Application Procedures for the WWAMI Medical Education Program
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Residency Certification
All Montana WWAMI applicants must be certified as Montana residents by October 15th of the year prior to their planned matriculation into medical school. The policy states that all Montana applicants are required to demonstrate a twenty-four month period of domicile in Montana in order to be considered for in-state status. In order to be eligible for in-state status, applicants must meet the Montana Board of Regents residency policy which can be viewed on the Montana University System web site.
To apply for certification, please go to the Award Montana student application portal. The annual application opens July 1st, applications are processed in the order they are received and students are encouraged to apply early.
Frequently asked questions about the PSEP Certification Application
For questions regarding residency certification, please contact:
Amy Unsworth | Director
Award Montana
Montana University System
Student Assistance and Loan Repayment Programs
Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education
awardmontana@montana.edu | 1-800-537-7508
Additional MRPIP Information for Admitted Students
If you are selected and supported by the state as a WWAMI student, you are required to pay the MRPIP fee annually throughout your enrollment for up to 4 years. The MRPIP Fee is calculated as a percentage of the WICHE state support amount for allopathic medicine and osteopathic fields of study. As state support amounts fluctuate year to year, so will the amount of the MRPIP fee. The MRPIP fee is separate from medical school tuition, fees, and expenses. Invoices are emailed around the first part of August, and must be paid in full each academic year. Failure to pay the annual fee may result in the forfeiture of your state funding. While schools may help with packaging this fee in your financial aid, the student is solely responsible for ensuring full payment by the due date. Your school’s financial aid office cannot pay the fee on your behalf.
WWAMI Program Contract Requirements
- All Montana students entering the WWAMI Program must enter a legal, binding contract with the State of Montana. This contract confirms whether you will commit to return to Montana to practice medicine after you graduate from medical school and complete your professional training.
- Contract selections must be made before beginning enrollment. Copies of both contract options will be provided during the award process for your review. Contract decisions are final and cannot be changed. Your contract decision directly impacts your MRPIP fee rate but does not impact the amount of state support funding you will receive.
Option 1: Commit to Return to Practice in Montana
- You agree to return to Montana and begin full-time medical practice within one year of completing your training, and to serve for a minimum of three years. If you fail to meet this obligation, you must repay the full amount of state support received, with interest (up to 8%, repaid within 10 years). Under this “return” agreement, students are charged the “standard” MRPIP fee amount.
- Under this agreement you have an obligation to pay annual MRPIP fee at the standard rate throughout medical school, for up to four years, and to return to Montana and enter into full-time professional medical practice within 1 year of completing professional medical training, to practice medicine full-time for a minimum of 3 years.
- Residency in a family medicine residency program located in Montana may be credited toward the practice requirement at a rate of one-third year for each year of service in the residency program.
- If a you fail to meet the return to practice conditions of this contract, you must
repay, with interest, the total amount of state support paid on your behalf during
medical school (approximately $179,290 in total or more for WWAMI students, depending
on state support amounts).
Option 2: Decline to Commit to Montana Practice
- You choose not to commit to return to practice in Montana. Under this “decline to return” agreement, students annual MRPIP Fee is charged at 2.5 times the standard rate. Under this agreement you have an obligation to pay a higher annual MRPIP fee, charged at 2.5 times the standard rate throughout medical school, for up to four years.
Application Procedures
Application procedures and policies outlined here are subject to change.
- Complete any and all Premedical Course requirements (institutions should be accredited by a region accrediting organization)
- Take the Medical College Admissions test (MCAT). The exam must be taken no later than September 30th of the year prior to possible matriculation.
- Research Medical Schools you want to apply to and recognize that each school may have a different admissions requirements (we always recommend applying to several schools). Here is a link to some general information about UW Applications: https://www.uwmedicine.org/school-of-medicine/md-program/admissions
- Apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The UW deadline for the AMCAS application is Wednesday, October 1st, 11:59 pm EST.
- Certify your state residency: https://mus.edu/psep/. Please see below for more details.
- Submit the secondary application if you have received an invitation to proceed with the application process. Apply to the TRUST Program if you are interested in working in an underserved community. Both of these applications are due by November 15th, 11:59 pm PST.
- Have your letter writers submit your letters of evaluation/recommendation to the AMCAS Service. We require the letters to be on official letterhead stationery and include the author’s signature. The deadline for receipt of these letters to UW is November 15th, 11:59 pm PST.
- If selected, you will receive an interview invitation via email between November and December.
American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)
The UW participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The deadline for submitting a completed AMCAS application is October 1, 11:59 pm EST; late applications will not be considered. Every attempt will be made to notify applicants of final actions by the end of February. Applications will not be considered from persons who have failed to meet minimum performance standards at other medical or dental schools. Residents of foreign countries will not be considered.
Association of American Medical Colleges Web Site
American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)
2501 M Street, NW
Lobby-26
Washington, D.C. 20037-1300
(202) 828-0600
E-mail amcas@aamc.org
Secondary Application for The University of Washington School of Medicine
A secondary application form will be sent to qualified applicants after the School of Medicine has received and reviewed the AMCAS application. The application materials listed below must be completed and in the Admissions Office no later than November 15. Materials received after this date will not be considered.
Secondary Application Components:
- An autobiographical statement which should include (250 word limit) - the origin and development of your motivation to be a physician, your prior experiences in health care, steps taken to explore a career in medicine, your eventual goals as a physician, personal attributes that would make you a good physician. Please do not repeat what you wrote in your AMCAS Personal Comments (this will already be on file with our office). If you have already covered all of the above topics in your AMCAS application, use this space to let the Admissions Committee know who you are in addition to being someone who wants to be a physician
- 4 additional short essays
- The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring?
- What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
- How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with?
- Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine.
- For re-applicants - Please share any areas of growth since your previous application and what you’ve learned from the process.
- Letters of Recommendation - Submit a premedical committee evaluation and up to 3 additional letters OR Submit a minimum of three and up to six letters from writers who can speak to one or more of the following: your academic ability, commitment to service, leadership potential, clinical or research experiences, interpersonal skills, ability to function on a team, and/or potential as a physician. The collection of letters should provide a balanced and well-rounded view of your candidacy for medicine. Letters of recommendation from current employers may be advantageous. Note: It is strongly encouraged that letters be printed on University, company, or personal letterhead and signed. Letters of recommendation that are missing letterhead and/or signature will be given less consideration.
- A $35 fee. This will automatically be waived for those who have qualified for AMCAS fee waivers. Others seeking a waiver of this fee should submit their requests directly to the School of Medicine Office of Admissions.
- Online acknowledgment of having read, understood, and being able to meet – with or without reasonable accommodation - UW policies and expectations.
- Residency Certification
The Interview
Before acceptance, each prospective WWAMI medical student is interviewed by the University of Washington Medical School Admissions Committee. This committee consists of representatives from the State of Montana and the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information concerning the interview process, review the UWSOM interview information webpage and the Montana Admissions Interview page. You can also contact our office or the University of Washington School of Medicine Admissions Office.
Office of Admissions
UW School of Medicine
A-300 Health Sciences Center
Box 356340
Seattle, WA 98195-6340
(206) 543-7212
askuwsom@uw.edu
University of Washington School of Medicine Office of Admissions Web Site