Doctor of Medicine (MD) Admissions

We holistically evaluate candidates for admission across a range of attributes for successful development into individuals who aim to become vital members of the medical community as students, practitioners, educators and researchers serving the needs of a diverse and changing population. These attributes include:
 

Academic excellence

Our curriculum is rigorous and integrates all basic science and clinical components in a flipped classroom method without lectures. It is learner-centered, competency-based and requires mastery of academic content.

Applicants must demonstrate organizational and time-management skills, and self-regulated learning. They must have the ability to perform well in an academic, small-group setting focused on problem-based learning.

Applicants should apply creative and critical thinking and reasoning to develop clinical solutions. They must rapidly absorb new information and work well in a team-based setting.

They must have the ability to communicate and negotiate with varying opinions and ideas to reach well-founded conclusions.
 

Professionalism, integrity and ethics

The relationship between physicians and their patients requires the highest degree of integrity, ethics and respect. We seek applicants who:

• Behave in an honest and ethical manner
• Cultivate personal and academic integrity
• Adhere to ethical principles
• Follows rules and procedures
• Resist peer pressure to engage in unethical behavior
• Encourage others to behave in honest and ethical ways
• Develop and demonstrate ethical and moral reasoning
   

Communication and teamwork

The ability to function as part of a team is essential to the practice of medicine. We seek applicants who can:

• Convey information to others using spoken words and sentences
• Listen effectively and recognize potential communication barriers
• Adjust their communication approach and clarify information as needed
• Demonstrate an awareness of others’ needs, goals, feelings and the ways social and behavioral cues affect interactions and behaviors
• Work collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals
• Share information with others and provide feedback
• Put team goals ahead of individual goals
• Demonstrate evidence of participation with a significant extracurricular, academic or other experience requiring teamwork and leadership

Non-traditional backgrounds that bring unique perspective and real-life work experience are also valued.
 

Community service orientation

Rush has a longstanding tradition and mission of community engagement. We strongly value applicants with demonstrated attributes displaying a commitment to community service, including the following:

• The desire to help others
• A sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings
• The desire to alleviate others’ distress
• Recognition of responsibilities to society, locally, nationally and globally

We seek applicants with exposure to community service, whether through employment, volunteering or other activities.
 

Clinical experience

We strongly recommend that applicants explore their interest in medicine by taking advantage of clinical exposure opportunities. This can be in clinics, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes or other health care facilities.

We seek applicants who have pursued long-term commitments that include direct patient contact rather than short-term experiences.

These experiences should be qualitative in nature with a breadth and depth of exposure. They should provide an understanding of the nature of medical practice and the daily demands placed on physicians.

While many applicants may have international clinical or public health experiences, we equally value significant commitments to patient care in the applicant’s own community.
 

Leadership

We seek evidence of leadership abilities, demonstrated by the following:

• Involvement in experiences during and beyond an applicant’s collegiate years
• Willingness to seek experiences and exposure to backgrounds and cultures beyond their own
• Ability to question and challenge the status quo
• Ability to self-reflect
• Ability to communicate positive qualities of an effective leader

We seek applicants who exhibit these qualities in action and effectively exert appropriate influence over others.
 

Resilience and adaptability

Medical school can be highly stressful, demanding and challenging. We value applicants who can:

• Demonstrate tolerance of stressful environments
• Adapt effectively to changing environments
• Be persistent, even under difficult situations
• Recover from setbacks
   

Reliability and dependability

Potential physicians should consistently fulfill obligations in a timely and satisfactory manner. We seek applicants who can:

• Take responsibility and be accountable for personal actions and performance
• Give their best effort under all circumstances
• Keep their word and commitments under all circumstances and work with others to help them keep theirs
• Do everything possible to make sure their performance is strong and undeterred by obstacles that would stop others

For students applying for matriculation in fall 2025, we will accept MCAT scores from exams administered from January 2022 and September 2024. Outside this time frame, you are required to retake the exam.

If multiple MCAT exams are taken, we review all scores, with an emphasis on the highest composite score.

We regard the MCAT as one part of the application and review all applicants holistically. The test does not outweigh other application components.

The AAMC does not notify schools of future MCAT registrations. It is the responsibility of each applicant to maintain this information within AMCAS.

For more information, see the AMCAS Applicant Guide.

To ensure academic success, Rush Medical College requires applicants meet one of the following metric requirements:

Degree

To enroll in the Rush MD program, applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada.

Major

We seek students with a wide range of talents, interests, and academic backgrounds. An applicant’s major is not a factor in our admissions decisions.

Prerequisite Courses

Beginning in the 2025 application cycle, Rush Medical College will require the following prerequisite courses:

• Chemistry: One academic year
  • One course in Biochemistry
  • One course in Organic Chemistry (Recommended)
• Biology*: One academic year
  • One course in Cell Biology or a related subject with a primary focus on cellular biology (course title does not need to be specifically 'Cell Biology').
• Biology and/or Chemistry Lab: One academic year
• Physics: One course (AP credit can be used to fulfill the requirement)
• Math: One course in Algebra or higher-level math (Stats cannot be used to fulfill the requirement, AP credit can be used to fulfill the requirement)
• English: One academic year in courses focused on reading comprehension and writing skills.

*It is recommended that students take Biology coursework within five years of application.

Rush Medical College also recommends students take the following:

• Anatomy
• Physiology

Additionally, students are encouraged to complete coursework (for example sociology, public health, political science, global health, bioethics, urban studies, history, and economics) that provides exposure to content about social determinants of health and disparities in healthcare outcomes.

Casper is an online situational judgment test administered by Acuity Insights. It assesses for non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics that are important for successful students and graduates of our program.

Casper will complement the other tools we use for application review and further enhance our robust holistic review process.

For students applying to matriculate at Rush in fall 2025, the Casper exam must be taken no later than Nov. 13, 2024.

We place a high value on letters of recommendation. They are an important component in the applicant evaluation that highlight personal qualities and characteristics.

You should select letter writers who know you personally, when possible.

We only accept letters of recommendation provided through AMCAS. Learn more about submitting letters of evaluation to AMCAS.

Choose one of the following options:

Option 1: 
One premedical committee letter (preferred, if offered by your institution)

Option 2: 
One letter packet

Option 3: 
Three individual letters with the following guidelines:

• Academic Letter: A person who can evaluate your academic abilities, as well as your suitability for a medical school curriculum. The letter does not need to be written by a science faculty member.
• Professional Non-Academic Letter: A person who has worked with you professionally and can address your attributes.
  • Examples of attributes include resilience, dependability, social skills, cultural competence, service orientation.
  • What value do these bring to the diversity of the class, seeing patients and the communities we serve?
• Personal Letter: A person who has an in-depth perspective of you and can objectively assess your personal qualities. This should be a more personal letter that discusses who you are, your goals and characteristics.
  • This person needs to have had substantial contact with you during the past 24 months.
  • Letters from friends and family are not accepted.

Note: If you submit more than three letters, you will be asked to indicate the three you select to be evaluated as part of your application.

Letters of recommendation must be submitted to AMCAS no later than Nov. 1 of the application year. Your application will not be considered complete until your letters have been received.

You will be able to view the status of your application materials online, via the RMC Applicant Portal, once we receive your AMCAS application.

Rush Medical College assumes applicants have waived their right to view all letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation submitted as part of the application process cannot be used for any other purpose.

For more information, see the AAMC guidelines for writing a letter of evaluation.

Fulfillment of MD degree requirements

We offer an undifferentiated MD degree affirming the general knowledge and skills to enter residency training and qualify for medical licensure. Essential abilities and characteristics required for completion of the MD degree consist of certain minimum physical and cognitive abilities and emotional characteristics to assure that candidates for admission, promotion, and graduation are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of medical training, with or without reasonable accommodation.

MD candidates must have skills in the following areas:

• Behavioral and social abilities
• Communication
• Ethics and professionalism
• Intellectual (conceptual, integrative and quantitative)
• Motor
• Observation

This ensures that candidates for admission, promotion and graduation can complete the entire curriculum and participate fully in training, with or without reasonable accommodation.

We are committed to diversity. We look to attract and educate students who help make the population of health care professionals representative of the national population.

Our core values are I CARE (Innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence). These values translate into our work with all students, including those with disabilities.

We collaborate with students to develop innovative ways to ensure accessibility and create a respectful, accountable culture. We have confidential and specialized disability support.

We are committed to excellence in accessibility. We encourage students with disabilities to disclose and seek accommodations.

Technical (non-academic) standards

Behavioral and social abilities

Students should possess the emotional health required for the following:

• Full utilization of their intellectual abilities
• Exercising good judgment
• Prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients
• The development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, fellow students, faculty and staff

Students should be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress.

Students should be able to adapt to changing environments and display flexibility. They should learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients.

Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, professionalism, interest and motivation are expected during the education processes.
 

Communication

Students should be able to communicate with patients to elicit information, detect changes in mood and activity, and establish a therapeutic relationship.

Students should be able to communicate via English effectively and sensitively with patients and health care teams, both in person and in writing.
 

Ethics and professionalism

Students should maintain ethical and moral behaviors commensurate with the physician’s role in all interactions with patients, faculty, staff, students and the public.

Students are expected to understand the legal and ethical aspects of practicing medicine. They must function within the law and ethical standards of the profession.
 

Intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities

Students should be able to assimilate detailed and complex information presented in both didactic and clinical coursework. They should also be able to engage in problem-solving.

Students are expected to possess the ability to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, synthesize and transmit information.

In addition, students should be able to comprehend 3D relationships. Students must understand the spatial relationships of structures and adapt to different learning environments and modalities.
 

Motor

Students should, after a reasonable period of time, possess the capacity to perform a physical examination and diagnostic maneuvers.

Students should be able to execute some motor movements required to provide general care to patients. They should also be able to execute motor movements required to provide or direct emergency treatment of patients.

Such actions require some coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, balance and equilibrium.
 

Observation

Students should be able to obtain information from demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences. Students should be able to assess a patient and evaluate findings accurately.

These skills require the use of vision, hearing, and touch or the functional equivalent.
 

The technical standards delineated above must be met, with or without accommodation.

Students who, after reviewing the standards, determine they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services. We will confidentially discuss your needs.

Given the clinical nature of our programs, time may be needed to create and implement accommodations. Accommodations are never retroactive; therefore, timely requests are essential and encouraged.

To learn more about accommodations at Rush University please contact:

Marie Lusk, MBA, MSW, LSW
Director, Office of Student Accessibility Services
Rush University
600 S. Paulina St. AAC 901
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 942-5237
marie_lusk@rush.edu
 

Process

Requests for accommodation by individuals with a disability as defined by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disability Act will be considered on the basis of their abilities and the extent to which reasonable accommodation, if required, can be provided.

The Rush University policy for students with disabilities describes the process for requesting an accommodation and is available in the catalog and on the website.

These guidelines were reviewed, updated and approved by the Committee on Admissions, Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion and the Office of Legal Affairs in August 2016.

We accept applications from the following individuals:

• U.S. citizens
• Permanent residents
• Those with asylee, refugee or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status at the time of application

All applicants must provide one of the following documentation:

• U.S. birth certificate
• U.S. passport
• U.S. permanent resident card
• Form N-550
• Certificate of Naturalization
• Other documentation to show asylee, refugee or DACA status

Transfer students

We do not have available positions for transfer applicants in the second-, third- or fourth-year classes. This is due to retention of the current student body.