Getting into University of Washington School of Medicine

What is UW's mission — and what does it signal?

The UW School of Medicine is committed to helping create the physician workforce needed to serve the WWAMI region.University of Washington School of Medicine, on its regional mission¹

That's the whole story in one line. Since the early 1970s, UW has built its program around training physicians for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho — with a strong emphasis on rural and underserved care. If your goal is to practice in and for those communities, you're exactly who this school is built to train.

What makes UW distinctive — the WWAMI program?

WWAMI is one of the most distinctive structures in American medical education: students spend their first 18 months training in their home region — WWAMI-state residents in their own state, others at the Seattle site — before rotating across urban and rural settings.¹ Regional focus is heavy: UW's mission is built around the five WWAMI states.¹ For WWAMI residents, it's a rare in-region public pathway; UW does not publish a regional share, so we don't estimate one.

What GPA and MCAT does UW require?

Here's the honest answer: UW does not publish entering-class GPA or MCAT figures — no average and no percentile.² And it goes further than most: at the interview, two of your three panelists "see your application without your grades or MCAT scores."² We could repeat numbers from third-party sites, but they aren't UW's official data, so we don't. The takeaway isn't that scores don't matter — it's that UW deliberately de-emphasizes them in favor of fit, region, and mission. Build the strongest whole application you can, rather than chasing a figure the school itself won't name.

How does UW review applicants — and what does it ask for?

Review is holistic, with an explicit regional lens. UW accepts either a pre-medical committee evaluation plus up to three additional letters, or three to six individual letters, submitted through AMCAS.² Notably, UW states plainly that situational-judgment tests "such as Casper or PREview are not required."¹ That's a rare, welcome bit of clarity.

Does UW use the MMI — and what is the interview like?

UW uses a panel interview, not an MMI: for the current cycle it is held virtually, lasts about 30 minutes, and puts you in front of three interviewers at once — one Executive Committee member with full file access, plus two others (faculty, students, community physicians, or lay-community members) who see your application without your grades or scores.² That format rewards clear, humane reasoning and a genuine sense of why you want to serve this region.

How much does UW cost?

For 2026–27, UW publishes Washington-resident MD tuition of about $59,740 per year and non-resident tuition of roughly $105,421 in the first year.⁴ WWAMI-region students pay regionally arranged tuition during their in-region phase, so the real number depends on your state. Confirm the current cost of attendance on UW's official financial-aid page.