Prerequisite Courses
The admissions committee recommends that you complete more than the minimum requirements in the area of natural sciences to demonstrate your readiness for the rigorous curriculum. However, the committee welcomes applicants with preparation in the humanities and liberal arts who have completed the required coursework.
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
You are required to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to apply to the USC School of Medicine Greenville. The MCAT must be taken during or no more than two years prior to the application year.
2026-2027 cycle: We will accept MCAT scores from 2024, 2025, 2026. If you wish to retake the MCAT, new scores will be accepted through February 2027 (last testing date must be no later than January 2027). We suggest reviewing MCAT study materials.
Technical Standards for Admission, Retention and Graduation
All candidates for admission and current students at the USC School of Medicine Greenville must demonstrate attributes needed to practice medicine. You should possess sufficient intellectual capacity, physical ability, emotional and psychological stability, interpersonal sensitivity, and communication skills to acquire the scientific knowledge, interpersonal and technical competencies, professional attitudes and clinical abilities required for the practice of medicine.
Review a description of the technical standards necessary to meet the requirements of the M.D. curriculum and to graduate as skilled
and effective medical practitioners.
Required Coursework
The admissions committee recommends that you complete more than the minimum requirements
in the area of natural sciences to demonstrate your readiness for the rigorous curriculum.
However, the committee welcomes applicants with preparation in the humanities and
liberal arts who have completed the required coursework.
| Course | Credit hours required | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| Biology with lab | 8 | If using AP or IB credit, an additional semester in advanced biology such as cell biology, genetics, physiology, or molecular biology is required. |
| General inorganic chemistry with lab | 8 | |
| Organic chemistry with lab | 4 | We do not require a second semester of organic chemistry with lab. However, you may need to take a second semester to meet your undergraduate institution’s perquisite requirements for biochemistry. |
| Biochemistry | 3 | Lab not required. |
| Physics with lab | 4 | |
| Humanities, social and behavioral sciences | 9 | Must include at least one semester of English composition/literature. Up to two semesters of AP or IB credit may be applied if courses deemed acceptable by your undergraduate institution. |
We also recommend taking courses in
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Physiology
Additional Course Considerations
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits acceptable to your undergraduate college may be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements as long as the courses appear on your official transcript. However, we advise that you take upper-level courses that demonstrate your ability to successfully complete more rigorous academic material.
Courses taken at the community or technical college level will satisfy prerequisite requirements. To be competitive in the selection process, we encourage applicants with community college prerequisites to supplement these courses by taking advanced courses in related subjects at a four-year college. Applicants who have taken the required courses at a four-year college and have done well are generally deemed more competitive in the selection process.
Online courses from an accredited college or university may be acceptable. However, the admissions committee places more value on courses taken in the classroom setting. Applicants who have successfully completed required courses in the classroom will be deemed more competitive in the selection process.
Extension or evening courses taken to fulfill premedical course requirements are not acceptable unless they are identical to courses offered in the undergraduate college’s regular academic program.
Prerequisites do not need to be completed to apply but must be successfully completed prior to matriculation. Acceptance is considered conditional until documentation of successful completion of the requirements is received.
All coursework submitted to fulfill admission requirements must be evaluated on the basis of a traditional grading system that employs a range of numbers or letters to indicate the comparative level of performance.
Applying with International Coursework
For information regarding all international coursework, including prerequisite coursework, please refer to our institutions Applying with international Coursework policy.