Medical Schools That Don’t Require Letters of Recommendation

When you apply to any medical school, there are many admission requirements that you need to comply with, and one of them is the letters of recommendation. 

Before contacting your references for your letters of recommendation – check with the medical school you are applying to on how many letters they need for an application. 

For example, some institutions require one to three letters, while other medical schools require a maximum of five letters from their applicants. 

If you are having trouble finding the perfect professionals to ask for your letters of recommendation, or you are not confident that the person writing these letters for you will help you land a spot in medical school, do not stress yourself. There are medical schools that do not require their applicants to such letters.

In this article, we have listed the medical schools in the country that do not require letters of recommendation as part of their admission process.

What is a Letter of Recommendation for Medical School?

A recommendation letter is an essential application requirement in medical school. It is a letter that presents why you would be an excellent medical doctor, your characteristics, professional skills, accomplishments, and so on. 

Your reference person must be credible and able to showcase your strengths. And your choice for your reference persons should include two of your science professors and one of your non-science professors, or you may opt for an extracurricular supervisor. 

These individuals should know you professionally, your capabilities, how you handle challenges, and why you are a good fit for medical school. 

Most medical schools require applicants to have at least three letters of recommendation.

In contrast, other schools may ask for four or five when applying for a medical program in their institution. 

It is considered a vital admission requirement in medical school for Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O) and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) programs. These medical programs require high scores in one's Grade Point Average (GPA) and any Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

List of Medical Schools that Do Not Require Letters of Recommendations

One of the requirements when applying to any medical school is letters of recommendation. Some medical schools require its applicant to submit at least three letters, while some may require five letters or more. 

However, letters of recommendation are pretty tasking, and applicants may find it hard to look for reference persons to write them these letters. 

To ease your burden, we have listed below some medical schools that do not require letters of recommendation upon admission.

Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine 

Location: Halifax, Canada.

Dalhousie Medical School offers the latest medical curriculum in Canada. Also, its medical programs are centered on a holistic learning approach. The school's curriculum emphasizes professionalism, leadership, ethics, medical humanities, compassion, and building students' communication skills and confidence. 

The medical school is a pioneer in the country for integrating simulation technology in its training programs. It is one of the world's leaders in treating and managing Parkinson's Disease and spinal cord injuries. 

Its medical residents will receive exceptional education and extensive training experiences through the institution's affiliated teaching hospitals, health centers, and medical sites nationwide. 

They will also be trained to deliver excellent patient care through experiential learning to develop clinical skills. The school also offers the most advanced research programs for its medical students. 

The Dalhousie University admission requirement for its medical school only requires applicants to comply with MCAT, GPA, Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer), Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI), and Personal Statements. And the school does not require letters of recommendation for its applicant. 

The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine offers good primary and specialty care training. Also, the medical school is the first to adopt innovative high-tech patient simulators and standardized patient actors, allowing students to learn experiential. 

The program also reflects excellent actual clinical training procedures and practices. It focuses on the values of diversity and practice learning. And students are highly exposed to hands-on Osteopathic training in manipulative diagnosis and treatment through a lab teaching setting. 

The medical school does not require letters of recommendation for the admission process for Osteopathic Medicine, but it is strongly recommended. Its requirements include a bachelor’s degree with at least three years of exceptional undergraduate work. 

And the applicant should have eight semester hours in Physics and Biology and two semester hours in a laboratory in both subjects. It also requires 16 semester hours in Physics with two semester hours of laboratory and another six semester hours in English composition and literature. 

Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Location: Stratford, New Jersey.

One of the public medical schools in New Jersey is the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. It is one of the region's leading institutions for clinical care medicine. The program is internationally recognized for its excellence in Primary Care, Geriatric Education, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. 

The curriculum is centered on Osteopathic Philosophy, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, system-based practice, and research improvement. In addition, it aims to develop its students' interpersonal and communication skills. 

The program clerkship tracks also feature small group sessions, standardized patient encounters, simulators, preceptor programs, and community-involved primary care projects. 

Also, the residents will do hands-on patient care and develop their clinical and technical skills and professionalism during training. And for the program's admission does not require letters of recommendation, but it is preferred. So applicants can either submit these or not except for its other admission requirements, which are all highly necessary. 

For example, medical school prerequisite includes an MCAT score of 500 and above, a science GPA of 3.40 and above, and more.

Summary Table: Medical Schools That Do Not Require Letters of Recommendation