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Out-of-State at a Public Medical School
I’m putting together my list of medical schools to apply to in June, and I’ve heard that it’s harder to get into public medical schools when you’re out of state. It’s still OK to apply to them, though, isn’t it? How much harder is it exactly?
Answer: That really depends on which public medical schools you’re talking about. U.S. allopathic medical schools are either private or public. As a rule, private schools do not prefer applicants from certain states. Public schools, however, do prefer applicants from the states in which they’re located. Many public medical schools – with class sizes between 100 and 200 – have less than 10 entering students who are out-of-state. If you are out-of-state, these schools would be a waste of your time, energy, and money. For instance, the public medical schools in California prefer Californians to such an extent that we usually do not recommend that non-Californians apply. The public medical schools in Texas are much the same. Michigan and Virginia are exceptions, letting in more non-residents than most state medical schools. Generally speaking, you should apply only to the public medical schools in your home state plus private schools nationwide. If you’re curious about a public medical school and you’re not from that state, consult the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements) available in the HPA library—in particular, the chart called “Acceptance & Matriculation Data” which you can find in each school’s entry. You may also come by HPA and ask an adviser about a particular school if you’re still concerned. Lastly, don’t forget to read about other state residency issues as they relate to the med school application process: go to the HPA website at www.princeton.edu/hpa and click on Questions of the Week/State Residency.
Keeping Your In-State Residency Status
Hi! I'm a senior applying to matriculate in 2008, taking one year off. I am currently a resident of CA, and would like to apply to some CA public medical schools come June. In my year off I hope to work in New York City for a year or even a little less. Will I still be considered an in-state resident for CA schools during the application process? Thank you!
Answer: You will not lose your CA residency status as long as, in the most recent tax year (2006) a parent claimed you as a dependent on his/her tax return, and he/she resides in CA at your "home" address. Also, you still have a CA driver's license, correct? And you're registered to vote in CA? Do not alter any of these "markers" that the CA schools will use to identify you as in-state. If you made the mistake of changing your license to NY state then it might get complicated, so keep everything CA-based. You'll be fine.
Note: Other states tend to have similar guidelines for maintaining in-state status. If you're ever in doubt about how a change of locale might affect your in-state status with the public medical school in a particular state, call the Admissions office and they will direct you to someone who can help. If you're not sure whether a certain medical school is public or private (private schools do not give preference to in-state applicants, but public ones do), then consult the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements) available in the HPA office.
California
I have a question regarding medical schools' state
residency policies. I'm a senior and am currently a
Pennsylvania resident. I am interested in going to med school
in California
but realize that my chances of getting in to a California state med school aren't very good as an out-of-state
applicant. I'm hoping to move to California shortly after
graduation and work there. I understand that I can get my
California state residency after one year of living and
supporting myself there. This means that I could be a
California resident by the time I began med school (I'm taking
one year off). However, I'll still be a Pennsylvania resident
at the point that I apply. Do you know how the California
state med schools consider such situations? Would I still be
considered as an out-of-state applicant? Thank you so much.
Answer: California
is one of the tougher states in which to gain residency. You
would not be considered a California resident until after you
had worked (not attended school) one year in California. You
would have to get a California driver’s license and register
to vote at the very beginning of that first year, too. Thus,
you could not call yourself a California
resident while applying in 2004 even if you were living and
working in the state. Your odds of acceptance at a state
medical school would improve if you had a job of two year’s
duration: you would be a California resident while applying during the second year of that job.
While the California
schools are an attractive option because of the price, there
are more Californians applying to medical school than
residents of any other state. The competition would be very
tough even if you became a “real” resident. This is a long way
of saying that it might be wiser to retain your residency in
Pennsylvania, which you could still do even if you were
working a year or two in California unless, of course, love or
money intervenes (as they often do).
State Residency
I am a member of the Class of 2007, applying to enter
medical school for that fall (07). I have an option of
switching my residence from State X to State Y. Do you know
whether this would be beneficial for the medical school
application process in that I would then be considered an
in-state resident for the University of X instead of the
University of Y? Also, from a timing perspective, if I make
the change now, will my application be treated as in-state in
X, Y, or neither?
Answer: We receive many questions concerning state
residency, and the first thing to let sink in is, in terms
of residency rules, states differ. In fact, public medical
schools within the same state sometimes vary in terms of these
rules. Your first step when considering a change in residency
is to contact a residency official at the Universities in
question. Sometimes these officers are found in the
Registrar's office, sometimes the Admissions office, sometimes
in a "residency" office all by themselves; usually the
Admissions office can direct you. Other things to remember:
 -
You can only be a resident of one state. The state you list as
your home state on your AMCAS application is the state that
medical schools will consider your choice.
- If you are included as a dependent on either parent's tax
return, then you are a resident of their state. If you are
considering switching states and you're still enrolled as a
college student, then most likely it is because one or both
parents are moving. If this is the case, then make sure you
change your driver's license and voter registration on your
own, to match your parents' address.
- If you have graduated and are claiming residency in a new
state, then you should not only have a permanent address,
driver's license, and voter registration card in that state,
but you should also plan to work in that state and file state
taxes. Some public medical schools require this last item.
- The Medical School
Admissions Requirements, or "MSAR," published by
the AAMC, is available at HPA. In each school's listing the
numbers of "resident" and "non-resident" applicants,
interviewees, and matriculants are provided. You'd be wise to
look at this data for your schools in States X and Y before
making your decision. Also, remember that State Y has three
public medical schools while State X has only one. Sometimes
you may increase your chances of admission to a medical school
when you're lucky enough to have more than one public
university in your state.
- Lastly, let us emphasize again that residency rules vary
from state to state, and HOW residents and non-residents are
defined by an Admissions committee varies from school to
school. |
State
Residency