College deadlines are stressful, but they are at least straightforward. There is a date, and you need to have everything completed by that date. When that date is can vary widely, but it’s all due at the same time, and once it’s done, it’s done. BS/MD programs are more convoluted than that. There is no consistency between programs, but these can have as many as three separate applications and deadlines you must meet, or a single one. This is because of how these programs work structurally, and how colleges implement them differently. In this article, we’re going to explain how and why BS/MD deadlines work the way they do, and then give you a full list of BS/MD programs and their various due dates, along with notes on when you should try having their applications done by. Let’s get started!
The BS/MD Application Process and Deadlines
BS/MD deadlines are so odd because of how BS/MD programs are implemented. We’re going to go through the most common implementations, and then explain how each impacts deadlines.
The first is that the program is a special program within the college that you apply to directly. This is rare, but allows you to apply to the program directly through the Common App, and results in a single application deadline, as you apply to both the college as a whole and the BS/MD program at a single point.
The second kind of program has the BS/MD track as part of or aligned with an honors college, and has you apply to it after your application to the school as a whole is processed. Thus you first apply to the college via Common App, and then gain access to the BS/MD application. Some of these colleges require you to be admitted before you gain access to the BS/MD application, which can add a few weeks to the timeline, depending on their admissions processes.
The third kind of program requires you to apply to and be admitted to both the school as a whole, and the honors college, before you can then apply to the BS/MD program. This is rare, but some programs do require this, as the BS/MD track is a competitive pool within the broader honors college. This is the most challenging arrangement to deal with, as it leaves you with three separate deadlines for three separate applications.
Finally, when you are offered an interview depends on the program as well, and is often entirely separate from any other deadlines. These can be offered at any point between November and March. If that sounds like there’s a complete lack of consistency between schools, you’d be right, but therein lies the fun of it, or something.
When BS/MD Deadlines Are
Now that we’ve covered the various kinds of BS/MD deadline structures, we’re going to tell you when they are. Note that these can change year-to-year or at a program’s discretion, and you should always check a program’s website for the most up-to-date details on when applications are due.
| Program | Deadlines | Notes |
| University of Alabama Birmingham | Admitted to UAB by Nov 15App submitted to the program by Nov 15 | Only for Alabama residents, and those in contiguous states, must be admitted to UAB to apply |
| University of Arizona | Nov 1 – Full app | You must apply to the program through the Common App as part of your Arizona application |
| California Northstate University | Oct 15 – Full app | Apply via the honors college, the entire application can be done at once |
| UConn | Before Nov 1 – UConn appNov 1 – Supplemental appNov 8 – Supporting documents | You must have completed your UConn app and then may access the supplemental app for the program |
| GW Columbian College | Nov 15 – Full app | Your full app is due (combined undergrad and special program) by Nov 15; selected applicants will be sent an additional essay to complete |
| Florida International University | Rolling – UndergradRolling – Honors CollegeJanuary 17 | You must first apply to and be admitted to FIU and the honors college, invitations for the program are sent out Dec 16 |
| Nova Southeastern University | Feb 15 – Undergrad appFeb 15 – Supplemental app | You must apply for undergraduate admissions first, but both are technically due on the same date |
| Augusta University | Oct 31 – Undergrad appDec 15 – Supplemental app | You must apply to Augusta by the Early Action deadline to be able to access the supplemental app |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Nov 1 – Full app | The supplemental app is on the Common App; submitted at the same time |
| Indiana University | Oct 31 – Undergrad appNov 17 – Supplemental appDec 5 – Supporting materials | You will only be able to access the supplemental app through your student portal once you submit your Indiana app |
| Wayne State University | Dec 1 – Full app | The entire app may be done on the Common App |
| University of Missouri Kansas City | Nov 1 – Undergrad appNov 1 – Supplemental appNov 15 – Supporting materials | You must separately complete the Common App and an additional online application |
| Rowan University | Nov 1 – Undergrad appDec 1 – Program app | You can only access the program app once you are accepted into Rowan generally |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic | Nov 1 – Full app | Apply entirely on the Common App, select the program as your major |
| Hofstra University | Nov 15/Dec 15 – Undergrad appJan 15 – Supplemental app | You may apply to Hofstra using either of the EA deadlines. The supplemental app opens in Jan |
| Stony Brook University | Nov 1 – Undergrad appNov 1 – Honors college app | The programs share a deadline, but you may only apply to the honors program after your undergrad app is submitted |
| CUNY Brooklyn | Nov 17 – Honors college appDec 16 – Program app | Your application to the honors college must be processed before you can begin the program app |
| University of Rochester | Nov 1/Nov 15 – Full app | The full app is done through Common App. You may apply ED or RD; ED increases acceptance chance into Rochester but not the program |
| Case Western | Dec 1 – Full app | Entire app submitted through Common App |
| University of Cincinnati | Dec 1 – Undergrad appDec 1 – Supplemental app | The apps are due on the same day, but your university app must be processed before you can access the program app |
| Drexel University | Nov 15 – Undergrad appNov 15 – Supplemental app | Your undergrad app must be processed before you can access the supplemental app |
| Washington and Jefferson | Nov 10 – Undergrad appDec 1 – Supplemental app | Your undergrad app must be processed before you gain access to the program app |
| University of Pittsburgh | Oct 15 – Undergrad appNov 1 – Supplemental appJan 30 – Other supplemental app | Your undergrad app must be processed to receive the first supplemental app, the second supplemental app only goes to students who did well enough on the first |
| Brown University | Jan 5 – Full app | Done through the Common App |
| University of South Carolina | Nov 15 – Undergrad appNov 15 – Honors College appJan 15 – Supplemental app | The supplemental app is by invitation only, these are sent out in December |
| University of Houston | Nov 3 – Undergrad appNov 3 – Honors College appNov 3 – Supplemental app | These are three separate applications, all due on the same day, but your undergrad app must be processed to access the others |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | Nov 1 – Undergrad appNov 1 – Supplemental appNov 1 – Supporting documents | All apps and supporting documents, including rec letters, are due Nov 1. Requests to recommenders are not sent out until the app is submitted |
How You Should Approach BS/MD Deadlines
Looking over this table, a few things stand out, namely the truly wide array of approaches universities take to handling the admissions timeline for BS/MD programs. There’s nothing even close to consistency, and some seem to have made it unnecessarily complicated on purpose.
Admissions officers aren’t going out of their way to confuse you, but colleges do not coordinate on these programs, with each acting in accordance to their own needs when it comes to evaluating students. The confusing patchwork that results can feel overwhelming, so we’re going to give you a proper roadmap to applying to BS/MD programs in such a way that you’re well ahead of the deadlines.
Step One: Organizing and Planning
With all of our students, the first step to applying to colleges is determining where exactly they’re applying to. This is especially true for students interested in BS/MD programs; these have more moving parts to keep track of, and so the plans are even more important.
Begin making your own application plan in the spring of your junior year. When we work with students, we create charts of all the schools they are applying to, each essay those schools ask for (on both the regular and BS/MD application), and the due dates for each part of the application. Just getting all of this written down in the same place helps keep plans and timelines on track.
Step Two: Starting Early
We work with students whenever they come to us, but to give our BS/MD applicants the best chance, we begin working with them on their essays and applications in the spring and summer before their senior year. This is best practice for all applicants, but is especially helpful for students applying to these programs.
BS/MD programs require more essays than standard college applications. Some only ask for one additional essay, some for up to three, but that’s always on top of the other essays the program requires, and possibly even more essays if they’re part of an honors college you need to apply to as well. We work hard to make the essay writing process as efficient and painless as possible, but more essays to write and edit means more time spent on the writing process. To do it well, that means starting early.
Step Three: Applying Early
While there is a lot of variability in deadlines for BS/MD programs, they mostly range from November to December. These apps, especially for the base college application, generally open in August however. You don’t have to get your application submitted in August, but especially for the programs that require you to complete the college application before the program-specific application, getting that first application in early is ideal.
We generally aim to begin submitting applications with our BS/MD students in September or October. The first round are the applications to the colleges which require an application be processed before letting you apply to the program itself. Starting early doesn’t mean ending early unfortunately, but it does mean that you won’t be overwhelmed over the course of the application cycle by all of your essays coming due the same week.
Final Thoughts
Applying to BS/MD programs is a lot of work, but that’s by design. These programs are an incredible commitment of time and effort, and the first bar to making sure you’re capable of dealing with that is by making the applications themselves difficult. While the shifting deadlines between programs aren’t necessarily part of this, you should be able to track and manage deadlines to succeed in a career in medicine.
If you are looking for help managing all of this, or building the time management and scheduling skills you’ll need to succeed in college applications and beyond, then Ivy Scholars can help. Our mentors are skilled at helping students wrangle complicated admissions processes, and at helping them build these skills for themselves. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you.
