Admission

The Faculty of Medicine was established to give properly qualified candidates, particularly from Lebanon and the Near East, the opportunity for sound education in both the art and science of medicine. All applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and must have completed the premedical requirements as well as the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Applicants in their senior year expecting to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in June are eligible to apply provided they have completed the premedical requirements and have taken the MCAT by the end of the first of their senior year. For applicants holding (or expecting) a bachelor’s degree, consideration for acceptance is limited to students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in each of the following: 1) all courses, 2) the required premedical core courses, and 3) major courses. For applicants from North American colleges, a minimum GPA of 3.3 is required. Applications from individuals holding (or expecting by June of the same year) a master’s or a doctoral degree are encouraged. These applicants will be considered based upon their academic performance and their research productivity; in these cases, some of the premedical requirements may be waived depending on the field of study.

Interviews are granted to a selected group of applicants based on their MCAT scores and their academic achievement. Granting an interview does not necessarily imply that the applicant will be accepted. Students are accepted to medical school on the basis of their academic qualifications, their MCAT score and the results of their interviews. In addition, due consideration is given to the applicants’ letters of recommendation from their teachers and mentors, their curriculum vitae, as well as their personal statements. Among the traits that the successful applicant will demonstrate are humanistic and ethical attitudes, good communication and interpersonal skills, emotional maturity, and personal integrity. Previous experience in research, community service and volunteer work are considered positive attributes.

The Faculty of Medicine at AUB does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, nationality, ethnic origin or religion.

The minimal premedical requirements are summarized below:

A bachelor’s degree in any field of study is required. Historically, the vast majority of applicants to the Faculty of Medicine have been holders of bachelor’s degrees in biology or chemistry. In an effort to diversify the pool of applicants, graduates from other majors are strongly encouraged to apply as long as they complete the premedical core courses required for admission to the Faculty of Medicine. Students can take some of the premedical courses as electives in their respective majors.

Pre Medical Core Course Requirements

The minimal premedical requirements include biology with laboratory (7 credits), chemistry with laboratory (15 credits including 8 credits of organic chemistry), physics and basic electronics with laboratory (8 credits), English (6 credits at AUB or exemption), social sciences and/or humanities (6 credits). To facilitate applications by non-science majors and from diverse fields of study, some courses taken in the Lebanese Baccalaureate Program may count towards fulfillment of the premedical core course requirements as detailed in Table 1. Table 2 presents the recommended courses depending on the major of study at AUB.

Table 1: Premedical core course requirements and credit equivalents according to Lebanese Baccalaureate Program Subject

Table 2: Recommended premedical core courses according to field of study at AUB

¹ Biology 200 is a very general course that does not prepare students well for the MCAT. Biology 201 and 202 provide better preparation, and students are advised to take both courses.

Please take note that as of AY 2023-24, the university requirements for GE were changed. Below is a table that shows the change in categories. CVSP courses are now named CHLA and fulfill the requirement of Cultures and Histories- History of Ideas.

MCAT:

A competitive score in the MCAT, which may be taken twice only, is required. If taken twice, the higher score is considered. The MCAT score must be available at the time the application is submitted. The MCAT has sections on the biological sciences, physical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Students are encouraged to review the content of the MCAT and plan their studies accordingly, e.g., by taking appropriate courses in biology, chemistry and physics, psychology, sociology and anthropology and the humanities, in consultation with their advisors..

Applicants expecting to receive a bachelor’s degree after the deadline for application should be aware of the following:

• • • • Applicants must be in their senior year.
      • The cumulative GPA of 70 credits or more (at the time of application) should be equal to or higher than 3.0 for students from AUB or its equivalent for those from other universities. All required core courses must have been completed by the end of the fall term of the senior year with GPA of at least 3.0. The cumulative GPA in the major courses completed by the end of the fall term of the senior year must also be equal to or greater than 3.0.
      • Admission to medical school is contingent upon completion of graduation requirements and obtaining the bachelor’s degree, which should be achieved by the end of the spring term of the student’s senior year.

Applicants expecting to receive a master’s or doctoral degree after the deadline for application should be aware of the following:

• • • • A minimum cumulative grade GPA of 3.3 or its equivalent is required.
      • Admission to medical school is contingent upon completion of graduation requirements and obtaining the master’s or doctoral degree, which should be achieved by the end of the spring term.

Conditional acceptance to the faculty is issued by the middle of April and is finalized upon completion of the requirements for the bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree.

The new MCAT places significant emphasis on psychological and sociological concepts and on critical analysis and reasoning. Students planning to apply to medical school are advised to take PSYC 201 and SOAN 201, any two CVSP courses and PHIL 210.