Application Requirements and Process

Eligibility Requirements

Acceptance into the Bryant Scholars Pre-Admissions Program is based on high academic achievement, commitment to a career in rural medicine, possession of personal characteristics expected of quality physicians, and a small town or rural background.

To be eligible to apply to the Bryant Scholars Pre-Admissions Program students must:

• Have an undergraduate graduation date two academic years from the time of application.
• Show high academic achievement during high school.
• Have minimum 3.3 cumulative GPA and minimum 3.3 Math/Science GPA.
• Have A or B grades in required lecture/lab courses already taken at the time of application.
• Show evidence of leadership and interest in a variety of extracurricular activities.
• Be a Missouri resident.
• Have a rural permanent home address in Missouri. Rural is defined as a home address with a Rural-Urban Community Area (RUCA) Code of 2-10. If your home address has a RUCA code of 1, you are ineligible to apply for the program.
  • In order to determine if your home address is rural, use the "Am I Rural?" tool to look up the RUCA code of your permanent home address.
  • Applicants must have lived at their permanent home address for at least 2 years. Applicants who have not lived at their current permanent home address for at least two years, must submit a report for their prior permanent home address with their application. Applicants must have a PDF of their "Am I Rural?" report(s) to upload and submit with their application.
  • "Am I Rural" example report
• Be full-time enrolled at public or independent four-year college or university in Missouri or a contiguous state (Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska).
  • Students who attend out-of-state colleges or universities in contiguous states are eligible to apply to the Bryant Scholars Program, but must be a Missouri resident.
  • Students currently enrolled at a two-year public or independent college in Missouri or a contiguous state are eligible to apply, but must provide proof of acceptance at a four-year public or independent college or university in Missouri or a contiguous state. Upon acceptance into the Bryant Scholars Program, students must provide enrollment verification at the four-year college or university they are attending.

How to Apply

Required application materials include:

• Application: Due June 21st. Complete all fields of the online application and submit by 11:59 pm, June 21, 2024. You will be able to preview the application before beginning. It is recommended to use a word document to draft essay responses and copy and paste into the application. Prior to submitting your application, you will have the opportunity to review your responses and download a .pdf copy. Applicants are encouraged to save a copy of their completed application for their records.

• College transcripts: Due June 21^st. Applicants must submit a current college transcript, including spring semester grades, and transcripts for each college/university attended where college credit was earned (Including dual credit courses). During the application process applicants must upload all copies of their college transcripts. These transcripts may be unofficial. Please have electronic files ready to upload from all institutions where college credit was earned (including dual credit courses).
  
  Note: if admitted to the Bryant Scholars Program, students will be required to submit official transcripts in the fall to verify course work.

• Letters of Evaluation: Due June 21^st. Two evaluations are required, but you may submit a third optional evaluation. Both required evaluations must come from college professors from whom you have taken a class and received a grade. One of the two required evaluations must come from a science professor. The third evaluator should be non-academic. Each evaluator must complete the evaluation by 11:59 p.m., June 21, 2024.

  • Applicants are responsible for sending evaluation requests to their identified evaluators. To send, copy and paste the appropriate evaluation form link into an email. If an evaluator has any questions, they may contact ruralscholars@health.missouri.edu.

  • Online Evaluation Links

    • College Professor Evaluation

    • Optional Evaluation Link

• Applicants are responsible for following up with their chosen evaluators directly to ensure submission of evaluation letters by the June 21, 2024 deadline.

Complete Application Packet

Complete applications consist of the submission of the online application form (including uploaded transcripts) and submission of at least two letters or evaluation directly from evaluators using the online form. Only complete applications with all required application materials will be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all required materials are received by MU School of Medicine. Any application materials received after the deadline will not be considered.

For application questions or to verify receipt of application or letters of evaluation please contact ruralscholars@health.missouri.edu.

Students will receive information regarding their application in July. If invited, interviews will occur on August 8-9, 2024. Each invited applicant will receive at least two interviews with members of the University of Missouri School of Medicine Pre-professional Scholars Program (PSP) Committee.

PAWS and Bryant Applicants Applying in 2024

Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements for both preadmissions programs, Bryant and PAWS, may apply for both programs. However, students may only be enrolled in one preadmission program. If accepted to both preadmission programs, applicants will have to decide on which program to remain in by August 19, 2024.