Eastern Virginia Medical School: How to Get In

Mission Statement

“Eastern Virginia Medical School is an academic health center dedicated to achieving excellence in medical and health professions education, research and patient care. We value creating and fostering a diverse and cohesive faculty, professional staff and student body as the surest way to achieve our mission. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we will strive to improve the health of our community and to be recognized as a national center of intellectual and clinical strength in medicine and Health Professions. Our commitment to ensuring institutional effectiveness is demonstrated by the continuous assessment processes we use to improve program performance and student learning outcomes.”

Available Programs

Graduate/Medical Degree (MD) Program includes:

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

EVMS offers a 4-year medical program to students providing a strong foundation that equips them with the requisite academic training, scientific knowledge, as well as humanistic skills that is most relevant in the contemporary practice of medicine. The curriculum is specially designed to prepare students for easy transition into residency training with the competence to navigate through the intricacies of the 21st century healthcare system.

Combined MD/M.P.H.

In collaboration with Old Dominion University, Eastern Virginia Medical School offers a 5-year combined Doctor of Medicine and the Master of Public Health degree (MD/MPH) degree program for students in either Health Management and Policy or Epidemiology. This program integrates basic skills and knowledge to diagnose and treat individual patients with the skills for the management of the healthcare delivery system, as well as design and evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention programs. At the end of the first two years of basic science courses and all MPH courses, students are awarded a degree in MPH. At the conclusion of the succeeding three years of MD courses, students receive the Doctor of Medicine degree.

Combined MD/MBA

EVMS and William & Mary Mason School of Business partner to offer a 5-year combined Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration (MD/MBA) degree program, which provides medical students with an integrated managerial strategy to business practices, a team-centered environment and case-based learning to build problem-solving skills while learning to effectively work in interdisciplinary settings. The program is structured with regular first 2 years of EVMS curriculum, a 3rd year of clerkship, the MBA curriculum in year 4 and the concluding 5th year with EVMS curriculum. 

PhD in Clinical Psychology

This is a 5-year program that offers a balanced scientific and practical training for graduates of clinical psychology prepared to undertake clinical and research careers. It is a jointly run program offered by EVMS, Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University to train students on how to effectively research and treat complex problems in human behaviour.

PhD in Biomedical Sciences

This program provides students with a strong foundation of intensive laboratory research training and extensive biomedical science knowledge. Basically, it prepares graduates who will successfully take up careers as independent scientific investigators who appreciate the significance of basic and clinical ramification of biomedical research. While tuition fees are paid by the program, PhD students of biomedical sciences collect annual stipends. The annual cost of the program covers for living expenses and books. Also, matriculated students benefit from health insurance.

PhD in Reproductive Clinical Science

This three-year online program offers an intensive approach and evidence-based strategy in administering training for reproductive clinical science. Students learn how to conduct, direct and manage all aspect of clinical reproductive laboratories. The online program was designed with working professionals in mind and there’s only one on-campus course during the program. Six students are accepted each year. The final year of the program focuses on dissertation research.

Doctor of Health Sciences

This is a professional academic degree program designed to enable advancement or change in career path for individuals in education, clinical practice, public health, as well as healthcare, finance, administration, and conflict management delivered in eight successive semesters via student-centered, asynchronous and online instruction. The online format allows students, regardless of distance or location, to acquire the degree while balancing work and other responsibilities.

Special Program Graduate Programs

Postbaccalaureate program EVMS offers two options for its postbaccalaureate program. First, a one-year immersive curriculum designed to make students more competitive in their medical school applications or secondly, a two-year extended curriculum structured to enhance students’ academic record whilst preparing for the MCAT.

Looking for more info on MD/PhD programs? Check out this video to see if it's right for you:

Academic Curriculum

Eastern Virginia Medical School runs a newly-designed CareForward Curriculum (CFC) geared towards enhancing learning through integrative innovation. The instructional style consists of team-centered learning, small group sessions and didactic lectures. With exceptional performance on licensing exams in mind, EVMS’ curriculum adopts the USMLE exam outline as provided by the National Board of Medical Examiners as a core minimum.

Applying front-line concepts in technology and the science of learning, CFC employs virtual longitudinal clinical cases to simulate realistic clinical scenarios and complexities. These cases are adopted as an important tool for the incorporating clinical and basic sciences, as well as contents on various organ systems modules. The topical components of the curriculum are: Clinical Skills; Anatomy and Embryology; Histology; Biochemistry and Nutrition; Physiology; Pathophysiology; Microbiology and Immunology; Genetics; Pharmacology; Evidence-Based Medicine; Inter-Professional Education; Ultrasound and Imaging.

Furthermore, due to EVMS’ commitment to primary care, the curriculum integrates the Longitudinal Generalist Mentorship Program where students in M1 and M2 spend a minimum of seven afternoons each semester, respectively shadowing a practicing primary care physician. While M3 alternates between the mandatory Clerkship in Community and Family Medicine, the M4 students have several primary care electives to choose from. Bearing in mind the importance of an exceptional all-round academic and clinical performance, students are expected to pay significant attention to their Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). 

Grading System: EVMS allows for student ranking, and as such encourages a healthy competition that engenders excellence among students. Consequently, Pass/Fail grade is used for M1 and M2 while for all clinical rotations, Honors, High Pass/Pass/Fail is used for M3 and M4.

Application Timeline

The medical school application timeline highlighted below states important deadlines for the admission process in Eastern Virginia Medical School.

It is very important to always check the schools’ websites for the most up-to-date information.

Admissions Statistics

Recommended Courses

Since EVMS requires academic excellence of those students admitted to the medical school, applicants are expected to have good working knowledge of the premedical requisite courses. Applicants into the MD program must have completed a 1-year premedical course with full laboratory experience in the following prerequisite courses:

• General chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Biology
• Physics 

In addition to all these courses, Biochemistry is highly recommended by the admission board. Also, Eastern Virginia Medical School requires that applicants must have a passing grade in all required courses which can be in the format of a pass/fail, letter or numerical grade. Prospective students must take the MCAT and complete at least 100 semester hours of coursework, which include the above required prerequisite courses, at a university with United States or Canadian accreditation.

Medical School Tuition and Debt

Funding Opportunities

With overall direct federal research grants and contracts of approximately $16,000,000, Eastern Virginia Medical School has about 87% of its students receiving financial aid. In a bid to help students meet their financial obligations, EVMS requires that students seeking financial aid must complete both the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) & the EVMS Online Financial Aid Application, which will be available online after February 1 for accepted students. Additional forms or information may be requested as needed. The EVMS financial aid comprises of federal loans, need-based state grants for eligible residents of Virginia, as well as institutional medical school scholarships and loans. 

Federal Loans

These loans will assist students in fully meeting their cost of attendance providing they meet all federal criteria, including citizenship requirements, are credit worthy (for Graduate PLUS Loan), & maintain satisfactory academic progress. Only enrolled students who are at least half into their program at EVMS are qualified for the application of these loans. EVMS also participates in Title VII federal aid for Loans for Disadvantaged Students and HRSA Primary Care Loans.

State Grant

Facilitated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, this grant makes funds available for Virginia students admitted into EVMS. A particular requisite factor that determines eligibility is being a resident of Virginia. Recently, the average scholarship per eligible student was about $1,000. Relatedly, the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) offers eligible students attending Virginia public university or college certain educational aid based on their spousal or parent’s engagement in military service.

Institutional Aid

Students may receive one of the EVMS subsidized institutional loan funds which are usually awarded on the basis of need and funds availability. These subsidized loans have their interest waived during periods of enrollment, deferment or grace.

EVMS Institutional Scholarships

These are awarded to student according to their financial need, merit, or fields of interest in medicine. In order to be considered for this scholarship, EVMS requires students to submit a Scholarship Application and EVMS Financial Aid to EVMS Financial Aid office by the published deadline.

Emergency Loan

While students enrolling into EVMS are expected to have funds that will support them for the first month of each term in order to allow time for releasing of aid, unexpected emergencies happen. In such cases, an emergency loan is on offers to help provide momentary cover until financial aid is released and it is without interest if paid within 30 days.

Private or Alternative Loans

These are neither federal nor institutional loans. They are typically made available to students on the basis of credit-worthiness. However, while students are advised to carefully examine the loan’s terms and conditions, they are to first exhaust all the options presented by institutional and federal loans. Generally, EVMS Financial Aid recommends a cautious approach with this type of loan.

Selection Factors

As selection factors, EVMS’ Admissions Committee holistically considers the applicant’s academic record - overall MCAT and GPA scores, medical field experience, personality traits, career drive, all-round maturity and a sense of volunteerism. While EVMS shows preference to applicants from the Commonwealth of Virginia, out-of-state applicants with impressive academic record and personality traits of immense value to EVMS are also encouraged to apply.

EVMS does not discriminate on the basis of gender, creed, race, nationality, age, handicap or marital status; however, it is required that all applicants must be US citizens or US permanent residents. Usually, a supplementary application is requested from applicants who receive a favorable initial screening of their completed AMCAS application. In addition, EVMS requires that applicants must have a passing grade in all recommended requisite courses; with credits acquired from College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or advanced placement programs being acceptable. Applicants may boost their odds of acceptance by undertaking graduate courses in the natural sciences.

MCAT and GPA

In most recent past, matriculating students at EVMS have had an average GPA of 3.50 and a mean Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) of 512. However, the accepted median MCAT score and GPA for this year is 513 and 3.71, respectively.

From last year’s admission statistics, it is evident that entry into ECVMS is very competitive. With an admission rate of 2.21%, you have to do much more than have an impressive MCAT and GPA score to secure admission; however, it’s not a bad start in your journey towards matriculation. To ensure the best possible performance, EVMS permits applicants to take the MCAT more than once. EVMS will accept test scores no older than three years prior to application.

Applicant Essays

Usually regarded as the next assessment phase of the admission process, EVMS thoroughly reviews the applicant’s experiences via AMCAS personal statement, AMCAS Work & Activities section, as well as medical school secondary essays.

With many applicants having excellent GPA and MCAT scores, students still wonder why qualified applicants still get rejected from most med schools. This is because scores and grades are not everything - The quality of your personal statement is key to your admission success.

Therefore, as an applicant, it is important to note that your medical school personal statement is the single most important essay to be written during your admissions process. It’s particularly imperative to get right as it gives you the much-needed opportunity to express your unique strengths and share your inspiring stories to the admissions committees. This can significantly set you apart from the pack of other qualified applicants.

Secondary Application Prompts

Another selection criterion of significant importance on your road to securing admission is the secondary application. These essays answer a series of questions about your personal history, academic records, future goals, and your reasons for choosing Eastern Virginia Medical School as the institution to obtain your medical training. Each answer is limited to a maximum of 2000 characters. Examples of the EVMS’ secondary application prompts are outlined below:

• Briefly describe your exposure to medicine
• What do you think you will like best about being a physician?
• What do you think you will like least about being a physician?
• Describe yourself and your medical career as you see it ten years from now
• Please indicate your reasons for applying to EVMS

Expectedly, contents of these essays are to be well written, articulate, and engaging, as they can be a deciding factor that gives you a competitive advantage over other applicants.

Recommendation Letter

Your recommendation letter is an essential component of your application. All three recommendation letter options (individual letter, committee letter, and letter packet) are accepted by Eastern Virginia Medical School.

EVMS accepts a minimum of three letters. It is required that applicants from schools with a premedical advisory committee to have a letter sent by that committee or in lieu, three individual letters (a letter from a non-science faculty, preferably mathematics courses and two letters from natural and physical sciences faculty). Also, in a case where a graduate committee letter is not submitted, applicants enrolled in a graduate program must submit another letter of recommendation from their thesis or graduate advisor. All recommendation letters must be written on official letterhead and signed by the author or committee.

Extracurriculars

An indirect but effective way to influence the admission committee’s decision is to highlight extracurricular activities that align with the ideals of EVMS. Since EVMS is known as a community-conscious institution, activities that include volunteerism and community outreach will resonate positively. Also, it is important to demonstrate that you are fully developed in all aspect of human maturity to effectively deliver in medicine and its selfless demands.

Interview Formats

EVMS’ MD interview is a very vital part of the whole application process as it allows the Admissions Committee to have a first-hand evaluation of an applicant's passion, empathy and commitment towards medicine and its practices. While EVMS’s interview invite is sent beginning August, availability of video interviews is on a case-by-case basis. The interviews for applicants seeking admission into MD program are held on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning in September and ending in March. Only virtual interviews will be conducted this cycle. Generally, all interviews are conducted in the presence of clinicians, medical scientist and representatives of the admission committee and usually commence at 2pm and are scheduled in increments of 45 minutes. During the interview, applicants also have an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting with principal members of EVMS academic community.

For more help with your Eastern Virginia Medical School admission interview, you should try our sample of some common medical school interview questions to get some practice.

Acceptance and Waitlist Information

Mid-October of the application cycle and Early August of the intended year of matriculation are the respective timelines for the earliest and latest date an acceptance letter can be sent to applicants from Eastern Virginia Medical School. The maximum allowed time for an applicant to respond to this offer is two weeks.

Also, EVMS notifies students about their waitlist placement. While the waitlist stays active until matriculation, letters of intent and updates are accepted during this period. Usually, out of the 200 waitlist positions per cycle, 75 get offers of acceptance.

Contact Information

Eastern Virginia Medical School admission website

Eastern Virginia Medical School homepage

FAQs

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

Disclaimer: BeMo does not endorse or affiliate with any universities, colleges, or official test administrators. The content has been developed based on the most recent publicly available data provided from the official university website. However, you should always check the statistics/requirements with the official school website for the most up to date information. You are responsible for your own results. 

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