UVM Larner Interview Prep Guide (2025-2026)

The Larner College of Medicine at UVM uses a unique interview process and has a clear mission that shapes its admissions priorities. This guide summarizes the MMI-style interview format (with virtual delivery and collaborative elements) and distills the school’s mission and values, which emphasize community service, cultural humility, and training physicians for Vermont uvm.edu uvm.edu. It provides an overview of the program’s distinctive curriculum and facts – including the Vermont Integrated Curriculum (VIC) and two clinical campus options ets.uvm.edu – linking these features to insightful questions you might ask interviewers blog.accepted.com. We also discuss relevant health policy topics (from rural healthcare to past state reforms) that reflect the context in which UVM operates uvm.edu. Additionally, the guide reviews non-academic criteria (like service and leadership) that UVM seeks in applicants prospectivedoctor.com, aligning them with the core competencies valued by the program ets.uvm.edu. Common themes in past interview questions – such as ethical scenarios and healthcare issues studentdoctor.net studentdoctor.net – are highlighted to illustrate what you might encounter. Finally, we outline the key timelines and deadlines for the 2025–2026 cycle, from primary application dates to interview season and decision releases uvm.edu uvm.edu.

UVM’s Larner College of Medicine conducts interviews in a Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) format. In place since 2014, the MMI involves a circuit of short, timed interview stations rather than a single long interview learn.uvm.edu. Applicants rotate through approximately 8–10 stations, spending about 6 minutes with each interviewer to address a prompt or scenario learn.uvm.edu. This rapid-fire format allows multiple perspectives: candidates meet a mix of faculty, students, and community interviewers, each evaluating them on different qualities and scenarios learn.uvm.edu. The approach is closed-file – interviewers typically do not have access to the applicant’s academic file, focusing instead on how the applicant thinks on their feet and responds to various situations.

UVM’s MMI is notable for incorporating a team-based exercise in addition to individual stations. In recent years, one station has required a small group of applicants (who have just met) to work together on a challenging problem, observed by evaluators blog.accepted.com. This assesses collaborative skills like communication, leadership, and teamwork under pressure – traits important to the school’s culture. The overall interview day is virtual (conducted via Zoom and the Kira Talent platform) as of the latest cycle, but the admissions team strives to convey UVM’s supportive, welcoming environment through online sessions med.uvm.edu. Interviewers aim to create a conversational, low-stress atmosphere even within the structured MMI; past candidates have generally found the experience fair and engaging, albeit fast-paced learn.uvm.edu.

Interviews are blind to academic metrics, concentrating on personal qualities and situational judgment. This means you won’t be answering questions about your GPA or MCAT during stations – instead, expect scenarios or behavioral questions that reveal traits beyond your application. The admissions committee believes the MMI provides a more holistic and unbiased assessment than a single open-file interview learn.uvm.edu learn.uvm.edu. After the interview, UVM uses a rolling admissions process. The committee meets multiple times per month to decide outcomes, and candidates are notified via email on a rolling basis beginning in mid-October ets.uvm.edu. Possible outcomes include acceptance, placement on a waitlist or “delayed decision” hold, or denial ets.uvm.edu. While UVM doesn’t publish a specific post-interview acceptance rate, it’s clear that reaching the interview stage greatly improves one’s chances: with thousands of applications for only ~120 seats, the overall admission rate is around 4% princetonreview.com, so those who impress in the interview have a significant advantage.

The mission of the Larner College of Medicine centers on training compassionate, community-focused physicians and scientists. As Vermont’s only medical school (and a land-grant institution), UVM explicitly aims to serve the citizens of Vermont by educating doctors who will meet the state’s healthcare needs uvm.edu. This commitment is reflected in admissions: about a quarter of each class is composed of Vermont residents ets.uvm.edu, and the school encourages graduates to practice in Vermont’s communities. UVM actively recruits students with a passion for health equity and service, aligning with its goal to improve health outcomes in both rural and urban underserved areas of the region uvm.edu.

Beyond geographic service, UVM’s core values emphasize excellence, professionalism, inclusivity, and respect. The college prides itself on fostering “clinically excellent and culturally humble physicians” who understand and reflect the diverse populations they serve uvm.edu. There is a strong culture of professionalism and kindness: students and faculty are expected to uphold integrity, accountability, and teamwork in all endeavors. UVM’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion underlines that “diversity [is] a driver of excellence”, seeking to create a community where people of all backgrounds feel welcomed and can thrive. Likewise, community engagement is a pillar of the mission – the school values those who demonstrate commitment to volunteerism, public service, and improving social conditions as part of being a physician. Overall, UVM’s mission and values suggest that they are looking for future physicians who not only excel academically, but who also embody compassion, cooperation, and a genuine dedication to serving others.

UVM’s Larner College of Medicine offers an innovative curriculum and learning environment that interviewees should be familiar with. The M.D. program’s curriculum – called the Vermont Integrated Curriculum (VIC) – is an award-winning integration of foundational science, clinical skills, and active learning methodologies ets.uvm.edu. The VIC is structured in three levels: Level 1 covers pre-clinical foundations with organ-system blocks; Level 2 consists of core clinical clerkships; and Level 3 is advanced integration (including sub-internships and electives). A defining feature of UVM’s curriculum is its commitment to active learning over traditional lectures. In fact, UVM has been a national leader in phasing out lectures in favor of team-based learning, case-based discussions, and other interactive methods. Students work through case problems in small groups and engage in hands-on learning experiences rather than passively sitting in lecture halls blog.accepted.com. This approach means that UVM students are expected to be self-directed learners and highly collaborative, which is something interviewers may note – and something you can ask about. One potential question to ask at your interview is, for example, “I’ve read about your active learning curriculum; what does active learning look like day-to-day for a first-year student?” blog.accepted.com. This shows interest in the program’s teaching style and aligns with UVM’s educational philosophy.

Another distinctive aspect of the program is its clinical training opportunities. UVM has two clinical campuses for clerkship and rotations: the main Vermont campus in Burlington (affiliated with UVM Medical Center and other sites across Vermont and adjacent New York), and a Connecticut campus (a partnership with Nuvance Health, serving hospitals in western Connecticut) med.uvm.edu. Applicants actually get to rank their campus preference shortly after the interview ets.uvm.edu. Both campuses offer comparable clinical education and are fully integrated into the curriculum, but each provides exposure to different patient populations and hospital settings (ranging from academic medical centers to community hospitals). UVM also offers unique programs such as a Global Health Program connected to the Connecticut campus – students can apply for global health elective rotations abroad, with expenses subsidized, as part of their training med.uvm.edu med.uvm.edu. This is a great topic to bring up in the interview if it interests you (for instance, asking about opportunities for global health or community outreach signals that you’ve done your homework on what UVM offers).

In terms of basic facts and figures, the Larner College of Medicine was founded in 1822 (making it the seventh-oldest medical school in the U.S.) and it enrolls roughly 120–125 students per class ets.uvm.edu. The class is diverse in background: for example, the Class of 2029 cohort hailed from 72 different undergraduate institutions and 42 majors, and collectively spoke 16 languages besides English uvm.edu. UVM’s students also tend to be very engaged outside the classroom – prior to med school they accumulated hundreds of thousands of hours in clinical, research, and volunteer experiences uvm.edu. Knowing these facts can help you appreciate the community you’re aiming to join. It can also fuel questions for your interviewers: you might ask about how students with varied backgrounds are supported, or how the curriculum leverages having such a diverse student body. Showing awareness of UVM’s program features and student culture will underscore your genuine interest in the school.

Medical education at UVM doesn’t occur in a vacuum – being conversant with health policy issues and healthcare challenges relevant to Vermont, the New England region, and the country as a whole will help you stand out. UVM’s mission includes “advocacy to promote public health and improve social conditions” uvm.edu, so interviewers appreciate candidates who are knowledgeable about current issues in healthcare and can thoughtfully discuss them. In Vermont and northern New York (UVM’s primary service area), some key issues include rural healthcare access and workforce shortages. Vermont is a largely rural state, and ensuring that people in remote areas have access to primary care, mental health services, and specialty care is an ongoing challenge. You could be asked about or choose to discuss ideas for attracting physicians to rural communities or using telemedicine to bridge access gaps. UVM’s focus on training physicians for the state uvm.edu ties into this issue – for instance, the school has initiatives to encourage graduates to practice in Vermont’s underserved areas.

Another topic with local and national relevance is the opioid epidemic and addiction treatment. New England has been heavily impacted by opioids, and Vermont gained attention for its innovative “Hub-and-Spoke” model of care for opioid use disorder (a system integrating specialized addiction treatment hubs with office-based care in general medical practices). UVM researchers have studied the effectiveness of this model med.uvm.edu, and it reflects Vermont’s proactive policy approach to public health crises. An interview scenario might involve discussing how to address the opioid crisis or improve addiction treatment – being aware of Vermont’s model and the general principles of harm reduction and integrated care would be useful.

On a broader policy level, Vermont has a reputation for progressive healthcare reforms. Notably, it was the first state to legislate a single-payer healthcare plan (called Green Mountain Care) in 2011, aiming for universal coverage, although the plan was ultimately shelved in 2014 due to implementation challenges washingtonpost.com. While you likely won’t need to know all the political details, this history underscores Vermont’s commitment to healthcare access and could come up in conversations about healthcare systems. It’s good to have an opinion on larger national issues like universal healthcare, the Affordable Care Act’s impact, or how to control healthcare costs – always framed respectfully and informed by facts. Vermont also strongly protects reproductive rights and public health measures, which could be relevant given recent national shifts (for example, the state enshrined abortion rights in its constitution in 2022). Finally, environmental health might be a topic – Vermont’s culture emphasizes sustainability, and climate change’s impact on health (e.g. Lyme disease spread, extreme weather events) is increasingly salient. In sum, be prepared to engage on health policy and ethics questions that connect to UVM’s context: think rural health disparities, public health advocacy, and forward-thinking healthcare reforms.

Like many medical schools, UVM employs a holistic review in admissions – meaning that beyond grades and test scores, they heavily weigh your personal attributes and experiences. In particular, UVM looks for evidence of service, leadership, clinical exposure, and other forms of engagement that reflect your commitment to medicine. As the Admissions Dean has noted, virtually all serious applicants “know you’ve got to have some clinical stuff, some leadership, you have to have some volunteering”, and successful UVM candidates tend to have strong backgrounds in these areas prospectivedoctor.com. For example, the recently matriculated class collectively completed tens of thousands of hours of community service and patient-contact experiences before medical school uvm.edu. Demonstrated dedication to serving others (through volunteer work or community initiatives) and leadership experience (whether through campus organizations, jobs, or projects) will align well with UVM’s expectations.

Beyond these core experiences, UVM appreciates research and scholarly curiosity, especially if it ties into your motivation for medicine. Nearly 89% of the incoming Class of 2029 participated in undergraduate research uvm.edu, indicating that a majority of UVM students have engaged in scientific inquiry or academic projects. While research is not strictly required, having some exposure to research or other scholarly endeavors can strengthen your profile – particularly since UVM is a research-intensive institution (with over $100 million in annual research funding) and values the advancement of medical knowledge. Additionally, UVM is interested in traits like teamwork, communication skills, resilience, and cultural competence. Your extracurriculars, essays, and references should ideally reflect these qualities. For instance, experiences where you worked in teams (sports, group projects, clinical teams), or instances where you had to adapt and persevere, help show you have the personal competencies needed to succeed in their collaborative, active-learning environment. In short, UVM’s non-academic criteria boil down to looking for well-rounded, service-oriented, and reflective individuals who have tested their commitment to medicine in the real world.

The attributes UVM seeks in applicants align closely with the AAMC’s Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students, which serve as a guiding framework. In fact, the Larner College of Medicine explicitly encourages prospective students (and especially re-applicants) to review and reflect on the AAMC core competencies ets.uvm.edu. These competencies are a set of 15 qualities in several domains – Interpersonal (e.g. service orientation, teamwork, oral communication), Intrapersonal (e.g. ethical responsibility, resilience and adaptability, cultural humility), Thinking and Reasoning (critical thinking, scientific inquiry, quantitative reasoning), and Science (biological, behavioral, and social science knowledge). UVM’s admissions philosophy of holistic review is built around these kinds of competencies. For example, an interviewer may be gauging your service orientation when discussing your volunteer work, or your ethical responsibility and integrity when posing an ethical scenario during the MMI. Your ability to collaborate in the group exercise reflects teamwork and communication skills, while your discussion of any research experience touches on scientific inquiry and critical thinking.

UVM’s own institutional values mirror these competencies as well. The school places special emphasis on cultural competence and humility (aligning with the AAMC’s “cultural competence” competency) and on social skills and teamwork (aligning with the interpersonal competencies). Their recommendation to engage with the AAMC competency framework ets.uvm.edu suggests that UVM expects candidates to be self-aware about how their experiences have cultivated these qualities. It’s a good idea in your interview to articulate the competencies you’ve developed — for instance, you might highlight how working as an EMT taught you teamwork and stress management, or how conducting lab research honed your analytical thinking. UVM is looking for students who not only check the boxes of experiences, but who have grown in these competency areas through those experiences. By framing some of your answers in terms of core competencies (without sounding too rehearsed or jargon-y), you demonstrate that you understand what it means to be a well-rounded future physician as defined by national standards and by UVM’s own mission.

While UVM’s current interview is an MMI (where specific questions are kept confidential), we can identify common themes from past questions that have been reported. One major theme is ethical and moral reasoning. The MMI stations often include ethical dilemmas or bioethical scenarios. For example, in the past, an applicant might be asked to discuss a topic like stem cell research or another controversial medical issue, gauging their ability to think through ethical implications studentdoctor.net. Similarly, bioethics scenario questions in general (e.g. questions about patient confidentiality, resource allocation, or professional ethics) have been a staple of the UVM interview process studentdoctor.net. To prepare, it’s wise to familiarize yourself with common medical ethics principles (autonomy, beneficence, etc.) and to practice articulating balanced viewpoints on healthcare dilemmas.

Another theme is healthcare policy and societal issues, which ties into UVM’s focus on public health and community. You might encounter questions about the American healthcare system, rural healthcare challenges, or current events in medicine. For instance, an MMI prompt could ask how you would address a shortage of physicians in an underserved area, or your thoughts on a policy like universal health care. Being up-to-date on healthcare debates and having an informed opinion (while showing willingness to see multiple perspectives) will serve you well. The interviews also assess communication and interpersonal skills through scenarios — you could be asked to role-play breaking bad news to a patient or resolving a conflict with a teammate. These situations test your empathy, clarity of communication, and professionalism. Since UVM includes a team-based activity, your ability to collaborate and communicate in a group is definitely something they evaluate.

Lastly, even though the formal interview is largely scenario-based, don’t be surprised if you get some personal or motivation questions during the day. In some cases, there may be a station or prompt that asks about your background or goals (for example, “Why do you want to be a physician?” or “Why are you interested in UVM specifically?”). In older, traditional interviews at UVM, questions like “Why UVM? Why medicine? Why Vermont?” were common studentdoctor.net studentdoctor.net. While the MMI format limits long autobiographical discussions, you should still be ready to convey your personal motivations and fit for the school in your responses or in interactions with students and faculty. Additionally, past candidates have reported questions about their experiences and achievements – e.g. discussing a meaningful extracurricular activity or a challenge they overcame. These allow you to highlight key parts of your application, so it’s good to have a few stories in mind that demonstrate qualities UVM values (like teamwork, resilience, or compassion). Overall, the themes to prepare for include: ethical dilemmas, health policy issues, teamwork/communication scenarios, and personal motivation. Practicing with a variety of MMI-style questions in these domains will help you feel confident for whatever UVM might throw your way.

For the 2025–2026 application cycle, it’s important to keep track of UVM’s deadlines and schedule. UVM operates on a rolling admissions timeline, so applying earlier can be advantageous. Below are the key dates and milestones for this cycle uvm.edu uvm.edu:

• May 28, 2025 – AMCAS primary application opens for submission (applicants can begin working on and submitting their applications) uvm.edu.
• June 16, 2025 – Early Decision Program (EDP) AMCAS primary application deadline. Students seeking a binding early decision to UVM must submit AMCAS by this date uvm.edu.
• **May–November 2025 – Take the CASPer test. UVM requires all applicants to complete the CASPer (situational judgment) exam. You should register and take CASPer by the late fall; the last acceptable CASPer test date is December 4, 2025** uvm.edu.
• June 27, 2025 – UVM’s secondary application invitations start going out to verified AMCAS applicants uvm.edu. (UVM sends secondaries to all verified applicants, along with CASPer instructions.)
• **July 2025 – March 2026 – Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling basis uvm.edu. Admissions committee review begins in mid-summer and continues through early spring as applications come in.
• **August 1, 2025 – EDP application completion deadline.** By this date, Early Decision applicants should have all materials in: secondary application submitted, CASPer done, letters of recommendation, and fee paid uvm.edu.
• **August 2025 – March 2026 – Interview season. UVM conducts interviews during this period uvm.edu, with invitations typically sent a few weeks ahead of the interview dates. If you apply early, you could interview in late summer or fall; interviews continue into winter and early spring.
• **October 1, 2025 – EDP decision release. Early Decision applicants will receive their outcome by this date (acceptance or release to regular pool) ets.uvm.edu.
• **October 16, 2025 – Rolling admissions decisions begin for Regular Decision.** Starting mid-October, the admissions committee starts notifying regular applicants of acceptances, waitlist offers, or other decisions on a rolling basis ets.uvm.edu. (Notifications then continue periodically through the cycle.)
• **November 3, 2025 – AMCAS primary application deadline for UVM.** This is the last day you can submit your AMCAS application for the regular cycle (11:59 PM Eastern Time) uvm.edu. It’s not recommended to wait this long, but UVM will consider any primary submitted by this date.
• **December 22, 2025 – Secondary application (and all materials) deadline.** All components of your application must be in by this date: secondary application submitted, CASPer completed, all letters of recommendation received, and the secondary fee paid uvm.edu. UVM will only review applications that are complete by this deadline.
• **Late Spring 2026 – UVM’s class is finalized.** April 30, 2026 is the “Plan to Enroll” deadline when applicants holding multiple acceptances must choose one (per AAMC rules) . UVM may continue to offer acceptances to waitlisted candidates through May and June 2026 if spots open up. The goal is to have the incoming Class of 2026 (entry year) confirmed by early summer, with orientation typically in August.

Keep in mind that submitting early (e.g. in June or July) can give you a timing advantage for interviews and acceptances, since UVM reviews applications as they become complete. However, whenever you apply, make sure your materials are polished; a strong application is more important than a rushed one. Also note UVM’s CASPer requirement – you must take CASPer by the stated deadline, or you won’t be eligible for an interview. It’s wise to take CASPer in the summer or early fall so that your score is available in time. Finally, because UVM has rolling admissions, interview invites and acceptances come out in batches: don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back immediately, as decisions can roll out as late as the spring. Stay on top of your email (and check spam folders) for any communications from UVM, and be sure to promptly complete any follow-up requirements (like the clinical campus selection after your interview).

Interviewing at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine is an exciting opportunity to showcase not just your qualifications, but your alignment with the school’s mission and culture. In this guide, we reviewed the MMI format and virtual interview day experience, underscoring how you can expect to engage in ethical scenarios and teamwork exercises rather than a traditional interview. We discussed UVM’s mission of community service, inclusion, and Vermont-focused healthcare, which should resonate in your anecdotes and conversations. We highlighted key program features – from the active learning curriculum to the two-campus system – that can inform insightful questions to ask your interviewers. We also touched on broader healthcare topics relevant to UVM’s context, and the personal attributes and competencies the admissions committee values. As you prepare, remember that the goal is to demonstrate you are a compassionate, collaborative, and capable future physician who will thrive at UVM. By understanding what the program stands for and being aware of timelines and expectations, you’ll be well-equipped to approach the interview with confidence. Good luck, and go Catamounts!