Application Checklist
WICHE, WWAMI
and Minnesota Dental
Professional Student Exchange Programs
Montana participates in three professional student exchange programs that offer educational opportunities at specific, out-of-state professional programs in select fields of study that are not available in the state: WICHE Professional Student Exchange (PSEP), WWAMI Medical Education Program, and the Minnesota Dental Program.
WICHE supported fields of study for Montana residents include: medicine, osteopathic medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, optometry, occupational therapy, and podiatry. The WWAMI medical program is specific to medicine and the Minnesota Dental Program is specific to the field of dentistry.
Through these exchange programs, sending states like Montana pay a support fee on behalf of each funded student which helps to provide access to professional school and covers a portion of the cost of education. The number of students funded is determined by Legislative appropriation. Exchange students receive preference in admission and if supported by state funding, will pay a reduced level of tuition; generally resident tuition in public institutions or reduced standard tuition at private schools.
Eligibility for participation in the WICHE, WWAMI or Minnesota Dental exchange programs requires that prospective students apply for certification by October 15th of the year prior to their anticipated matriculation into professional school. For example, students hoping to enter professional school Fall 2009 should apply for certification by October 15, 2008.
Students who are already enrolled in professional programs at participating institutions may apply for certification as alternate students only. Funding priority is given to beginning students first. Alternate students receive funding consideration only after all beginning students holding offers of admission that particular application cycle have been funded. Deferred admissions from a prior academic period do not receive funding preference. Deferments are treated the same as new offers of admission and are subject to both the certification and ranking process for the applicable application cycle. Deferments are not accepted in the field of veterinary medicine.
All applicants must complete the application materials. Certification is not given until all materials have been submitted. The certification criteria are the same for all three programs. All students must meet the Montana University System residency requirements. Please see the Student Guide to Montana’s Residency Policy which is included as part of the application packet. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY!
Certification as a Montana resident for purposes of applying to these programs is only the first step in the process. Certification does not guarantee admission to any participating school or university, nor is it a guarantee that you will be one of the state funded students. Funding is extremely limited and is not sufficient to support all students who receive professional school offers. It is advisable to apply to professional school early, especially to those schools with a rolling admissions process.
The number of students funded is determined by Legislative appropriation. For the WWAMI program, the University of Washington offers admission only to the number of Montana students authorized by the Legislative appropriation. For the WICHE program, however, an integrated ranking process takes place each spring to determine funding awards. Only students who receive professional school offers by April 1st are included in the ranking for the available state support. The rankings are completed by the schools you apply to and are collected and combined into one overall ranking at WICHE. The University of Minnesota ranks the successful dental applicants who are granted admission to their program which determines the funded students there.
Special Note to Medical and Osteopathic Medical Applicants:
The Montana Rural Physician Incentive Program (MRPIP) was authorized by the 1991 Montana Legislature and amended during both the 1997 and 2007 legislative sessions in an effort to encourage primary care physicians to practice in medically underserved areas of Montana. Towards this end, the Rural Physician Incentive Trust Fund was established to facilitate payment of qualified educational debts of rural physicians who practice in areas of the state that are medically underserved and that demonstrate the need for assistance in physician recruitment.
As mandated by the law, the trust is funded through a tuition surcharge assessed to all Montana allopathic and osteopathic medical students who are supported by the State of Montana pursuant to the WICHE and WWAMI medical education programs. Therefore, as a condition of receiving state support through either the WICHE or WWAMI programs, all medicine and osteopathic medicine students are required to pay an annual tuition surcharge throughout the duration of their professional program. This surcharge is calculated at 16% of the WICHE medical and osteopathic support fees. For the 2009/2010 academic year, this tuition assessment will be $4,528 for medical students and $3,008 for osteopathic medical students. This fee increases incrementally each year as the support fees increase. In general, this fee is payable by November 1st each year. It is important to note, that in the event you are one of the funded students to receive state support through either of these exchange programs in the fields of medicine or osteopathic medicine, you will be required to pay this fee annually and should plan to incorporate it into your financial aid plans.
Certification is an annual process. If you are not accepted by a participating program or plan to defer your admission, you must recertify with our office by the October 15th deadline for the applicable academic year. Program participation and funding consideration requires certification.
If you have questions regarding the certification process, residency status or the required application materials, please contact Laurie Tobol at (406) 444-0322 or via email. Completed applications should be returned to:
Laurie Tobol, State Certifying Officer
Office of Commissioner of Higher Education
PO Box 203201
46 North Last Chance Gulch
Helena, MT 59620-3201
Application Deadline is October 15, 2008
LATE AND/OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS ARE NOT CONSIDERED
