Any course with credit hours and a letter grade is calculated in the AMCAS GPAs, regardless of whether the credit was counted toward a degree or toward a school-calculated GPA.

• If you enter grades on your application that are not listed on your official transcript, they will not be included in your AMCAS GPAs. Conversely, if you do not enter grades on your application that appear on your official transcript on file with the AMCAS program, those grades will be included in your AMCAS GPAs during the verification process.
• Most courses with the AMCAS Course Type listed below are not included in AMCAS GPA calculations. Instead, the total number of hours for each of these categories is reported to medical schools under the heading “Supplemental Hours.”
  • Pass/Fail-Pass
  • Pass/Fail-Fail
  • Advanced Placement (AP) Credit
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
  • Other Test Credit
• Any courses with any of the following course types on your official transcript have no value or weight in your AMCAS GPA:

  Symbol	Meaning
  AU	Audited courses
  CC	Courses you are currently taking or expect to take
  DG	Multiterm courses (incomplete series, for which your grade is deferred)
  EX	Exempt courses
  NR	Courses for which there is no recorded grade because of school error
  W	Courses from which you have officially withdrawn or you have dropped

• Grades and credit hours are factored into the AMCAS GPA calculations as they were assigned by the school where you took the given course(s). The only exceptions are for foreign coursework transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution and coursework taken through an official study abroad program.
• The AMCAS program counts all plus (+) and minus (–) grades even if your school does not. For example, at some schools and in the AMCAS calculation, a plus or minus counts as 0.7 or 0.3 (e.g., 3.7 or 3.3 GPA); at other schools, a plus or minus counts as 0.5 (e.g., 3.5 GPA). (For more about grade conversion, refer to the Grade Conversion Guide.) Please note: The AMCAS program assigns the same weight (4.0) to grades of A+ and A.
• The AMCAS program counts grades for all attempts of a repeated course, even if your school does not.
• Depending on how your school considers them, grades of IF (incomplete failure) or unauthorized, unofficial, or administrative withdrawal may be treated as an F in your AMCAS GPA.
• Grades and credit hours for all failed courses are included in your AMCAS GPAs even if they are not included in the GPA calculations of the transcript-issuing institution.
• Narrative Evaluations will not be factored into your AMCAS GPA.
• Academic forgiveness policy: If your school has an academic forgiveness policy and replaces the original grade you received with a special transcript symbol, the original grade and attempted credits must be entered on your AMCAS application, regardless of whether they appear on your official transcript. If the original grade is not entered, the AMCAS program will return your application to you to enter the original grade, which may cause you to miss application deadlines and forfeit fees.

The AMCAS program does not typically verify coursework from some types of institutions (e.g., acupuncture schools, vocational and career schools, Bible colleges) unless an associate degree or other advanced degree is earned. This coursework will not be factored into your AMCAS GPAs.

Your AMCAS GPAs will not include credit earned at an institution that does not:

• Grant associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and/or doctoral degrees.
• Offer a transcript for military coursework.
• Transfer credits to a degree-granting institution.

This coursework will be processed with the not equal (≠) verification mark and will not be counted in the AMCAS GPAs.

Some examples of these types of institutions are:

• Massage schools.
• Acupunctural schools.
• Bartending schools.
• Cosmetology schools.
• Scuba diving schools.
• Vocational, career, and training schools.
• Seminary and Bible colleges.
• Culinary schools.
• Real estate schools.

• AMCAS GPAs are reported to medical schools for each academic status (high school (HS), freshman (FR), sophomore (SO), junior (JR), senior (SR), postbaccalaureate (PB), and graduate (GR)). In addition, two separate GPAs are calculated for coursework listed as biology, chemistry, physics, math (BCPM), and all other (AO). Postbaccalaureate coursework is included in the Undergraduate Total GPA and a separate Postbaccalaureate GPA.
• The chart below shows how the information is presented to schools for a student who completed undergraduate coursework in three years and took no college-level courses in high school.

Verified Grade-Point Averages
GPA calculations will appear only when your application status is “Processed.”

Under your respective postsecondary institutions, you must enter courses in chronological order exactly as they appear on the official transcript of the school where you originally attempted them.

This is especially important to remember if the credit for a course was transferred from one U.S. or Canadian school to another.

For example, suppose you primarily attended the University of Maryland and took Intro to Photography at your local community college over the summer. You would list the community college in the Schools Attended section of the application (and request an official transcript from that school) and add Intro to Photography as a course you took there. You would not list the course under the University of Maryland, even if the credits were transferred there. The following are the fields that pertain to each entered course.

Academic Year and Term

These fields show the Academic Year and Term during which you took a course. The AMCAS year begins with summer and ends with spring. Courses taken in the summer should be entered with the next academic year, even if your institution considers them in the previous academic year. For example, if you took a course in the first summer session of 2016, you should enter it as the 2016-2017 academic year, even if your school considers it in the 2015-2016 academic year.

In the Academic Term drop-down menu, please select the academic term that best mirrors the institution’s academic calendar system.

Year in School

The guidelines below will help you determine your Year in School. The AMCAS program is not responsible for any delays in processing and/or incorrect GPA calculations that may result from incorrect Year in School assignments. If the Year in School designation greatly exceeds the ranges specified below, the program may reassign statuses.

Each undergraduate status should consist of about 24 to 35 semester hours. If you are enrolled in an institution as a full-time, continuous undergraduate, you should usually change your Year in School after every two semesters, three to four quarters, or two to three trimesters.

If you have been enrolled part-time or have had interrupted attendance, you should use the following ranges to determine your appropriate status for each term:

For example: Freshman and sophomore years should have a combined total of no more than 65 semester hours; freshman, sophomore, and junior years should have a total of no more than 95 semester hours.

If you have a significant number of AP or college-level coursework credits before entering college, you may list your entire first college year as FR status. In doing so, you will most likely exceed the guideline of 0 through 35 semester hours for freshman year, but your AMCAS GPAs will reflect your “true” first year in college; in these cases, the AMCAS program will not change your academic status. However, if you’d rather base your academic statuses on credit hours only, your application will be accepted and verified according to the year-in-school guidelines.

The following rules will help you determine the appropriate AMCAS Year in School for all your coursework (including foreign coursework):

• Do not assign more than one status to an academic term.
• Assign HS status to college-level courses taken before the high school graduation date you entered in the Schools Attended section, regardless of the physical location of the college-level course. This does not include AP, Exempt, International Baccalaureate (IB), or CLEP credit.
• Assign FR status to AP, Exempt, IB, or CLEP credit awarded when you first entered college. Do not enter AP coursework under HS status.
• Once your undergraduate Year in School (FR, SO, JR, SR) has advanced, do not assign the previous status; continue to enter your completed coursework from that point.
• Junior and community college courses (e.g., associate degree coursework) should usually be listed as FR or SO if you took the courses before you attended a four-year institution. For attendance longer than two years at the same school, refer to the Year in School section.
• Courses for a bachelor’s degree earned in two years should be assigned statuses of FR and SR.
• Courses for a bachelor’s degree earned in three years should be assigned statuses of FR, SO, and SR.
• Courses for a bachelor’s degree earned in more than four years should be assigned statuses of FR, SO, JR, SR.
• Assign Postbaccalaureate (PB) status to any undergraduate-level coursework you enrolled in:
  • After you received your initial BA or BS degree.
  • While enrolled in a graduate program if coursework is not applied to a graduate degree.
• Assign graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level coursework that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

Course Number and Course Name

In the designated fields, enter the course name in English and the course number exactly as it appears on the official transcript (excluding symbols or any style formatting). If the exact course name does not fit, enter a logical abbreviation. The course name and number are critical for the AMCAS verification of each course on the official transcript and for the medical school’s or schools’ evaluation of your application.

Course numbers should include all letters and numbers associated with the course (e.g., BIO 101). If a course number does not fit in the space provided, include the last eight digits. If decimal points are part of the course number on your official transcript, include them when entering the course number. The AMCAS program is not responsible for processing delays or missed deadlines resulting from incorrect listings of course names and numbers.

Course Classification

Each course must be assigned a course classification based strictly on the primary content of the course. The course classifications listed in the Course Classification Guide appear in boldface type and are titled as they appear in the course classification drop-down list. The items beneath each boldface heading are examples of courses for which you should select that bolded course classification. You are responsible for selecting the correct course classification, but the AMCAS program reserves the right to change the classification if the assigned classification clearly does not apply.

If you disagree with a change the AMCAS program has made to a course classification, you may submit an Academic Change Request. Applications are not returned for changes made to course classifications.

The AMCAS program is not responsible for incorrect GPA calculations resulting from incorrect course classifications. If you are unable to classify a course satisfactorily, we suggest you refer to the description of the course on the relevant school’s website.

The AMCAS program uses course classifications to calculate your GPAs. Classifications highlighted in the BCPM group indicate such courses will be included in the calculation of your BCPM GPA, which comprises biology, chemistry, physics, and math courses. Classifications not grouped in BCPM indicate courses that will be included in the calculation of your AO (all other) GPA.

The department offering the course is typically not a factor in the course classification. For example, a course should be classified as biology if the primary content is biology, regardless of the department that offers the course.

The following guide provides examples of how courses are often categorized. Please select course classifications based on the primary content of the course. Biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics grades are used to calculate the AMCAS BCPM GPA. Please note: Natural and physical sciences courses (NPSCs) are not included in the BCPM GPA.

For interdisciplinary courses in which two or more subject matters are combined into one course, refer to the description of the course on your school’s website or consult with your prehealth advisor to choose the most appropriate course classification.

Course Classification Guide

Your AMCAS application will automatically convert most undergraduate credit hours (also known as units and hours) to either semester hours or supplemental hours based on conversions provided by undergraduate institutions.

Again, indicate your credit hours or units exactly as they appear on your transcript. Do not attempt to enter conversions based on the Grade Conversion Guide or any other conversion method.

If no hours appear on your official transcript, leave the item blank unless the credits have been removed as a result of failure.

Below the Credit Hours field, you are asked, “Did the course include a lab section?” The three available selections are Lecture Only, Lab Only, and Combined Lecture and Lab. Select the appropriate designation for the course.

Enter the grade, symbol, or notation exactly as it appears on your official transcript from the institution where you attempted the course. If a grade appears on your transcript or you have earned a grade, you must enter it in the application.

If no grade appears on your transcript and you have not received a grade, a grade entry is not required unless the course has subsequently been repeated or removed because of academic bankruptcy or similar institutional situations For the initial attempt of a course that has been repeated or removed because of academic bankruptcy or similar institutional situations, enter the original grade earned before the course was repeated, regardless of whether it appears on the official transcript or is included in your GPA. Failure to enter the original grade received for repeated courses can lead to returned applications, missed deadlines, and forfeited fees.

The AMCAS program will automatically convert most standard undergraduate transcript grades to AMCAS grades based on conversions provided by undergraduate institutions. Your AMCAS GPAs may not be exactly the same as your GPA(s) on your official transcript(s). AMCAS grades provide medical schools with a standardized comparison for evaluating your academic career. You will be able to view your AMCAS GPAs on your printable application after it has been verified. If you believe an AMCAS grade has been incorrectly assigned to a particular course, you may submit an Academic Change Request.

Audit refers to any course you attended without attempting to earn credit, either formally or informally. If you officially registered for the course, it’s usually listed on the transcript with a special symbol or notation. No credit hours or AMCAS grade will be assigned.

CLEP (CL)

You can earn CLEP credit by passing an examination offered by the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or through USAFI/DANTES (U.S. Air Force Institute and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support). To claim credit in the CLEP category, the credit hours must be listed on your transcript.

You may list your CLEP credit only once, even though more than one institution may have awarded credit. The transferred credit may be credited to the institution granting the most CLEP credit.

Current/Future (CC)

Use the Current/Future designation for any courses you are currently taking or expect to take before entering medical school. Listing these courses is especially important if you have not yet completed medical school prerequisites. No AMCAS grade will be assigned.

Current/Future entries are not binding or required but are intended to give medical schools an indication of what courses you expect to complete before matriculation. Current/Future courses do not have to appear on a transcript to be entered in Coursework. The AMCAS program will not add, remove, or modify Current/Future courses after your application is submitted. If the information changes, please contact the designated medical school(s) directly.

If Current/Future grades are entered on your application but not listed on your official transcript at the time of verification, they will not be included in your AMCAS GPAs. Conversely, if you do not enter grades but grades are listed on your official transcript at the time of verification, they will be included in your AMCAS GPAs.

Deferred Grade (DG)

Deferred Grade should be selected for any single course that officially takes more than one term to complete before the final grade and credit hours are awarded (e.g., research, thesis, dissertation credits). DG coursework is not the same as Repeat, Incomplete, or sequential levels of a subject (e.g., Spanish I, Spanish II) with final grades awarded at each level.

If a final grade has not been awarded, make a separate entry for each academic term:

• Use Deferred Grade for each entry for which there is no final grade. No AMCAS grade will be assigned.
• Do not use Deferred Grade for the entry that includes the final grade.

Exempt (EX)

Use Exempt to indicate courses that were completed but not awarded credit hours. No credit hours or AMCAS grade will be assigned. Exempt courses may include any course you were not required to complete because you had any of the following:

• Previously completed courses.
• Employment experience.
• Passed a departmental exam.

Honors (H)

An Honors course refers to any course attempted through an honors program or section.

Incomplete (I)

A course is considered Incomplete if the work required for it was not completed within the appropriate time limit. If the Incomplete is unresolved, no AMCAS grade will be assigned; however, if the Incomplete is resolved, an AMCAS grade will be assigned. Select Incomplete even if:

• A grade has been ultimately assigned.
• There is no notation indicating Incomplete on the official transcript.

Many schools assign an IF or F grade if the coursework is not completed within a given time limit. If attempted credit hours are listed on the official transcript or can be determined by the AMCAS program, the F will be included in your AMCAS GPAs.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

To claim IB credit, the credit hours must be listed on your transcript. Include IB credit courses only once (indicating IB under Special Course Types), even though IB credit for the same subject may have been awarded by more than one institution. IB courses should be entered under the institution awarding the most credit. IB credit should be entered under the first term in which the college credit was initially granted. If no term is designated, include the credit with FR coursework.

If the transcript from the college awarding IB credit does not list course names, enter the subject area for which credit has been earned as the Course Name (e.g., IB Credit: English).

Military Credit (MC)

The Military Credit type should appear only for courses in which a non-alpha grade was received (that is, pass/fail grades or credit awarded) at a U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian military institution. ROTC courses are not considered military credit.

When listing military credits, you will find JST listed as a school under Florida in the Schools Attended section of the application.

No Record (NR)

Assign No Record to any course for which no final grade is available because of an administrative problem or delay at the school. No AMCAS grade will be assigned.

Pass/Fail (PF)

Pass/fail courses are those attempted under a pass/fail system that allows no more than two passing grades and one failing grade (e.g., credit/no credit, pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, high pass/pass/fail).

Pass/fail courses attempted under a pass/fail system that allows three or more passing grades (e.g., high pass/pass/low pass/fail) will be treated as a regular pass/fail course unless your school provides an alpha letter grade conversion (e.g., A, B, C).

Repeat (R)

This selection applies to each completed attempt for any course attempted more than once, unless the final grade initially received was Withdrawal or Incomplete.

A course entry must be made for each completed attempt of a repeated course, even if any mention of enrollment in the course has been removed from the transcript. To comply with the needs of medical schools, the AMCAS program requires that the grades from all attempts of repeated courses be included in GPA calculations (along with the original grades given for those courses, even if they are not included in schools’ GPA calculations).

If you take a college-level course for which you already have been granted AP credit by the same institution, the AMCAS program considers the course a Repeat. For example, if you received AP credit for your AP Psychology course and took an Introduction to Psychology course at the same undergraduate institution, you should list Introduction to Psychology as a Repeat.

Do not select Repeat for courses designed to be repeated (e.g., independent study, thesis, chorus).

If your school has an academic forgiveness policy and subsequently replaces the original grade received with a special transcript symbol, the original grade and attempted credits must be entered on your AMCAS application, regardless of whether they appear on your official transcript. If you do not list all your attempts in a given course (along with the original grade), the AMCAS program will return your application to you to enter the original grade, which may cause you to miss application deadlines and forfeit fees.

Withdrawal (W)

A Withdrawal includes any course you officially withdrew from, regardless of whether you were passing or failing at the time. Such courses usually appear on the transcript as a “W” or equivalent symbol. No credit hours or AMCAS grade will be assigned for Withdrawals, except in cases where the school includes the Withdrawal failing grade in the GPA as an “F.”

A course entry should not be made if the course was dropped within the normal drop/add period and does not appear on your transcript. The courses from which you made unofficial or administrative withdrawals will be included in your AMCAS GPAs if your school included them in its GPA.

If you withdrew entirely from a school before completing courses for a specific term, you must still list each course for which you were registered that term, with Withdrawal as the Special Course Type. If the school does not issue transcripts for students who withdraw entirely, you must ask the registrar’s office to send an official letter (with an AMCAS Transcript Request Form attached) indicating that no transcript is available because of institutional policies.

Use the following list to determine if you must include your CEGEP (Canadian collège d’enseignement général et professionnel) or Grade 13 courses. The AMCAS program does not require a transcript from the CEGEP institution.

Credits Transferred

Courses attempted at a CEGEP or through a Grade 13 program must be listed if the credit has been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution with the use of a credit-hour system convertible to semester hours.

• Include the CEGEP or Grade 13 institution and the U.S. or Canadian institution accepting transfer credit in Schools Attended.
• Request a transcript exception for the CEGEP or Grade 13 institution and indicate the U.S. or Canadian institution on whose transcript these transfer credits will appear.
• List the coursework under the CEGEP or Grade 13 institution at which it was attempted.
• If transfer credits are not assigned to individual courses, divide the credit-hour total as appropriate to distinguish the number of credits for each course.
• If the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding transfer credit provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours convertible to semester hours for each course (and the conversions are included on the transcript or in an official letter attached to the transcript):
  • Enter all required course data.
  • The AMCAS program will include the coursework in AMCAS GPAs, regardless of institutional policies.
• If the U.S. institution awarding transfer credit does not provide letter grades other than pass/fail:
  • Indicate Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on the official transcript of the institution awarding transfer credit.
  • The AMCAS program will include the coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.
• If the Canadian institution awarding transfer credit does not provide letter grades other
  than pass/fail:
  • Indicate Advanced Placement as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on your official transcript.
  • The AMCAS program will include the coursework in your cumulative Advanced Placement credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Credits Not Transferred

If CEGEP or Grade 13 course credits have not been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution, you are not required to list the courses. If you choose to include the coursework on your application:

• Include the CEGEP and Grade 13 institution in Schools Attended.
• Request a transcript exception for the CEGEP or Grade 13 institution.
• Provide all required course data except credit hours attempted and grades.

The AMCAS program will not verify the coursework and will not include it in your AMCAS GPAs or cumulative credit-hour totals.

Clock Hours

Official transcripts are required from all U.S., U.S. territorial, and Canadian postsecondary institutions awarding clock hours. If the institution provides only a certificate of completion or if no official transcript is available, the registrar of the institution must send the AMCAS program an official letter (with a Transcript Request Form attached) verifying that no official transcript is available.

Please note: Your application will not be processed without an official transcript or letter.

Conversion to Semester Hours Provided by Institution

If the clock-hour institution provides a conversion to semester hours:

• Include the clock-hour institution in Schools Attended.
• If your official transcript does not clearly indicate the institution’s recommended conversion, ask the registrar’s office to attach a letter of explanation to your official transcript before it is sent to the AMCAS program.
• Enter all required course data, taking special care to enter the correct number of clock hours as credit hours.

The AMCAS program will verify the course data and will include the coursework in your AMCAS GPAs.

Conversion to Semester Hours Not Provided, Credit Transferred

If the clock-hour institution does not provide a conversion to semester or quarter hours and course credits have been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution by using a credit-hour system convertible to semester hours:

• Include the clock-hour institution and the U.S. or Canadian institution accepting transfer credit in Schools Attended.
• Request the required official transcript (or a letter from the registrar’s office if a transcript is not available).
• List the courses under the clock-hour institution at which they were attempted.
• If transfer credits are not assigned to individual courses, subdivide the credit-hour total as appropriate and assign credit hours to each course.
• If the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding transfer credit provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours convertible to semester hours for each course on your official transcript or in an official letter attached to your official transcript, enter all required course data. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your AMCAS GPAs, regardless of institutional policies.
• If the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding transfer credit does not provide letter grades other than pass/fail:
  • Indicate Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on your official transcript.
  • The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals and not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Conversion to Semester Hours Not Provided, Credit Not Transferred

If the clock-hour institution does not provide a conversion to semester hours and course credits have not been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution, you are not required to list the courses on your application. However, you must:

• Include the clock-hour institution in Schools Attended.
• Ask for the transcript to be sent to the AMCAS program. If a transcript is not available, request a letter of explanation from the registrar (with a Transcript Request Form attached).

If you include this coursework in the Coursework section of your application, provide all required course data except credit hours.

The AMCAS program will not verify the coursework and will not include it in your AMCAS GPAs or cumulative-credit-hour totals.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

CEU credits are usually used in vocational, licensure, and certificate programs (e.g., real estate licenses, teaching and nursing certifications). You are not required to list CEU courses on your application.

CEUs cannot be converted to semester hours. The AMCAS program will not verify the coursework and will not include it in your AMCAS GPAs or cumulative credit-hour totals.

For a variety of reasons, many students attempt college-level courses while in middle or high school. The courses primarily fall into the categories of AP Courses/Exams or Other.

AP Courses/Exams

Unless credit has been granted by a U.S. or Canadian postsecondary institution or university for an AP course or an AP exam, you should not include such information on the application. If credit has been granted, you should list courses/exams according to the instructions for AP credit. Do not send high school transcripts or AP test score reports to the AMCAS program. AP credit earned during dual enrollment cannot be listed as high school coursework.

Other Courses

Many high school students take other types of college-level courses either independently or through special programs offered by their school. You should list these courses on your application under the name of the college, regardless of whether the course was held at the high school or college.

Contact the college that offered the course to determine transcript availability before you complete your AMCAS application. If a transcript from the college is available, you must ask for it to be sent to the AMCAS program, and you must list the course(s) in the Coursework section of your application.

If letter grades and credit hours are listed on the college transcript, the AMCAS program will include the grades and credit hours in its GPA calculations, even if they have not been transferred to the primary undergraduate school or used toward a degree. The courses do not require any Special Course Type unless they fall under one of those types. The only available Year in School for courses taken before the high school graduation date you entered in the Schools Attended section is High School.

If a transcript is not available from the college, the registrar’s office of the college must send an official letter (with a Transcript Request Form attached) indicating that no transcript is available because of institutional policies. You should not send high school transcripts to the AMCAS program.

If your school uses a full-year course program, choose one of the Full Year options from the Academic Term drop-down list based on the school’s calendar system. Do not divide classes by term or enter Deferred Grade (DG) as the course type.

If a U.S. or Canadian institution has granted Life Experience credit (e.g., health or physical education course credits resulting from military service or military occupational specialty (MOS) codes held):

• Include the U.S. or Canadian institution granting the credit in Schools Attended.
• The official transcript from the school granting the credit must list Life Experience course credits for the information to be verified by the AMCAS program.
• Indicate Advanced Placement as the Special Course Type.

Medical School Coursework

• You must list courses taken in any medical school program at any institution, regardless of country. Include the institution in the Schools Attended section. Enter coursework, transcript grades, and credit hours.
• Transcripts are required for medical school coursework taken at U.S., U.S. territorial, and Canadian medical schools, regardless of whether the coursework was completed.
• If medical school coursework was attempted at a foreign institution, you must request a transcript exception with the reason Foreign Institution — No credits transferred or Foreign Institution or study abroad program sponsored by U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian institution — Credits transferred if a U.S. or Canadian institution has awarded credit for some or all your courses.
• If a U.S. or Canadian institution has accepted credit, indicate which school granted you the credit. Enter your courses under the foreign institution.
• List any other courses attempted at a medical school that were not part of a medical school program. List the courses in the same way you would list any other coursework. Your AMCAS GPA will include these courses.

MD-Degree Coursework

• Enter coursework, transcript grades, and credit hours for courses taken for an MD degree attempted or completed at a U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian medical school. These courses will not be computed in your AMCAS GPAs or cumulative-credit-hour totals.
• Transcripts are required for MD-degree coursework taken at U.S., U.S. territorial, and Canadian medical schools, regardless of whether coursework was completed.
• Include the institution in the Schools Attended section and select Previous Matriculation.

Pay very close attention to this section if you participated in a study abroad program or will be including in your application coursework attempted anywhere other than at an institution in the United States or Canada.

Individual medical schools may request foreign transcripts to complete secondary applications. You should check with the medical schools you’re applying to about their requirements and, if necessary, request foreign transcripts as soon as possible.

This section outlines the most common study abroad scenarios. Contact the AAMC Support Center if you have questions.

Some schools, although not physically located in the United States or Canada, have received accreditation from an institutional accreditor recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and are thus not considered foreign institutions; as a result, transcripts from these schools are required. Courses should be listed in AMCAS materials in the same way all other coursework is listed. U.S. institutions with campuses overseas (such as the University of Maryland at Munich) are considered U.S. colleges for which transcripts are required, and all coursework must be listed.

For more information, refer to the American Colleges Overseas subsection under Schools Attended.

Courses attempted independently (not through a study abroad program) at a foreign institution must be listed if the credit has been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution by using a credit-hour system convertible to semester hours. Courses include those taken in a foreign country before formally enrolling in a U.S. or Canadian institution as well as those taken independently after enrolling in a U.S. or Canadian institution.

In Schools Attended, list the U.S. or Canadian institution that granted your transfer credit and list the foreign school.

• You must request a transcript exception for the foreign institution and select the reason Foreign Institution or study abroad program sponsored by U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian institution — Credits transferred.
• When asked if the credits from the foreign school were transferred, you must select Yes and select the name of the U.S. or Canadian institution that granted the credit.
• List foreign coursework as it appears on the U.S. or Canadian transcript under the foreign institution at which it was attempted. Do not list the coursework twice.
• If transfer credits are not assigned to individual courses, subdivide the credit-hour total as appropriate and assign credit hours to each course.
• If the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding transfer credit provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours convertible to semester hours for each course on your transcript, enter all required course data. The AMCAS program will include the coursework in your AMCAS GPAs, regardless of institutional policies.
• If the U.S. or Canadian institution does not provide letter grades other than pass/fail:
  • Indicate Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on your official transcript.
  • The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and
    Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Courses (other than MD coursework) attempted independently at a foreign institution do not have to be listed if credit has not been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution, except to meet medical school prerequisites unduplicated by other listed coursework. Such courses include coursework taken in a foreign country before formally enrolling in a U.S. or Canadian institution as well as coursework taken independently after enrolling in a U.S. or Canadian institution.

You are not required to list these courses in your AMCAS application, but you may do so if you’d like to make medical schools aware of them. The AMCAS program will not verify the coursework and will not include the courses in your AMCAS GPAs.

If you include this coursework in your application:

• Include the foreign institution in Schools Attended, request a transcript exception for the school, and select Foreign Institution — No credits transferred. Do not send foreign transcripts or certificates to the AMCAS program.
• Provide all required course data from the foreign institution except credit hours attempted and grades.

Watch the video tutorial about how to enter study abroad coursework on the AMCAS Tools and Tutorials website. You can also find more information about study abroad coursework by visiting the AMCAS Study Abroad webpage at aamc.org/amcasstudyabroad.

You must enter courses attempted through a study abroad program. List study abroad coursework under the foreign college, the foreign listing of your home institution, or the organization at which the coursework was attempted exactly as it appears on the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution’s official transcript. Do not enter the coursework twice.

If you attended a study abroad program, a transcript is required from the U.S. or Canadian institution that sponsored the program, even if it was not your home institution. Although you may not have taken a course at the sponsoring institution itself, you must have a transcript from that school if it was the school that awarded you credit for the study abroad coursework.

Study Abroad Program Sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian Institution

This type of program was sponsored by your undergraduate institution or another U.S. or Canadian college or university. The sponsoring school is the institution that granted you credit for the courses you took in the study abroad program.

In the School Attended section of your application, you will:

• List the U.S. or Canadian school that sponsored you (that is, the school that assisted with your registration at the study abroad institution or initially granted you credit for the courses taken).
• List the study abroad (foreign) institution.

When asked “Does the AMCAS program require an official transcript?”

• Select Yes for the U.S. or Canadian Institution that sponsored you.
• Select No for the study abroad (foreign) institution. Choose this transcript exception reason: Foreign institution or study abroad program sponsored by U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian institution — credits transferred.
• When asked if the credits from the foreign institution were transferred, select Yes and enter the name of the sponsoring school in the required field.

Enter your study abroad courses under the foreign school you attended exactly as they appear on the sponsoring school’s transcript.

If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours convertible to semester hours for each course on its transcript, enter all required course data. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your AMCAS GPAs.

If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution does not provide letter grades other than pass/fail:

• Indicate Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on the official transcript of the U.S. or Canadian sponsoring institution.
• The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Study Abroad Program Sponsored by an Organization Other Than a U.S. or Canadian Institution

This type of program was sponsored by a third-party organization (such as Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), Cultural Experiences Abroad, DIS, International Education of Students, International Studies Abroad, World Education Services) to assist with the registration and enrollment at a study abroad school. This section provides directions for when a U.S. or Canadian school has granted credit for your study abroad courses.

In the Schools Attended section of your application, you will:

• List the U.S. or Canadian institution that has granted you credit for your study abroad course.
• List the study abroad organization.
• Select the state where your study abroad organization’s headquarters is located.
• Select Other Not Listed for the school name. Modify the school name to reflect the name of the organization and the country where you completed your study abroad (e.g., “CIEE Spain”).

When asked “Does the AMCAS program require an official transcript?”

• Select No for the study abroad organization. Choose this transcript exception reason: Foreign institution or study abroad program sponsored by U.S., U.S. territorial, or Canadian institution — credits transferred.
• Select Yes for the U.S. or Canadian institution that gave you credit for the study abroad courses.

When asked if the credits from the study abroad organization were transferred, select Yes, and enter the name of the institution where the credits were originally accepted. Enter your study abroad courses as courses taken at the study abroad organization. However, enter them exactly as they appear on the official transcript from the U.S. or Canadian institution that granted you credit.

If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours convertible to semester hours for each course on its transcript, enter all required course data. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your AMCAS GPAs.

If the sponsoring U.S. or Canadian institution does not provide letter grades other than pass/fail:

• Indicate Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course data, entering the transcript grade exactly as it appears on the official transcript of the U.S. or Canadian sponsoring institution.
• The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

The AMCAS program cannot accept documentation from certain study abroad programs, including those listed below. To be verified by the AMCAS program, coursework taken through one of these programs must be transferred to a U.S. or Canadian college or university. Please note: The list is not all-inclusive:

• Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
• Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA)
• Danish Institute for Study Abroad Program (DIS)
• International Education of Students (IES)
• International Studies Abroad (ISA)
• World Education Services (WES)

Please note: The AMCAS program requires official transcripts from the School for International Training (SIT Graduate Institute).

If a U.S. or Canadian institution has granted credit for an IB examination, enter the exam with International Baccalaureate as the Special Course Type and enter the transcript grade as recorded on the official transcript of the U.S. or Canadian institution accepting the examination as transfer credit and credit hours. IB credit should be entered under the term in which the college credit was initially granted. If no term is designated, include the credit with FR coursework.

The AMCAS program will verify and include letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) in its AMCAS GPA calculations only if such grades appear on the transcript of the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding the transfer credit.

French Baccalaureate is not considered an International Baccalaureate examination. Please list French Baccalaureate examinations under the Advanced Placement course type.

Refer to the Military Education Transcripts subsection of the Schools Attended section to determine if a transcript is available for courses taken at military institutions.

Transcript Available

If a transcript is available directly from the military school listing individual courses with letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours are convertible to semester hours, include the military school in Schools Attended and enter course information as it appears on the transcript. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your AMCAS GPAs.

If your transcript does not list individual courses with corresponding grades and semester hours (or course units convertible to semester hours) but the program attaches American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations to the transcript:

• Include the military school in Schools Attended.
• Send a Transcript Request Form to the military school. Handwrite on this request that the transcript should include ACE recommendations so that the AMCAS program will expect the information and the school will know to send it.
• Enter course information as it appears on the ACE recommendations. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass and Pass/Fail-Fail credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Joint Services Transcript Available

If a transcript is not available directly from the military school but a JST is available:

• Select Joint Services Transcript in the Schools Attended section (listed under Florida).
• Enter coursework as it appears on the JST under Military Course Completions.
• Military experience should be listed under coursework only if a U.S. or Canadian institution has accepted the experience as transfer credit.
• Experience from Occupations Held should not be listed unless a U.S. or Canadian institution has accepted the experience as transfer credit.
• Do not select Pass/Fail (PF) Special Course Type for military courses. Instead, select Military Credit (MC) Special Course Type for these courses.
• ROTC courses are not considered military credit.
• The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your year-in-school status and in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass credit-hour totals but not in your AMCAS GPAs.

Additional information is available on the JST website at jst.doded.mil/smart/signIn.do.

Transfer Credit Awarded by Another School

Follow the instructions below if no transcript is available directly from the military school or program and if another institution awarded transfer credit.

If a JST is not available from the military but another U.S. or Canadian institution has granted transfer credit for military coursework:

• Include in Schools Attended the military program and the U.S. or Canadian institution
  accepting transfer credit.
• You must request a letter from JST stating that no transcript is available. Enter course information as it appears on the official transcript of the school accepting the transfer credit.

If the U.S. or Canadian institution awarding the transfer credit provides letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) and credit hours are convertible to semester hours for each course on its transcript or in an official letter attached to its transcript, enter all required course information. The AMCAS program will verify and include this coursework in your AMCAS GPAs, regardless of institutional policies.

If letter grades and/or credit hours are not listed for each course on the transcript of the school awarding the transfer credit, select Military Credit as the Special Course Type. The AMCAS program will include this coursework in your cumulative Pass/Fail-Pass credit-hour totals, not in your AMCAS GPAs.

No Transcript Available

If no military school transcript, JST, or transfer credit to another college is available, you are still encouraged to list military courses on the AMCAS application, particularly if the courses were health-related.

• Include the military school in Schools Attended.
• Request a letter from JST stating that no transcript is available. Enter all course information except credit hours. The AMCAS program will not verify the coursework and will not include it in your AMCAS GPAs.

All narrative evaluations received from registrars will be forwarded to your designated schools with your application. If you have received narrative evaluations for some or all courses in lieu of letter grades (e.g., A, B, C):

• Include the name of the institution(s) in Schools Attended.
• Do not select Pass/Fail as the Special Course Type, even if your transcript reflects a pass/fail grade for narrative evaluation coursework. Enter all required course information.

If USAFI/DANTES credit has been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution:

• Include the U.S. or Canadian institution accepting USAFI/DANTES transfer credit in the Schools Attended section. Indicate New Jersey as the state, then select Other (not listed) for the School Name field, and modify it to read USAFI/DANTES.
• A transcript is not required from USAFI/DANTES. You must request a transcript exception and indicate the name of the U.S. or Canadian institution on whose transcript the credits will appear.
• Indicate CLEP as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course information.
• If transfer credits are not assigned to individual courses, subdivide the credit-hour total, as appropriate, to determine the number of credits for each course.

If USAFI/DANTES credit has not been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution:

• Include USAFI/DANTES in Schools Attended. Indicate New Jersey as the state, then select Other (not listed) for the School Name field, and modify it to read USAFI/DANTES.
• A transcript is required from USAFI/DANTES.
• Indicate CLEP as the Special Course Type and provide all other required course information.