Centralized Applications
Allopathic Medicine
AMCAS stands for the American Medical College Application Service. All allopathic medical schools (with the exception of Texas state schools) subscribe to AMCAS, which is the centralized medical school application service. Students fill out one common application on-line, indicating the schools to which they wish to apply. AMCAS forwards copies of the common application to the schools indicated by students. The AMCAS application may be accessed in May and submitted in early June.
The AMCAS application consists of a section on biographical information; a section outlining all of your coursework, a section on your most meaningful activities, and a personal statement. The application is in some respect an exercise in detail. The first date that students may begin transmitting the AMCAS application is usually during the first week in June. Students may however send official transcripts to AMCAS beginning in May. Again, because of the rolling admission process used by so many professional schools, it is very important for applications to be submitted to AMCAS early in the application cycle (preferably in June or early July).
TMDSAS: Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service TMDSAS is the centralized application processing service for applicants to all of the public medical and dental schools in the state of Texas.
Osteopathic Medicine
AACOMAS is the centralized application for all of the schools of osteopathic medicine in the United States. The application is very similar in content to the AMCAS and also should be submitted in June or early July.
Dental
AADSAS The Association of American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) lets you apply to participating dental schools with one online application. The content of the of the AADSAS is similar to AMCAS and other centralized application services.
Veterinary Medicine
VMCAS Veterinary Medical Colleges Application Service: VMCAS is the central distribution, collection, and processing service for applications to the veterinary medical colleges in the US. You may apply to all US veterinary colleges through AMCAS and several international schools.
Physician Assistant Programs
CASPA is the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants. This is a common application which allows applicants to apply to a number of PA programs. Most but not all PA programs participate with CASPA.
Public Health
SOPHAS is the centralized application service for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health which represents CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health.
Physical Therapy
PTCAS The Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service is a service of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). PTCAS allows applicants to use a single application and one set of materials to apply to multiple DPT programs.
Occupational Therapy
OTCAS is the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service. Most OT programs particiate in OTCAS.
Optometry
OptomCAS is the Optometry Centralized Application Service. Through this service applicants may file one application and send it to multiple optometry programs. All schools and colleges of optometry participate in OptomCAS.
Pharmacy
PharmCAS The Pharmacy College Application Service is the centralized application service to apply to multiple Pharm.D. programs offered by schools and colleges of pharmacy.