Delaying Third Year Clerkships

In certain circumstances, you may need to delay one or more of your third-year clerkships. Common reasons for this include the need to retake Step 1, medical issues, or other personal matters.

Delay of First Clerkship Policy

2025-2026 Delayed Clerkship FAQ

Third-year students who delay one or more blocks may need to adjust their fourth-year curriculum and could also experience a delay in graduation. For details, please see information on modified fourth-year curriculum options.

    Impact on the Lottery

    • You will enter preferences for both the third-year and fourth-year lotteries. This includes specific preference pages for any delayed M3 clerkships and your M4 rotations.
    • M3 and M4 lottery results will be released at the same time, by the end of January.

    Impact on Fourth-Year Curriculum

    • If you delay the first block(s) of your third year, you are required to make up the missed clerkship(s) during your fourth year. The missed clerkship(s) will be scheduled in the fall semester, as they cannot be made up during the spring.
    • If a delayed clerkship is scheduled for late fall, you may request an extension to the November 1st deadline for the USMLE Step 2 exam.
    • You are required to take the Step 2 Study Block after completing your final clerkship. This may fall outside of Blocks 9, 10, and 11, and will be scheduled through the M4 lottery. Adjustments may be necessary depending on your individual results.
    • You may begin your fourth-year rotations before completing the delayed clerkship. However, you cannot take a Sub-I or elective within the discipline of the delayed clerkship until it is completed (e.g., you cannot take a Pediatrics Sub-I if your Pediatrics clerkship is delayed, but you may take other specialties like Surgery).
    • You are not allowed to take time off for residency interviews while completing a delayed clerkship.
    • You cannot take the Shelf exam for your delayed clerkship or the USMLE Step 2 exam until the clerkship is completed.

    Please notify the Registrar if you are considering specializing in the area of a delayed clerkship.