University Of Central Florida Receives Nearly 800 Applications For College Of Medicine In First Month

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 26 Jun 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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In less than a month, the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine has received 778 applications from students hoping to be a part of the college's inaugural class.

Students from every major Florida university applied, as well as out-of-state students from universities across the country, including Yale, Harvard, Duke, Cornell, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Brigham Young and the University of California, Davis.

"Our goal is to build this century's best medical school," said Dr. Deborah German, dean of the UCF College of Medicine. "Recruiting the best and brightest students for our first class is an important part of that process."

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the national processing center for all medical school applications, sent UCF the first batch of applications on Tuesday, June 24. Last year about 40,000 students nationwide applied to medical schools.

UCF's inaugural class of 40 students will be a part of history, as each student will receive a full scholarship worth $160,000. The scholarships include $20,000 for tuition and $20,000 for other fees and living expenses for all four years of the M.D. program at UCF.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, UCF is the first medical school in the U.S. to provide full scholarships for an entire class. The college will eventually produce about 120 medical graduates each year.

AMCAS is the first step for applying to M.D. programs, and students have until Dec. 1 to submit an application.

Officials at UCF, like their counterparts across the country, now will start contacting students and sending them supplemental admission packets that are tailored by each school. The packets are aimed at getting an overall picture of each student and will help admission committees in the selection process.

The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 5th largest in the nation with more than 48,000 students. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy.

University of Central Florida