Requirement

Duke-NUS Medical School seeks candidates from a wide variety of academic and geographic backgrounds, whose academic records show clear evidence of leadership, scholarship, and passion for a career in medicine or biomedical research.

Admission to Duke-NUS is highly selective. Our Admissions Committee evaluates all applications based on a variety of criteria to enroll truly talented individuals. These criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Outstanding academic qualifications
• Voluntary or community work experience, especially in the medical field
• Research experience
• Social maturity
• Servant leadership

We select and accept candidates throughout the application period. Admissions decisions are made by the Duke-NUS Admissions Committee and are final.

Duke-NUS is pleased to offer academically strong applicants an early acceptance option. Admissions requirements are the same, with just a difference in the submission deadline. Students applying for early acceptance will need to submit the online application and all supporting documents by September 1, 2010. If you have questions on Early Acceptance, please go to our FAQ page.

Academic Requirements

The MD curriculum at Duke-NUS is rigorous and proven academic success is key for gaining admission to the program. Our Admissions Committee will use the following academic measures to help evaluate applicants:

• Attainment of at least a Bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation at Duke-NUS. Candidates with higher postgraduate qualifications such as Masters or PhD degrees are strongly encouraged to apply.
• MCAT results (Medical College Admission Test). For more on the MCAT, click here.
• Results of TOEFL or IELTS are required only if English was not the language of instruction during undergraduate studies

English Language

English is the language of instruction at Duke-NUS. Applicants whose medium of instruction during undergraduate studies was not English must submit either TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language) scores or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.

A minimum score of 600 on the TOEFL paper test (or 213 on the computer-administered test) or an overall band score of 7 on the IELTS should be achieved.

Duke-NUS does not accept TOEFL or IELTS scores earned more than two years ago.

Visit the official TOEFL Web site and IELTS Web site for more information.

Other Requirements

• Submission of 3-5 recommendation letters from mentors who can testify to the varied exemplary performance and capabilities of the candidate. At least 1 of the recommendation letters should be an academic reference. (All letters received by Duke-NUS will be kept confidential)

  If you are attending or have attended university in the US, please approach your Pre-Professional Health Advising Office for guidance on putting together your reference letters. Please check with the Office for any application assistance deadlines that are particular to your university.

• Proof of meeting health requirements, including negative Hepatitis B status and Hepatitis B immunity. Applicants are strongly encouraged to be screened for Hepatitis B virus to determine their immune status before applying to Duke-NUS. The current policy from the Singapore Ministry of Health does not allow Hepatitis B carriers (as shown by a positive Hepatitis Surface Antigen) to enter medical school. Candidates selected for admission are required to submit a HBV status report to verify that they meet the HBV requirements before they can register as Duke-NUS students.

Submission of transcripts

• Submission of official transcripts: Applicants who are graduates from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or any US University should request their respective institutions to send their official transcripts directly to Duke-NUS at the address below.

  All other applicants must request their institutions to submit their transcripts to both Duke-NUS (at the address below) and the World Education Services for a course by course evaluation. A detailed report by WES will be directly sent to Duke-NUS. Please visit www.wes.org for further details.

  Applicants from Canadian Universities may contact the Admissions Office at info@duke-nus.edu.sg to see if a WES report is required from your institution.

Contact Address

Please have all your supporting admissions documents sent directly to the Admissions Office at the following address:

Dr Craig Stenberg, Associate Dean (Student Affairs & Admissions)
c/o Ms Tammie Zhu, Assistant Admissions Manager
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore
Admissions Department
8 College Road
Singapore 169857