Post-Baccalaureate Pathway Program

As of the application deadline, applicants to the Post-Bac Program must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident of the U.S. or a DACA recipient and be a current legal resident of Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah or Wyoming or a legal resident of one of the following California counties: Alpine, El Dorado, Inyo, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, and Sierra.

Applicants who reside outside of the above state or counties are eligible to apply if they meet any of the following:

• Graduate of a Nevada high school.
• Graduate, with a bachelor’s degree, from a 4-year Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) institution.
• Member of a federally recognized Native American tribe, who does not otherwise qualify as a Nevada resident, and who currently resides on tribal lands located wholly or partially within the boundaries of the State of Nevada.
• Stationed in Nevada as a permanent duty assignment, pursuant to U.S. military orders, or the spouse, family, or legal guardian of such a person.
• Has a parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling, aunt, or uncle who is a graduate or current student at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine or who has resided in Nevada during the 12 months prior to the Post-Bac Program application deadline.

To apply to the Post-Bac Program, applicants must provide verification of a completed bachelor's degree by January 15 of their application year; and

• a cumulative undergraduate degree GPA between 2.80 and 3.40, or
• a GPA of 3.00 in the last thirty (30) credits of undergraduate level courses. These credits may be completed before or after completion of bachelor’s degree. Graduate level courses are not included in this calculation.

The following prerequisites must be completed by the application deadline:  

• Biology: Fifteen (15) credits including:
  • Two (2) credits biology lab
  • Three (3) credits of Genetics
  • Six (6) credits of other upper-division biology
  • Strongly recommended courses: Cell Biology; Anatomy & Physiology
• Chemistry: Eight (8) credits, including a minimum of two (2) credits of lab.
• Organic Chemistry: Eight (8) credits, including a minimum of two (2) credits of lab.
• Physics: Eight (8) credits, including a minimum of two (2) credits of lab.
• Psychology or Sociology: Three (3) credits.

Please note:

• All courses used to meet prerequisites must have a letter grade of "C-" or above.
• All listed credit requirements are in semester hours. To convert quarter credits to semester credits, use the AMCAS Grade Conversion Guide.
• Pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory, or audit in lieu of a letter grade will not meet prerequisite requirements unless the course was not available as a graded course due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits that are listed on an official undergraduate transcript may be used to satisfy lower-division prerequisites, excluding labs.
• Lower division (100-200 level) prerequisite courses may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community or junior colleges.
• All courses used to meet prerequisites must be completed at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution for college credit. Online courses that do not award college credits are not eligible to meet prerequisite requirements.
• The following will not meet prerequisite credit requirement:
  • Correspondence or CLEP (college-level exam programs-test out)
  • Professional school courses

The application fee is $35.00 and non-refundable.

1. Please describe your motivations for pursuing medicine, what you have done to develop your passion and understanding of the field, and why you want to be a physician. (300 words)
2. Many factors impact classroom performance (e.g., time management skills, willingness to ask for help, communication skills, difficulty balancing extracurriculars, or other responsibilities). Please tell us about challenges or obstacles that impacted your prior academic performance and discuss how you have addressed these issues in order to improve and demonstrate readiness for the Post-Bac Program. (300 words)
3. Please share why you want to pursue your medical education at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine; describe any connections to Northern Nevada communities; and how you are prepared to contribute to UNR Med’s vision of a Healthy Nevada. (300 words)
4. Describe a time when you were faced with a significant life crisis, a personal struggle, or a professional failure that was not academic-related. How did you respond and how does your experience impact your future actions? (300 words)
5. Describe how your education and experiences have prepared you to deliver culturally sensitive care to diverse, underserved, and vulnerable populations. How have your prior experiences providing direct patient care prepared you to appropriately support underserved patients? (300 words)
6. The Post-Bac Program functions in a cohort model where all participants support each other in reaching their educational and pre-professional goals. What skills, attributes and strengths have you developed that will make you an asset in a team environment? (300 words)

Optional Essay

You are invited to provide a brief statement regarding anything not previously addressed or disclosed in your application that you would like considered during the review of your application. If you are a re-applicant to the Post-Bac Program, we encourage you to outline any significant changes, additional coursework, or new experiences from your previous application. (500 words)

UNR Med engages in a mission-based and competency-focused review process. Each application is given an individual, comprehensive, and balanced review. We strongly encourage applications from Nevada residents and from individuals who are members of groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine or from medically underserved rural or low-income communities.

 Applications should demonstrate a candidate’s personal and professional readiness to manage the academic requirements of the Post-Bac Program, including excellent time management and communication skills, resilience and persistence, a strong commitment to learning, and the self-awareness and humility to ask for and receive feedback and help.

In addition, applicants should demonstrate the same level of experiences and competencies that UNR Med seeks during the regular medical school admissions process.  This includes:

• A commitment to UNR Med's mission to improve the health and well-being of all Nevadans and their communities, and to our institutional culture of diversity and inclusion.
• A mature passion for medicine that is informed through exposure to the field and clinical experiences, including patient interactions.
• A record of service that includes caring for individuals from vulnerable and underserved populations with compassion, respect, and cultural sensitivity.
• Personal attributes and professional competencies that demonstrate readiness for medical school such as maturity, humility, self-awareness, reliability, adaptability, teamwork, social skills, ethical responsibility, and integrity.
• A demonstrated capacity to contribute to our school, our community, and to the medical profession.

The competencies and attributes being assessed by our admissions committee are based upon the following:

• UNR Med Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Diversity Statement
• UNR Medical Education Program Objectives
• UNR Code of Professionalism
• AAMC Core Pre-Professional Competencies

Upon applying, applicants provide the names of three letter writers and those individuals will receive instructions on how to submit letters of evaluation.

• UNR Med requires and will review three letters of evaluation.
• Letters must be written within six months of submitting the Post-Bac Program application.
• Letters must include one clinical and one academic letter of evaluation.

One (1) Clinical Letter of Evaluation

UNR Med prefers that the clinical letter of evaluation be written by a practicing physician, but will accept letters written by other healthcare professionals who can evaluate, based upon direct observation, an applicant’s interactions with patients, physicians, or other healthcare professionals; who can address an applicant’s passion for medicine; who can evaluate an applicant’s understanding of the roles and responsibilities of being a physician; and who can provide an informed evaluation of the candidate’s interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills, and other professional competencies such as reliability, teachability, and adaptability.

One (1) Academic Letter of Evaluation

The academic evaluation should be written by a faculty member or instructor who has directly observed an applicant’s commitment to academic excellence, to lifelong learning, and to applying and sharing their knowledge. Writers are invited to speak to the applicant’s experiences in the classroom, research lab, or as a teaching assistant or tutor and should evaluate competencies that directly impact academic performance such as dedication, collaboration, and capacity to improve.

One (1) Other Letter of Evaluation

The third required letter may be a second clinical or academic letter but can also be written by someone who can evaluate an applicant’s communication and social skills, pre-professional competencies, personal attributes, and how their life experiences have prepared them for success in medical school and as a future physician.

Credits taken in the Post-Bac Program are assessed based upon residency status as undergraduate credits and include all mandatory fees. Eligibility for in-state tuition is determined by the University’s Office of Admissions & Records based upon information submitted on the NSHE Residency Form. This form is submitted upon selection for an interview.

For questions about eligibility for financial assistance, please contact finaid@unr.edu.

Please take into account the costs of relocating and living in Reno for the duration of the academic program (August 2024 - August 2025).