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

Program status: Active

SpaceCat Fit Notes

CASPer: Not used. Calgary does not require CASPer at all. SpaceCat’s very high CASPer score provides zero advantage here.
GPA window & upgrading strategy: AGPA drops the lowest full-time year. Full-time = 24 credits Sept-April with grades in 18+ credits. 10-year exclusion rule applies. OOP hard minimum is 3.80 (no rounding — 3.79 does not qualify), with admitted OOP average ~3.94. Taking additional full-time years could help via the drop-lowest-year mechanism, but the competitive bar is extremely high.
Experiential / written advantage: Calgary uses CARS competitively (not just threshold) — OOP admits average ~129.5 CARS. The interview is multi-format (7-station MMI + 2 long-format panel stations + possible group activity). SpaceCat’s shelter work could support interview performance, but the CARS-competitive weighting adds an additional hurdle beyond GPA.
Out-of-province: Ontario resident. - 85% Alberta residents, 15% non-Alberta residents (~26-32 of ~175-210 seats depending on year). (. - Not identified — tuition appears the same for all domestic Canadian students
Overall assessment: Not viable — The 3.80 hard GPA minimum may be disqualifying outright. Only ~15% of seats (~26-32) go to OOP applicants, admitted OOP GPA averages 3.94, CARS is used competitively (avg 129.5), and CASPer is not used. Calgary is one of the least favorable schools for SpaceCat’s profile.

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.

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)
CASPer: Not required. (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 (~26-32 of ~175-210 seats depending on year). (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: ~175-210 seats (Calgary campus); ~30 additional at Lethbridge satellite (opening ~2026)
OOP seats: ~26-32 (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.