Medicine Preprofessional Program

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree is a professional degree program that requires first completing an undergraduate degree. The University of Iowa offers a pre-health sciences designation (also known as "pre-med") for undergraduate students that provides specialized advising and course work in preparation for medical school.

Undergraduate pre-health sciences students at Iowa are encouraged to choose a major in any area. Many major in a scientific field, although students who choose majors in areas such as the humanities (e.g., English or philosophy) or social sciences (e.g., psychology or anthropology) do very well when they apply to medical school. There is no single undergraduate major that best prepares students for entry into the health sciences, so choose a major that genuinely interests you.

In high school, develop time-management and study skills to prepare for the university's academic environment. It is helpful to take a strong high school mathematics and science program to help you with pre-health science course work, and completing your foreign language requirement in high school will give you increased flexibility in scheduling required courses and choosing electives once you enroll at the university.

1. Submit your application.

   You can apply through the University of Iowa application or the Common Application (fall session only). We make admission decisions on a rolling basis beginning October 1 (International Application deadlines vary depending on your area of study).

2. Pay the application fee.

   The $80 application fee is non-refundable. No application fee waivers are available unless you will be graduating from a high school inside the U.S.

3. Upload your academic records.

   Within your Admissions Profile in MyUI, upload copies of all required official transcripts from every secondary school (high school), college, university, technical/vocational institute, or professional institution you have attended.
   
   Examine the Country Specific Admissions Requirement List to learn more about the required credentials and minimum academic standards needed for Admissions. Iowa offers college credit for a variety of exams.

4. Meet our English Proficiency Requirement.

   See details of our English Proficiency Requirements. If applicable, have the testing agency send us your TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score.

5. Have your ACT or SAT scores sent by the testing agency.

   Our institution code is 1356 for the ACT; 6681 for the SAT.

   ACT or SAT is required if:​
   • You plan to use ACT/SAT to meet the English Proficiency Requirement
   • You plan to apply for scholarships (some awards require an ACT or SAT score)