Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) Medical School - 2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, officially established in 2014 with its charter class matriculating in 2017, is the younger of Nevada's two public MD-granting institutions and was purpose-built to address the severe physician shortage in Clark County and the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. The school offers a four-year MD curriculum grounded in interprofessional education, community health, and early clinical immersion. Its downtown campus is adjacent to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, a major Level I trauma centre serving a highly diverse and socioeconomically complex patient population.
Entry Requirements
What you need to apply to Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD).
Admission overview
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Nevada and Western US applicants prioritised. Prerequisites include biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, English, and statistics. Applications via AMCAS; secondary application required. UNLV values applicants with demonstrated commitment to underserved urban communities.
MCAT median
511 (range 506–516)
GPA median
3.76 overall / 3.70 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate
2.5%
Class size
65
In-state preference
Strong — primarily in-state
In-state matriculants
80%
CASPer
Not required
Holistic review emphasis
Community health commitment, Las Vegas/Nevada connection, health equity orientation, collaborative skills, MCAT/GPA.
Notes
Estimates from public AAMC FACTS / AACOMAS / ADEA AADSAS / class-profile; verify current cycle.
Specialities offered
Urban Health & Health Equity, Primary Care, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Community Medicine
Interview Format
How Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) interviews applicants.
Format
MMI (multiple mini-interview, approximately 6–8 stations)
Interview window
November–February
Decision date
Rolling; most decisions by March 30
Post-interview chances
Estimated 35–50% of interviewed candidates receive an offer; Nevada residents have meaningfully higher conversion rates. Estimates approximate — verify with UNLV admissions.
What to expect at a Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) interview
UNLV Kerkorian uses a multi-station MMI where applicants rotate through timed scenarios assessing communication skills, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and motivation for medicine in the Las Vegas metro context. Each station typically lasts 8–10 minutes with a brief preparation period. Scenarios often reflect urban health challenges, social determinants, and Nevada's unique demographic and healthcare shortage context. The interview day includes a welcome session, student-led tour, and opportunity to meet current students and faculty informally.
What makes Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) different
Among Nevada's newest medical schools; specifically designed to train physicians for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, one of the most medically underserved large metros in the US. Embedded within the UNLV health sciences campus with close ties to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Strong focus on health equity and culturally competent care for a highly diverse patient population.
Tutor insight
UNLV Kerkorian is explicitly mission-driven toward Las Vegas and Southern Nevada — applicants who cannot articulate a genuine commitment to this community will struggle. The MMI format rewards structured, calm reasoning under time pressure; practise timed scenarios out loud. Health equity and social determinants of health are recurring MMI themes given the school's context — understand Nevada's uninsured rates, the Medicaid landscape, and Las Vegas's transient population. Being a newer school, the class size is intentionally small, so demonstrated interpersonal skills and collaborative spirit matter enormously.
PrometheusQuestion Bank
595 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD)
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
You are a third-year medical student on an internal medicine rotation. Your attending prescribes a biologic medication for a patient with severe Crohn's disease. The insurance company denies prior authorization and requires 'step therapy' -- the patient must fail two cheaper medications first, even though the attending believes they are likely to be ineffective and cause unnecessary suffering. The patient is distressed and asks you what is happening. How do you explain the situation, and what advocacy options exist?
Likely follow-up · What is the physician's role in the prior authorisation appeals process, and what documentation strengthens an appeal?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
Hard·MMI · PanelQ2
AAMC Core Competency: Oral Communication — Delivering Difficult News
You are a third-year medical student on a general medicine team. Your patient — a 48-year-old woman admitted for workup of a new lung mass — has just received a biopsy result confirming non-small cell lung cancer. The attending is unavailable for the next two hours. The pathology report has been loaded into the chart, visible to the patient through the patient portal. You walk in to check on her and she immediately says, 'I saw my results — can you explain what it means?' How do you handle this conversation?
Likely follow-up · What is the protocol most hospitals follow for delivering serious diagnoses, and how does the patient portal's real-time result delivery complicate that protocol?
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Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) - Frequently asked questions
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Nevada and Western US applicants prioritised. Prerequisites include biology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, English, and statistics. Applications via AMCAS; secondary application required. UNLV values applicants with demonstrated commitment to underserved urban communities.
MMI (multiple mini-interview, approximately 6–8 stations). UNLV Kerkorian uses a multi-station MMI where applicants rotate through timed scenarios assessing communication skills, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and motivation for medicine in the Las Vegas metro context. Each station typically lasts 8–10 minutes with a brief preparation period. Scenarios often reflect urban health challenges, social determinants, and Nevada's unique demographic and healthcare shortage context. The interview day includes a welcome session, student-led tour, and opportunity to meet current students and faculty informally.
Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV (MD) typically interviews in November–February.
Decisions are released Rolling; most decisions by March 30.
Among Nevada's newest medical schools; specifically designed to train physicians for Las Vegas and Southern Nevada, one of the most medically underserved large metros in the US. Embedded within the UNLV health sciences campus with close ties to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. Strong focus on health equity and culturally competent care for a highly diverse patient population.
