There is a singular category of medical schools in Utah; that is, there is only one of them. This school is the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. This means that, if you are looking to study medicine in Utah, you don’t have to give any consideration to where, just how.
How to prepare for your medical school application is always tricky, and your best bet is to seek out medical school admissions consulting. This might take the form of studying med school interview questions, or developing a careful medical school application timeline.
This article provides a comprehensive overview of the Eccles School of Medicine, including expert advice, best tips on how to get in, and data and analysis.
Disclaimer: Please note: although we have made every effort to provide the most accurate information, admissions information changes frequently. Therefore, we encourage you to verify these details with the official university admissions office. You are responsible for your own results. BeMo does not endorse nor affiliate with any official universities, colleges, or test administrators and vice versa.
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Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah
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Data Analysis
Good information exists within the data but knowing how to tease it out and apply it to yourself can be tricky. The numbers alone won’t do it; you have to sink your teeth into the data to decide how to choose a medical school. Let’s do a quick breakdown of those numbers.
The first thing that jumps out is the high rate of acceptance for local applicants. You stand a comparatively high chance of being accepted if you are in-state. Out-of-state and international applicants see their numbers drop off sharply, however. That doesn’t mean you should give up, of course. The quality of your application makes a difference. If you have a sterling application, you might be one of the lucky few who are accepted, even if you come from out-of-state or are an international student.
You should definitely keep tuition in mind, however, because tuition for students from out-of-state – including international – jumps to almost double that of a local applicant.
Preferred Candidates
Most schools have a preferred applicant profile that they are looking for, and you should carefully consider any categories you belong to before applying to the University of Utah’s medical school.
In-state
Preferential treatment is given to residents of Utah, as we noted in the statistical data. This means that you must list Utah as your legal state residence and that you graduated from high school, college, or university in Utah, or have American Indian heritage.
What to do if you’re from out-of-state
Take note: if you are from Idaho, the Spencer Fox Eccles Medical School takes 10 students who hail from the Gem State each year. Furthermore, while technically the out-of-state tuition won’t have been reduced, you will only be personally charged the in-state rate, with Idaho covering the difference between the two.
If you are from Montana, PSEP (Professional Student Exchange Program) support covers the difference in cost. If you are not awarded PSEP funding, you will still pay non-resident tuition rates, however.
If you are from Wyoming, you are also eligible to attend the University of Utah’s medical school with PSEP funding, although this has recently been put on hold. Before applying, check to see if the PSEP funding has been made available once more. This could mean the difference between applying to an affordable medical school and shopping around for somewhere else to apply to.
Furthermore, if you are from out-of-state but have cultural or familial ties to Utah, let them know in your medical school secondary essays. There is usually an essay like “Why this medical school?” which allows for such a statement. In a recent year, this prompt was phrased as “Explain why you are choosing to apply to the University of Utah School of Medicine,” although with a 200-word limit, you would need to be very succinct with your answer.
While this won’t get you into the in-state pile with its benefits, it might make the application committee look more favorably on your particular application. The idea is to train Utah residents as physicians, but also to train physicians for medical practice in Utah. Given that they are looking for physicians who will practice medicine in their state, indicating that you are prepared to do that, or that you have connections to Utah, might bump your standing up in the out-of-state pile.
Important Note for International Students
Any applicant to the University of Utah’s medical school must:
- Hold a United States permanent resident card, or:
- Be a refugee or asylee and hold permanent status in the United States, or:
- Be a visa holder who qualifies for the Utah House Bill 118 non-resident tuition waiver
In addition to one of those three requirements, any non-resident must also complete all University of Utah School of Medicine (UUSOM) admissions requirements.
Note that a permanent resident, refugee, or asylee who lists Utah as their state of residence on AMCAS could have eligibility to receive the same tuition rate as an in-state applicant.
DACA students are eligible for admission, but any DACA or undocumented immigrant applicants must qualify for the Utah House Bill 144 as well as completing all UUSOM admissions requirements.
Want to learn how to increase your chances of getting accepted to medical school? Check this out:
Military
Enlisted armed forces applicants who have Utah as their legal state residence can also apply as locals. Furthermore, the University of Utah offers scholarships specific to military personnel. If you want to be a military doctor, this is a great path for you.
Receiving a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarship will also give an NHSC Priority to your application.
Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarships and the Navy Health Services Collegiate Program also have scholarships available for members of the armed forces who apply.
Native Americans
In addition to their local resident status, Native Americans have access to the Indian Health Service (IHS) Scholarship Program and the Indian Health Service Physical Loan Repayment program.
“All applicants who list Utah as their legal state residence on their AMCAS application, have graduated from a Utah high school, college, or university, enlisted in the military, or have American Indian heritage will be required to fill out the Utah Residency Application as part of the secondary application.”
Diversity
The University of Utah’s medical school does not state that it will give preferential treatment or consideration to underrepresented students. However, it does have an office of diversity whose goal is to increase diversity
Preferred Academics
All medical schools have courses that they consider either prerequisites for medical school, recommended, or both. The University of Utah’s medical school has such courses as well.
You should carefully consider the recommended courses. Although they might not be medical school requirements as far as the University of Utah is concerned, they have been highlighted for a reason, and if you can fill out your transcript with more recommended courses, so much the better. With that said, make sure you choose courses that you excel at. You want to boost your GPA as much as possible, so taking a stack of courses with poor results won’t help you.
Prerequisites
Biochemistry; Biology (two courses, one must be in Cellular Biology or Biochemistry); Cellular Biology; College English (one year, emphasizes written and/or verbal communication); Humanities (one course); Inorganic Chemistry (AP credit earned with a score of 4 or 5 satisfies one semester; with Lab); Organic Chemistry (with Lab); Physics (one year, with Labs); Social Sciences (one course)
Recommended
Anatomy; Behavioral Sciences; College Mathematics; Genetics; Human Behavior; Psychology; Research Methods; Statistics
Preferred Premed Experiences and Extracurriculars
Research and/or lab experience was held by 99–100%. With the highest rate of participation of all premed experiences – indeed, the highest rate possible in recent years – getting lab experience will be essential to your application.
Although physician shadowing is not required officially by UUSOM, it was held by 95% of matriculating students, which means you should consider it all but essential. With access to virtual shadowing these days, you don’t really have a reason not to have this on your resume.
A total of 92% of students volunteered to perform some form of community service.
Medical or clinical experience was held by 90% of matriculating students as volunteers, and 63% as paid workers.
While only 2–4% of matriculating students in recent years had military service, when compared to other medical schools in other states, that number was actually slightly above par, with many schools having just 2%.
What Kind of Doctor Can You Become in Utah?
Match Rate
The match rate for UUSOM was 93.8% in a recent year, which marked the eighth consecutive year in which the University of Utah’s School of Medicine was either at or above the national average.
Specialty Areas
The most-matched specialties are anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and internal medicine, all of which have over 8% of the total matched students.
Family medicine, internal medicine – preliminary, ObGyn, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, and general surgery all matched over 5%.
Neurology and physical medicine and rehabilitation both had over 4%.
All other specialty areas matched at a rate of 3.99% or lower.
Combination Degrees
UUSOM has an MD-PhD program available, as well as the ability to study for an MD combined with a Master of Public Health and an MD-MBA combination degree.
The PhD program will allow you to boost your medical degree with an academic edge. This will be useful if you are looking to put more of a scientific slant on your work, or if you want to teach in combination with your practice.
An MBA could prepare you for the running of your own clinic and support you if you are planning to practice medicine in rural Utah. The ability to operate and understand the business aspects of your practice might prove essential in an isolated area – not that it wouldn’t be useful in an urban environment, also.
Finally, a Master of Public Health would open up the possibilities of affecting medicine on a wider scale than in one practice or hospital, and if you wanted to try and have the largest social impact that you can, an MD-MPH degree might help you achieve that goal.
Curriculum
UUSOM has developed a curriculum which emphasizes technical proficiency, in combination with training for caring and compassionate physicians who can adapt and change to meet health care demands, even as those demands shift and grow in the 21st century.
UUSOM uses traditional learning methods while exploring areas of study that are more innovative and adaptive to newer technologies.
The UUSOM curriculum values active learning, critical thinking, and information management.
Medical students start by receiving basic science instruction and instruction in critical skills.
Throughout all four years of medical school, you will be communicating with, examining, and even diagnosing patients to integrate medical sciences, medical arts, and clinical medicine.
In the first and second year, students begin longitudinal ambulatory care.
In third year, students complete a 6-week rotation in family medicine. Note that this is available in a rural location.
In fourth year, students can elect to be on a rural, family medicine practice experience.
Conclusion
The University of Utah’s medical school is geared toward residents of the state, as well as applicants who are particularly interested in rural medicine. With that said, you need not fit exactly into the mold to make it at UUSOM. Either way, this information will contribute to a more informed decision on the best medical school for you.
FAQs
1. How do I know if a medical school is right for me?
One easy way is to tour the campus, but if you cannot make it to the campus, see if you can do a virtual tour. Aside from that, finding value statements, mission statements, and campus culture guides will work great. Finally, you should make sure that the kind of learning, curricula, and experiences available will not only help you grow and thrive, but also create the kinds of situations where you can contribute best to the school as well.
2. How many medical schools should I apply to?
We recommend that you apply to anywhere from 5 to 8 schools, which gives you a good spread but won’t spread you too thin.
3. Are there fees to apply?
Yes, although they are small. There are fees associated with secondary applications and with sitting the MCAT.
4. If I have to, can I retake the MCAT?
Yes, up to seven times in your life. That’s three in one year or four in two years, as well.
5. Should I retake the MCAT?
Deciding whether to retake the MCAT involves a multi-factorial analysis. If you scored below 498, definitely. If above, it depends on how close you are to achieving your needed MCAT score and whether you can get there. Don’t retake if you don’t have to.
6. Does it matter what degree my undergrad is in?
Utah prefers US applicants, but not majors. Anything is fine, as long as you have the prerequisite courses.
7. If I’m from out-of-state, do I have any hope?
Yes, but it kind of depends on the state. Utah has special application rules for certain states. Idaho and Wyoming, for instance. Chances are slim, either way.
8. What’s the best way to boost my chances of acceptance?
Follow expert tips and use every advantage you can. It helps to apply to schools you love, too. Don’t worry about rankings or ratings, just worry about picking the right school for yourself, and then working hard to get in.
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