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Visiting Medical Students

Pilot Application Timeline

Emergency Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Urology are part of a 2026–27 pilot program with an earlier application timeline:

  • March 9, 2026: Pilot program electives are published
  • March 23, 2026: Departments begin accepting applications
  • April 6, 2026: Departments begin processing applications

Standard Application Timeline

All non-pilot program departments follow this standard timeline:

  • Mid-March: The updated elective catalog is published
  • Mid-April: The UW School of Medicine and Public Health begins accepting applications for the upcoming academic year
  • Mid-May: Processing of visiting student applications begins

Explore a list of all 2026–2027 electives (XLSX), including their application timelines.

Application Criteria

We review applications for visiting students meeting all criteria:

  • The student is a U.S. citizen, Canadian citizen or permanent resident of the United States
  • The student is currently enrolled in an LCME or AOA accredited medical school
  • The student is in their final year of training at the time they will be rotating in the School of Medicine and Public Health
  • The student has passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 exam or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 exam

There are no exceptions to these criteria.

Application Process

Affiliation Agreement

An affiliation agreement between the visiting student’s home institution and UW–Madison is required before a visiting student begins their rotation. Required documents are located on UW Box: AAMC Uniform Affiliation Agreement (PDF), UW SMPH as Host Letter (Word Doc) and information/instructions (PDF).

For questions specifically relating to affiliation agreements, please have your institution contact affiliationagreements@med.wisc.edu.

Department Information

Visiting students seeking rotations in these specialties can find additional information on department websites: