SHPEP Application Guide
All students who meet the Summer Health Professions Education Program eligibility requirements are encouraged to apply. Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Be a college freshman or sophomore at the time of application.
- Have a minimum overall college GPA of 2.5.
- Be a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident, or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Not have previously participated in the program.
- Identifies with a group that is racially/ethnically underrepresented in the health professions;
- Comes from an economically or educationally disadvantaged background; and/or
- Has demonstrated an interest in issues affecting underserved populations.
- Submits a compelling personal statement and a strong letter of recommendation.
Important Dates
- December 1, 2018: Application opens
- February 15, 2019: Application closes at 11:59 PM ET
- March 15, 2019: Admissions decisions released
- March 20, 2019: Program sites will begin accepting students from the waitlist
We encourage you to prepare and apply early! A preview template of the application can be downloaded here. All applications must be submitted through the national SHPEP application system at www.shpep.org .
Submit Application Materials
Applications will only be reviewed by designated program sites. The SHPEP National Program Office fowards applications to each site you are applying to once your applications materials are complete, and include the following components:
- The online SHPEP application, which includes one essay prompt. An AAMC account is required to access the application. Register for an AAMC account only if you do not already have one.
- One official transcript from every U.S., U.S. Territorial, or Canadian post-secondary institution attended sent directly by the institution’s registrar’s office. Please review the Transcript Requirements section for more information. All transcripts must be mailed and postmarked by February 15th! The National Program Office does not accept electronic transcripts.
- One letter of recommendation from a qualified reference. Please review the Recommendation Requirements section for more information.
You can review the Application Checklist to ensure that you have completed all of the required steps to apply to SHPEP.
For more information visit www.shpep.org/apply-to-shpep/