Queen's University School of Medicine: How to Get In

Mission Statement

“To advance our tradition of preparing excellent physicians and leaders in health care, we embrace a spirit of inquiry and innovation in education and research.”

Admissions Statistics and Eligibility

Acceptance rate (overall): 1.8%

Number of Applications: 5,550

Number of Interviews: 512

Average MCAT: 513

Average GPA: 3.85

Queen's University Medical School overall acceptance rate:

Wondering if you are a competitive candidate for Queen's University medical school? Check out our Ontario Medical School Chance Predictor to see how you measure up!

Eligibility

Every year Queen’s University medical school accepts 100 students to its MD program. These seats are reserved for Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Queen's does not accept international applicants.

Approximately 76% of the admitting class are from Ontario, but Queens does not specifically privilege applications from Ontario residents.

Selection Factors

Let’s go over the admission requirements you must meet to be a competitive candidate for the Queen’s University School of Medicine. Remember to always keep in mind the CanMEDS roles as you compose your application.

Coursework Requirements

Queen’s University School of Medicine matriculants come from a variety of academic disciplines. You do not need to pursue a specific course of study to be an eligible candidate. The school also does not specify any medical school prerequisites that you need to fulfill, however, they do have medical school requirements with regards to course load and completion. To qualify for entry into Queen’s University medical school, you must complete a minimum of 30 half or 15 full course credits at the undergraduate university level. Courses are weighted according to their length of study as follows:

• Full-year course weight of 1
• Half-year course weight of 0.5
• Semester course weight of 0.5
• Three quarter course weight of 0.75
• Quarter course weight of 0.25 (applies only to American Universities)
• Science laboratory courses are graded separately and are weighted as less than a half-year/semester course weight of 0.25

This course load requirement must be fulfilled by June 30 of the year of entrance. Transfer credits appearing on your university transcript will be included in the credit requirement, i.e. IB or AP credits, exchange credits. If you have studied outside of North America for two or more semesters, you must have your foreign transcripts evaluated through The World Education Services (WES).

GPA

Each year, Queen’s University establishes the medical school GPA requirement that must be met by med school applicants. You must meet the established 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA OMSAS scale minimum for your application to proceed to the MCAT evaluation. However, be aware that you should be aiming for a much higher GPA as the average GPA was 3.85 for the most recent entering class. Applicants with a graduate degree with slightly lower GPAs will be reviewed on individual bases. Queen's considers your cumulative GPA (CGPA).

The CGPA includes undergraduate university degree credit courses taken, except those related to foreign exchange and graduate studies; all years are treated equally. To be included in the calculation, courses and grades must appear on university undergraduate transcript(s). Because grades for the current academic year of study are not available by the application deadline (October 1), the application CGPA calculations do not include the current academic year (September-June).

MCAT

The review of your MCAT score is the second step of the application review process. Queen's University does not put a limit on the number of times you can take the MCAT. However, keep in mind that you will need to release all of your MCAT scores for review, so it's important to show improvement if you choose to retake the exam. The good news is that only your best test scores will be assessed during application review. The admissions committee will consider your scores for each MCAT section, as well as the sum of all the sections.

Your MCAT scores cannot be older than 5 years. The minimum MCAT score is set by the admissions committee each year, with the most recent years minimum being 500 and the average MCAT score being 513.

If you’re looking to avoid writing the MCAT, there are a couple of medical schools in Ontario that do not require the MCAT, including the University of Ottawa medical school and Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Additionally, you can check out a complete list of medical schools that do not require the MCAT.

However, if you decided to take on this challenging medical school hurdle, you must be ready for a rigorous and lengthy study. First of all, you must know when to start studying for the MCAT. The MCAT is a difficult and demanding test, so make sure to give yourself an ample amount of time to prepare. To create a thorough MCAT study schedule, you must take an MCAT diagnostic test to determine which content areas and disciplines you must review.

CASPer

Queen’s University if one of the medical schools that require CASPer. Like with GPA and MCAT, Queen’s sets CASPer score expectations for each application cycle but does not disclose them. CASPer scores are also used to weed out applicants in the initial application review stages.

CASPer is an online situational judgment test that assesses your professional qualities, as well as your ability to stay calm and remain non-judgmental. Although notoriously difficult to study for, you must know how to prepare for CASPer to succeed on your test. You must also practice answering CASPer questions and learn how to identify each question type before you take the real test. Before you schedule your test, be sure to check out CASPer test dates to find a day that works for you.

Learn 3 types of CASPer question types you need to know:

Autobiographical Sketch (ABS)

If you meet the minimum GPA, MCAT, and CASPer thresholds, your application moves to the next stage of application review which includes the assessment of your ABS and medical school recommendation letters.

Your OMSAS ABS component is not unlike the AMCAS Work and Activities section of the American application system. Essentially, you will fill out a list of extracurriculars for medical school and other experiences that will demonstrate that you are a well-rounded and versatile individual. You will need to include activities and experiences you have had since the age of 16 in the following categories:

• Employment
• Volunteer Activities
• Extracurricular Activities
• Awards and Accomplishments
• Research
• Other

Remember that Queen’s University School of Medicine is looking for well-rounded physicians so no one perfect candidate exists. You can emphasize your excellent premed research experience and your desire to become a clinician-scientist or your passion for medicine within your local community. Queens is especially committed to admitting groups that have been historically excluded from medicine, in particular students from Indigenous communities and those of lower socioeconomic status. While GPA and MCAT scores are important, make sure you have a compelling ABS so that you can stand out to the admissions committee. 

Reference Letters

Like with all OMSAS participating schools, you will need to choose three referees who will fill out the OMSAS references as part of your application. Traditional reference letters are not accepted by Queen’s University. Remember to choose recommenders who know you well and have extensive knowledge of your character, personal qualities, and academic capabilities. Each referee doesn't need to speak to all three of those areas of your background, but make sure that your three referees cover all three topics.

Queen's University asks that at least one of your recommenders is a non-academic referee, someone who can speak to your character. It is useful to have recommenders that can speak to your strengths, so if you are applying with a strong research background, make sure one of your letter writers can speak to your research experience. Likewise if you are applying as someone interested in community medicine you can have a referee who speaks to your passion for community service.

To help your recommenders write, we strongly encourage you to discuss the letters with them and explain what is required of them. Approach your potential writers about 2 months before the letters are due and ask if they would be comfortable writing you a very strong letter of reference for medical school. Your references may ask for more details about why you want to be a doctor. They may also ask to see your transcripts, medical school CV, ABS, and other documents to help them write you a stellar recommendation letter. 

Interview Format

Based on the GPA, MCAT, CASPer, autobiographical sketch, and reference letter scores, a ranked list of applicants is created by the program. Approximately 500 applicants are invited to the university for an interview each year. If an applicant declines their interview, Queen’s offers the interview spot to the next person on the rank list.

Queen's University uses the MMI interview format to assess the pre-professional qualities of its applicants. Once the MMI portion of the interview is completed, successful applicants will be invited for an additional virtual panel interview. These final interviews are typically short and occur over a two day period in late March in conjunction with a final file review. You can prepare for these interviews by reviewing your application materials as it common for the committee to ask for clarifications or bring up any potential red flags in your application.. Please check the program’s website for the most up-to-date information regarding interview dates.

When you start preparing for your interview, make sure to review common medical school interview questions, such as “tell me about yourself” and “what is your greatest weakness?”

How to prepare for your med school interview largely depends on the interview format your school of choice prefers. To get ready for the Queen’s University MMI interview format, review some common MMI sample questions.

Acceptance Information

Offers of admission are based on a ranked list, which is comprised of the applicants’ scores from the autobiographical sketch, reference letters, and interview scores. The admissions office does not provide information about the length of the waitlist or how many offers of acceptance come from the waitlist. Offers are made after the first round on a rolling basis until the class has been filled. Upon acceptance of the offer, you must pay a non-refundable deposit of $1,050 that will be applied to the minimum tuition payment.

Application Timeline

Tuition and Funding Opportunities

Annual tuition for Queen’s University School of Medicine is CAD$25,54.14.

Funding Opportunities

Queen’s University medical school offers a variety of financial aid opportunities to help students cover the steep medical school tuition fees. The financial aid is typically sorted into these three categories:

Awards Requiring an Application. As you can tell from the title of this category, you must submit a specific application form to be considered for these scholarships. Before you apply, make sure to read application instructions carefully and pay close attention to the deadlines. Check out a list of these awards on this page.

Automatic Consideration Awards. You do not need to submit an application to be eligible for these awards. You will be automatically considered for these funds and be notified by the Student Awards Office or your Faculty if you have been selected. Please see a list of these awards here.

Bursaries. Please visit this page to see a list of bursaries that are available for Queen’s University medical students.

Be sure to read our “How much does medical school cost?” blog to learn how to plan your medical school budget and how to pay off your medical school debt.

Residency Match Rates

Queen’s University is one of the medical schools with the best match rates in Canada, with over 95% of graduates matching into residency programs. Popular specialties graduates move into include Psychiatry and Internal Medicine.

Available Programs

Want to know about Queen's University Accelerated Route to Medical School:

Academic Curriculum

Queen’s University medical school divides its curriculum into sequential terms that allow students to evolve from basic scientific understanding to clinical foundations of the human systems, to clinical engagements during the two-year clinical rotations and electives period. Queen’s University medical school is well-known for close personal interactions between students and faculty and hands-on clinical experience in ambulatory settings. If you would like a detailed breakdown of the curriculum of each medical school year, please visit this webpage. 

Campus and Faculty

Queen's University Medical School is located in Kingston, Ontario, on the main campus of Queen's University. The campus is situated along the shores of Lake Ontario about 3 hours East of Toronto. The School of Medicine is housed in Botterell Hall, which features state-of-the-art laboratories, lecture halls, and simulation centers designed to provide a comprehensive medical education. The campus is in close proximity to Kingston General Hospital, where students gain practical clinical experience.

 Affiliated Teaching Hospitals

The main teaching hospital affiliated with Queen’s University is Kingston Heath Sciences Centre. This hospital encompasses both Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital. There are also affiliations with Providence Care Hospital and Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital which allow for specialization in mental health care and rural medicine respectively.

Research Fields

Queen's University School of Medicine is engaged in a wide range of research fields, reflecting its commitment to advancing medical knowledge and improving healthcare. The main research areas at Queen's Medicine include:

1. Cancer Research: Queen's has a strong focus on cancer research, particularly through its Cancer Research Institute.
2. Cardiovascular and Respiratory Health: The school is heavily invested in research related to heart and lung health. This includes studies on cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disorders, and the development of innovative treatments to manage these conditions.
3. Neuroscience and Mental Health: Queen's researchers are exploring various aspects of brain health, including neurodegenerative diseases, mental health disorders, and brain injury. The Centre for Neuroscience Studies at Queen's plays a pivotal role in this research.

Mentioning an interest in one of these research areas could help you gain acceptance into Queen’s Medical School.

Notable Faculty

Queen’s University has a renowned faculty within Canada. This includes the head of their Department of Medicine, Dr. Stephen Archer, a leading researcher in cardiovascular diseases and Dr. Michael Green, an expert in public health and working with indigenous communities.

Contact Information

Admissions Website

Admissions Email: [email protected]

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. 

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

TikTok

YouTube

Instagram

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

LinkedIn

Twitter