Pre-Medical Enrichment Programs
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania offers several special programs that allow students to become a part of our community through non-traditional channels or prepare to apply to a medical school in the future.
Johnson Scholars Program
The Johnson Scholars Program (JSP) is a pre-medical enrichment program that fosters the preparation and competitiveness of Penn undergraduates whose life and/or familial experiences may make it more difficult for them to achieve their goal of a career in medicine. To support student success, the JSP recruits entering first year students interested in becoming a physician, and then provides a progressive, 4-year set of tiered mentoring, advising and enrichment experiences with achievement milestones for continued participation in the program.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a strong academic foundation | Professional development | MCAT preparation | Apply to medical school |
| Receive mentoring and advising | Leadership development | Apply to pathway programs |
Provide near-peer mentoring as a student leader |
| Volunteer in healthcare | Community engagement |
Identify faculty for pre-health committee letter process |
|
| Prepare for summer research |
Program Timeline
Application Opens: Open now!!
Deadline to apply: September 1, 2025
Penn Access Summer Scholars (PASS) Program
The Penn Access Summer Scholar (PASS) program is a pre-medical enrichment program that supports the recruitment of experientially diverse cohorts of students for the Perelman School of Medicine. The program consists of two consecutive summers (after undergraduate sophomore and junior years) of mentored research on Penn's campus coupled with enrichment that fosters physician identity development and prepares students for the medical school transition.
Students who successfully complete the PASS program are eligible for linkage admission to the Perelman School of Medicine. For more information, and to apply, interested students should contact their health professions advising office or the program director for students in the STEMM Prep.
Students are selected from 10 partnering institutions:
Participating Colleges and Universities:
- Bryn Mawr College
- Haverford College
- Howard University
- Morehouse College
- Oakwood University
- Princeton University
- Spelman College
- University of Pennsylvania
- Xaiver University of Louisiana
Participating National Programs
- STEMM Prep Program