Doctor of Medicine (MD) — University of Alberta

Program status: Active

SpaceCat Fit Notes

CASPer: Not used — U of A dropped CASPer entirely as of July 2025. SpaceCat’s very high CASPer score provides zero advantage here, removing her key differentiator.
GPA window & upgrading strategy: AGPA drops the lowest full-time year for applicants with 4+ full-time academic years (cannot drop most recent year). Full-time = 18 ucw fall/winter or 12 ucw spring/summer. Minimum 60 transferable ucw required. OOP minimum is 3.5 (vs 3.3 IP), with admitted OOP average ~3.91. Taking additional full-time years could help by providing a droppable low year, but the competitive bar remains very high.
Experiential / written advantage: Personal Activities section (Employment, Volunteer, Leadership, Life Experience, Personal Highlights) is weighted ~35% of final score. SpaceCat’s shelter work could shine here. However, she competes against an extremely selective OOP pool where most applicants also have strong extracurriculars alongside much higher GPAs. The hybrid interview (MMI + panel) is ~35% of the final score.
Out-of-province: Ontario resident. - 85% Alberta residents, 15% non-Alberta residents (~29 of 192 seats). (. - Not identified — tuition appears the same for all domestic Canadian students
Overall assessment: Not viable — Only 15% of 192 seats (~29) go to non-Alberta applicants, admitted OOP GPA averages ~3.91, and CASPer (SpaceCat’s strongest asset) is not used. The Personal Activities weighting is favorable but cannot compensate for a significant GPA gap against the OOP pool.

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)

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