Office of Pre-Professional Mentoring and Advising Pre-Health Application Support and Education Program
This page is for the University of Alabama students and alumni who are applying to medical, dental, or optometry school for the entering class of 2027 also known as Cycle 2027.
**Enrollment for the 2026-2027 OHPA P.H.A.S.E. Program is now closed. **
The Office of Health Professions Advising is now the Office of Pre-Professional Mentoring and Advising (OPMA). In alignment with this transition, our application support program has been updated to reflect the new name.
We are pleased to reintroduce the OPMA Pre-Health Application Support and Education (P.H.A.S.E.) Program. Our premier application mentoring program provides students with comprehensive guidance and support through the medical, dental, and optometry school application process.
Students who are interested in signing up for OPMA P.H.A.S.E. program must be preparing to apply to medical, dental, or optometry school the summer prior to graduation or the start of their gap year. Information on this page will be targeted to students currently applying in Cycle 2027 and preparing to apply in Cycle 2027.
As part of our six-month application support program, students are required to submit a pre-application portfolio, which allows pre-health advisors to provide individualized feedback and mentorship throughout the application year. Participants must complete several qualifying steps, referred to as the program’s “phases.” Once all phases are successfully completed, students become eligible for the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) interview and the composite letter that supports their graduate school applications.
OPMA P.H.A.S.E. Cycle 2027 General Timeline:
- Program registration (P.H.A.S.E. I) opens November 5, 2025 and closes on December 1, 2025.
- Program materials released to students via Blackboard (P.H.A.S.E. II) on December 5, 2025. P.H.A.S.E. Materials due March 11, 2026.
- P.H.A.S.E. III, which includes the HPAC interview, are held April 15, 2026, through May 6, 2026.
Other Application Support Services
Office of Pre-Professional Mentoring and Advising provides a variety of specialized services for students during the year that they are applying to their health professions graduate programs. We partner with other campus services like the UA Writing Center and the Career Center to create and identify workshops to help you to successfully prepare for the application process.
AS 299 Junior Prehealth Seminar— Offered Fall and Spring Semesters
AS 299 Prehealth Junior Seminar is a course that students can register for, similar to how they register for any other class at The Capstone. This course covers topics related to applying to medical, dental, and optometry school that include personal statements, preparing to take your standardized test, collecting letters of recommendation, and more. This class is pass/fail and is 1 credit hour. This class is not required, but former students have found it helpful.
This course is not a substitute for the OPMA P.H.A.S.E. program. Students who complete AS 299 Prehealth Seminar will be granted a pass or fail grade. Students who complete all requirements of our OPMA P.H.A.S.E. program will qualify to receive a committee interview and letter.
Are you a different prehealth track and preparing to apply to graduate school?
Are you pre-veterinary, pre-PT, pre-PA, or another prehealth track? Learn more about our application services for those tracks here: https://prehealth.ua.edu/application-process/other-professional-programs/
Getting ready to apply and don’t know where to start? Email prehealth@ua.edu to connect with a member of our prehealth advising team.
Thank you,
Office of Pre-Professional Advising and Mentoring
Prehealth Advising Team