Do I need to have completed a bachelors degree by the time I apply or can I certify that by the time that I am due to start Med School ?

[2026PreMed]

I'm applying to Med School in a couple years and I will have my completed bachelors degree the summer before I start Med school in the Fall. Will this count against me on the application since it is not completed by the time I apply the year before or is this the same thing in the eyes of the Med School

I have heard many times on this forum that a bachelors degree is mandatory to be accepted. I am worried that without completing it before applying that I am harming my chances of getting into Med school.
Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wysdoc]

I'm applying to Med School in a couple years and I will have my completed bachelors degree the summer before I start Med school in the Fall. Will this count against me on the application since it is not completed by the time I apply the year before or is this the same thing in the eyes of the Med School

I have heard many times on this forum that a bachelors degree is mandatory to be accepted. I am worried that without completing it before applying that I am harming my chances of getting into Med school.
Thanks

You just need to complete it before starting medical school. It’s pretty common for applicants to apply the summer between junior & senior year.

You said finishing in summer, though, did you mean spring term? Needing to take classes that summer term would probably put you too late because some med schools start in July.

 

[2026PreMed]

You just need to complete it before starting medical school. It’s pretty common for applicants to apply the summer between junior & senior year.

You said finishing in summer, though, did you mean spring term? Needing to take classes that summer term would probably put you too late because some med schools start in July.

Yes that is correct I meant Spring Term. However to clarify I will be done with my classes a year before I start medical school. I am referring to the application period which is normally one year before the start of fall quarter in med school should one be accepted. I will finish my classes in Spring and apply in the summer.

 

[wysdoc]

Yes that is correct I meant Spring Term. However to clarify I will be done with my classes a year before I start medical school. I am referring to the application period which is normally one year before the start of fall quarter in med school should one be accepted. I will finish my classes in Spring and apply in the summer.

Your timeline is fine

 

[LizzyM]

If you want to graduate college in the spring and start medical school in the fall (which is actually July at some schools) then you make your application to the medical schools, in the spring/summer the year before you graduate. The primary (also known as AMCAS) application is very time consuming and can be started in May and submitted as early as June (but no later than 4th of July if you are on top of things), you spend that summer completing secondary applications from individual schools, interview between August and February (or so), and receive offers of admission between October and May (sometimes later if you were waitlisted) to start classes sometime later that year.

With this timeline that requires applying a year before college graduation, naturally it is assumed that you don't yet have your degree but you will have it before you matriculate (start medical school). That said, many students choose to take a gap year meaning that they begin the application process around the time of graduation and start med school a year after graduation. This gives them an extra year of college to build the work and activities section of the application and, in some cases, to bump their GPA a bit.