Med School Application Timeline: 2028 Cycle

Med School Application Timeline: 2028 Cycle

If you want to start medical school in fall 2028, you apply in the 2027–2028 cycle, and on November 7, 2026 none of the application services we checked had posted dates for it. AACOMAS still shows its 2026–2027 dates, TMDSAS lists Entry Year 2027, and Acuity offers Casper bookings only through 2026–2027.

So any page that tells you "AMCAS opens May X, 2027" is guessing. The dates that already exist for you are your premed committee's, and they start this month. This page shows what is posted, what is not, how the five names for one cycle line up, and a December-to-June plan built on deadlines you can actually check. If you are drafting now, the AMCAS personal statement rubric is the one your main essay is read against.

Every AACOM, TMDSAS, Acuity and college page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. AAMC's AMCAS, MCAT and PREview pages refused automated retrieval that day, so this page quotes no AAMC dates: read them on the AMCAS application page and the MCAT calendar directly.

What is posted for the 2028 cycle, and what is not

Our view: plan from three things that already exist: your committee's calendar, your MCAT date, and last cycle's posted pattern. Treat any 2028 date you see before the services post theirs as an estimate, whoever prints it.

The countercase: if you are applying with individual letters and no committee, nothing on your calendar is fixed until the services post. Then your MCAT date and the state of your personal statement set the plan, and last cycle's pattern is the best guide you have.

One cycle, many labels

The same application year is labeled several ways depending on who is talking. Get this wrong once and you register for the wrong Casper cycle or read last year's committee page.

SIU's page states the rule behind the naming: "The application cycle year represents the year the student anticipates beginning professional school, but students apply to the schools a year in advance of matriculation." Acuity's help article gives the matching example: "if you're applying during the 2026–2027 admissions cycle to a US and Canadian program, your goal is likely to start your program in Fall 2027." By the same logic, a fall 2028 start means the 2027–2028 cycle.

The naming matters most for Casper. Acuity warns: "Do not reserve your Casper test until you're sure you're selecting the right test type and the right cycle." and "We do not offer refunds for tests reserved for the wrong cycle." On November 7, 2026 the 2027–2028 cycle was not yet offered on Acuity's Dates & Fees page, so there is nothing to book yet. Our PREview and Casper requirements page lists the schools that required Casper last cycle and their last test dates.

Last cycle's dates, AACOMAS vs TMDSAS

These are the dates for students who start in fall 2027. Use them as the pattern, not as your dates.

The TMDSAS page lists these dates under "Entry Year 2027" without years. Read the May-to-October dates as 2026 and the January-to-May dates as 2027.

Two things the table hides:

• AACOM's own page gives two endings. Its key dates say April 30, 2027 is the last day, and lower down it says "The application cycle runs from May to the following June. Deadlines for each college program can be found in the Choose DO Explorer." Your real DO deadline is the college's, not April 30.
• TMDSAS has one hard date and no exceptions. October 1 at 11:59 p.m. CST, with payment entered. TMDSAS processing then runs "usually ... within 4 weeks. During peak periods, processing may take up to 6 weeks." For how the TMDSAS match works after that, see the TMDSAS match explained.

For the MD side, AACOMAS and TMDSAS give you no AMCAS date. Bates's committee page describes AMCAS in general terms: "Early May: AMCAS application opens." and "Late May/Early June: AMCAS officially opens for application submission." That is Bates's summary, not an AAMC date. For what "early" means once you submit, our AMCAS verification timing guide covers the verification queue.

The deadlines that already exist: your committee

If your college writes committee letters, your cycle has already started. Four colleges' pages, checked November 7, 2026:

The full calendar, with what each step asks for and the route if your college has no committee, is on our premed committee letter deadlines calendar.

The MCAT is the other fixed constraint. TMDSAS writes: "We strongly encourage taking the MCAT by May prior to applying so that your application will be completed and in the applicant pool for the start of the interview season in August." Bates is stricter for its own committee: applicants "must complete their standardized test by February (preferably earlier)" to stay eligible for a committee interview. How your test month changes your file date is on our MCAT date vs application timing page.

December to June, month by month

This is our plan for a fall 2028 applicant. Each step names the deadline it rests on, so you can swap in your own college's dates.

1. December 2026. Register with your committee (Middlebury "Dec 15th", SIU "December 1, 2026"). Pick your MCAT month against your committee's score rule. Start the personal statement over winter break: our personal statement start-date guide gives the draft calendar. If you will apply for AAMC fee assistance, read AAMC's Fee Assistance Program page before you register for anything; we could not retrieve it to quote its rules.
2. January 2027. UConn's portfolio opens January 1, and UConn suggests asking for letters "in January, February, and March". Bates's registration form is due January 15.
3. February 2027. Bates wants the self-assessment and CV by February 1 and a polished personal statement by February 15. Bates applicants should have tested by now.
4. March 2027. Bates letters are due March 1, and its committee interviews run "Early March – Mid April". UConn recommends portfolio submission "by April 1st".
5. April 2027. Middlebury letter writers are due April 15. Recheck every page in the list below before you build your May calendar.
6. May 2027. Applications open. Last cycle AACOMAS opened May 4 and TMDSAS on May 1, with submission from May 15. UConn asks dental applicants to send materials "by May 1, 2027".
7. June 2027. Submit. Bates's line is "May/June (Submit ASAP!)". UConn's portfolio closes June 1, and Bates says committee letters are "finalized and ready for submission by July 1st".

Letters do not hold your primary at TMDSAS or at Bates's committee; the committee letter calendar quotes both rules.

Two applicants, same cycle

Constructed examples, written by us, not real applicants.

Context (invented): Ifeoma Calloway is a junior at a college with a committee that runs on Bates-style dates. Her committee wants a polished personal statement on February 15, 2027. She plans a January MCAT. Her personal statement deadline is February 15, not June; her real start date is December 2026, and her application is ready to submit the week the service opens.

Context (invented): Theo Mbatha graduated in 2025 and works as a scribe. His college serves alumni through a letter packet like UConn's, with a portfolio due by June 1, 2027. He tests in April. His fixed dates are later, but his letters need writers who last saw him two years ago, so he asks in January, before any portal opens.

The same cycle produces two different calendars. Neither one is anchored to the AMCAS open date.

What to recheck in April 2027

Open each page, find the 2027–2028 or Entry Year 2028 label, and write the dates into your own calendar:

• AMCAS application page for open, submission and transmission dates
• AACOM's apply page for the AACOMAS key dates
• TMDSAS deadlines for Entry Year 2028
• Acuity Dates & Fees for the 2027–2028 cycle and each school's last Casper date
• AAMC PREview participating schools for the new testing year
• each target school's own admissions page for secondary and Casper deadlines

Reapplying? The reapplicant timeline for the 2028 cycle covers what to save and fix before the new cycle opens. For the DO application itself, what AACOMAS is and how it works covers the mechanics. If you are deciding whether to apply now or take a year, see gap year and medical school.

Questions about the 2028 cycle

When does AMCAS open for the 2028 cycle?

We could not verify it. AAMC's AMCAS page refused our automated check on November 7, 2026, so this page quotes no AMCAS date. Read the AMCAS application page directly. Bates's committee page describes AMCAS as opening in "Early May".

When does AACOMAS open in 2027?

Not posted yet. On November 7, 2026, AACOM's page showed only the 2026–2027 cycle, which opened on May 4, 2026.

Is the 2028 cycle the same as the 2027–2028 cycle?

Yes. Both mean you apply in 2027 and start in fall 2028. TMDSAS will call it Entry Year 2028, and Acuity's Casper booking will be the 2027–2028 admissions cycle.

What should a junior do over winter break?

Register with your committee if it has a December deadline, set your MCAT month, and write raw material for the personal statement. On the four committee pages above, those steps come before any letter deadline.

Is the 2026–2027 checklist still useful?

For the order of steps, yes. Our 2026–2027 application checklist is dated to last cycle, so take its months and use this page's checks for the dates.

Review the writing you send next

The first document this cycle asks of you is the personal statement, and a Bates-style committee reads it in February, months before any service opens. Get a free Quick Review of your personal statement against GradPilot's AMCAS personal statement rubric before that draft goes to your committee. Applying DO or in Texas, use the AACOMAS personal statement rubric or the TMDSAS personal statement rubric.

More planning guides for the 2028 cycle:

• Premed committee letter deadlines calendar: dated committee steps from five colleges.
• When to start your med school personal statement: a draft calendar tied to committee and MCAT dates.
• MCAT date vs med school application timing: what each test month does to your file.
• PREview and Casper requirements: last cycle's Casper schools and last test dates.

Browse all medical school essay guides. Texas applicants have a separate, fixed calendar: see the TMDSAS 2028 timeline for the October 1 deadline and how TMDSAS counts planned hours.

Parents planning the budget and paperwork can read how parents can help.

Without an advisor, use the self-advised plan to set your own committee-style deadlines.

Career changers can use the timeline for non-traditional applicants, built on MCAT age limits and letter dates.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• AACOM, Apply to Medical School (2026-2027 cycle): AACOMAS opening and last-day dates, "May to the following June" line.
• TMDSAS, Deadlines & Important Dates (Entry Year 2027): open, submission, EDP, deadline, letters, offers, rank list, match.
• TMDSAS, After Submitting: processing times.
• TMDSAS, Letters of Evaluation: submit before letters arrive.
• TMDSAS, Test Scores (Entry Year 2027): MCAT by May recommendation.
• Acuity Insights, Dates & Fees: admissions cycles offered for US programs.
• Acuity Insights, Admissions cycle article (dated March 3, 2026): cycle example and refund rule.
• Middlebury College, Applying to Medical School: committee forms and Matric 2028 letter deadline.
• Bates College, Applying to Medical or Dental School (2028 matriculation): committee timeline, MCAT rule, AMCAS description.
• Southern Illinois University, Committee Letters (page last updated September 15, 2026): 2027-2028 cycle update and naming rule.
• UConn Pre-Health, Timelines (2028 cycle): orientation, portfolio and letter packet dates.
• Not retrieved: AAMC's AMCAS, MCAT calendar, PREview and Fee Assistance Program pages refused automated retrieval on November 7, 2026, and nothing from them is quoted here.