Medical School Acceptance Rates – 2024
December 8, 2023
Embarking on your journey to medical school is a thrilling yet daunting endeavor, marked by the anticipation of fulfilling a lifelong dream. As you meticulously prepare your application, there’s a common assumption that your academic performance alone will guarantee a smooth path to acceptance. However, the reality of medical school acceptance rates often delivers a surprising shock, challenging these initial expectations. In this article, we delve into the world of medical school acceptance rates from your perspective, unraveling common misconceptions, exploring the factors contributing to the perceived challenges, and providing insights to guide you through the intricate landscape of the application process.
What Are Medical School Acceptance Rates?
Primarily, medical school acceptance rates represent the proportion of applicants who successfully secure admission to a medical school, typically expressed as a percentage. These rates are crucial indicators of the competitiveness and selectivity of medical education programs. In essence, they reflect the ratio of accepted students to the total number of applicants within a given admissions cycle. Medical school acceptance rates vary widely among institutions, and factors such as school reputation, program competitiveness, and geographic location contribute to this diversity.
Understanding medical school acceptance rates is vital for prospective students navigating the arduous admissions process. It offers insight into the level of competition they may encounter and helps set realistic expectations. Generally, medical schools with lower acceptance rates are perceived as more competitive, signaling a greater demand for admission spots. Consequently, applicants often strive to present exemplary academic records, compelling personal statements, and robust letters of recommendation to enhance their chances of acceptance.
How Important Are Medical School Acceptance Rates?
Medical school acceptance rates hold a degree of importance in the overall landscape of the application process, but they should be viewed as just one aspect of a multifaceted decision-making process. While acceptance rates provide insight into the competitiveness of a medical school, it is essential for prospective students not to be dissuaded by more competitive rates. High acceptance rates do not necessarily diminish the quality of education or opportunities a medical school may offer. Conversely, medical schools with lower acceptance rates are not inherently superior; factors such as institutional mission, faculty expertise, and available resources contribute significantly to the overall educational experience.
Prospective medical students should approach the application process with a balanced perspective, recognizing that competitive acceptance rates should not serve as the sole determinant for choosing or ruling out a medical school. It is not uncommon for top-tier institutions to have lower acceptance rates due to the sheer volume of qualified applicants, and applying to such schools remains a viable option for individuals with strong academic records and compelling application profiles.
Conversely, medical schools with higher acceptance rates should not be dismissed without careful consideration. Institutions with more accessible admission statistics may still provide outstanding educational opportunities, robust clinical experiences, and esteemed faculty. Prospective students should focus on factors such as the institution’s mission alignment with their values, the structure and comprehensiveness of the curriculum, faculty expertise, available research opportunities, and the success of graduates in their chosen specialties.
Why is it so Hard to Get into Medical School?
Securing admission to medical school has become notably challenging in recent years, as indicated by data published by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Over the past decade, spanning from the 2013-2014 to the 2022-2023 academic years, the total number of medical school applicants has surged from 48,014 to 55,188, reflecting a substantial 15% increase. Despite this surge in applicants, matriculation rates have held relatively steady, with 41.8% (20,055 students) gaining admission in the 2013–2014 academic year and 41% (22,712 students) in the 2022-2023 academic year. This stability in matriculation rates, juxtaposed with the significant increase in applications, underscores the heightened competition for the limited available spots.
A closer examination of the academic profiles of applicants further underscores the increased competitiveness. For the 2022-2023 entering class, the average cumulative GPA and MCAT score were 3.62 and 506.5, respectively, demonstrating a slight uptick from the 2021-2022 entering class averages of 3.59 and 505.9. Among matriculants for the same academic year, the standards were even higher, with average cumulative GPA and MCAT scores of 3.75 and 511.9, slightly exceeding the 2021-2022 entering class averages of 3.74 and 511.9. This consistent upward trajectory in academic qualifications highlights the challenging landscape faced by prospective medical school applicants.
The escalating competitiveness is not solely due to the increasing number of applicants; rather, it is compounded by the fact that today’s applicants present higher academic credentials than in previous years. The yearly surge in applications, coupled with elevated academic standards, underscores the intense competition aspiring medical students encounter. Consequently, individuals seeking admission must navigate an environment where not only the quantity but also the quality of applicants has reached unprecedented levels, making the journey into medical school more demanding than ever before.
U.S. Med School Acceptance Rates
| School | Acceptance Rate |
| 1) Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | 0.04% |
| 2) Emory University School of Medicine | 1.14% |
| 3) New York University Long Island School of Medicine | 1.20% |
| 4) The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine | 1.37% |
| 5) Duke University School of Medicine | 1.40% |
| 6) Georgetown University School of Medicine | 1.40% |
| 7) Stanford University School of Medicine | 1.40% |
| 8) Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons | 1.90% |
| 9) Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University | 1.90% |
| 10) Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine | 2.04% |
| 11) Florida State University College of Medicine | 2.10% |
| 12) New York University Grossman School of Medicine | 2.11% |
| 13) UC Riverside School of Medicine | 2.29% |
| 14) Wake Forest University School of Medicine | 2.43% |
| 15) George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | 2.45% |
Med School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 16) University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson | 2.63% |
| 17) University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine | 2.77% |
| 18) Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School | 2.78% |
| 19) UCSF School of Medicine | 2.81% |
| 20) Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine | 2.87% |
| 21) UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine | 2.87% |
| 22) Rush University Medical College | 3.08% |
| 23) University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine | 3.08% |
| 24) UC Davis School of Medicine | 3.15% |
| 25) Harvard Medical School | 3.30% |
| 26) UC San Diego School of Medicine | 3.38% |
| 27) UCI School of Medicine | 3.39% |
| 28) Weill Cornell Medical College | 3.40% |
| 29) Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | 3.40% |
| 30) Michigan State U. College of Human Medicine | 3.54% |
Med School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 31) University of Michigan Medical School | 3.58% |
| 32) University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine | 3.72% |
| 33) Albert Einstein College of Medicine | 3.75% |
| 34) Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine | 3.76% |
| 35) West Virginia University School of Medicine | 3.77% |
| 36) Howard University College of Medicine | 3.80% |
| 37) University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine | 3.80% |
| 38) California University of Science and Medicine | 3.82% |
| 39) Oregon Health and Science University | 3.84% |
| 40) East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine | 3.91% |
| 41) Eastern Virginia Medical School | 3.92% |
| 42) Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine | 3.94% |
| 43) Thomas Jefferson University Kimmel Medical College | 3.95% |
| 44) Keck School of Medicine of USC | 3.99% |
| 45) Boston University School of Medicine | 4.08% |
Medical School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 46) Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | 4.12% |
| 47) University of Florida College of Medicine | 4.12% |
| 48) University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | 4.16% |
| 49) UNC School of Medicine | 4.17% |
| 50) Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine | 4.27% |
| 51) University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine | 4.29% |
| 52) University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine And Biomedical Sciences | 4.32% |
| 53) Tufts University School of Medicine | 4.46% |
| 54) Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | 4.48% |
| 55) University of Washington School of Medicine | 4.51% |
| 56) Nova Southeastern University Patel College of Allopathic Medicine | 4.53% |
| 57) Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | 4.54% |
| 58) Cooper Medical School of Rowan University | 4.59% |
| 59) University of Kansas Medical Center | 4.63% |
| 60) Larner College of Medicine at The University of Vermont | 4.81% |
(Continued)
| 61) Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine | 4.87% |
| 62) Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | 4.93% |
| 63) University of Maryland School of Medicine | 4.97% |
| 64) UW School of Medicine and Public Health | 5.09% |
| 65) Baylor College of Medicine | 5.10% |
| 66) Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Med School-N. Brunswick | 5.19% |
| 67) Temple University Katz School of Medicine | 5.33% |
| 68) University of Connecticut School of Medicine | 5.41% |
| 69) Texas A&M University School of Medicine | 5.44% |
| 70) University of Colorado School of Medicine | 5.44% |
| 71) New York Medical College | 5.50% |
| 72) University of Central Florida College of Medicine | 5.52% |
| 73) University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | 5.61% |
| 74) Rutgers New Jersey Medical School–Newark | 5.74% |
| 75) Yale School of Medicine | 5.74% |
Medical School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 76) University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine | 5.77% |
| 77) University of Louisville School of Medicine | 5.78% |
| 78) University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine | 5.84% |
| 79) Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences | 5.85% |
| 80) Ohio State University College of Medicine | 5.99% |
| 81) Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | 6.08% |
| 82) Drexel University College of Medicine | 6.13% |
| 83) Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine | 6.16% |
| 84) University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine | 6.31% |
| 85) Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | 6.33% |
| 86) Saint Louis University School of Medicine | 6.50% |
| 87) Marian U. College of Osteopathic Medicine | 6.50% |
| 88) Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine | 6.54% |
| 89) University of Cincinnati College of Medicine | 6.58% |
| 90) Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | 6.64% |
Med School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 91) University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia | 6.69% |
| 92) Northeast Ohio Medical University | 6.71% |
| 93) Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine | 6.96% |
| 94) University of Kentucky College of Medicine | 7.19% |
| 95) U. of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio | 7.35% |
| 96) University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School | 7.42% |
| 97) University of Minnesota Medical School | 7.42% |
| 98) Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine | 7.43% |
| 99) SUNY Upstate Medical University | 7.45% |
| 100) University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences | 7.46% |
| 101) Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis | 7.50% |
| 102) University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine | 7.71% |
| 103) University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago | 7.75% |
| 104) Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine | 8.00% |
| 105) Stony Brook University–SUNY Renaissance School of Medicine | 8.07% |
(Continued)
| 106) Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine | 8.23% |
| 107) Hofstra University Zucker School of Medicine | 8.32% |
| 108) Indiana University School of Medicine | 8.64% |
| 109) Wayne State University School of Medicine | 8.74% |
| 110) University of New Mexico School of Medicine | 8.78% |
| 111) Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine | 9.00% |
| 112) West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | 9.00% |
| 113) Texas Tech U. Health Sciences Center | 9.10% |
| 114) University of North Texas Health Science Center | 9.18% |
| 115) University of Tennessee Health Science Center | 9.47% |
| 116) U. of Texas Health Science Center-Houston McGovern School of Medicine | 9.50% |
| 117) U. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) | 9.69% |
| 118) University of Virginia School of Medicine | 10.03% |
| 119) University of Nebraska Medical Center | 10.04% |
| 120) University of Missouri School of Medicine | 10.16% |
Med School Acceptance Rates (Continued)
| 121) University of Oklahoma College of Medicine | 10.48% |
| 122) Augusta University Medical College of Georgia | 10.72% |
| 123) East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine | 12.88% |
| 124) Nova SE U. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine | 14.59% |
| 125) Medical University of South Carolina | 15.74% |
| 126) University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | 15.85% |
| 127) University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine | 16.00% |
| 128) William Carey U. College of Osteopathic Medicine | 19.09% |
| 129) University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine | 20.00% |
Further Resources
While medical school acceptance rates provide valuable insights for compiling a list of potential institutions, prospective medical students must recognize that these rates are just one facet of a comprehensive application process. Emphasizing qualities such as an outstanding MCAT score, compelling personal statement, impactful letters of recommendation, and thorough interview preparation becomes imperative. These elements not only enhance an applicant’s candidacy but also offer a more holistic representation of their qualities beyond academic metrics. By focusing on these crucial aspects, aspiring medical students can navigate the admissions process with a well-rounded strategy that aligns with their unique strengths and aspirations in the medical field.
