Mastering the AMCAS & AACOMAS Applications

Medical School Application Timeline: AMCAS & AACOMAS Key Differences

Key Takeaways

AMCAS & AACOMAS Application Process: Applying to medical school through AMCAS (MD) or AACOMAS (DO) requires submitting official transcripts directly from every post-secondary institution attended and manually entering all coursework.
Medical School GPA Calculation Rules: Both application services calculate an independent medical school GPA using standardized grade conversion rules, which often differ from an applicant's undergraduate cumulative GPA.
No Grade Replacement Policy: AMCAS and AACOMAS GPA calculations factor in every course attempt, meaning undergraduate grade forgiveness or replacement policies do not erase past attempts.
Detailed Course Entry: Accurate entry of course names, credit hours, grades, terms, labs, and subject classifications (science vs. non-science) is critical to prevent verification flags in the med school admissions process.
Transcript Verification & Reclassification: Application services cross-check manual coursework entries against official transcripts and reserve the right to reclassify subjects during the verification stage, potentially causing delays if discrepancies exist.

Transcript

Introduction and Transcript Requirements

Both the AMCAS and AACOMAS application systems function very similarly, and whether you're applying to schools in just one or both programs, you need to understand how they work. Let's go over the similarities first.

For both MD and DO schools, you must submit official transcripts from every college or university you've attended, even if you took just one class or the credits transferred elsewhere.

Those transcripts are sent directly to the application service, as opposed to individual medical schools.

Entering Coursework Manually

You list coursework manually in the application, and verifiers cross-check it against your transcripts. Discrepancies can delay or flag your application.

When entering courses, you'll need to include the course name exactly as it appears on your transcript, along with the credit hours, grade received, academic year and term, and course subject classification, such as science or non-science.

Labs are typically entered separately from their lecture courses, and for in-progress or planned courses, you'll mark the grade as in progress or planned.

GPA Calculation and Repeated Courses

After you enter your coursework, each application service calculates its own GPA, which may differ from the GPA shown by your school. This can happen because the services use their own grade conversion rules and course classifications. Repeated courses are especially important to enter carefully because all attempts are generally included in GPA calculations, even if your school uses a forgiveness or grade-replacement policy.

Important Nuances and Verification

There are a few important nuances to keep in mind. You classify your courses yourself, but the application service may reclassify them during verification. Courses taken at foreign institutions still need to be listed and may require a credential evaluation. And because small discrepancies can create delays, it's worth checking every course entry carefully before you submit.

Conclusion

Overall, submitting transcripts and entering coursework is straightforward, but tedious. The systems are easy to follow, and aside from a few small differences in the verification process, the steps are very similar.