If you are wondering if there are any medical schools that accept low GPA scores, you’ve come to the right place. You may be a great student who is nervous about how you will stack up in comparison to other applicants in the medical field, given that med school admissions are very competitive. When that is the case, learning how to get into medical school with a low GPA can be of great help. In addition, knowing at which schools you have the greatest chance of being accepted is always a big plus.
This article discusses why GPA requirements are so demanding for medical school, lists the schools with the lowest median GPA, and provides viable resources for those looking for medical school application help.
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Why GPA Requirements Are High for Medical School
One can assume that getting into medical school is not simply about academic achievement. That is not to say that grades are not important at all. While the approach to medical school admissions is holistic and based on many different skills and factors, there are still GPA cut-offs for many institutions you must meet or exceed to be considered. Grade averages tend to inform the first round of cuts of an applicant pool.
Although schools may have a minimum cut-off GPA, the average GPA of those accepted tends to be much higher. Therefore, a perfectly acceptable GPA by the school’s own standards could possibly never be considered due to the competitiveness of the field. This may be discouraging for prospective medical students who may have a GPA that is toeing the line of the minimum requirement. These students feel like no matter how much work they put in they may not ever get into the program of their dreams.
Want to know the secret of getting into medical school with low GPA? Watch this video:
All of this begs the question: why are medical school GPA requirements so high? There are many reasons, but the short answer is that schools are trying to find the best of the best and those who are most serious about studying medicine or becoming a doctor. They are not only choosing students for their school, but they are also tasked with training the next generation of doctors. The reputation of their institution may also suffer if they are too lenient with admissions. As a result, the standards become higher and more difficult to achieve.
If the median accepted GPA represents the average of students admitted into a particular medical program, a lower median GPA or high acceptance percentage permits the assumption that this school is one of the easiest medical schools to get into. However, do not immediately discredit schools with a lower median accepted GPA. Statistics change from year to year and a school with a lower median accepted GPA may rise by the next application cycle.
It must also be stated that no medical school is easy to get into and getting accepted to any institution takes work and dedication. What is considered a low score for medical schools is often extremely high for other faculties. The entire med school admissions landscape is competitive, no matter the institution, but having a strategy or applying to schools that best suit your qualifications will raise your chances of admission. Focus on the schools that place high value on other aspects besides academic performance. Researching early is key to choosing which schools to apply to and gives you more of a chance if you are worried about your GPA.
List of Allopathic Medical Schools That Accept Low GPA in the United States
1. Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU
Median GPA: 3.67
2. Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Median GPA: 3.63
3. Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.69
4. Howard University College of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.61
Median GPA: 3.46
6. Morehouse School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.68
Median GPA: 3.7
Median GPA: 3.7
9. Tulane University School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.65
10. University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.63
11. University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.68
12. University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.59
13. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.69
14. Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.61
15. Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.61
List of Osteopathic Medical Schools That Accept Low GPA in the United States
1. Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.47
2. Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
3. Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
Median GPA: 3.53
4. A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
Median GPA: 3.45
5. Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.54
6. California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
7. Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.49
8. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.2
9. Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
10. Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.4
11. Nova Southeastern University Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
12. Pacific Northwest University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
13. Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.55
14. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.4
15. William Carey University, College of Osteopathic Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
List of Allopathic Medical Schools That Accept a Low GPA in Canada
Note: Among medical schools in Quebec, three (Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, and Université Laval) provide no data on their median accepted GPA. They may still be an option for you if you are proficient enough in the French language. The University of Saskatchewan and University of British Columbia also have no specific data about their median GPA. Otherwise, here are the medical schools with the lowest averages in Canada:
1. Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.8
2. Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Median GPA: 3.3
3. McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.0
4. Queen’s University Faculty of Health Sciences
Median GPA: 3.1
5. The University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Median GPA: 3.7
6. University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.5
7. University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Median GPA: 3.6
How to Address a Lower GPA on your Application
If you are worried that your GPA is on the lower side compared to most medical school applicants, it is not the end of the road for you. There are some concrete measures you can take to stand out regardless of your academic performance. Here are some ways to address a lower GPA in your medical school application:
Assess the Issue
As soon as you realize your GPA may not be up to snuff, you should be working to improve it. Try to pinpoint what exactly is making you not perform to the best of your ability and figure out how to rectify it. Are you not quite used to the fast pace of collegial studies? Focus on your time management skills. Are you having a problem understanding your course material? Getting a tutor or seeking academic advising in higher education may help. Do you feel uninterested in your program? Make a change or try out some new courses. Whether you are currently in your freshman, sophomore, or even junior years, make sure that what you study is in line with your passions to give yourself the best chance at success.
Prepare Ahead of Time
It's important to start preparing for med school as early as you can and to know what admissions committees are looking for to be able to set yourself up with the right supplemental activities to go from high school to med school. Your GPA says something about who you are as a student and your academic abilities, but not necessarily about who you are as a person. Schools do want to see more than just your grades, so starting to acquire those clinical experiences and extracurriculars for medical school early will immediately make a potential med school application more interesting. See what opportunities are available for you during breaks or what summer programs for high school students you can participate in when you may not be in school full-time. Have a game plan for what you want to accomplish and when. A schedule will help you stick to your goals and hold you accountable. Always be aware of important dates and deadlines. Since a lot of schools have rolling admissions processes, getting in your application early could make all the difference.
Put 100% Into Everything Else
If your GPA is not sky high, in addition to raising it, you will have to put more time and effort into all other aspects of your application. In a sense, you must “make up” for your lower GPA. Focus on your soft skills, motivation for pursuing medical studies, and how to answer the medical school personal statement and interview question: “Why do you want to become a doctor?”. Putting in the self-reflection time will help make your medical school application a priority throughout your undergrad degree and determine what your end goal is.
Try to be as ready as possible for your tests using MCAT prep or CASPer prep courses. When writing a medical school personal statement, really showcase your candidacy and why you should be accepted. Shadowing and other clinical experiences will not only teach you about the profession you are preparing for, but the life you will have. If you don’t know how many shadowing hours for medical school are required, you can find out this information from the school or through official resources like the AAMC’s MSAR database. If a large proportion of matriculants have shadowing experience, this is an area you can work on to help offset a low GPA. Make sure you receive glowing medical school recommendation letters from professors, physicians, and supervisors who know a lot about your competencies. They can prove why you deserve to be part of that next generation of medical professionals. You should always be thinking about what you can be doing to spruce up your application and make you an attractive medical student beyond your grade point average.
Benefit from Academic Consulting Services
One of the ways to show your true dedication to medicine is by seeking professional help from a medical school admissions consulting company. If you wish to improve your application due to a low GPA, trained consultants can provide quality information and feedback based on your situation. They can help you prepare for any standardized testing and provide some MCAT or CASPer prep tips with realistic simulations. Consultants will help you strategize for any question type you may encounter through tailored, private sessions dedicated to your success. You can also brush up on your interview skills with a medical school mock interview to help you practice before the real thing. BeMo also offers an online, independent premed research program where you can gain experience writing and presenting various medical research topics. Meanwhile, the DocShadowing program can help you log virtual shadowing hours in a variety of specialties. With academic consulting, there are many possibilities for how to improve your candidacy for medical school that are separate from your GPA.
Explore All Application Options
When you are applying to medical school, it’s important to think outside the box. There is a lot of information about medical schools out there, and students often barely scratch the surface in terms of the potential options. It can be easy to become discouraged if your GPA is not up to par with other applicants, but not all hope is lost. The end goal is to become a doctor, after all, so where you study and how you get there is all relative.
As listed earlier in the article, osteopathic or DO schools can be an option for you if your GPA is on the lower side. When evaluating DO vs. MD programs, what you will often find is that they have a slightly different philosophy regarding health care, where the body is a whole, rather than the sum of its parts. Osteopathic schools are also more likely to accept non-traditional applicants who do not have a background in science, a higher GPA, or a ton of clinical experience. International schools can also be a great option for you because schools are often looking for students from outside of the country. Many medical schools in Australia have quotas for international students, which can increase your chances of acceptance if you meet their criteria. The point to remember is there is a whole world of doctors out there, which also means more avenues to get into medical school for you to explore.
Conclusion
When it comes to medical school applications, your GPA is not everything, even if it does speak to your academic performance during your undergraduate degree. A holistic approach common in medical school admissions allows applicants some wiggle room. Otherwise, admissions to medical school would be extremely limiting and shallow. There are years of experience that lead to someone deciding on medicine as a career, and schools know this very well.
With a lower GPA, it’s hard to deny that you may find it more challenging to maneuver that first impression of your application, but doing everything you can to supersede this will show admissions committees that you are wholly dedicated to a future in medicine. To be as safe as possible, applying to medical schools that accept a low GPA maximizes your options and allows you to justify all the other reasons you were meant to be a doctor.
FAQs
1. What are some recent acceptance rates for medical schools?
Medical school acceptance rates show that a majority of medical schools accept less than 10% of their applicants, with some of the most competitive being under 5%.
2. How much weight is placed on GPA when you apply?
Having a high GPA (well above both the requirement and the median GPA) is your best shot at getting past the first round of cuts. It is usually a way to not be removed immediately from the applicant pool.
3. What is the difference between a minimum requirement GPA and a median accepted GPA for medical school admissions?
A minimum requirement is usually what will be the cut-off GPA to be considered for that particular school when you apply. For instance, if the minimum requirement is a 3.4, anybody below that will likely not be accepted immediately. The median accepted GPA means that 50% of a particular first-year cohort accepted into a program is above it, while 50% is below. This number gives future students an idea of how much emphasis that school places on academic scores, but this is not reliable and can change from year to year.
4. Do medical schools with a higher median acceptance GPA have a lower quality of education?
Medical schools, as a whole, have a very high standard of education, regardless of GPA requirements or median. These schools are regularly evaluated and accredited to make sure that they will set you up for a worthwhile career in medicine.
5. I’m worried about not having a high enough GPA to apply to medical school. What should be my first step?
Try to save your GPA by taking different courses, getting a tutor, or altering your lifestyle and priorities. One imperfect semester or year will not define your entire university average, so try to rectify it as soon as you can. Create a plan that you can stick to regarding your grades, extracurriculars, shadowing, and any other experience you may want to showcase on your future application.
6. Why do osteopathic schools have lower median GPAs overall?
DO school rankings work a little differently from traditional allopathic MD schools. They view medicine through a slightly different philosophy, which permeates their admissions process as well. Their admissions procedures take more chances on students without traditional backgrounds. As there are fewer DO schools, there are also fewer applicants vying for spots in those institutions.
7. Are there no DO schools in Canada?
No, there are over 30 osteopathic medical schools in the United States, but none in Canada. Nonetheless, many DO schools accept Canadian applicants. You can still be a practicing DO in Canada, but your schooling must be completed in another country.
8. How will academic consulting help me get accepted to medical school with a low GPA?
One-on-one sessions with a consultant will allow you to improve every other part of your application. From MCAT prep to interview simulations, academic consultants, such as those at BeMo, have a mission to help you achieve your dreams. It is one of the best ways to learn how to make your medical school application stand out from the crowd. When your GPA is lower, you will have to use other tools at your disposal to improve your candidacy. Academic consulting will help you identify all the opportunities to do so.
To your success,
Your friends at BeMo
BeMo Academic Consulting
Disclaimer: Although we have made every effort to provide the most accurate information, admissions information changes frequently. Therefore, we encourage you to verify these details with the official university admissions office. You are responsible for your own results. BeMo does not endorse nor affiliate with any official universities, colleges, or test administrators and vice versa.
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