Each spring, the AAMC releases a comprehensively updated new edition of the MSAR® guide, offering users the ability to search, filter and compare new data, deadlines, and policies for 176 MD-granting U.S. and Canadian medical schools.
What’s New in this Edition in MSAR?
While a large amount of information is accessible to everyone, upgrading to a paid one-year or two-year subscription will unlock exclusive, in-depth data direct from the AMCAS® application and MCAT® exam and will be a helpful tool for your application strategy.
Subscribers have access to:
- Three-Year MD Pathway, including information about the accelerated medical school pathway, including number of available spots, application process, restrictions and requirements, deadlines, graduates’ indebtedness data, and details about any directed residency pathways, specialties available, affiliations or pathways, and number of linked residency spots.
- Application deadlines and restrictions, combined degree details, and PREview policies provided directly from medical schools via AMCAS
- Tribal Affiliations self-reported by the first-year class
- Estimated number of new entrants per pathway (ex. MD, Combined degrees, Early Assurance, Early Decision, etc.)
- Support systems or resources at the medical school for applicants and learners with disabilities
- Four years of self-reported data on how students hope to specialize
- Technical standards (essential abilities and qualities students must have for matriculation, progression, and graduation from medical school)
Other site features include:
- Tuition and financial aid information
- Transportation recommendations or requirements
- Ability to save, rank and email a list of your favorite schools
- Create, save, and print notes on each school
- Waitlist data and information
- Premedical coursework requirements and recommendations
- Research opportunities and medical, volunteer, and/or research experience of accepted applicants
- And more!
You can use MSAR over several years, to help you plan for completing required and recommend premedical coursework for schools where you’re considering applying. And just like when you were considering where to complete your undergraduate work, you can look at other factors, such as the type of campus, for instance, rural, urban, or suburban, the school’s mission, and it’s commitment to primary care or research .
As you move closer to the application cycle you hope to apply in, consider if you’d like to do a combined degree program. MSAR will be able to share crucial information – taken directly from the AMCAS application – about deadlines, program restrictions, and in some cases, length of program, when you should consider applying, program contacts, and links to more information.
Did you know, MSAR has about 600 fields per medical school? It can help you learn about secondary application information, the minimum and maximum number of Letters of Evaluation you’ll need, preferred letter types (such as a Committee Letter, packet or individual letters), and even guidance on who the school prefers the letters come from!
Once you’re in the application cycle, MSAR can help keep you informed with information about the estimated number of entrants in each pathway, any changes to admission policies, waitlist procedures, and if a school allows letters of intent, letters of interest, or updates regarding significant achievements. You’ll be able to also look across first-year class data for four years, giving you a comprehensive picture of all current students.
When you’re closer to deciding where you Plan to Enroll or will Commit to Enroll, you can focus on the Campus Life section, to learn more about housing, campus culture, and student activities. MSAR profiles also share information about support services for gender and sexual minorities, learners with disabilities, wellness and mental health services, and even requirements or recommendations for transportation.
Finally, MSAR is committed to ensuring you have the most current and accurate information possible. Schools can update their profiles at any time throughout the year, and when they do, the corresponding MSAR Report is updated as well. We even keep a running tally of the most recent updates in the top banner of the site, showing which schools made changes and where.