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Medical School Interview Hold: What It Means
On hold before or after a medical school interview? What a pre-interview and post-interview hold mean, what eight schools say, the timing and what to do.
A hold means the school has not decided yet, not that it said no. A hold before the interview keeps your file for a possible later invitation. A hold after the interview puts off the decision so the committee can compare you with later interviewees. Either can end in good news, often late in the cycle. Follow each school's update rules and keep practicing.
The two kinds of hold
Before the interview. After reading your secondary, the school neither invites nor rejects you. It keeps your file to compare with applicants still coming in. UCSD says “Throughout the application season, candidates that were originally placed "on hold" may be invited to interview at UC San Diego.” Downstate says “Hold for spring consideration before interview means the Admissions Committee will re-review your application after January 2.” Our UCSD interview guide covers its hold in detail.
After the interview. You interviewed and the committee put off its decision. You are still in the running and can be accepted as the class fills. Schools use different names. Ohio State calls it deferred: “Being deferred means that the Admissions Committee wants to review more candidates before they make their decision on your application.” At some schools the hold and the wait list are separate steps. Downstate says “Generally, an applicant is first placed on the Hold list to be eligible for consideration for the Alternate list.”
What eight schools say
Each school's own admissions page, read October 19, 2026. Under each name: degree and when the school uses a hold.
| School | Its admissions page says |
|---|---|
| UCSDMD, before the interview | After the secondary you can be placed on hold for an interview and invited later in the season. If no invitation comes, UCSD emails you, typically in mid-March. Source |
| SUNY DownstateMD, before and after | Before the interview, a hold for spring consideration means a second review after January 2. After the interview, a hold is not the alternate list, which is decided in April. Source |
| Penn StateMD, before and after | Strong applicants not invited yet can go on a hold list and be invited if space opens. After the interview, files on hold stay active and can be accepted up to the first day of orientation. Source |
| OHSUMD, after the interview | After a priority score you are accepted, placed on hold or refused. You can be accepted from the hold pool any time before April 30. The ranked alternate list follows by May 1. Source |
| Florida StateMD, after the interview | Hold/Waitlist means no offer and no rejection yet. Final decisions come by late May, and held applicants are encouraged to send significant updates. Source |
| ETSU QuillenMD, after the interview | The committee accepts, terminates or holds. Held applicants go on a Hold List ranked by committee score and are later accepted or terminated. Source |
| MUSCMD, after the interview | Every interviewee without a decision is on Committee Hold and still under consideration. Waitlist places usually come by the end of March or early April. Source |
| UNECOMDO, after the interview | Decisions come on a rolling basis after the interview. Some interviewees are accepted and others are placed on hold for future consideration. Source |
What a hold means for timing
A pre-interview hold usually resolves by late winter, since interview seasons end then. Downstate re-reviews held files after January 2, UCSD sends its last notices to held applicants in mid-March, and Tulane says “If you do not receive an invite by the first week of March, our slots are full and you will receive a rejection letter”. Until then, Tulane adds, “your application is either under review or in the 'queue' to be invited”.
A post-interview hold can last much longer. OHSU can accept from its hold pool until April 30, MUSC moves held applicants to its waitlist by early April, Florida State makes final decisions by late May and Penn State can accept from its hold list up to orientation. At Ohio State, “The deferred list becomes a wait list after April 30.” For the dates every MD applicant shares, see how long it takes to hear back after an interview, and for the spring and summer, our wait list guide.
What to do while you are on hold
Read the school's update rule first
Schools differ more here than anywhere else. UCSD and Penn State take no update letters, MUSC takes updates only before your interview date, and Florida State and Downstate invite them from interviewed applicants.
Send an update only with real news
A new publication, role, award or grade report is news. A restated interest in the school is not. Keep it short and send it the way the school asks, usually through its portal.
Save the letter of intent for one school
Only for your clear first choice, only where the school accepts one, and only when it is true. Penn State, for example, allows a statement of intent from held applicants after April 30.
Keep interviewing and practicing
A pre-interview hold can turn into an invitation late in the season, sometimes with little notice. Stay ready for the school's format, MMI or traditional.
Watch the portal and your junk mail
UCSD sends decisions by email, UNECOM sends everything electronically and OHSU posts to its admissions portal. A missed email can cost you a late interview date.
The update rules really do differ. UCSD “does not consider updates to grades or activities or any other documents outside of the AMCAS application and secondary application process”, though “If you are an applicant on the waitlist, we will request updates or letters of intent in the spring.” Penn State “will not accept updates, including additional letters of recommendation or update letters from applicants, post-submission”, but “Applicants in the Hold category are permitted to submit a statement of intent after April 30”. MUSC says “The Admissions Committee will only accept updates submitted before your interview date.” Downstate says “Submit additional information only at the request of the Admissions Committee or if you have already been interviewed.” Florida State says “updates may increase the likelihood of applicants from the Hold/Waitlist list being offered acceptance during the cycle”.
Where updates are welcome, our update letter guide shows what counts as news, and a letter of intent goes to one school only. The best use of a hold is being ready for a late invitation or your next interview. Practice the questions every school asks out loud, with follow-ups.
Sources: the admissions pages of UCSD application process, UCSD FAQ, SUNY Downstate, Penn State, OHSU, Florida State, ETSU Quillen, MUSC, UNECOM, Ohio State and Tulane. All checked October 19, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does on hold for an interview mean at a medical school?
The school read your application and has not decided whether to invite you. It keeps your file to compare with later applicants and may invite you later in the season. At UCSD, held applicants who are never invited get an email, typically in mid-March. What an interview hold means at UCSD.
What does being placed on hold after the interview mean?
The committee has not decided yet. You are still under consideration and can be accepted later in the cycle, as at OHSU before April 30 or Penn State up to orientation. At some schools the hold later turns into a wait list place.
Is a hold the same as a wait list?
Not always. At SUNY Downstate a hold after the interview is not the alternate list, which is decided in April. At Florida State the two are one status, Hold/Waitlist. Ohio State calls it deferred, and its deferred list becomes a wait list after April 30. Medical school wait list guide.
Should I send a letter of intent while on hold?
Only to your clear first choice, and only if the school accepts one. Penn State allows a statement of intent from held applicants after April 30, while UCSD asks for letters of intent from its waitlist in the spring. Read each school's rule before you write. How to write a letter of intent.
What does hold for possible interview mean at Tulane?
Tulane's admissions pages do not define a hold. They say interview invitations go out July through February, that no news means your file is under review or in the queue, and that no invitation by the first week of March means the slots are full. Tulane School of Medicine interview guide.