversity may include, but is not limited to:

1. ethnic and racial background;
2. socio-economic background;
3. educational background;
4. regional and geographic background;
5. interests and/or aptitudes for different medical careers; and
6. other cultural experiences.

It is the responsibility of the faculty and students who serve on the Admissions Committee to select the entering class. Our admissions policy does not allow the Dean or anyone else to grant special consideration for applicants to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health MD program. It is the goal of the Admissions Committee to seek students capable of benefiting from the educational opportunities available at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and who give evidence that they will contribute to meeting the health care needs of the people of the state of Wisconsin and beyond.

RESIDENCY STATUS
Preference is given to residents of Wisconsin with a large majority of the entering class positions going to in state applicants, providing there are a sufficient number of qualified in state applicants. Highly qualified non residents are encouraged to apply for positions available in each entering class.

International applicants with permanent resident visa status and permanent residency status in Wisconsin will be reviewed in the resident pool. All other international applicants with permanent resident visa status will be reviewed in the non resident applicant pool.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS CONSIDERED BY THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE:
Academic and personal experiences are considered in relationship to the environment in which they were gained or developed. Since intellectual capacity and accomplishments cannot be solely equated with grade point averages and test scores, these are appraised in relationship to a number of other factors, such as credit hours taken, difficulty of courses selected, academic standards of college(s) attended, need to support ones-self and/or others while attending college, and challenges faced.

In accordance with the Wisconsin legislative mandate, "To provide a system of higher education which enables students of all ages, backgrounds and levels of income to participate in the search for knowledge and individual development, which offers selected professional graduate programs with emphasis on state and national needs (WI Statutes sec. 36.01(1))" and in accordance with the University of Wisconsin and the Association of American Medical College's policies encouraging the development of a more diverse student body, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is committed to increasing the number of medical students from underrepresented minority groups and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Applications are encouraged from Black Americans, mainland Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and Wisconsin Hmong/Laotian/Vietnamese. Applications are also encouraged from persons with socio economic disadvantages. The severity of any disadvantages experienced and the applicant’s response to such challenges are considered.