Doctor of Medicine (MD) — University of Alberta

Program status: Active

SpaceCat Fit Notes

CASPer: Not used — dropped July 2025. No advantage. Details
GPA window & upgrading strategy: AGPA drops lowest full-time year (4+ years required). OOP min 3.5, admitted avg ~3.91. Details
Experiential / written advantage: Personal Activities ~35% of final score — favorable, but OOP pool is extremely selective. Details
Out-of-province: Ontario resident. 85% AB / 15% OOP (~29 of 192 seats). details
Overall assessment: Not viable — Only ~29 OOP seats (15%), admitted OOP GPA ~3.91, CASPer not used.

“85% of the seats are allocated for IP applicants and 15% allocated for OOP applicants.”

Quick Facts

Institution: University of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Program name: Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Degree granted: MD
City, Province: Edmonton, Alberta (main campus); Grande Prairie, Alberta (satellite — up to 30 seats)
Program type: Standard (4-year MD)
Duration: 4 years
Delivery format: In-person
Full-time / Part-time: Full-time only
Language of instruction: English
Start date(s): August/September (Fall entry only)
Intake frequency: Annual
Application deadline(s): October 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM MT for Fall 2026 entry. Application opens July 1, 2025. Last accepted MCAT date: August 29, 2025. (Source)
Application system: UAlberta Launchpad (direct institutional application — not OMSAS) (Source)
Program URL: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/programs/md
Accredited: Yes — CACMS accredited

Admission Requirements

GPA

Minimum GPA (Alberta residents): 3.3/4.0 (cGPA) (Source)
Minimum GPA (Non-Alberta residents): 3.5/4.0 (cGPA) (Source)
Competitive GPA: Mean admitted GPA ~3.83 (Alberta), ~3.91 (non-Alberta) based on recent cycles (Source)
GPA calculated on: Both cumulative GPA (cGPA) and Adjusted GPA (AGPA) are calculated. AGPA drops the lowest full-time year for applicants with 4+ full-time academic years (cannot drop most recent year). Full-time = 18 units course weight (ucw) during fall/winter or 12 ucw in spring/summer. All courses from full-time studies included. Minimum 60 transferable ucw required. (Source)
GPA scale used: 4.0 (UAlberta scale)

Prerequisites

No specific prerequisite courses required. Minimum 60 transferable units of course weight. (Source)

Prior Degree Requirement

Minimum 60 transferable ucw. A completed degree is not explicitly required but the vast majority of admitted students hold at least a bachelor’s degree. (Source)

CASPer

Not required — dropped effective July 1, 2025, citing cost and limitations of the test. (Source)

Supplementary Requirements

MCAT: Required. Threshold approach — once minimum met, MCAT is not used competitively. Alberta residents: minimum 124 in each section (CPBS, CARS, BBFL, PSBB). Non-Alberta residents: minimum 128 in CARS and 124 in all other sections. Must be achieved in a single sitting. Last accepted test date for 2025-2026 cycle: August 29, 2025. (Source)
Interview: Yes — hybrid format: MMI stations (~6 stations, 2-min prep, 8-min response) + panel interview (~20 min with 2-3 interviewers). Conducted virtually. Rural stream applicants receive additional panel interviews with community practitioners. (Source)
Personal Activities: Required. Categories: Employment (1-4 entries), Volunteer Work (1-4 entries), Teamwork/Collaboration/Leadership (1-4 entries), Life Experience, Personal Highlights. Submitted via Launchpad. (Source)
Reference Letters: Required, submitted by referees to Launchpad by application deadline.
Citizenship: Canadian citizen or permanent resident required.

How Applications Are Evaluated

Admission model: Threshold screening on GPA and MCAT, then holistic scoring
Interview selection: GPA + Personal Activities scored + MCAT threshold
Final admission weighting (reported): ~30% GPA + ~35% Personal Activities/Highlights + ~35% Interview/MMI + Reference letter review (Source — MedMed)
MCAT is threshold-only — once minimums are met, it does not factor into competitive scoring

Out-of-Province Considerations

Residency quota: 85% Alberta residents, 15% non-Alberta residents (~29 of 192 seats). (Source)
Alberta residency definition: Not precisely defined in reviewed sources — generally based on province of permanent residence.
OOP restrictions URL: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/medicine/programs/md/admissions/before-you-apply/application-requirements.html
Higher thresholds for OOP: GPA minimum 3.5 (vs 3.3 IP), MCAT CARS minimum 128 (vs 124 IP)
Out-of-province tuition differential: Not identified — tuition appears the same for all domestic Canadian students.

Cost

Annual tuition (domestic, 2025-2026): ~$12,887 (Source)
Total program (approximate): ~$51,500 over 4 years
Additional fees: Books/supplies/instruments ~$2,100/year; student fees ~$3,850/year