Is that BS/MD Program a Guaranteed Program?

There is a lot of confusion with BS/MD programs and the word “guaranteed”. I have had several administrators of BS/MD programs tell me that their program is not guaranteed.  So, what does it mean when I say that a program has a guaranteed acceptance into medical school?

It means that under normal circumstances, once you are accepted into a BS/MD program, you have a seat waiting for you at the college and the associated medical school. Where the confusion often sets in is that some people assume that if the seat is guaranteed, then no matter what you do after acceptance you will have the seat at the medical school.

However, in the world of college admissions, almost nothing is unconditionally guaranteed. At most BS/MD programs you need to maintain a minimum GPA to advance to the medical school. A 3.5 is the most common required GPA. Most programs also require the student to participate in volunteer activities while in college. Virtually all require that the student does not have any serious criminal violations.

In other words, the seat at the medical school is guaranteed as long as you get reasonable grades and don’t do something stupid.

So the seat is guaranteed for the majority of students who apply and get in.

Some programs require that a minimum MCAT score be met and this is more of a restriction on the guarantee than the other requirements. If you are concerned about having as much of a guarantee as possible, you may want to consider those BS/MD programs that do not require the MCAT.