Medical School Acceptance Rates in

Medical schools typically consider a combination of your GPA, MCAT scores, medical school personal statement, letters of recommendation for medical school, clinical experience, and extracurricular activities. Each component plays a critical role in demonstrating your suitability for a career in medicine.

“MCAT and GPA are important as screening tools. They won’t be the end all for you to get in or be rejected from a school, but they are often that first look … 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, University of Maryland School of Medicine

If you need help with your applications, consider hiring a medical school admissions consultant!

The MCAT is a crucial component as it assesses your problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts. A strong MCAT score can significantly enhance your application, especially at more competitive schools.

“The first [MCAT] was a 497 so not too hot but then when I took it [again] I took some time off and I studied for a longer time; I was able to jump 13 points to a 510 … I had [my score] about two to three weeks prior to sending in applications, which impacted my school list a bit.” – Kannan, BeMo student

“I initially felt overwhelmed by the complexity of MCAT concepts. Dr. Henry's exceptional ability to use visual aids played a crucial role in simplifying intricate topics. He meticulously broke down complex ideas into manageable components, facilitating a clearer understanding. What sets him apart is his unwavering patience and willingness to revisit basic concepts without judgment. Dr. Henry's tutoring sessions have been transformative for me; within just one week, my MCAT score in the tutored section increased by a remarkable 4 points.” – Sunny, BeMo student.

Yes, you can still apply, but it's important to compensate with a strong MCAT score, excellent letters of recommendation, and substantial clinical hours for medical school. Some schools also value an upward trend in your GPA and post-baccalaureate programs or graduate coursework.

“I read online about how important the personal statement and the working activities and also like writing the secondaries for; making sure they're really polished and so that's when I decided to get like some professional help … because at a certain point, stats, you know they can get you so far but making sure you can present yourself a certain way ultimately helps you land the interview … I also had more than 150 clinical hours and over 100 non-clinical volunteer hours like through my freshman year and my beginning of my sophomore year of college so that also helped quite a bit.” – Kannan, BeMo student

A good number of schools to apply to is around 15-20. Applying to too few schools can lead to not receiving interviews, while applying to too many can make it very difficult to complete secondary applications in a timely and effective manner.

“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 25th-75th 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.” - Dr. Monica Taneja, MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Out of the 15-20 schools you apply to, perhaps 3-4 can be “reach” schools. These are schools that you really wish to attend but their GPA or MCAT score averages are slightly out of your reach. However, you should still choose these schools carefully and be close to the medians, as applying to schools you are not a good fit for will not end up favorably for you.

“I used MSAR, which is what has the stats for every med school, so I used that to kind of classify schools into reaches, about mid-tier and also lower-tier … And also I applied to about five or six DO schools … the [reach schools] would be like anything like 516-515 median [MCAT] so UCLA, UCI and whatnot and then the ones that were more targets [for me] were closer to the 511-512 or anything around that I would apply.”- Kannan, BeMo student

No, it does not. All MD and DO schools in the US are accredited and meet a very high standard of educating future physicians. You will receive a great education no matter which medical school you attend. You must also keep in mind that for future residency matching, what matters most is what you do during medical school and not the competitiveness of the school you attend.

If your plan is to apply to BS/MD programs, MD-PhD, MD-MPH, MD-MBA or another combined MD program, be aware that not every medical school offers these types of joint degrees. Acceptance rates for these programs tend to be just as competitive, if not more so, than MD and DO programs. The admissions statistics and application requirements may be different from the MD program offered by the same institution, so evaluate any joint degree programs separately.