Student Resources

Academic Calendars 

For the purposes of student policies, school days are defined as weekdays excluding those holidays for which the medical school is closed. You are encouraged to review the calendar for key dates such as medical school holidays and tuition deadlines. 

Academic Year Definitions

WMed defines the academic year for each of its degree programs based on the following number of weeks of instructional time and number of credit hours. These meet the minimum standards set by the Department of Education.

Degree Program Minimum Weeks of Instructional Time Minimum Credit Hours
Doctor of Medicine (MD) 30 30
Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences 34 30
Master of Science in Medical Engineering 30 12


Enrollment Status Per Term/Semester

WMed determines enrollment status based on students’ course schedules and total credit hours each term/semester. Some programs may require a higher number of credits per term/semester to complete the degree within prescribed timeframes.

Students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for federal student loans. Students receiving benefits through the military Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), Veterans Affairs, or other scholarship programs are generally required to maintain full-time enrollment.

Degree Program Full-time Three-quarter time Half-time Less than half-time
Doctor of Medicine 15 credits or more 11.5-14.5 credits 7.5-11 credits 1-7 credits
Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences 15 credits or more 11.5-14.5 credits 7.5-11 credits 1-7 credits
Master of Science in Medical Engineering 6 credits or more 4.5-5.5 credits 3-4 credits 1-2.5 credits

 

  • Address Changes

    Students are responsible for keeping their local and permanent address information updated. Please click here to update your personal information (Login Required).

  • E-Consent

    WMed is required under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign Act) to obtain E-Consent voluntarily and to allow consent to be rescinded or changed at any time. All WMed students complete an E-Consent form upon admission to the medical school. If students do not provide consent, all business communications and transactions, including those related to financial aid processing and disbursement (e.g., federal Direct Unsubsidized and Direct Grad PLUS student loans), must be conducted using paper checks, forms, and documents through the U.S. mail. Students may change their E-Consent status at any time by contacting the Registrar for an E-Consent Change Request Form.

  • Enrollment Verification/Letter of Good Standing

    Enrollment Verification serves as documentation of a student's enrollment status at WMed for a particular term/semester. It is frequently requested to prove enrollment to health insurance and housing agencies. 

    Letters of Good Standing are frequently requested to accompany scholarship, Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO), etc. application documents. 

    Students may complete the Enrollment Verification/Letter of Good Standing form found on the Forms page of the student portal under the Student Records section (Login required).

    Students admitted to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) must obtain an enrollment verification form from the NHSC and submit to the Registrar for completion. 

    Students admitted to an Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (US Army, Navy, or Air Force) should confirm with their recruiter if enrollment verification is needed.

  • Grades

    Grades are submitted three weeks after each course ends for MD programs and one week after each course ends for MS programs. Immediately upon entry in the Student Information System, grades are automatically posted to the official transcript. 

  • Health Insurance

    WMed students are required to have health insurance at the start of courses and continuing through graduation, and provide proof of coverage every academic year. 

    Students may satisfy the medical school health insurance requirement using:

    • The government healthcare exchange
    • Medicaid insurance
    • Private health insurance under a parent plan, spouse/partner plan, or separate individual/family health insurance plan


    The health insurance must meet the Essential Benefits requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), such as the bronze, silver, and gold plans of the ACA. While meeting the medical school health insurance requirement, there are important differences between plans in the coverage that is provided, including copays and coverage for diagnostic testing, mental health and counseling services, and when traveling out of the state of Michigan. Students are individually responsible for understanding the terms of their health insurance and selecting the plan that best meets their individual circumstances.

  • Jury Duty

    WMed students who receive a Jury Summons with an appearance date falling within their current term/semester of study may request to have their jury duty excused via the Office of the Registrar. When you receive a summons from the Court, please follow the steps listed below. Send in your request as early as possible to give our office time to process a letter requesting an excusal from jury duty.

    1. Fill out your juror summons from the Court, make a copy, and return the summons as directed.  
    2. Fill out the Excusal of Jury Duty Request found on the Forms page of the student portal (Login Required).
    3. Attach a copy of your court summons to the Excusal of Jury Duty Request form and submit both forms to the Office of the Registrar.
    4. A request for excusal letter will be issued to the student, who is responsible for submitting the letter to the court. 
    5. Call the courthouse in advance of the scheduled date on your Jury Summons to confirm your request to postpone jury duty was granted. The Office of the Registrar does not guarantee excusal from jury duty. Students should be aware that individual counties/states may not excuse them from jury duty even if a letter is submitted.
  • Loan Deferrals

    Students who have previous loans from undergraduate or graduate school requiring confirmation of enrollment for in-school deferment should obtain the form from their loan servicer and send to the Registrar or drop it off at the Student Affairs reception desk at the W.E. Upjohn Campus. 

  • Name Change

    In order to process a name change, a driver’s license, social security card AND either a marriage license, divorce degree or a court order that reflects the new name are necessary along with a written request. Submit the required documents and the Name Change form found on the Forms page of the student portal (Login Required).

  • Registration

    Registration in courses is required each term a student is engaged in educational activities, unless the student is on a Leave of Absences (medical students only), withdraws from WMed, or is dismissed. Students are registered each term/semester for courses, clerkships, and electives by the Registrar.

  • Transfer Students and Transfer Credit

    MD Degree Program

    WMed’s curriculum for the degree of Doctor of Medicine is an integrated curriculum. Basic sciences and clinical sciences are introduced and reinforced throughout the four years of medical school. Because of the highly integrated approach, it is extremely difficult to accommodate advanced placement of medical students from another medical school into this curriculum. The medical school does not consider requests of medical students to transfer with advanced standing.

    Transfer of up to twelve (12) individual credits toward elective requirements of the degree program may be considered upon request. A review would occur by the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs and include necessary faculty and staff in determining eligibility for individual credit acceptance and application towards degree requirements. All institutional policies governing credit limitations from outside WMed would apply.

    Masters in Biomedical Sciences Degree Program

    WMed’s curriculum is aligned in several areas of sequence and content with the MD Degree Program. The process of introduction and reinforcement of competency areas precludes the ability to accommodate advanced placement from coursework from another institution. Up to twelve (12) transfer credits, if accepted by the Program Committee after review, are entered onto the transcript as elective credits and do not fulfill core requirements toward degree.

    Masters in Medical Engineering Degree Program

    At student request, transfer credits at time of admission may be evaluated by the Program Committee for acceptance and alignment to fulfill any core degree or elective requirements. 

    WMed has a formal agreement with Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan for our students to be dual enrolled at WMU to take specialty  courses only. The medical school accepts transfer credit for approved specialty courses at WMU for students enrolled in the MS in Medical Engineering degree program. Transfer credit is recorded on the medical school transcript as “Credit” (CR) only and is not calculated in the honor points earned and the graduate grade point average at the medical school. Only credits transfer from WMU for specialty courses, not the grades and honor points at WMU.

    Graduate credit may be transferred from WMU courses provided that:

    • The student’s grade for the course is a “B” (3.0) or better.
    • The credit is earned within the time limit for the student’s medical school degree program, which is three years/six semesters for the MS in Medical Engineering.
    • The course and credits are shown on an official transcript from WMU that is provided directly from WMU to the medical school.
    • The total number of transfer credits does not exceed twelve (12) credits. A minimum of 18 credits must be taken at the medical school for the MS in Medical Engineering degree program.
  • Veterans

    Thank you for your service to our country! WMed is committed to assisting students receiving educational benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The Registrar serves as the Veterans Affairs (VA) School Certifying Official who works in collaboration with the office of Financial Aid to support veterans with their educational benefits. 

    The role of the VA certifying official is to certify enrollment and monitor academic progress that is reported to the VA. The certifying official is knowledgeable on each educational chapter offered through the VA and can provide general information, but the certifying official is not an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs and does not have access to veteran records. If you have specific questions or require specific information please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at (888) 442-4551.

    To apply for veteran’s education benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs, visit VA.gov.

    WMed does not participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program.