Applying to Professional School
Applicants to health professional graduate school apply at least a year in advance of when they want to start. Applications open up between April-July. Therefore, summer/early fall is a common time to apply. For example, apply the summer after your junior year if you would like to start professional school after you graduate the following May. Application deadlines typically run between October-March. Many professional schools operate on a rolling admissions schedule, meaning that they begin interviewing and accepting applicants as soon as they start applying. Therefore, do not wait until the last minute to apply!
Many medical, dental, and optometry schools require a “committee evaluation” as part of their Letter of Reference Requirements. Tennessee Tech has a process to help you receive a Committee Evaluation. Find further details on committee letter procedure »
Most applications will ask for the following types of information:
- Biographical Information
- Schools Attended (be prepared to send transcripts)
- Coursework
- Work/Activities/Experiences
- Letters of Reference
- Personal Statement (start drafting this early)
- Test Scores
- Schools you are applying to
Application Services
Professional schools use various Centralized/Common Application Services (CAS):
- American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)
- American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS)
- Associated American Dental School Application Service (AADSAS)
- Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS)
- Optometry College Application Service (OptomCAS)
- Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS)
- Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA)
- Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS)
