Application Materials

Application Materials to Submit

Applications will only be reviewed by designated program sites once the National Program Office processes the following materials in accordance with the admissions guidelines:

1. The online SHPEP application includes one essay prompt (Personal Statement Guidelines). An AAMC account is required to access the application. Register for an AAMC account if you do not already have one.
2. One official transcript from every U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution attended sent directly by the institution’s registrar’s office. Please review the transcript requirements below for more information.
3. One letter of recommendation from a qualified reference. Please review the recommendation requirements below for more information.

You can use the optional Application Checklist to ensure that you have completed all of the required steps to apply.

Once received by the National Program Office, it can take up to 10 business days to process application materials. Please note that each institution has a different processing time for sending transcripts, which could impact the expected delivery time. Applicants should consider each institution’s transcript request processing time and the expected delivery time to Washington, DC, when estimating the total number of days it may take to associate and process transcripts to your application. Applicants are responsible for communicating with their letter writer directly to ensure a letter is submitted in support of their application. As a recommendation from the National Program Office, applicants should ask the letter writer how the letter was submitted.

All application materials must be postmarked/time stamped by the deadline, February 5th, 2024. Transcripts and letters received with a later postmark date will not be processed. Please note that application materials that were postmarked by the deadline will be processed by the National Program Office, even if those materials arrive after the deadline.

Transcript Requirements

One official transcript is required from each U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution at which you have attempted coursework, regardless of whether credit was earned. This includes, but is not limited to:

• College-level courses attempted while in high school, even if they were not counted toward a degree by any college
• Colleges at which you originally attempted a course, even if transfer credit was subsequently accepted by another school
• Colleges where you registered but did not earn any credit (e.g., incompletes, withdrawals, failures, audits, etc.)
• Courses that did not count toward a degree, regardless of whether credit was earned or transferred
• Extension programs through which you attempted courses, if a separate transcript is provided by the Extension Division
• Correspondence and home-study programs
• Military coursework
• US., U.S. Territorial, and Canadian program sites
• American colleges and universities abroad

Official transcripts must be sent directly by the institution. The National Program Office (NPO) receives transcripts via email and mail:

• Email: shpeptranscripts@aamc.org
• Mailing Address: SHPEP, 655 K St. NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20001-2399

All official transcripts must be postmarked/time stamped by the deadline, February 5th, 2024. Transcripts received with a later postmark date will not be processed.

Important information before you have your transcript sent:

Transcripts will be deemed unofficial and will not be processed by the NPO if one of the following occurs:

• Transcripts forwarded/emailed in by the applicant, even if they are still sealed.
• Transcripts issued to the applicant, another institution, or any other recipient.

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Recommendation Requirements

One letter of recommendation from either a prehealth advisor or a college professor within your major field of study must be submitted. A high school science or math teacher, or an employer from a health-related field, can also submit a reference on your behalf. 

Letters of recommendation can be submitted in two formats:

1. The Recommendation Form; or
2. A signed letter of recommendation printed on official institution letterhead.

Recommendations must be submitted no later than February 5th, 2024, at 11:59 PM EST. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their recommendation is submitted on time.

Designate your recommender in the reference section of your SHPEP application. The AAMC Letter Writer application service will send your recommender a message with the necessary link to complete their reference for your application. Once the request has been sent, follow up with your recommender to ensure they have received your request. The SHPEP National Program Office will not accept recommendations sent by mail or email.

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Status of Application Materials

NOT YET RECEIVED

Document has not yet been received by the National Program Office staff.

RECEIVED AND PROCESSING

Document has been received, but has yet to be uploaded to the application.

RECEIVED AND VERIFIED

Document is deemed official and is uploaded to the application.

UNOFFICIAL

Document does not meet SHPEP requirements, and therefore will not be uploaded to the application