Admissions Committee Student Selection Policy

PURPOSE
To outline the student selection procedures of the Admissions Committee.

AUDIENCE
Prospective applicants and all faculty, staff, students, and other representatives participating in the School's admission process

LCME STANDARD
10.3 Policies Regarding Student Selection

POLICY

  1. Admission to the UC Davis School of Medicine (i.e., the School) is under the authority of the Admissions Committee. (See the UC Davis School of Medicine Bylaws and Regulations)
  2. The admissions criteria are based on the School's mission and priorities established by the Faculty Executive Committee.
  3. The selection of students for admission is not influenced by political or financial factors.
  4. The Admissions Committee develops and approves admissions policies, selection criteria, and offers of admission into the School.
  5. Committee members must adhere to the School's policies and procedures outlined in the Admissions Process Manual.

PROCEDURE

  1. All applications must be submitted via American Medical College Application Services (AMCAS) in compliance with deadlines and policies.
  2. All admissions decisions are made without consideration of gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or marital status.
  3. Applications are reviewed using a holistic review process. A holistic review considers multiple factors including coursework, academic and extracurricular experiences, unique talents, background, attributes, and career goals. The reviewers consider how each individual applicant will contribute to the School's mission, help address regional workforce needs, and enhance the academic community. Each applicant’s entire packet is considered, rather than focusing on select parts such as GPA or test scores.
  4. Selected applicants are given a secondary application.
    1. Approximately 500 applications are selected for an interview. 
    2. M.D./Ph.D. applicants are invited to interview for admission to the medical school but also have a separate M.D./Ph.D. program interview. Up to five positions are available in the program each year.
    3. Applicants who indicated interest in the mission-focused pathway programs on the secondary application are invited for a pathway program interview.
  5.  The Admissions Committee adheres to the following process related to the management of the admissions offers and the waitlist.
    1.  The committee votes to accept, place on a waitlist, or reject each applicant.
    2. Applicants on the waitlist can only be offered admission after all applicants in the current cycle have been interviewed.
    3. With authority from the committee, the committee chair and the Director of Admissions manage the waitlist.
    4. As matriculating class vacancies become available, applicants on the waitlist are offered admission in the order in which they are ranked.
    5.  With authority from the committee, the M.D./Ph.D. program manages a separate ranked waitlist.
      1. The M.D./Ph.D. Program ranked waitlist is reviewed and voted on for approval by the committee.
      2. The committee has granted authority to M.D./Ph. D. program leadership to admit waitlist applicants who have been approved by the committee as positions become available.
    6. The committee chair appoints committee members to review waitlist applicants who have applied for Scholarly Pathway Programs.
      1. The members make recommendations for acceptance; these applicants are accepted based on mission alignment with the Scholarly Pathway Programs.
      2. The committee reviews the recommendations and renders the final decision to admit a waitlist applicant to a Scholarly Pathway Program.
      3. Selected applicants may be recommended for admittance out of sequence of the waitlist subject to approval from the Admissions Committee. These applicants are considered based on mission alignment with the programs.

(To learn more about the principles and practices of the Admissions Committee see the Final Authority of the Admissions Committee policy.)

RESPONSIBILITY
Admissions Committee

REFERENCES

School of Medicine Bylaws and Regulations, Bylaws 4.2221 and 4.2222, and Regulation 50

RELATED POLICY/POLICIES
Academic Assessment of Students by Health Care Providers Policy
Final Authority of the Admissions Committee
Premedical Requirements Policy
Technical Standards Policy

POLICY OWNER
Admissions Committee

REVIEWED BY
Admissions Committee*

REVIEWED DATE and REVIEW CYCLE
July 2024, annual review cycle

* Indicates the Policy Owner