Medical Schools in the US: A Complete List

If you want to apply to medical schools in the US, you need to submit your application in one of the following ways:

• AACOMAS: For osteopathic medical schools
• TMDSAS: For medical schools in Texas
• AMCAS: For allopathic medical schools in the US
• Other: Some schools have their own application process that does not utilize any of the above portals.

You will need to check the admissions website of the medical schools you’re applying to so you can confirm their specific application processes and medical school requirements.

“I did not focus on actual acceptance rates as they are all low ... I focused more on my priorities and matching my applicant profile to the school’s profile … Beyond that I looked at opportunities for research support, patient population diversity, and locations where students matched. I also thought about where rotations occur during third year as I wanted to focus on hospitals where rotations were not scattered and centralized to a main hospital center.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“I applied to both [MD and DO] because I wanted a diverse range of different programs. I applied to a number of schools that were in range of my stats … Of the acceptance offers I received, I believed that the DO school I went to offered the most comprehensive education. It was the best in terms of match rate, 1sttime board pass rate, and had a good reputation in securing students the rotations they wanted.” – Dr. Tony Huynh, DO, Touro University Nevada.

While there are some schools that are considered the easiest medical schools to get into, such as DO schools and schools with higher-than-average acceptance rates, no medical school is “easy” to get accepted into.

Dr. Taneja advises use MSAR as a resource when building a list of schools to apply to:

“MSAR was a great resource as I built a list. I utilized the GPA and MCAT ranges to make sure my statistics were within the 25-75 percentiles. I also noted the number of volunteer, work, and research experiences that accepted applicants had and focused on schools that had averages that matched my numbers.”

The short answer is: it is difficult to get into medical school, but not impossible!

Take it from one of our students, Rishi, who was a successful reapplicant to medical school:

“Sometimes it does feel like medical school admissions is a little bit random and there's no kind of rhyme or reason to why certain people get in and why other people don't and you know there is a little bit of this randomness to it and but you know at the end of the day you can't let yourself get too stressed out about the parts you can’t control. What you should focus on is on that there are things you can do that are established that will help you get into good places and help you get into more places so focus on the part you can control … being diligent, intentional and proactive throughout the whole process will make a huge difference.” – Rishi, former BeMo student and current student at Carver College of Medicine.

The answer to this question depends on the school or program in question. Generally speaking, Ivy League medical schools and elite private schools treat all applications equally irrespective of the location of the applicant, while public or state schools usually give preference to in-state applicants. For instance, Texas medical schools heavily favor in-state applications. A lot of state schools also charge higher tuition for out-of-state applicants.

Yes, there are many medical schools that accept international students in the US. However, there are some that do not consider international applicants at all. Some may only permit Canadian applicants but no others. You should check the admissions policies on the university website to confirm the specific policy for each school.

To get into medical school in the US, you need to complete all the medical school requirements for the programs you’re applying to and submit your application via the appropriate portal as per the applicable medical school application timelines. Common med school admissions requirements include the following: good GPA and MCAT score, completion of medical school prerequisites, excellent letters of recommendation, impressive medical school personal statements, meaningful extracurriculars, etc.

“Don’t rush and prioritize. The requirements for medical school are all tough! Don’t overload yourself on classes trying to knock out requirements as you don’t want to be spread too thin. Try and spread out requirements over the 3-4 years of undergrad so that you can do your best in each class … MCAT and GPA are important as screening tools … However, the other pieces of your application are what differentiate you from a crowd and will ultimately be why a school chooses to accept you.” – Dr. Monica Taneja, MD.

You may also have to complete medical school interviews and finish additional application components such as the Altus Suite. For both, effective preparation is key:

“For me, preparation meant having a solid grasp of the interview format (i.e., being comfortable with timing and the different types of questions such as acting, collaborating, and writing stations), researching the medical school (and understanding their curriculum, mission statement, and extra-curricular activities they offered), reflecting on my life experiences and extracting lessons applicable to a medical career as well as ensuring I was well informed about current issues … aided me in making a more substantial first and lasting impression!” – Dr. Shaughnelene Smith, DO, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“[When preparing for CASPer or MMI] I believe nothing beats practice. By going through the questions and timing oneself rigidly, time management and prioritization become more apparent for students.” – Dr. Tony Huynh, DO.

Yes! Many US medical schools accept Canadian applicants, and some even allow Canadians to apply as “out-of-state” applicants. These are called Canadian-friendly medical schools. Applying to US medical schools can open up more possibilities for an acceptance, like it did for our admissions expert, Dr. Smith, DO:

“Initially, I only applied to Canadian medical schools (all MD); however, after several years of being unsuccessful, I found BeMo, and they encouraged me also to consider medical schools in the United States (MD and DO). In my final year of applications, I applied to CAN MD, US MD, and US DO.” – Dr. Shaughnelene Smith, DO.