Doctor of Medicine (MD) — University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine

Program status: Active

SpaceCat Fit Notes

CASPer: Not used. No advantage. Details
GPA window & upgrading strategy: AGPA drops lowest full-time year. OOP hard min 3.80 (no rounding), admitted avg ~3.94. Details
Experiential / written advantage: CARS used competitively (OOP avg ~129.5) — additional hurdle beyond GPA. Details
Out-of-province: Ontario resident. 85% AB / 15% OOP (~28 of 185 seats). details
Overall assessment: Not viable — 3.80 hard GPA minimum, only ~28 OOP seats (15%), admitted OOP GPA ~3.94, CARS competitive, CASPer not used.

“Non-Alberta residents require a minimum GPA of 3.80. We do not round up the GPA, for example, a GPA of 3.79 does not meet criteria.”

“Non-Albertan applicants must have a minimum CARS score of 128 in order to be eligible to apply.”

“85% of the seats are allocated to IP applicants each year”

Quick Facts

Institution: University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine
Program name: Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Degree granted: MD
City, Province: Calgary, Alberta (main campus); Lethbridge, Alberta (new satellite campus — 30 additional seats opening ~2026)
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 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM MDT for Fall 2026 entry. All materials including transcripts, WES assessments, reference letters, and MCAT score release must be submitted by deadline. (Source)
Application system: UCAN (University of Calgary Application Network) — https://ucan.ucalgary.ca/ (Source)
Program URL: https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/mdprogram
Accredited: Yes — CACMS accredited

Admission Requirements

GPA

Minimum GPA (Alberta residents): 3.20/4.0 (Source)
Minimum GPA (Non-Alberta residents): 3.80/4.0 — the university does not round, so 3.79 does not qualify (Source)
Competitive GPA: Average admitted ~3.89 (Alberta), ~3.94 (non-Alberta) (Source)
GPA calculated on: All full-time post-secondary years used. A year qualifies as full-time with at least 24 credits September-April and grades recorded for at least 18 credits. Adjusted GPA (AGPA) drops lowest year. 10-year exclusion rule applies. Minimum two full-time years required. (Source)
GPA scale used: 4.0

Prerequisites

Minimum two full-time years of post-secondary education at or transferable to an MD-PhD granting institution. No specific prerequisite courses listed. (Source)

Prior Degree Requirement

Minimum two full-time post-secondary years. A completed degree is not explicitly required but strongly implied by competitiveness.

CASPer

Not required. (Source)

Supplementary Requirements

MCAT: Required. Evaluated competitively using CARS section only. Alberta residents: no minimum CARS. Non-Alberta residents: minimum 128 CARS required — OOP applicants who do not meet the CARS cutoff cannot apply and applications are not reviewed. Average CARS for admitted: ~126 (IP), ~129.5 (OOP). (Source)
Interview: Yes — multi-format, in-person:
Circuit 1 (MMI): 7 stations, 2-minute prep, 7-minute response, one assessor per station
Circuit 2 (Long-format panel): 2 stations of semi-structured panel interview with 2 assessors each, 20 minutes per station
May also include a group activity component
(Source)
Citizenship: Canadian citizen or permanent resident required.
Reference Letters: Required, submitted via UCAN by deadline.

How Applications Are Evaluated

Admission model: GPA threshold screening, then CARS-weighted file review for OOP applicants
OOP file review: Non-Alberta applicants meeting GPA 3.80 and CARS 128 undergo file review
CARS is used competitively (unlike many schools that treat MCAT as threshold-only)
Interview performance weighted in final decision
Applications that do not meet minimum criteria are closed without review

Out-of-Province Considerations

Residency quota: 85% Alberta residents, 15% non-Alberta residents (~28 of 185 seats). (Source)
OOP restrictions URL: https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/mdprogram/future-students/admissions/am-i-eligible
Higher thresholds for OOP: GPA minimum 3.80 (vs 3.20 IP), CARS minimum 128 (no minimum for IP)
Applications from OOP applicants not meeting minimums are not reviewed
Out-of-province tuition differential: Not identified — tuition appears the same for all domestic Canadian students.

Cost

Annual tuition (domestic, 2025-2026): ~$15,012 plus general fees (Source)
Total program (approximate): ~$60,000-$65,000 over 4 years

Competitiveness

Cohort size: 185 seats (Class of 2029, two campuses); ~30 at Lethbridge satellite
OOP seats: ~28 (15%)
Competitive GPA (OOP): ~3.94 admitted average
Competitive CARS (OOP): ~129.5 admitted average

Information Not Found

No specific gaps identified for this program.