University of Kentucky, College of Medicine Admission
University of Kentucky, College of Medicine Undergraduate Program
University of Kentucky, College of Medicine Application

The Facts

The University of Kentucky is a rather large, public institution located in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 24,000 students. The university's College of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 400 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 23, 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 early patient contact, as well as for its wonderful research facilities and programs. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers joint degrees in the MD/MPH, the MD/MBA, and the MD/PhD in the areas of anatomy, biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, as well as physiology.

Admission to the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine is extremely competitive among the relatively few students who apply; last year, over 1,000 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 200 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 100 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 9.4 in Biology, 9.5 in Physics, and 9.8 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.6. 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 university's College of Medicine has about 550 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.

Graduates of the 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 medicine, pediatrics, public health, as well as ob/gyn.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical programs including 12 weeks of women's maternal and child health, 8 weeks of clinical neuroscience, 12 weeks of the principles of primary care, 16 weeks of medical and surgical care, and one months acting internships in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, as well as rehabilitation medicine. Students complete their clinical clerkships at affiliated facilities including the University of Kentucky Hospital, as well as various public hospitals and clinics throughout the area.

What's Good

"The faculty here couldn't be more dedicated and willing to help you out."

"Students here tend to be very supportive of one another, and at all cutthroat or competitive."

"If you are an in-state student, the school is actually a very good deal."

What's Bad

"The administration can be very difficult to get a hold of sometimes."

"There are some teachers who assume that their class must be the only one you have, so they slather on the work."

"Sometimes I wish the basic science courses were less extensive. It's all review."

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