Indigenous Applicants MD Admissions Information

Applying to Medicine

Indigenous applicants apply through the general medicine application process. Please take a moment to review the U of A Apply to Medicine website. Please also review the Application Requirements and Indigenous Applicants section of the website for more information. Should you have further questions specifically about the MD program reach out to mdadmissions@ualberta.ca or 780-492-6769.

There is a section within the application where you have the ability to identify as Indigenous and this will automatically flag you for the Indigenous Stream. If you meet the minimum requirements for the Indigenous stream, you will be invited to both our MMI (Multiple Mini Interviews) and Indigenous Stream interview.

Indigenous Stream Interviews

WIHP focuses on the Indigenous Stream interviews, while the MD program handles Multiple Mini Interviews. We host an informal, conversational style interview with applicants and a panel of Indigenous interviewers. The panel is usually made up of one WHIP team member, a current Indigenous Medical/Dental student, a faculty member and community member. Here we get an understanding of your pathway to medicine and how our program can best support you as you move forward.

From there, the panelists submit their comments to the Indigenous Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee makes the final decisions on who is recommended to join the program through Wapanachakos, and who is recommended to join the general stream.

GPA and MCAT Scores for Indigenous Applicants

All Indigenous applicants follow the Albertan minimum cumulative GPA (cGPA) which is 3.30 on the U of A 4.0 grading scale.The minimum MCAT score to be eligible to apply for Albertan applicants is 124 in all categories (CPBS, CARS, BBFL, PSBB). For applicants entering the Indigenous stream, you only need to pass these minimum requirements to be accepted into the interview stage.

Indigenous Application Requirements

Eligible documentation includes:

  • a certified copy * of a Status card from the Government of Canada;
  • a certified copy * of a Métis membership card from one of the five Métis Provincial Affiliates or recognized Territorial organizations; Métis Nation of Alberta, Métis Nation of Ontario, Manitoba Metis Federation, Métis Nation Saskatchewan, Métis Nation British Columbia, Northwest Territory Métis Nation. Additionally, the student may present a membership card from the Métis Settlements General Council showing membership in a Métis Settlement of Alberta;
  • a certified copy * of an enrolment card issued by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.;
  • written confirmation of Indigenous identity from Indigenous Services;
  • written confirmation of Inuit enrolment from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.; or written confirmation of registration as a beneficiary of, or enrolment with the Inuvialuit, Nunavik, or Nunatsiavut land agreement
  • written confirmation of membership by a band council which has enacted its own band membership code

Effective July 1, 2026, the following documentation will no longer be eligible:

Documentation that an ancestor’s name has been entered 1) in the Indian Register according to the Indian Act, or 2) on the band list of an individual band, or 3) as beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement or other claim regions such as Nunatsiavut, Nunavik and Inuvialuit.

Those who began their application before July 1, 2026 can still use this criteria.

The University of Alberta recognizes that Indigeneity and connecting to your Indigenous identity can be a complex process. We work closely with the University of Alberta Committee on the Documentation of Indigeneity to review documentation that is not listed above.

*Certified copy references that the documents will be from a certified organization. Documentation does not need to be notarized to be submitted.

Tuition

For tuition information, please contact the University of Alberta, Office of the Registrar at 780-492-3113 or toll free at 1-800-492-3113 or visit the Student Service Centre.