Frequently Asked Questions

This really begins during your freshman year of college, and sometimes earlier. It is important to work closely with your undergraduate and pre-med advisors. They can help you understand academic requirements and provide suggestions for structuring your academic program. Taking the proper courses in the proper sequence should prepare you to take the MCAT at the earliest possible time. Optimally, students will prepare to take the MCAT during the spring of their junior year in college.

No. LSU Health Shreveport does not give preference to applicants based on undergraduate academic institution.

Last year, LSU Health Shreveport received over 3,000 applications. Of that applicant pool, approximately 320 were interviewed. The final matriculating class was 150. Approximately 20% of matriculants were from out-of-state.

We do not maintain a minimum standard, however, in recent years, the average GPA, in Science and overall, has been 3.7 and the average MCAT score has been 507. 

No, we do not require the CASPer (now known as, TakeAltus!) Test.

No.

Because we don't require it, the results will not be available to our Admissions Committee.

The Admissions Committee reviews and evaluates completed applications from both residents and non-residents of the State of Louisiana. Qualified non-Louisiana residents may be invited to interview. However, as a state-supported institution, LSU Health Shreveport has a responsibility to insure that a substantial majority of each matriculating class is comprised of Louisiana residents.

The Official Residency Regulations are detailed here. Questions about the regulations or your specific situation should be directed to the Registrar at shvreg@lsuhsc.edu or (318) 675-5205.

No. The preferred state of legal residence that you specify in your AMCAS application is the one we will use.

LSU Health Shreveport will only consider applicants who are U.S. Citizens, Permanent Resident Aliens or Asylees as designated by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Permanent Resident Aliens or Asylees must possess a final INS documentation (green card) before the application will be considered.

In recent years, incoming freshmen have averaged a 3.7 GPA in both science and math coursework and overall. Learn more about our Student Achievement.

LSU Health Shreveport does not require any specific bachelor’s degree major. We suggest that you major in an area that is of interest to you. If it is not a science-related major, we strongly suggest that you use your non-major electives to take as many science-related courses as possible. This will help to show the Admissions Committee that you do have an aptitude for the sciences, and will help to prepare you for the MCAT and future academic success in medical school. Regardless of your major, you must complete all required coursework prior to matriculation.

The required hours must be taken in or through a college or university located in the United States and accredited by a Regional Accrediting Organization. Credits earned at foreign institutions (except study-abroad courses taken while attending a qualified institution) satisfy none of our requirements. It is expected that the required science courses be taken at the senior college level. Applicants whose academic work (especially science coursework) was done predominantly at the junior college level may be at a competitive disadvantage.

Most admissions committees feel that there are differences between junior college and senior college courses. LSU Health Shreveport will accept junior college courses but much prefers that the pre-med courses be taken at the senior college level. Perhaps a more important question to ask yourself is how well courses completed at the junior college level are going to prepare you for medical school.

It is far more important how you did in your studies than where you went to school. Attending a well-known, big-name school does not confer any significant advantage.

Yes. We will accept them, but this is something that any admissions committee is going to look at very carefully when making a decision. Better questions to ask yourself are: 1) Will those 5-year old courses give me the current foundation in the sciences that I will need to survive medical school? and 2) Am I prepared to take the MCAT with knowledge that is 5 years old?

Yes. The Committee understands that there are myriad reasons one may receive grades which do not accurately reflect their abilities. Grade trends will be considered. One weak semester will likely not be a significant issue. However, please note that a downward trend could be cause for concern. The Committee may view a downward trend as the applicant's inability to handle coursework as it becomes more rigorous. Be prepared to discuss any poor academic performance in your personal statement and/or the interview.

GPAs and MCAT scores do not offset one another. Both have predictive value for success in medical school, particularly in the first two years, which everyone seems to agree are the hardest. Therefore, the Admissions Committee generally prefers students who have both good GPAs and good MCAT scores.

This is a question best suited to your pre-med or pre-professional advisor. However, to help you determine if a course meets our requirements, you must look at the course name. For example, for a course to satisfy our Biochemistry requirement, it must be taught by the Biochemistry or Chemistry department, i.e., the course name must begin with BIOC or CHEM. For a course to satisfy our English requirement, it must be taught by the English department, i.e., the course name must begin with ENGL, and so on. This is the only criteria we use to determine if a course meets the requirement. Using this criteria, you should be able to accurately determine if you have taken the courses that will satisfy our requirements.

If you have completed a Master’s Degree or less at a non-U.S. institution you need to complete, at a minimum, a second Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree, in-person, at a regionally-accredited U.S. institution. All prerequisites must be completed in the United States. Additionally, foreign graduates would need to demonstrate medical motivation through medical volunteering and shadowing. As with all applicants, the Committee will also look for community service, teamwork/leadership activities and research. Additionally, all applicants must take the MCAT by the application deadline. In order to be eligible to apply you must be a U.S. Citizen, “Final” Resident Alien or have INS approved Asylum in the U.S. 

Credits earned at foreign institutions while the applicant was studying abroad under the auspices of an accredited college or university located in North America are accepted.

For required coursework, especially BCPM classes, residential is strongly preferred, but not required. For coursework completed during the COVID-19 crisis, required courses may be taken online and Pass/Fail.
 
CLEP and AP are given the same consideration as online courses.

No. Many applicants have completed required courses when they apply. But others have not. You may apply, interview, and be offered provisional acceptance without having completed all requirements. However, all requirements must be completed before matriculation.

Humanities includes the following as well as many other courses: History, Modern and Ancient Languages, Economics, Linguistics, Theater Arts, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Anthropology, Geology, Religious Studies.

LSU Health Shreveport does not have a 30-hour policy. The Committee considers all grades and grade trends reported on the AMCAS, including those earned in post-bacc and/or graduate coursework. We do not substitute nor average grades, preferring to look at the entire body of coursework and grades earned.

Last cycle, the average MCAT score for accepted applicants was 507. Learn more about our Student Achievement.

Yes. All applicants must take the MCAT exam.

The best answer is to take it when you feel ready to take it. Taking it just to see what it is like is probably wasteful. In any case, you must take the MCAT no later than September, 10 months before you hope to start medical school.

No. Scores from the September test usually reach us in mid-October, when we are just beginning the interview process. If you are going to take the MCAT in September, the best thing to do is to send in everything else needed to complete your application way before October. That way, when your MCAT scores arrive in October your application will become instantly complete.

Definitely. September is the last MCAT we will consider in deciding who will be interviewed.

Maybe. If you are on the Wait List and your MCAT is thin, an improved score could possibly move the needle for you. 

No. You must have an MCAT score from some time in the 3 years prior to registration. To begin school in July 2026, the oldest MCAT we will consider is September 2023.

Yes. The new AMCAS application will show your Testing History and include the date of every MCAT you have taken since 1991. It will also show your scores, if you released them.
 

It depends on your scores and the size of the decrease. For small point decrease, highly unlikely; if your score decreases by several points, the opposite. Be prepared to discuss why your score went down, either in your personal statement or in an interview.

November 2 is the deadline for submitting your AMCAS application.

No. Deadline extensions are not granted.

No. We will begin the application process and make decisions on electronically-transmitted, AMCAS-verified files only. The best thing you can do is stay in touch with AMCAS and make sure your file is verified in a timely fashion.

You should definitely let AMCAS know when your phone number, e-mail or physical address changes. Feel free to contact our office to let us know you have made changes and to ensure that we can see those changes. However, all updates must be made to your AMCAS. This is the database we use in all correspondence.
 

The Personal Statement is incredibly important because it is the first place you have a chance to look like a human being to the Admissions Committee. Never leave the space blank! Follow the AMCAS instructions for writing a Personal Statement. Do not write irrelevant short stories that you would submit for a creative writing class. Write about yourself and why you want to study medicine, the experiences on which your decision is based, and why you think you'd be good if entrusted with the privilege of taking care of people.
 

The photograph is your introduction to the Office of Admissions and the Admissions Committee. Of course, your goal is to project a professional, polished, and mature image. We suggest a current and appropriate photograph. 
 

AMCAS begins forwarding verified applications to med schools on June 27. Until then we do not have access to your application. When we do receive access, we will begin our preliminary review process with Early Decision Program applications in early July. When we finish with EDP applications, we will begin reviewing Regular MD applications. If you are a Regular Decision applicant, it's early August, and you still do not have access to our Secondary Application, please contact our office.

Yes. All AMCAS-verified applicants are provided a link to and may submit a Secondary Application.

When we are notified by AMCAS that your application is verified, you will be given access to our Secondary Application.

Yes. Your file will not be complete nor under review by the Admissions Committee until you submit a Secondary Application.

The deadline for submitting the Secondary Application is midnight, December 17, 2024. Please note that waiting until 11:45PM on December 17 could result in your application not meeting the deadline. The site experiences heavy traffic at that time and it may slow down or stop completely.

A Secondary Application fee waiver is automatically extended to those who received a fee waiver through AAMC's Fee Assistance Program. This is the only way to have the Secondary Application fee waived.

On or before midnight August 1, we must have on file the following:

• Verified AMCAS application;
• Current MCAT score
• Completed Secondary application;
• Non-refundable application fee of $50 (unless you received a fee waiver from AMCAS);
• Letters of Recommendation.

Soon after August 1, EDP applicants with incomplete files will be notified that they have become regular applicants, and that their non-admission through EDP does not prejudice their outcome in the regular process.

Very likely. It takes days or weeks for AMCAS to verify an application. Best to complete and submit the AMCAS application as soon as possible, have Letters of Recommendation sent, and pay your application fee well ahead of the deadline.

These are held in September. Just like regular admission, only selected applicants (not all) are invited by e-mail to interview.

All EDP applicants will be sent a letter informing them of the Committee's decision by October 1.

We use the AMCAS Letters Service exclusively.

Please refer to the AAMC Letter Service webpage for instructions concerning letters.

No.

We use the AMCAS Letters Service exclusively; the only way for letter writers to add their support to an applicant’s file is via AMCAS Letters Service. Email, US Mail, hand delivery, FedEx, phone calls, etc., will not work. The deadline for submission of Letters of Recommendation is November 15.

Letters should be signed and dated. Letters must be current.

While not required, we strongly prefer a letter from the Pre-professional Advisory Committee or its equivalent. It’s the one we really want and the only one you need. If your school does not have a committee, letters from three individual professors will suffice. Science professors are preferred.

We understand the temptation to secure letters from many different sources, especially when you know they will say overwhelmingly positive things about you. Realize that letters from writers besides your Committee or professors usually provide limited useful information and therefore impact your competitive standing marginally, if at all. Additionally, letters from your freshman Creative Writing and Art History professors aren't likely to convince the Committee you are well-prepared to handle the rigor of advanced science coursework.

The best letters are from faculty members (and others) who know you well enough to comment in some depth not only on your academic performance, but also on your personal qualities for a career in medicine. Both things are equally important! They should mention how long they have known you and in what capacity, and how well they know you. They should also put their remarks about you into some kind of comparative context with others for whom they have written letters.

Letters from elected officials who do not know you personally can prove embarrassing. It might look as if you're trying to substitute influence for excellence, connections for achievement, privilege for accomplishment, and the Admissions Committee generally does not like that. Letters from physicians you have shadowed have a tendency to be uniformly positive and tend to offer committees little help in distinguishing between applicants.

Military commanders (for military personnel) and immediate supervisors (for applicants with a long employment history) may be good people to write such letters. Still, we want to hear from science professors, if at all possible.

A very important part of our medical center is the Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport Academic Center, which is a major residency training institution with 44 ACGME-accredited programs and 3-CODA accredited programs. Currently, there are 605 residents and fellows training in LSU Health Shreveport residency programs. Learn more about our residency programs.

Medical students at LSU Health Shreveport are provided with rigorous clinical and academic training as well as research opportunities which have served them well in the National Resident Matching Program (NMRP). The overall “Match” rate for LSUHS over the past five years is 98.98%. Each year, LSU Health Shreveport graduates match to prestigious and highly competitive programs around the United States.

All interviews in the 2026 cycle will be virtual. These begin in October and usually conclude by early April. Interviews for Early Decision applicants occur in September.

At LSU Health Shreveport, applicants are interviewed by members of the Admissions Committee. The format is relaxed and is meant to be a forum for information exchange.

Applicants will have two one-on-one interviews, lasting approximately 30 minutes each. These interviews are “blind,” meaning that while your interviewer will have access to your Personal Statement and biographical data, he or she will not have access your grades, MCAT scores or Letters of Recommendation. “Blind” does not mean that your interviewers know nothing about you when you arrive.

Basically, they are trying to assess those things that are almost impossible to quantify: interpersonal skill level, maturity, depth and source of motivation, soundness of decision-making, experiences, and the like. In general, they are trying to find out what kind of person you are and how motivated you are to study medicine.

Ask ten people, and you may get twelve answers. Consider the following: since the interviewer is interested in you, the best preparation is to be yourself. You should be able to articulate clearly your motivation to become a physician. Be able to detail how your activities support your claim of wanting to be a doctor. Go to mock interviews if you can. Evidence of motivation is important. It is also important that you not try to be someone you are not. It will make you nervous and most interviewers can see through it. Also, go back and review your application. Your interviewers may ask you about things you said there.

Click here for a list of AAMC's Questions Frequently Asked of Applicants During Interviews.

There are myriad resources online and elsewhere about how to successfully interview for medical school. We feel AAMC's Medical School Interviews is comprehensive and helpful, but there are many others.

Attempting to detail explicitly “why” leads into treacherous waters, and we will not go there. But, by reviewing the information for Re-Applicants most people can figure out why. A better question is “How can I improve my competitive standing in next year’s application cycle?”

Unfortunately, Dr. Thomas does not have sufficient time to offer individual file reviews. This is best pursued with your pre-professional advisors.

Again, Dr. Thomas receives an overwhelming number of requests for such. There is just not enough time in the day for her to adequately address each request.

This question sends a message you probably would rather not send. If you have availed yourself of advice from this website, your pre-professional advisors, information available from AAMC, AMCAS, the MSAR (“Medical School Admissions Requirements”) and numerous other sources, and do not know if you are heading in the right direction, it's doubtful that such an appointment will add much clarity.

Advice and suggestions are just that, no more. Applicants should realize that all one can hope for is guidance in identifying possible ways by which an applicant might improve his or her competitive standing in a future applicant pool.

One can think of many similar scenarios, but a true example is the person who was advised to get a Masters degree in order to address a low GPA. He got his degree, was invited to interview, but then performed so poorly in the interview that he never made the Acceptable List.

Note: Addressing one shortcoming does not negate any others. All available information is reviewed in making any decision. This is discussed in more detail in the section for Re-Applicants.

Again, advice and suggestions are just that. Applicants should realize that all one can hope for is guidance in identifying possible ways by which an applicant might improve his or her competitive standing in a future applicant pool.

Note: Addressing one shortcoming does not negate any others. All available information is reviewed in making any decision. This is discussed in more detail in the section for Re-Applicants.

Please feel free to update your file with anything you feel might be important for the Committee to know when considering your application. Please send updates to the following email address: shvadm@lsuhs.edu. Attachments in Word or pdf format work best.

Many applicants submit their applications prior to completing their coursework. In this case, a brief list of courses and final grades could be helpful. Please don't send individual test or assignment scores. Additionally, there is no need to submit an official transcript. A screenshot of your student copy is adequate. Or just a summary of the course and the final grade will suffice.

Other areas for potential updates are new jobs, new responsibilities at current jobs, letters of intent or continued interest, publications, research,  and additional volunteering, shadowing, or other experiences.

It varies from cycle to cycle, but on average, at the end of the cycle, there are around 110 people on the waitlist. This also varies, but anywhere from 50 to 75 people will be accepted from the waitlist. Of course, it depends on how many previously-accepted applicants withdraw their applications.

The Committee usually meets for the final time near the end of April or beginning of May.

Many people, but not all, on the waitlist will receive Letters of Acceptance. The timeline is not specific. If accepted for admission, we will inform you immediately.

We will continue to accept applicants from the waitlist until the class is full and all movement has stopped. Sometimes this is as late as July. Sometimes even late in July. It has happened, in the quite recent past, that an accepted applicant withdraws just a day or two prior to orientation. In that case, someone on the waitlist will get a call. This is why we maintain the waitlist throughout July.

Once orientation is complete (July 27, 2026) and the class has matriculated, we will send letters via US Mail to everyone still on the waitlist letting them know of the Committee’s final decision.

We will upload all updates to your file, regardless of when you send them. However, once the waitlist is ranked, it is very unlikely that an update would move the needle for you.

We do not make public the ranked list order.

We will not attempt to speculate what your chances for acceptance from the waitlist are. It's impossible to predict how many previously-accepted applicants will withdraw or when that might happen.

At regular intervals throughout the cycle, the waitlist is reviewed and the Committee may choose to extend invitations to some applicants. Likewise, they may choose to let some know they will need to re-apply.

We usually see some fairly significant movement around the April 30 AMCAS Choose Your Med School Tool protocol when applicants are encouraged, but not required, to narrow their choices to one school. 

The Committee uses holistic review when ranking the waitlist. This means that all available information is considered - GPAs, MCAT score(s), interview scores, experiences, personal statement, etc.

Virtually all correspondence will be via US Mail. Starting in late May/early June, you will likely receive first a phone call to ensure you are still interested, followed by a letter in the mail. We understand that many feel that the paper letter is old school and should be replaced with email. And many schools have done that. However, we believe that having a tangible keepsake will be valuable to you, if not today, certainly in the future, as difficult as it is to wait for it to arrive.

Yes. Everyone on the waitlist will get a letter. Once orientation is complete (July 27, 2026) and the class has matriculated, we will send letters via US Mail to everyone still on the waitlist letting them know of the Committee’s final decision.

Letters of Acceptance will be sent at indeterminant intervals as previously accepted applicants withdraw and seats in the class become available. It is difficult to predict when or how often this will be necessary. To avoid disappointment in the event you are not among those receiving a Letter of Acceptance, we do not announce when letters will be sent.