MD Admissions Committee

I. Admissions Committee

The Admissions Committee is charged with the oversight and review of the MD admissions process.

The Admission Committee membership shall include:
1 Chair
1 Vice chair
10 Faculty members
4 Faculty members as representatives of community campuses
3 Ex officio members

The dean appoints 50% of the voting members of the committee to renewable one-year terms, and the faculty senate elects 50 percent of the voting members to three-year terms.

The dean shall seek input from the vice dean and with input from the associate deans for regional campuses in making his or her appointments to the Admissions Committee.

The chair position represents one of the 12 elected or appointed voting members of the committee. The chair of the committee (‘the chair’) shall be appointed by the dean annually to a one-year term with input from the vice provost for enrollment management.

The vice chair of the Admissions Committee (‘the vice chair’) shall be elected annually by the voting members of the Admissions Committee (see non-voting status of ex-officio members below) to a one-year term, the vice chair is selected from one of the 15 elected or appointed members of the committee.

Ex officio members are non-voting members of the Admissions Committee.

Ex officio non-voting members of the Admissions Committee include: (1) vice provost for enrollment management; (2) Vice Dean for Community Engagement and College Culture; and (3) director of admissions.

Ex officio non-voting members of the Admissions Committee may not serve as chair or vice chair of the Admissions Committee. Neither the dean, the president, nor the provost may serve as chair or vice chair of the Admissions Committee. Ex officio non-voting members do not count for quorum purposes; however, they may make motions, may second motions, may engage in discussion of motions, and may engage in and contribute to general Admissions Committee discussions and deliberations.

Quorum for the Admissions Committee is eight members.

B. General administrative policy

1. Nondiscrimination
The MD Admissions Committee at Geisinger College of Health Sciences' School of Medicine is committed to fostering a fair and welcoming environment for students, faculty, staff and community members. Embracing and celebrating the differences that strengthen our community help us create a culture of safety, trust and respect for all. Our efforts are aimed at implementing practices that welcome and honor the unique identity and perspective of every person.

2. Applicant health
All matriculating students must be able to meet the Geisinger Commonwealth Technical Standards.

3. Citizenship status
All applicants must be citizens of the United States or hold permanent residency status.

C. Admissions requirements

All applicants are required to comply with the School of Medicine’s admission requirements.

Notifications for regular decision applicants and update on deferred status.

D. Application procedures

Applicants are required to complete an application through the online American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the national application service for MD programs throughout the United States. Applicants are required to complete this application, submit an application fee and follow-up with submitting all requested documentation to AMCAS. Geisinger Commonwealth will not consider an incomplete AMCAS application and only verified AMCAS applications will be invited to submit our secondary application. The admissions office will email a notification inviting all AMCAS verified applicants to complete the Geisinger Commonwealth Secondary Application. The secondary application will request basic demographic information and will include essay questions designed to determine a candidate’s match with the Geisinger Commonwealth community. The application fee is $100 or submission of the AMCAS Fee Assistance Program (FAP) waiver documents.

E. Complete Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) PREview Professional Readiness Exam 

Geisinger Commonwealth is strongly encouraging applicants to take the AAMC PREview Exam. We will consider scores as one part of our admissions process. Learn more about the AAMC PREview Exam.

F. Letters of recommendation

All applicants to Geisinger Commonwealth are required to submit one pre-professional committee letter or three evaluation/recommendation letters from faculty who are familiar with the applicant’s career goals and academic coursework. Geisinger Commonwealth participates with AMCAS Letters. All letters of recommendation/evaluation for MD applicants should be submitted via the candidate’s AMCAS application. Additional information about this service can be found on the AAMC website. Applicants may submit up to four letters of recommendation.

G. Interview process

Selected candidates will be invited to interview at Geisinger Commonwealth. Applicants will be notified via email to arrange a mutually agreeable interview date. Interviews are conducted virtually using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format

Admissions Committee procedures

1. Applicants will undergo an initial screening and once a decision is rendered, suitable applicants will be invited for interviews.
2.  No student shall be accepted without an interview.
3.  Each interviewed applicant shall be reviewed and ranked by the Admissions Committee. The Admissions Committee shall have access to the entire admissions record, including the AMCAS application, letters of recommendation, interview reports, screening comments, secondary application materials, AAMC PREview exam, and any other documents in the applicant’s admissions file.
4. The Admissions Committee will establish minimum ranks for acceptance, placement on the wait list and rejection, but may adjust the admit rank as the season progresses to ensure the correct number of applicants are admitted. As withdrawals occur, the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management in consultation with chair of the Admissions Committee will select students from the waiting list.
5. Notifications from the Admissions Committee will be sent to each applicant in accordance with the Association of American Medical Colleges policies.
6. Decisions of the Admissions Committee are final and are not subject to appeal.

H. Applicant file security

The application file will only be accessible to members of the Admissions Committee, the admissions and student affairs staff and the dean/president or their representatives.

II. Follow-up

The Admissions Committee may request the admissions and student affairs offices to prepare reports on an as-needed basis. To maintain the privacy of students, reports distributed shall not identify individual students but shall include aggregate information.

Approved by the Admissions Committee on June 11, 2019.