Before you apply to medical school, you'll want the timeline for your application service in front of you. The whole process takes almost a year, from the day applications open to the day you commit to a school!
Specific dates change a little every year, so this guide gives you the current AMCAS, AACOMAS and TMDSAS dates, checked against each service, plus what to do in each month of your medical school application timeline.
If you've been feeling any of these lately, you're not alone:
- Unsure when to submit your primary (and why everyone rushes to submit in June)
- Wondering how to juggle secondaries without losing your mind
- Confused about Casper, letters, transcripts and those sneaky deadlines
- Stressed about how expensive this whole process is
- Or just overwhelmed by how long this journey takes
We've all been there, including Mollie, one of our MedLife mentors, who's now living proof that surviving this process lands you where you want to be (in med school) 🎉
Her video above walks through the ideal AMCAS and AACOMAS timeline. In it, Mollie covers:
- When to submit primaries
- How to prep secondaries before they flood your inbox
- The dates for interviews, decisions and those tricky Plan to Enroll deadlines
- Tips to stay organized (and sane) through it all
If you're applying this cycle or next year, it's a great place to start 🙂
Medical School Application Timeline 2027: Dates at a Glance
We checked every date below against the AAMC, AACOM and TMDSAS on November 3, 2026.
The AAMC names each AMCAS cycle after the year you'd start medical school, so the cycle that opened in May 2026 is the 2027 cycle (fall 2027 entry). If you're applying in 2027 for fall 2028, you'll be in the 2028 cycle.
Applying now (the 2026-27 cycle, for fall 2027 entry)
Applying in 2027 (the 2028 cycle, for fall 2028 entry)
Sources: AAMC AMCAS program, the AAMC Choose Your Medical School tool, the AAMC 2027 MCAT calendar, the 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide, AACOM and TMDSAS.
The Medical School Application Timeline, Month by Month
Your medical school application timeline starts months before May! Most medical schools use rolling admissions, so they review applications as they come in. Applying early in the cycle can raise your chances, since seats fill up as the year goes on.
Many schools start interviewing in August or September, and some announce acceptances as early as mid-October. This is the 2026-27 cycle laid out by month, with your own steps alongside each service's dates!
Why Submitting Your Application Early Makes All the Difference
In the 2026-27 cycle, AACOMAS opened on May 4, 2026, and AMCAS opened on May 5, 2026, with AMCAS submissions starting May 28. Verification takes time, and the AAMC says AMCAS verification can take six to eight weeks in peak season.
During verification, the AAMC checks your self-reported grades against your official transcripts. You won't be considered for secondaries or interviews until that's complete.
Med schools don't wait around! The sooner your application is verified, the sooner it's sent to schools and the earlier your review starts.
Submit early in June if you can, around June 10, and by July 1 at the latest.
Mapping these months onto your own MCAT date, letters and school list can feel like a lot. (Optional) Our strategic advising sessions are built for that, and you'd leave with a concrete action plan for your whole application 🙂
What to Do Before Applying to Medical School
Planning ahead gives you time to schedule standardized exams and collect letters of recommendation before applications open. In the months before application season, we'd work through these six steps!
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The dates are one thing. This is what has to be done between them.
Every phase of the cycle, what is due when, and the lesson behind each one.
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1. Verify the Prerequisites and GPA Requirements
Learn about the GPA requirements for medical school to get a sense of what you should aim for. If your grades are suffering, read up on how to get into medical school with a low GPA to build an improvement plan.
If you're not sure your grades meet the basic standards at some schools, look at the easiest medical schools to get into.
Make sure you meet each school's prerequisites for medical school, and learn about the extracurriculars for medical school that add depth to your medical school application.
2. Make a Short List of Medical Schools You Are Interested In
Use the AAMC's MSAR to compare schools and pick the best fit for you. Apply to more than one school, so you have options if you're not accepted. It also helps to learn the acceptance rates for medical schools.
Some medical schools are easier to get into than others, so narrow your list to schools where your GPA gives you a good chance of admission!
3. Research MCAT Requirements
A few medical schools don’t require the MCAT, so check each school on your list. Find out when to take the MCAT and look up the exam dates to find the most convenient one!
Research what a good MCAT score is and when to start your MCAT preparation. Before you start, make a study plan and take a diagnostic exam!
4. Draft Your Personal Statement and Work and Activities
Most medical schools require a personal statement, and it's your chance to stand out, so don't rush it. Start brainstorming as early as the winter or spring before the application opens.
Ask trusted people for feedback, like friends, family or mentors. Make sure it reflects who you are. Admissions committees read thousands of these, so be yourself!
Your Work and Activities section takes longer than you'd expect. You'll categorize and describe everything from shadowing to volunteer work, and tie it all back to why you'll make a great doctor. Start it the spring before application season!
Reading sample personal statements that worked helps too, for AMCAS, AACOMAS and TMDSAS.
5. Ask Your Letter Writers Early
Pick writers who know your work well, like professors whose courses you did well in. You can ask in person or by email, then meet to discuss the letter and bring examples of the work you did in their course.
Be ready to suggest a few qualities you'd like each writer to address. Give them what they need to write, like the programs you're applying to, your academic records and your career goals. If your school writes a committee letter, coordinate everything with them!
Give your writers at least a month to write their letters, and ask well before that. A gentle reminder as the deadline gets close is completely normal!
6. Request Your Transcripts Early
Request your transcripts as early as you can. Services like Parchment can take longer than expected to deliver them, and a late transcript delays your verification. Some schools still send transcripts by mail, so don't leave it late!
The Medical School Application Process
Every medical school has a similar basic process, with a primary application, a secondary application and interviews. How each school evaluates applicants differs a lot, so here's what each stage asks of you!
Primary Application
You'll first submit a single application, usually through one of three centralized services:
Your primary gives medical schools enough to run a first screening. It includes your transcripts (undergraduate, plus any graduate or post-baccalaureate work), your most meaningful experiences, your MCAT scores, your letters of recommendation and a short personal statement.
Each school sets its own last day to submit through the service. Our admissions specialists advise submitting as soon as you can, whatever the deadline, because early applications are reviewed first at almost every school.
Secondary Application
Once schools receive your verified primary, some send a secondary to every applicant. Others screen first, usually on GPA and MCAT score. Secondaries often start arriving within a few days of verification, and each school handles them its own way.
Fill out and return each secondary as soon as it arrives, unless you've decided not to apply to that school. Most schools won't accept a secondary after its deadline.
Secondaries usually ask for several essays on set topics, like your favorite book, a leadership role you've held or your best academic performance. Prompts about adversity and diversity come up often.
Tailor every answer to the school. Explain why you want that specific school, what makes you a great fit and how you line up with its mission. Generic answers that could go to any med school won't stand out.
Make a list of your target schools and start with those first, watching the deadlines closely. Setting goals for each day or week keeps you from cramming everything at once!
For more on handling several secondaries at once, watch How to Become a Strong Applicant. If they start piling up, our application coaches work through secondaries with you, one school at a time.
If secondary fees add up, contact the school and ask about a fee waiver. Some schools may waive theirs if the AAMC approved you for its Fee Assistance Program. It never hurts to ask!
Our guides to the most common secondary essays:
Interviews
After your secondary, the committee will reject your application, invite you to interview, or hold your application until after the first round of interviews. After the interview, decisions usually come in writing.
Interview formats differ. You might have a one-on-one interview at one school and a panel at another. Either way, it's another chance to impress!
Start preparing as early as you can. Practice with these common medical school interview questions, like “Tell me about yourself” and “Why do you want to be a doctor?”, and ask your advisors for feedback on your answers and how you come across!
AMCAS Medical School Application Timeline
AMCAS is the application service most MD programs use. These are the windows of the AMCAS cycle, with the 2026 dates from the 2027 cycle next to each one.
Early May (May 5 in 2026)
- Start your AMCAS application
- Finish your personal statement
- Fill out the AMCAS Work and Activities section, especially your Most Meaningful Experiences
May to February
Take the Casper test and any other Acuity Insights assessment your schools ask for. Once you know a school on your list requires it, pick a test date early and give yourself time to prepare!
Late May (May 28 in 2026)
AMCAS opens application submissions. Your information has to be verified, so submit as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the longer it takes for schools to receive it.
Each school sets its own AMCAS deadline, and the AAMC listed them from September to December in the 2027 cycle.
Most schools review on a rolling basis and fill interview slots as applications arrive, so we'd aim to submit by July 1 at the latest, and earlier if you can!
Late June (June 26 in 2026)
AMCAS sends the first batch of completed, verified applications to medical schools.
If you'd like your score in hand before you pick schools, plan when to take the MCAT around the release dates. On the 2027 calendar, a May 1 test releases June 2, and a May 29 test releases June 29.
Every date is on our 2027 MCAT test dates page.
August to October
Secondary applications start arriving. Their prompts help each school understand your priorities, experiences and values, and the deadlines and instructions differ from school to school.
September to February
Interviews for medical schools start. Many medical schools accept letters of intent, too!
If you haven't heard back from your top-choice school for several weeks after an interview, you can send it a medical school letter of intent with an update on your application. It might improve your chances!
TMDSAS Medical School Application Timeline
TMDSAS runs its own calendar. These are the TMDSAS medical dates for Entry Year 2027, the cycle that opened in May 2026, from the TMDSAS deadlines page.
TMDSAS hadn't posted Entry Year 2028 dates when we checked on November 3, 2026, or again on November 10.
TMDSAS medical application, Entry Year 2027
TMDSAS still accepts letters after Oct. 15, but each school decides whether to use them, and some won't offer an interview until every letter and test score has arrived. We'd get yours in early!
If you're applying through the Joint Admission Medical Program, its dates are on the JAMP site.
AACOMAS Medical School Application Timeline
Applying to osteopathic schools? This is your DO school application timeline! AACOMAS has one opening date and one closing date for the whole cycle, and each DO school sets its own deadline in between.
These are AACOM's dates for the 2026-27 cycle, from the AACOM applying page. AACOM hadn't posted 2027-28 dates when we checked on November 3, 2026, or again on November 10.
AACOMAS, 2026-27 cycle
School deadlines change from one cycle to the next, so we'd look up every school on your list in AACOM's Choose DO Explorer before you plan around a date!
AACOM offers a limited number of fee waivers each cycle, worth $198 each. An approved waiver has to be used on a submitted application within 14 days, or it expires.
What Happens After Your Application
After you submit your secondaries, you wait. And wait. And wait some more. It's one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the whole process, and feeling on edge is completely normal.
You're not stuck, though, and there's plenty you can do while you wait!
When Will You Hear Back About Interviews?
Interview invites go out between August and March. Many schools use rolling admissions, so the earlier you interview, the better your chances!
Interview slots fill up fast, so schedule each interview as soon as the invite arrives!
No news isn't necessarily bad news. Some schools take their time. If you're not hearing back, you can send a letter of interest to let a school know you're still excited about its program!
The dates are one thing. This is what has to be done between them.
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Check your inbox in the next minute.
Rolling vs. Non-Rolling Admissions: What's the Difference?
Rolling admissions schools accept students as they go, so seats can fill up fast. Non-rolling schools wait until they've reviewed every applicant before deciding.
- Rolling admissions schools start giving decisions as early as October and continue through the year.
- Non-rolling schools often release decisions all at once, usually later in the spring.
The Final Step: Choosing Your Medical School
Once you've gone through interviews and (hopefully) received offers, it's time for the big decision! This is where the AMCAS Plan to Enroll and Commit to Enroll options come in.
What Is “Plan to Enroll” and How Does It Work?
From Feb. 19, 2027, applicants holding at least one acceptance can select Plan to Enroll in the AMCAS Choose Your Medical School tool, at one school at a time.
Until April 30, you can still hold other acceptances, stay on waitlists and keep interviewing.
From April 30, 2027, you can also select Commit to Enroll, which tells schools you've made your final choice. It doesn't withdraw your other applications, so you'll still contact each school yourself.
Pro tip. Keep track of the deadlines for each school, so a technicality never costs you your dream school!
Don't Forget About Waitlists
If you're waitlisted, there's still hope! As other students finalize their decisions, waitlist spots open up, and you could be next in line. Keep in touch with your schools to show your continued interest, and read our guide to how medical school waitlists work.
Choosing between offers, or working out what to say to a school that waitlisted you, is a lot to carry alone. Our strategic advising sessions cover both, with a med-school mentor who's been through it!
Additional FAQs on the Medical School Application Timeline
When Do Med School Applications Open?
In the 2026-27 cycle, TMDSAS opened on May 1, 2026, AACOMAS on May 4 and AMCAS on May 5, with AMCAS submissions starting May 28. None of the three had posted 2028 cycle dates when we checked on November 3, 2026.
When Are Med School Applications Due?
Each school sets its own deadline. AMCAS schools listed theirs from September to December in the 2027 cycle, the TMDSAS medical deadline was Oct. 1, 2026, and the last day to submit AACOMAS is April 30, 2027.
Most schools review on a rolling basis, so we'd submit in June, well before any deadline!
When Should I Start My Med School Application?
AMCAS opens in early May. For the 2027 cycle, the application opened on May 5, 2026, and submissions began on May 28, 2026, a little over three weeks later.
You'll start the application in the spring to begin medical school in the fall of the following year. If you're applying in 2027 for fall 2028, the AAMC hadn't posted the 2028 cycle dates when we checked on November 3, 2026.
How Long Does It Take to Hear Back From a Med School Application?
It varies from school to school. Some send decisions a few weeks after your interview, and others wait until later in the cycle. Check each school's website, or call or email its admissions office.
When Can I Submit My AMCAS Application in 2027?
The AAMC hadn't published 2028 cycle dates when we checked on November 3, 2026. In the cycle before it, the application opened on May 5, 2026, and submissions began May 28, 2026, so we'd plan around a similar window in May 2027.
Visit the AAMC/AMCAS official website for the new dates once they're up.
Do All Medical Schools Have the Same Application Timeline?
No. The application service sets most of your medical school application timeline. Schools using AMCAS share primary application dates, and schools using TMDSAS share one set of core dates.
Each school still sets its own deadlines for secondary applications.
Get Help With Your Medical School Application
You've now got every date for this cycle and a plan for each month of your medical school application timeline!
If you'd like support through the whole application, our 1:1 medical school application coaching pairs you with a med-school mentor. Your coach can help with your personal statement, AMCAS activities, secondaries and interview prep!
If you'd rather focus on planning, you can use your sessions for strategic advising, like building your school list and an action plan for the whole cycle. We'd love to help you get there :)