Keck School of Medicine of USC MD Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Entry cycle: Fall 2027 target; Keck's current admissions page has recurring deadlines but its MCAT window is still labelled for the 2026 entering class. MD admissions
• Location: Los Angeles, California. MD admissions
• Coursework: No specific prerequisite courses; applicants must show competency in the physical, biological and social sciences. Spanish and statistics are recommended. Admissions FAQ
• MCAT: Required. The current FAQ says applicants below 506 are generally not considered, but the exact Fall 2027 date window is unpublished. Admissions FAQ
• Deadlines: AMCAS November 1 and supplemental December 1 on the current recurring timeline. MD admissions
• Interview: Invitations are sent July through February and interviews begin in August; modality and structure are not published for regular MD. MD admissions

Admission requirements

Applicants must complete a bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited college or university before matriculation. Keck has no specific prerequisite-course list, but successful applicants must demonstrate competency in the physical, biological and social sciences. Spanish and statistics are recommended. MD admissions Admissions FAQ

International applicants may apply with a degree evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's by the USC Office of Graduate and International Admissions; transcript evaluation is requested only if the applicant is invited to interview. Applicants with DACA status may apply. Transfer applicants and applicants who discontinued medical school for academic reasons are ineligible. MD admissions Admissions FAQ

The MCAT is required. Keck's current FAQ says applicants below 506 are generally not considered and that all MCAT scores are considered in context. However, the admissions page still gives January 1, 2023 through September 30, 2025 only for the 2026 entering class. No exact Fall 2027 exam-date window is published. MD admissions Admissions FAQ

A committee letter is sufficient. Otherwise, applicants submit two or three individual letters from professors, principal investigators or work supervisors and must not submit more than three individual letters. All letters go through AMCAS. MD admissions

Important dates

The current official timeline lists May for AMCAS availability, July through February for application review and interview invitations, August for the start of interview season, October 15 for the start of rolling offers, November 1 for the AMCAS deadline and December 1 for the supplemental deadline. When either deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day. MD admissions

Official transcripts must reach AMCAS within 14 calendar days of the November 1 primary deadline. February 19 is listed for Plan to Enroll availability, April 30 for Plan to Enroll and Commit to Enroll availability, June 1 for Commit to Enroll, and August for orientation and the start of classes. MD admissions

Material cycle gap: these timeline dates are not expressly labelled for the 2026–27 application cycle. The adjacent MCAT section still applies only to the 2026 entering class. Reconfirm all Fall 2027 dates, especially the accepted MCAT window, before publication.

How selection works

Keck says applications are reviewed holistically. MCAT scores are not the sole determinant and are considered with every other application component. The current FAQ says applicants below 506 are generally not considered, while GPA is reviewed holistically. Admissions FAQ

The school seeks applicants who have distinguished themselves in their fields, demonstrate science competency and are motivated to address complex health challenges in a diverse society. Completed AMCAS applications are reviewed before selected applicants are invited to submit the supplemental. MD admissions

Interview invitations are emailed July through February, and offers begin October 15 on a rolling basis. The committee considers all qualifying MCAT scores. MD admissions

The school does not publish numerical weights, a GPA formula, how the 506 guidance is operationalized in the Fall 2027 cycle, interview scoring or weight, committee-vote rules or a final score-combination method.

Interview details

Confirmed

The current regular MD timeline says interview invitations are emailed from July through February and interview season begins in August. Invitations and admissions decisions are communicated by email and can be tracked in the admissions portal. MD admissions Admissions FAQ

Not published

The current regular MD pages do not publish Fall 2027 modality or location, number of interviews, one-to-one, panel or MMI structure, duration, interviewer roles, file access, question categories, preparation time, scoring rubric, weights, assessor calibration, committee-vote mechanics or final score-combination method. The MD-PhD page describes a live virtual full-day interview, but those details must not be imported into the regular MD record.

Who this program may suit

Keck frames its MD admissions around preparing physicians to address complex health challenges across a diverse society. Applicants need evidence of science competency but may arrive through different majors and academic paths because the school publishes no fixed course list. MD admissions

A useful fit explanation should connect an applicant's clinical, community, research or work experiences to a specific health challenge and explain what they want to learn or change. Keck School of Medicine of USC is the canonical name; references to USC School of Medicine or KSOM are aliases, not separate schools.

Practice and next step

Record one response to the featured prompt. Present the health challenge, the people affected, the evidence you used, your role and how you would evaluate whether your action worked. Use a concrete experience rather than describing diversity or complexity in the abstract.

Review the response for clarity, scientific judgment and whether it shows what you learned. Record it again with one improvement, then compare both attempts. Keep the delivery adaptable because Keck has not published the regular MD interview format for Fall 2027.

Frequently asked questions

What are Keck's Fall 2027 deadlines?

The current timeline lists November 1 for AMCAS and December 1 for the supplemental, but it is not expressly year-labelled. Reconfirm both for Fall 2027. MD admissions

Are there required prerequisite courses?

No fixed course list. Applicants must demonstrate competency in physical, biological and social sciences; Spanish and statistics are recommended. Admissions FAQ

Which MCAT dates are accepted for Fall 2027?

Keck has not published an exact Fall 2027 window. Its current FAQ says scores below 506 are generally not considered, while the dated range on the main page still belongs to the 2026 entering class. MD admissions

What is the regular MD interview format?

Invitations run July through February and interviews begin in August, but modality, structure, duration and scoring are not published. MD admissions

Sources

Verified August 11, 2026. Current official sources used:

• Keck MD admissions — canonical identity, degree, eligibility, recurring deadlines, letters, interview season and rolling offers; MCAT window remains labelled for 2026 entry.
• Keck MD admissions FAQ — holistic review, current 506 guidance, no fixed prerequisites, DACA eligibility, letters and application limits.
• Keck MD-PhD admissions — consulted only to quarantine MD-PhD-specific virtual interview details from regular MD.