Med Early Assurance Programs

Early Assurance Programs (EAP) are routes for undergraduate college students to secure a spot in medical school before the traditional application cycle. Over a dozen medical schools currently offer this route to medical school, but with some EAPs only open to students that are undergraduates at the same institution, as is the case with Georgetown Medical School. Compared to the traditional route to medical school, EAPs offer the advantage of not having to take the MCAT exam, with applicants instead assessed based on their performance in their first two years of college, with high performance in at least five pre-med courses required. Other accelerated routes to medical school admission, such as Direct Medical Programs (DMP), can be applied to at the same time as undergraduate admissions, with evaluation then based on performance in high school. While the pros and cons of applying to an EAP must be evaluated by each student individually, the impact of these programs on an institution’s medical school cohorts must also be interrogated as these programs continue to be developed.

Though streamlined, this path to medical school is still incredibly competitive and rigorous. While the MCAT exam requirement may be waived, all other medical school application components are still standard with EAPs, including a personal statement, several letters of recommendation, medically-related extracurricular activities, and a high GPA, in addition to pre-med course requirements. How heavily EAP admits fill a cohort varies, with ICahn School of Medicine planning to accept half of their incoming class through EAP, while the Geisel School of Medicine accepts only five EAP applicants a year. Accepted applicants must typically respond within a month with an often binding commitment. 

Just as the application process is accelerated through EAPs, barriers to applying are exasperated. In addition to the simple eligibility barriers faced if you don’t attend one of the universities with internal EAPs, there are restrictions to applying faced by “EAP eligible” students related to the other aspects of the application. First-generation, low income, and students of color are more likely to spend their first years of college adjusting to the “hidden curriculum” already instilled in their more privileged peers, making it less likely that they have the impeccable academic performances and strong faculty relationships needed to be competitive applicants, even if they have completed the necessary coursework to be eligible for EAPs. 

Opportunities to strengthen EAPs consist of improving marketing strategies, as well as recruiting and supporting the many EAP eligible students who choose not to apply and who are members of groups underrepresented in medical schools. With EAPs increasingly being used by both medical schools and pre-med students, the systems by which they operate must be interrogated for their contribution towards a diverse medical field, or for the ways they stand in the way of this necessary priority.

Co-authors:

Mark Joy: Senior Research & Programs Associate for The Hub for Equity and Innovation in Higher Education 

Grace Ramstad: Student at Georgetown University and Project Associate at The Hub for Equity and Innovation in Higher Education 

Toddchelle Young: Director of Research for The Hub for Equity and Innovation in Higher Education