Before You Apply
At the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine, we believe training excellent, socially accountable, community-focused physicians begins with admissions. Our process is intentionally designed to reflect the school’s mandate, which is to prepare physicians with the skills and commitment they need to provide high-quality health care to British Columbia communities.
Our approach is merit-based yet inclusive. We holistically examine applicant portfolios and select those who demonstrate strong academic abilities, interpersonal skills, lived experiences and motivation to contribute meaningfully to providing community-based care to high-need groups in British Columbia.
Aligned with our commitments to equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and reconciliation, our admissions process looks for those who are prepared to serve in diverse communities and who are dedicated to delivering high-quality care that is culturally safe to all patients. We welcome applicants who have experience working in or with communities that face barriers to care and who share our vision of a stronger, more integrated primary care system.
Resources
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Academic requirements
We recognize there is more than one way to prepare for a career in medicine. Our admissions framework reflects this understanding by allowing applicants to demonstrate their academic readiness for the medical study through multiple options.
You can demonstrate your academic readiness for the MD program through one of three options:
- Grade point average (GPA)
- Medical college admission test (MCAT)
- GPA and MCAT
All of these options are considered equal. There’s no advantage to choosing one over the other, and scores are treated as a threshold, meaning there is no additional advantage to submitting higher scores.
Admission to the MD program is competitive. Meeting the minimum academic requirements means you are eligible for consideration, but it doesn’t guarantee admission. All eligible applicants will be assessed holistically in the next stages of the process, which focus on your broader strengths, experiences, and alignment with our school’s mission. This holistic review will include elements of your academic record outside of grades.
Once you submit your application, you cannot change the admission option you have selected.
GPA option
Applicants seeking admission via the GPA option must present evidence of the following:
- A completed 4-year (120 unit) undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in any discipline from a recognized post-secondary institution
- The last 90 units completed within 4 calendar years of the date on which the first of those 90 units was commenced
- Fulfillment of the English language requirement
- GPA composed from a single undergraduate degree:
- Adjusted GPA of 3.83 (on a 4.33 grading scale)
- Completion of pre-requisite courses (minimum grade of B-):
- Six (6) units of Life Science courses (with at least 1 course (minimum 3 units) at the 200 level or higher)
- Six (6) units of Humanities or Social Science courses (courses must be a minimum of 3 units)
- One (1) Indigenous content course (minimum 3 units, any level)
- The Life Sciences and Humanities or Social Sciences pre-requisite courses must be included as part of the degree used to construct the GPA and must be included in the 60 unit adjusted GPA calculation, regardless of when the courses were completed.
- The Indigenous content pre-requisite course may be completed either within the degree used to construct the Adjusted GPA or outside the degree. If completed within the degree, it will be counted toward the 60 units used for the Adjusted GPA calculation; if completed outside the degree, it will not form part of the Adjusted GPA.
For more information see the applicant manual.
MCAT option
Applicants seeking admission via the MCAT option must present evidence of following:
- A completed 4-year (120 unit) undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in any discipline from a recognized post-secondary institution
- Fulfillment of the English language requirement
- MCAT with a minimum score of 510, with a minimum of 123 in each section of the test.
- MCAT test must have been written within 5 years of the application due date. For applicants who have written the MCAT more than once, the highest score from the first two valid attempts completed within the past five years will be used. Scores from subsequent attempts will not be considered.
- Completion of pre-requisite courses (minimum grade of B-):
- Six (6) units of Humanities or Social Science courses (courses must be a minimum of 3 units)
- One (1) Indigenous content course (minimum 3 units, any level)
For more information see the applicant manual.
GPA & MCAT option
Applicants seeking admission via the GPA & MCAT option must present evidence of following:
- A completed 4-year (120 unit) undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in any discipline from a recognized post-secondary institution
- The last 90 units must have been completed within 4 calendar years of the date on which the first of those 90 units was commenced.
- Fulfillment of the English language requirement
- GPA composed from a single undergraduate degree:
- Adjusted GPA of 3.67 (on a 4.33 grading scale)
- Completion of pre-requisite courses (minimum grade of B-):
- Six (6) units of Humanities or Social Science courses (courses must be a minimum of 3 units)
- One (1) Indigenous content course (minimum 3 units, any level)
- The MCAT with a minimum score of 505, with a minimum of 123 in each section of the test.
- MCAT test must have been written within the past 5 years, from application due date. For applicants who have written the MCAT more than once, the highest score from the first two valid attempts completed within the past five years will be used. Scores from subsequent attempts will not be considered.
- The Humanities or Social Sciences pre-requisite courses must be included as part of the degree used to construct the GPA and must be included in the 60 unit adjusted GPA calculation, regardless of when the courses were completed.
- The Indigenous content pre-requisite course may be completed either within the degree used to construct the Adjusted GPA or outside the degree. If completed within the degree, it will be counted toward the 60 units used for the Adjusted GPA calculation; if completed outside the degree, it will not form part of the Adjusted GPA.
For more information see the applicant manual.
Comparison of options
The following table compares the academic requirements across the three options. General eligibility criteria, including the residency, citizenship, degree and English language requirements apply to all applicants.
| GPA option | MCAT option | GPA & MCAT option | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted GPA (on 4.33 scale)* | Minimum of 3.83 | n/a | Minimum of 3.67 |
| MCAT** | n/a | Minimum 510 overall, minimum 123 in each section | Minimum 505 overall, minimum 123 in each section |
| Pre-requisite courses*** |
|
*The GPA is a 60-unit adjusted GPA calculated using your pre-requisite courses and remaining units selected from the last 90 units of your degree. This must include at least 30 units of upper division course work, and the last 90 units completed in no more than 4 calendar years. For further considerations, please see the "How to Calculate your Adjusted GPA" section.
** Applicants who have completed the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) must have a minimum of 123 in each section of the test. For those who have written the test more than once, the best score from the first two valid attempts completed within the past five years will be used. Scores from subsequent attempts will not be considered. The application due date will be used to calculate the five-year validity window.
***All pre-requisite courses and any course used in the GPA calculation must be completed, with a final grade showing on an official transcript, at the time of application.
Request for Review of Academic Requirements
Applicants unsure whether they meet the following academic requirements due to the nature of their program or extenuating circumstances may request a review:
- Degree equivalency
- 90 units completed within 4 calendar years; and
- 30 upper division units
The MD program application is currently closed. We are not accepting review requests at this time.
How to calculate your adjusted GPA
The GPA is a 60-unit adjusted GPA calculated using your pre-requisite courses and remaining units selected from the last 90 units of your undergraduate degree. You can choose the courses you want to be used in your adjusted GPA calculation when applying. Composed from one undergraduate degree, the adjusted GPA calculation must include:
- All pre-requisite courses
- At least 30 units of upper-division course work
More information including the definition of upper division courses and tips for how to calculate your Adjusted GPA can be found within the Applicant Manual.
IN-PROGRESS COURSES
Only final grades can be used towards the adjusted GPA calculation or pre-requisite fulfillment.
Final grades used towards your Adjusted GPA or pre-requisite courses must be reflected on the transcript(s) submitted to our office by the application deadline.
Do not enter in-progress coursework in the Transcript Entry portion of your application. Applicants who are offered admission will be required to submit a final transcript showing successful completion of all in-progress coursework and degree conferral.
FULL-TIME COURSE LOAD
The school of medicine does not require applicants to take a full course load, but if you choose the GPA or GPA & MCAT options, you must demonstrate that you have completed the last 90 units of your degree within 4 calendar years of when the first of those 90 units commenced.
- ‘Within 4 calendar years’ refers to the time taken to complete the last 90 units, regardless of when the degree was awarded.
- The ‘last 90 units’ refers to for-credit courses taken within your single undergraduate degree. This includes pass/fail coursework (e.g. co-op or practicum courses).
- Courses can be completed or in progress to meet this requirement; however, in progress courses and pass/fail courses cannot be used within the Adjusted GPA calculation.
The requirement to complete the last 90 units in 4 calendar years does not apply to the MCAT only option.
For information on how to count the last 90 units in 4 calendar years, please refer to the Applicant Manual.
POST-GRADUATE WORK
GPA and GPA & MCAT options: Only grades achieved in one undergraduate degree will be considered. Any post-graduate work will not be included in the Adjusted GPA calculation. However, applicants can meet the Indigenous content pre-requisite using an Indigenous content course taken in a post-graduate degree or at a postgraduate level.
MCAT option: Graded post-graduate work can be used to fulfill course pre-requisites.
GRADING SCALE
Courses that do not receive a numeric or letter grade convertible to a 4.33 grade scale cannot be used in GPA calculation. This includes courses graded as pass/fail* or complete/incomplete.
The SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine calculates the adjusted GPA using the grade information reported on official transcripts and applies SFU’s Standard Grading System. Where percentage grades are reported, they are converted using the school’s published percentage-to-grade scale.
Where only letter grades are reported, the corresponding letter-grade value is used. No additional adjustments are applied.
The application portal automatically calculates an adjusted GPA based on the courses selected by the applicant. The conversion table below is provided to help applicants understand how their percentage or letter grades convert to SFU’s 4.33 scale and estimate their adjusted GPA before applying.
Applicants are responsible for selecting the courses to be included in the adjusted GPA calculation in accordance with the stated requirements. The adjusted GPA displayed in the application portal may be reviewed and verified by the Admissions Office using official transcripts.
| Letter | Percentage | GPA (4.33 Scale) |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 90-100 | 4.33 |
| A | 85-89 | 4.00 |
| A- | 80-84 | 3.67 |
| B+ | 75-79 | 3.33 |
| B | 72-74 | 3.00 |
| B- | 68-71 | 2.67 |
| C+ | 64-67 | 2.33 |
| C | 60-63 | 2.00 |
| C- | 54-59 | 1.67 |
| D | 50-53 | 1.00 |
| F | < 50 | 0.00 |
*As an exception to pass/fail grading during the COVID-19 pandemic, pass (P) grades from calendar year 2020 may be used to satisfy pre-requisite courses but will not be used in the GPA calculation. In summer 2026, the SFU Stephens Family School of Medicine sponsored a special Pass/Fail offering of SFU INDG 101 for those accepted or waitlisted for enrollment in the first admissions cycle. This 2026 special offering of SFU INDG 101 will continue to be accepted as a Pass/Fail course.
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