there is a senate bill requiring AZ public med schools to give priority to and interview all IS students that meet the requirements and submit their applications in a timely manner- this is why comp raised their min mcat from a 500 to a 506 this cycle as they would have to accommodate for more interview dates, also why comt switched their secondaries to a "virtual interview"

Bingo, which is good and bad at the same time. On one hand, interviewing gives adcoms another way to evaluate you, which helps the whole “holistic process.” But guaranteed interviews also mean that applicants who have the stats but have weaknesses elsewhere in their app, the kind that would normally get them rejected, get interviewed and then rejected post-II (basically false hope). Honestly, I don’t know what to make of it. If the state really wanted to fix the physician shortage, it would have funded more seats, which would have opened more doors.

Doesn't this mean it got a lot more competitive for in-state applicants?

I'm seeing that this bill does not go into effect until Jan 2027, so would it apply to the 2026-2027 cycle?

because January is mid-interview season/cycle, the bill is in effect now

The dean of admissions and an Adcom told me directly that it is in effect this year! Since they didn't just want to start it mid way through the cycle

it's technically more competitive, but as the op said, some people who might normally get rejected based on things elsewhere on their app may still be rejected post-interview. There is also the opportunity for those who might not have received an interview for lower stats in previous years to really shine in an interview and be accepted-all up to the adcoms lol i wish we knew what they were thinking

How do you think this is going to affect admissions?

if they interview the same # of people each year but give priority to IS students, wouldn't that mean the OOS students will likely suffer and itll become more competitive for IS?

icl with the addition of the two 3 year programs (PCAP) and this bill, admissions for IS applicants is very unique this year and could be considered more competitive. the yuma PCAP was initially a separate admissions process (now it's not?? Someone can correct me on this i didn't apply to it), which could be super beneficial for IS students to garner admission if primary care is what they are devoted to. also not sure if OOS students will suffer; a faculty member shared that they are still keeping the interview dates at around 72 people/month so they might add an extra month to account for it? no clue

Was told in a Q and A that there will be around an 85:15 to 90:10 IS to OOS ratio. OOS love will be declining however they did say they are welcome to admitting outstanding out of state applicants, so its not like OOS applicants are donating applications. Im sure if your OOS and get an II you have a good chance!