University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) Medical School - 2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, founded in 1950 and situated on the Medical Sciences Campus in Rio Piedras (San Juan), is the only public medical school in Puerto Rico and the oldest medical school on the island. It is the primary training ground for Puerto Rico's physician workforce, with a strong primary care and community health mission reinforced by its public university mandate. The school is affiliated with major public hospitals including the Puerto Rico Medical Center complex, providing students with high-acuity clinical exposure.
Entry Requirements
What you need to apply to University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD).
Admission overview
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS. Puerto Rico residency is effectively required — the school's mandate is to train physicians for Puerto Rico's public health system, and non-residents are rarely accepted. Spanish proficiency is required. Strong academic preparation and community service background are expected. Secondary application required.
MCAT median
505 (range 504–515)
GPA median
3.80 overall / 3.58 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate
12.0%
Class size
105
In-state preference
Strong — primarily in-state
In-state matriculants
98%
CASPer
Not required
Holistic review emphasis
Puerto Rico residency; commitment to island's public health workforce; bilingual proficiency; community service background.
Notes
Estimates from public AAMC FACTS / class-profile data; verify current cycle. Acceptance rate reflects near-exclusive PR resident admissions.
Specialities offered
Primary Care, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Public Health
Interview Format
How University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) interviews applicants.
Format
Traditional individual faculty interviews; panel format for some applicants
Interview window
October–February
Decision date
March 30 (AAMC standard)
Post-interview chances
Estimated post-interview acceptance rate approximately 40–55% given strong in-state preference and large class size relative to PR applicant pool. Puerto Rico residency and mission fit are the primary determinants.
What to expect at a University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) interview
UPR Med interview day is held on the Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan and typically includes one to two individual faculty or panel interviews of 25–35 minutes each. As the sole public medical school in Puerto Rico, UPR Med selects predominantly Puerto Rican residents; interviewers probe depth of ties to the island, Spanish fluency, motivation for community service, and academic preparedness. The day includes an admissions information session, campus and UPR-affiliated hospital tours, and informal interaction with current students. Applicants are expected to demonstrate strong command of both English and Spanish and to articulate how they will contribute to Puerto Rico's healthcare workforce.
What makes University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) different
As the only public medical school in Puerto Rico, UPR Med offers the lowest in-state tuition of any PR medical school and has a formal mandate to train physicians for Puerto Rico's public health needs. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, which also houses schools of pharmacy, dentistry, public health, and nursing — enabling unique inter-professional training. UPR Med graduates have historically comprised the backbone of Puerto Rico's physician workforce.
Tutor insight
UPR Med is effectively reserved for Puerto Rico residents — non-residents face an extremely steep path regardless of academic credentials. For island residents, it represents exceptional value: lower tuition, the largest PR class, and affiliation with high-volume public hospitals that provide broad clinical exposure. In your interview, demonstrate deep engagement with Puerto Rico's public health challenges — not just generic medicine motivation. Spanish proficiency is non-negotiable; your clinical training will be bilingual from Year 3. The Puerto Rico Medical Center complex provides exposure to a high-acuity patient population that rivals many mainland academic medical centres, which is an underappreciated strength to highlight in essays.
PrometheusQuestion Bank
595 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD)
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
Hard·MMI · PanelQ1
US Healthcare Ethics: The Coverage Gap
Millions of low-income adults in non-Medicaid-expansion states fall into a coverage gap: their income is too high to qualify for Medicaid under their state's rules but too low to receive marketplace subsidies under the ACA. A patient in your clinic is one of them -- she has Type 2 diabetes, cannot afford insulin, and is rationing doses. Her state has not expanded Medicaid. What are the ethical obligations of her physician, and what practical options exist?
Likely follow-up · What is the difference between a physician's duty to an individual patient and a physician's duty to advocate for systemic change?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
Medium·PanelQ2
MCAT Preparation: Balancing Rigor, Burnout, and Identity
The MCAT is widely considered one of the most demanding standardised tests in US higher education. Many applicants retake it one or more times, and average scores for matriculants at highly competitive programmes have climbed steadily. Describe your MCAT experience — including how you prepared, how the result felt in the context of your overall application, and what the process revealed about how you handle high-stakes setbacks or disappointments.
Likely follow-up · If your MCAT score was lower than you hoped, how did you decide whether to retake it versus building other parts of your application?
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University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) - Frequently asked questions
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS. Puerto Rico residency is effectively required — the school's mandate is to train physicians for Puerto Rico's public health system, and non-residents are rarely accepted. Spanish proficiency is required. Strong academic preparation and community service background are expected. Secondary application required.
Traditional individual faculty interviews; panel format for some applicants. UPR Med interview day is held on the Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan and typically includes one to two individual faculty or panel interviews of 25–35 minutes each. As the sole public medical school in Puerto Rico, UPR Med selects predominantly Puerto Rican residents; interviewers probe depth of ties to the island, Spanish fluency, motivation for community service, and academic preparedness. The day includes an admissions information session, campus and UPR-affiliated hospital tours, and informal interaction with current students. Applicants are expected to demonstrate strong command of both English and Spanish and to articulate how they will contribute to Puerto Rico's healthcare workforce.
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (MD) typically interviews in October–February.
Decisions are released March 30 (AAMC standard).
As the only public medical school in Puerto Rico, UPR Med offers the lowest in-state tuition of any PR medical school and has a formal mandate to train physicians for Puerto Rico's public health needs. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, which also houses schools of pharmacy, dentistry, public health, and nursing — enabling unique inter-professional training. UPR Med graduates have historically comprised the backbone of Puerto Rico's physician workforce.
