New MD Program admissions process | School of Medicine

Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS) is adapting its MD Program admissions process to create a more inclusive entry point for all applicants, minimize systemic barriers to becoming a doctor, and increase student diversity.

The renewed medical student admissions process will launch this fall, for 2025 admissions, and includes a pathway for lower socioeconomic status (SES) applicants and adjustments to the current Indigenous pathway. A new comprehensive approach to support the recruitment of Black students will launch in a second phase of this admissions change.

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FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Queen’s MD program admissions changes for 2025

Why is Queen’s changing its MD program admission process?

Queen’s Health Sciences is revamping its MD program admissions process in 2025 to broaden the applicant pool and continue its process to remove systemic barriers to applications from equity-deserving groups. These plans include pathways for lower socioeconomic (SES) students and refining the pathway for Indigenous students, and a lottery system stage in the application process that provides equal opportunity for all applicants who meet the GPA/MCAT/CASPER requirements for potential success in medical school. Students admitted under the new admissions process will begin the program in 2025. A new, comprehensive approach to Black student recruitment is planned as part of a second phase of admission renewal.

How will the new admissions process lead to more equitable access?

The MD program will set admissions thresholds for grade point average (GPA), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and Casper (a situational judgment test) at levels that identify potential for success in medical school. All qualified applicants will be entered into a lottery; those who are successful will be invited to the next phase of the admissions process which is an invitation to complete the online multiple mini-interviews (MMI). Those who are successful in the MMI will be invited to a final interview with Queen’s MD program representatives.

How is the new system different than the current one?

Under the current system, many excellent candidates are not offered interviews. More applicants meet the threshold for potential for success than the Queen’s MD program has to the capacity to file review. This necessitates the use of inflated standards (for MCAT, Casper, and GPA scores) to pare the applicant list down and make the admissions process manageable. These inflated standards may disadvantage certain groups including inherent biases with standardized tests.). The advantage of the new system, with its early-phase lottery component, is it allows for any candidate who meets the GPA/MCAT/Casper threshold for success to potentially reach the interview stage. 

How could this change who applies and is admitted to Queen’s MD programs?

The new admissions process will encourage applications from a wider range of students and encourage people to apply at all life stages and from all backgrounds by bringing down inflated thresholds and barriers in the application and screening process. Transparency in our MCAT thresholds will also ensure applicants are aware of our requirements and may encourage applications from individuals who were not aware that they would meet our thresholds. This approach will help meet the MD program’s objectives to enhance representation/access from equity-deserving groups.

Which MD applicants does this impact? 

The admissions changes will apply to all MD program candidates from all streams.

What are the new admissions steps after the lottery? 

Applicants selected in the lottery will move on to an online multiple mini-interviews (MMI), which employs a series of scenario-based ratings to evaluate core skills and attributes. Top candidates in this group will move into the final phase of the admissions process: a panel interview and an additional file review.

When does a file review take place in the new system?

File review occurs throughout the admissions process. This includes an additional review of the files to incorporate them into the final panel interviews to enhance these conversations.

How does the pathway for lower socioeconomic status (SES) applicants work?

We recognize that applying to medical school in and of itself is a costly endeavour. Our low SES pathway recognizes this by enhancing the opportunity for low SES applicants to make it to the MMI stage of the process. We are anticipating setting aside approximately 8% of spots in the lottery for applicants with low SES. If low SES applicants do not get a spot in the general lottery, they will be re-entered into a second lottery for the low SES spots. Further information regarding eligibility for this pathway will be made available when the next application cycle opens in July.

How is low SES defined? What are the application criteria?

Candidacy for the low SES spots will be tied to the same criteria as for the OMSAS fee waiver program.

Is there a lottery within the low-SES pool/pathway applicants?

If low SES applicants do not get a spot in the general lottery, they will be re-entered into a second lottery for the spots set aside for low SES applicants.

What financial supports are available to MD students? 

We recognize that supporting low SES students extends past the admission process itself. QHS is looking to expand bursary/financial aid opportunities.

How does the pathway for Indigenous applicants work?

An existing Indigenous Students Admissions Pathway (ISAP) already exists. As part of this first phase of admissions evolution, based on the recommendation from the National Consortium on Indigenous Medical Education Indigenous Student Admissions and Transitions Working Group, we are eliminating the CASPER test requirement for those students who meet the identity requirements of and choose to apply through the Indigenous student application pathway. Please note that if a student does NOT meet the identity requirements (clearly laid out on our website), and does not take the CASPER test, they will not be eligible to proceed in the general MD pool lottery. The Admissions Office will not be pre-screening identity documents – these requirements are clearly laid out on the website. If an applicant is unsure if they qualify for the ISAP, they should take the CASPER.

If we have more ISAP applicants who meet thresholds than capacity to interview, these applicants will also be placed into a lottery for MMI spots for Indigenous applicants.

What is happening to the QuARMS pathway?

The enhanced medical student admissions process will launch for 2025 applicants. The final cohort of Queen’s Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) students will begin in 2024 and enter medical school in 2026. A new Black student recruitment pathway is being developed and will be in place as the last QuARMS class is entering medical school.  

The new admissions process builds on the success of QHS’s Queen’s Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway, which was remodelled in 2020 to support the recruitment of Black and Indigenous high school students on an accelerated track. QuARMS was designed to redress inequity in the MD program application system but represented only 10 seats. The new admissions process has been designed to address these issues on a broader scale.  

How will the new system impact applicants with the highest test scores? 

This process will not undermine the quality of MD students or graduates. Those with the highest test scores will have an equal chance at getting to MMI as others who meet the thresholds. Applicants selected under the lottery system will move on to multiple mini-interviews (MMI), which employ a series of scenario-based ratings to evaluate core skills and attributes. Panel interviews with an additional file review will still be used after the MMI.

Will Indigenous and lower socioeconomic status (SES) applicants be entered into a lottery? 

If we have more Indigenous applicants than we have capacity to move to MMI, those applicants who meet the threshold will be entered into a lottery. Low SES applicants who do not get an MMI with the general lottery will be re-entered into a lottery for the portion of MMI seats reserved for low SES candidates.