Application Process
Individuals from any accredited college or university who meet the minimum academic requirements are eligible for admission into the program. The application window opens the first Monday of July each year. All application materials must be requested and received by the second Friday of November to allow time for the program to review the application and schedule an interview. The application is available here. Applicants for the 2026-2027 MLS cohort, please note that the application cycle dates listed on the AHCAS login page are separate from the MLS application deadline (November 14, 2025).
Applicants must submit the following:
- Completed electronic program application
- Applicants will be asked to upload a personal statement and resume with the application. Directions for these documents are on the application.
- Applicants may save the application and return to it any time prior to submitting.
- Official transcripts must be sent to AHCAS from the registrar’s office/electronic transcript ordering service of each secondary and post-secondary institution attended.
- Three references from current or previous faculty, current or previous employers, or individuals familiar with the applicant's performance as a student or employee. References will be sent a link to the evaluation form once the application is submitted.
- Reference letters may include one personal reference if it is not feasible to obtain three professional references.
- Please note that all references are subject to verification.
- $50 Non-refundable CPiAH application fee
- $72 Non-refundable AHCAS application fee (for the 2026-2027 cohort)
Any questions regarding the application process should be directed to the Program Director, Holly Covas, at holly.covas@vumc.org or by calling 615-322.8681.
Students who meet all criteria for priority acceptance will be allowed to bypass selection by the program advisory committee and will be accepted into the program following their interview. Criteria for this priority selection are:
- Science and total GPA of 3.60 or higher
- Average recommendation score of 3.60 or higher
- Average interview score of 3.60 or higher
Foreign Student Applicants
VUMC is not able to admit international students at this time. Green Card holders are not considered International Applicants and are therefore eligible for admission consideration.
- The program considers applicants as an international student if the applicant is a citizen of any nation other than the United States of America. Applicants will not be considered as an international student if you are a dual U.S. citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident, refugee/asylee, or a U.S. citizen living abroad.
For education obtained at a non-U.S. Institution, translation into the U.S. equivalency (i.e., equivalence of credits per course and of degree conferred) by an independent evaluation provider must be submitted with this application (translation into English language only is NOT accepted). The following are examples of foreign transcript and degree evaluators. VUMC does not endorse any evaluators.
- Foreign Consultants: http://www.foreignconsultants.com/
- Educational Credential Evaluators: http://www.ece.org/
- Educational Perspectives: http://www.educational-perspectives.org/
- International Consultants of Delaware: http://www.icdeval.com/
- International Research Foundation, Inc.: http://www.ierf.org/
- World Education Services: http://www.wes.org/
Submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. Applicants who have previous coursework completed in the United States or another country in which English is the primary language do not have to submit TOEFL results. Completion of these courses is considered proof that the applicant is proficient in the English language.