During the QuARMS and School of Medicine application cycles, our office staff experiences a high volume of inquiries. We encourage you to take advantage of this FAQ page in order to have your question answered in a timely manner.
Queen’s University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) is a unique opportunity for students graduating high school who are Indigenous or who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American or multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry to enroll in first and second-year courses in the either the Faculty of Arts and Science, or Faculty of Health Sciences. While in the undergraduate program of their choosing, QuARMS students will be exposed to experiential learning strategies aimed at honing their skills in advocacy, communication, collaboration, and professionalism. QuARMS students will then have the opportunity to apply for entry to medical school after only two years of undergraduate study.
The School of Medicine intends to reduce barriers to entry to medical school, and to reach individuals who may not otherwise have considered attending Queen’s or medical school. The primary goal of QuARMS is to offer a group of 10 students graduating high school, who are Indigenous or who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American or multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry an exciting, and innovative two-year curriculum that will provide the opportunity to apply for admission into the first year of Medical School at Queen's University, School of Medicine. QuARMS aims to expose students to learning experiences/opportunities that are closely aligned with the core competencies for physicians.
10 students are accepted each year. These students are Indigenous peoples or students who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American or multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry, are either Canadian Citizens OR Permanent Residents of Canada AND they meet ALL eligibility requirements, it does not matter where they attend secondary school.
The accelerated route to Medical School is unique among Canadian universities. It is based on an integrated '2 + 4' year training program. This new educational initiative is aimed at shortening the minimum length of undergraduate training for students before applying to be admitted to Medical School at Queen's University. QuARMS students who are admitted to Medical School after two years of undergraduate education in the Queen's Faculty of Arts and Science, and who then successfully complete all Medical School requirements in 4 years, will obtain an MD degree in 6 years. (The minimum requirement for the traditional applicant to medical school is a minimum of 3 years of Undergraduate university level of study.)
Content & Structure
The curriculum will consist of two components that run in parallel:
The First Component will be devoted to meeting the requirements of the first two years of an Honours degree in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
The Second Component is a unique, and integrated set of enrichment/experiential learning, in-class seminars, fireside chats, group projects and more, that are developed and delivered through the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine (SOM), to prepare students to apply for admission to the School of Medicine at the end of year two of their undergraduate Bachelor program.
Faculty of Arts and Science
All students will complete 30 units/year over the fall and winter terms (equivalent to 5 courses per term) in each of years one and two.
All students must take BIOL 102/103, CHEM 112, MATH 121 (if Calculus has not been taken in high school, STATISTICS 263, or an equivalent course, can be used as an alternative [1]), ENGLISH 100 and PHGY 215/216 [2].
(The selection of these courses is a compromise between a longer, more comprehensive list. These courses are chosen to provide all students with a fundamental knowledge of biological processes, quantitative reasoning skills, and communication skills)
All students will be encouraged to pursue the degree plan of their choice in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
At the end of year one, students will participate in the plan selection process and choose an honours plan for which they have the required pre-requisites.
[1] STATISTICS 263 should be taken in year two
[2] PHGY 215/216 - BIOL 102/103 is a pre-requisite
YES! Students need to have:
- A criminal record & vulnerable sector screening check (CPIC) completed and submitted.
- Immunizations & immunization records need to be up-to-date and submitted.
Immunizations Include:
- Hepatitis B antibody level (anti-HBs)
- Hepatitis B surfce antigen (HBsAg)
- Hepatitis C
- HIV
- Tuberculosis
- Measles/Mumps/Rubella
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Polio
- Tetanus/Diptheria/Pertussis
- Influenza
ATTENTION: Please note, immunizations can take up to three months (or longer) to complete. Therefore, to be assured no disruption to your entry into the QuARMS program, we STRONGLY suggest you start the immunization process as soon as you are accepted into the program!
The outcome of the QuARMS selection process has no bearing on your application or offers to Queen’s University undergraduate programs.
Applicants must be Indigenous peoples and/or must self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American or multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry. Citizenship & Residency
Applicants must be a Canadian Citizen OR a Permanent Resident of Canada to be eligible for consideration for QuARMS. As long as a student is a Canadian Citizen OR Permanent Resident of Canada, it does not matter where they attend secondary school.
Applicants must be currently in high school and must be enrolled in the final year of high school when they apply. Students residing in Quebec must be in their 1st year of CEGEP to be eligible to apply.
*Please note: Applicants who have taken any University or College credits that are not counted towards the completion of their High School diploma, are not eligible to apply to this pathway.
Students must apply through OUAC as well as complete the Intent to Apply form on our How to Apply page. Please review both our How to Apply and Prospective QuARMS Students pages for eligibility.
We look for candidates that:
- Have strong academic performance
- Have demonstrated participation in your community
- Have attributes in leadership, critical and creative thinking, curiosity, integrity and altruism
- Are mature and have the ability to relate to others
We DO NOT choose candidates based on students' research experience. Research has never been, nor will it be, a criterion we assess when selecting candidates. Some of our successful QuARMS students may have had some research experience; however, that is only by chance, NOT by any requirement. In other words, if you are only doing research to increase your chances of being selected as a QuARMS student, DON'T, it will not help you one way or the other!
QuARMS students, in years one and two of their undergraduate Bachelor degree program, will be charged tuition and fees associated with the Bachelor degree program they are registered in. (https://www.queensu.ca/studentawards/costs)
QuARMS students, who are admitted to the School of Medicine, will be charged the tuition and fees associated with the year in which they are registered in the Doctor of Medicine degree program. (https://www.queensu.ca/studentawards/costs)
If you would like to be considered for QuARMS, you must complete the following steps:
Apply for admission to Queen's by submitting a Complete Application through the Ontario Universities Application Centre (OUAC). All applications and documents must be submitted by the QuARMS application deadline.
Ontario Students: (approximately November)
Ask for your OUAC access (PIN #) from your Guidance Office so you can apply for admission to Queen’s.
Out of Province Students: (approximately October 15)
You can apply via OUAC.
To be considered for QuARMS, you need to apply to one, or more, of the following Queen's undergraduate direct-entry programs:
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (QA),
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) (QS),
- Bachelor of Computing (Honours) (QD)
- Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) (QH)
- Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences and Biochemistry (QL)
- AND meet the admission requirements for the undergraduate program you choose.
Applicants wishing to be considered for the QuARMS pathway must also complete the QuARMS Intent to Apply form. The link to this form is to be made available on our QuARMS How to Apply page the first week of October. For more information, please visit our QuARMS How to Apply page.
Yes, each application for admission is considered independently.
Applicants are eligible for consideration to the QuARMS program regardless of where you attend secondary school in Grade 12 if you are Indigenous or self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American or multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry, a Canadian Citizen, or Permanent Resident of Canada, and meet ALL other eligibility requirements .
December: Applicants will be sent a supplementary application specifically for QuARMS. March-April: selected candidates will be interviewed.
End April/Early May: All interviewed candidates will be notified of their QuARMS admissions status. (Status: will be receiving an offer OR will not be receiving an offer) June: Top ten students who have accepted the offer of admissions to the QuARMS program will be sent the admissions checklist.
You will need to apply directly to the School of Medicine Admissions Committee indicating your interest in continuing into Medical School. You will NOT need to apply through OMSAS and you will NOT need to write the MCAT. QuARMS students have always been expected to meet certain academic standards in their undergraduate program in order to be admitted to Medicine.
No. All students enrolled in the QuARMS pathway must apply to the Queens School of Medicine Admissions committee following their two-years of the undergraduate program. The Admissions committee will review applications from the QuARMS student and determine those who may receive an offer of admission. Therefore, Admissions into Medical school is not guaranteed upon admission into the QuARMS pathway.
Students in the QuARMS pathway who either elect not to apply to the MD program, or who apply and are not successful, can continue their undergraduate studies and may, if they wish, apply to medical school at a later time through the usual route.
Queen's offers need-based assistance to supplement family resources for students admitted to a first-entry undergraduate program at Queen's. (Please Note: the assessment of financial need resides with the Office of the University Registrar-Student Awards and is independent of the School of Medicine, QuARMS selection process)
The Office of the University Registrar-Student Awards administers a comprehensive range of financial aid programs. Information for Government Student Assistance, Queen's Scholarships, Bursaries, and the Work Study Program can be found here.
A complete list of Awards can be found here.
The QuARMS Interview Teamtypically interview candidates in March. Candidates offered interviews should be aware that interviews are only scheduled once per year. Rescheduling, regardless of the reason, will not be accommodated.
Requests for deferred registration to QuARMS will not be considered. Given the limited size and the structure of the first two years of the QuARMS curriculum, students must be prepared to make the commitment to QuARMS. Only in extenuating circumstances (i.e. medical) will a request to defer registration to QuARMS be reviewed (but not necessarily granted).