How to Reply to a Medical School Interview Invite
Reply to a medical school interview invite: book the date fast, then use six templates to confirm, reschedule, decline or cancel, with subject lines.
How to Reply to a Medical School Interview Invite
Reply to a medical school interview invite by doing what the invite asks, the same day if you can. At some schools, such as Midwestern's AZCOM, that means booking a date in a scheduling system, not writing back. Write an email only to confirm when asked, to ask for another date, or to decline or cancel. Keep each one to two to four sentences.
The etiquette question people ask is the wrong one. The real risk is not a stiff greeting. It is a slot you hold and then drop late, or an invite you never see. AACOM's interview page puts it plainly: if you cancel, "the college will use the opportunity to invite another candidate". Six constructed templates below cover every reply you are likely to need.
Every school page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. Scheduling rules come in the invite itself, so read yours before you use any template. For when invites arrive at each school, see when medical schools send interview invites.
What schools say about invites, scheduling and cancelling
These are the rules schools and AACOM publish. Each changes what you do.
| Source | What it says | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| AACOM | "Confirm the day, date, and time of your scheduled interview. If for any reason, you must cancel, reschedule, or withdraw from an interview, contact the school promptly, courteously, and honestly." | Confirm once; if plans change, write the day they change |
| Midwestern AZCOM catalog | Invitees "receive instructions for scheduling their interviews via the University's web-based scheduling system. Additional applicants may be placed on an interview 'Wait List' pending possible interview openings toward the end of the interview cycle." | Book in the system; no email needed |
| PCOM | "If you are selected for an interview, you will be sent an email with required next steps." Invites come from admissions@pcom.edu, gaadmissions@pcom.edu or sogaadmissions@pcom.edu: "Please add these addresses to your directory so they will not be captured in any email filters." | Add sender addresses now; follow the next steps |
| Wake Forest (MD) | Invited applicants "should complete the virtual interview prior to attending their virtual session." "Failure to complete these requirements in the prescribed timeframe will lead to the applicant's application being withdrawn from consideration." | Book inside the window; a late reply can end the application |
| Rowan-Virtua (DO) | Before the interview you "will receive an email with biographical information about your interviewer" and WebEx details. "REMEMBER TO CONFIRM TIME ZONE DIFFERENCES". Applicants "with limited access to internet and/or technology should feel free to contact the Office of Admissions". | Check the time zone in your confirmation; ask early if you need a setup |
| TouroCOM (DO) | "You can only interview at one TouroCOM campus." | Do not try to book a second campus |
Two points follow from the table. A portal booking is the reply at schools like AZCOM, so an extra "thank you for the invitation" email adds nothing. And at schools like Wake Forest, the clock in the invite is a rule, not a courtesy.
When to write an email at all
Run this before you open your email client.
- Does the invite give a booking link or portal? Book there. Write nothing unless the invite asks you to confirm by email.
- Does the invite ask for a reply? Send Template 1 within a day.
- Do none of the offered dates work? Send Template 2 before the dates fill. Name your constraint in one clause.
- Do you need to move a booked date? Check whether the portal lets you reschedule. If it does not, send Template 3.
- Will you not attend at all? Send Template 4 or 5 the day you decide.
- Do you need a technology or access arrangement for a virtual interview? Send Template 6 as soon as you book.
Our view: the speed of a reply matters more than its wording. AACOM's sentence on cancelling is the reason: an open slot is something the school can give to the next applicant only if you tell it. A two-sentence decline sent today is better than a gracious one sent next week.
The countercase: if you are deciding between two schools that both offered dates, a day spent reading both schools' interview pages is fine, as long as you book or decline inside the window the invite gives. At Wake Forest, missing that window withdraws the application.
Six reply templates (constructed)
Constructed examples, written by us, not real applicant emails. Names, schools and dates are invented placeholders. Replace the brackets.
Template 1: Confirm an interview the school asked you to confirm
Subject: Interview confirmation, [Full name], [AAMC or AACOMAS ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
Thank you for the interview invitation. I confirm my interview on [weekday, month day] at [time and time zone]. I will look for the details you mentioned and will write if anything changes.
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [AAMC ID]
Why it works: it repeats the date, time and time zone back, which is AACOM's "Confirm the day, date, and time" and Rowan-Virtua's time-zone reminder in one line.
Template 2: None of the offered dates work
Subject: Interview date request, [Full name], [ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
Thank you for inviting me to interview. I have a required [exam / clinical shift / course commitment] on each date currently offered. If any later date opens, I would be glad to take it, and I am available [two or three specific date ranges].
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [ID]
Why it works: one reason, no apology paragraph, and dates the office can act on.
Template 3: Reschedule a booked interview
Subject: Request to reschedule interview on [date], [Full name], [ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
I am scheduled to interview on [date] and now have a conflict I cannot move: [one clause]. Could I move to another available date? I can do [two or three options].
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [ID]
Template 4: Decline an interview
Subject: Declining interview invitation, [Full name], [ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
Thank you for the invitation to interview. I have decided to withdraw my application and am declining the interview so the date can go to another applicant.
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [ID]
Why it works: it says what you are doing in the first sentence and gives the school its slot back, in AACOM's "promptly, courteously, and honestly" order. It does not explain where else you are going. If you are declining the interview but keeping the application open, say that instead.
Template 5: Cancel close to the date
Subject: Cancellation, interview on [date], [Full name], [ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
I am writing to cancel my interview on [date] because [illness / family emergency]. I am sorry for the short notice. If the committee is able to offer another date, I would like to interview; if not, I understand.
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [ID]
Send it by email and, if the school lists a phone number, call too. Do not invent a reason. AACOM's word is "honestly".
Template 6: Ask about access for a virtual interview
Subject: Virtual interview setup question, [Full name], [ID]
Dear [Office of Admissions],
I am scheduled to interview on [date]. My home internet connection is not reliable for video. Is there a recommended option, or could I join from [campus library / advising office] if that works with your platform?
Sincerely, Adaeze Abiodun, [ID]
Rowan-Virtua invites this exact question. For more on camera, platform and setup, see our virtual medical school interview tips.
Subject lines that get read
Every template above uses the same pattern: what the email is, then your full name, then your application ID. The ID lets a staff member find your file without writing back to ask for it. Keep the school's original subject line if you reply in the same thread.
What to leave out: "Quick question", "Hi!", emoji, and anything that reads like a letter of intent. An invite reply is logistics. If you want to tell a school it is your first choice, that is a separate letter of intent, sent later.
Should you decline interviews after an acceptance?
If you are sure you will not attend a school, decline its interview the day you decide, using Template 4. Our guide to Plan to Enroll versus Commit to Enroll explains how holding acceptances works, and how to decline a medical school acceptance covers the later email.
If you will not attend the school at all, also withdraw the application in the same message.
Questions about replying to medical school interview invites
How fast should I respond to a medical school interview invite?
The same day if you can, and always inside any window the invite sets. Wake Forest withdraws applications when the virtual interview is not completed "in the prescribed timeframe".
Can you reschedule a medical school interview?
None of the pages we checked promises a new date. AACOM's guidance assumes you may need to "cancel, reschedule, or withdraw" and asks you to contact the school promptly. Use the portal if it allows changes; otherwise send Template 3.
What if no interview dates are available?
Ask once with your available ranges (Template 2). AZCOM describes an interview "Wait List" for openings late in the cycle, so a full calendar does not always mean the end.
Do I need to send a thank-you for the invitation?
No. Book the date. Save the thank-you for after the interview: our medical school interview thank-you email guide covers that note.
What if I never got the invite email?
Check your spam folder and the school portal. PCOM uses "the email address provided on your AACOMAS application" and says "It is your responsibility to update your email address within your PCOM application portal if it changes."
Review the writing you send next
An invite reply is logistics; the next letter you write to a school is not. Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent against GradPilot's medical school letter of intent and interest rubric, which checks whether the letter ties a stated feature of the school to your own reason for attending. If you have news to share instead, the update letter rubric checks that the letter names what changed since you applied.
More interview and letter guides are on the medical school essays hub, including what to expect on interview day.
Sources
Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.
- AACOM, Admissions Interview (no year stated): confirm the date; cancel, reschedule or withdraw promptly; a cancelled slot goes to another candidate.
- Midwestern University, AZCOM Admissions, 2026-2027 Glendale catalog: web-based interview scheduling; interview "Wait List".
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, DO Program: Apply (2027 admission): invite email, sender addresses, email address responsibility.
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine, How to Apply (2027 Admission Timeline): virtual interview requirement and withdrawal rule.
- Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Interview Process (2026/2027 DO cycle): pre-interview email, time zones, technology access.
- Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, DO Admissions (2026-2027 cycle): one campus interview.
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