University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver
College of Medicine Admission
University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver
College of Medicine Undergraduate Program
University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver
College of Medicine Application

The Facts

The University of Iowa is a rather large, public institution located in Iowa City, Iowa, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 28,000 students. The university's Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 580 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its wonderful research facilities and programs, as well as for its emphasis on patient care. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers joint degrees in the MSTP, and the MD/PhD in the areas of anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, as well as biophysics.

Admission to the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 2,300 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 240 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 140 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 10.6 in Biology, 10.2 in Physics, and 9.9 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and are able to take advantage of the school's early application program if they so choose.

The Carver College of Medicine has about 800 faculty members, all of whom come from relatively diverse medical and academic backgrounds. The school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 1:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors's.

Graduates of the Carver College of Medicine often go on to be accepted to some of the most prestigious and competitive residency programs in the nation, and most frequently specialize in the areas of primary care, family practice, ob/gyn, pathology, neurology, surgery, as well as orthopedics.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical training including 6 weeks of community based primary care, 3 weeks of family practice, 6 weeks of inpatient internal medicine, 3 weeks of ambulatory internal medicine, 6 weeks of ob/gyn, 6 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of surgery, 4 weeks of neurology 4 weeks of psychiatry, as well as two weeks each of anesthesia, dermatology, opthamology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, radiology, urology, electrocardiography, as well as laboratory medicine. Students complete their clinical training at affiliated facilities including University Hospital, as well as the Veterans Affairs Hospital.

What's Good

"The clinical programs are absolutely fantastic. They let you explore all the areas of the medical field."

"You couldn't ask for a better team of faculty. They really care about their students and about the school itself."

"If you are an in-state student, the school is a really terrific bargain."

What's Bad

"There can be some silly competition between students."

"The tuition is extremely high if you are an out-of-state student."

"The administration is always busy with something else when you want to talk to them."

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