August 14, 2020
Pass/Fail grading, MCAT scores, and online course policy for UAMS College of Medicine applicants
On March 23, 2020 the UAMS College of Medicine Office of Admissions began accepting Pass/Fail grading for any of our required pre-matriculation courses taken in the Spring 2020 semester. At that time, we extended the policy to the summer 2020 semester. Due to the unprecedented circumstances resulting from the response to COVID-19, we will continue to accept P/F or Credit/No Credit grading for courses taken in the Fall 2020 semester, provided the student passes the course and the completion of the course is listed as a Pass or Credit on their official transcript. If students are applying to medical school on AMCAS, any course listed as Pass will not affect a student’s GPA. If students are performing well in a class and have the option of getting a letter grade, it would be wise to accept the letter grade.
UAMS will continue to require an MCAT score for all applicants in the 2021 cycle. For this application cycle, as indicated the Admissions Guide, we do not accept MCAT scores from tests taken prior to 2018.
The UAMS College of Medicine policy to accept online courses has always been in place; however, we will accept a science laboratory class delivered online for the Organic Chemistry lab requirement. The COVD-19 pandemic is affecting how courses are offered, so the UAMS College of Medicine will accept online courses and online labs to complete our pre-matriculation requirements for the 2021 medical school application cycle provided the course is taken from an accredited institution.
Tom G. South, Assistant Dean, Medical Student Admissions SouthTomG@uams.edu
Jeanne R. McLachlin, Ph.D., Director of Admissions and Recruitment jrmclachlin@uams.edu
College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
501-686-5354