130,723 Applications. 227 Med Schools. 11,935 Future Doctors. (2025)

FAQs

Can med schools see how many schools you applied to? ›

Can medical schools see how many schools you apply to? No, medical schools cannot see how many other schools you applied to, let alone which ones. In AMCAS, you indicate which schools you'd like your primary application to be sent to.

Data published by the AAMC shows that between the 2014–2015 and 2023–2024 academic years (i.e., the last 10 years), the total number of medical school applicants grew from 49,480 to 52,577, a 6.25 percent increase.

Due to the fierce competition to get into medical school and the low acceptance rates, most premeds apply to about 15 programs. In more competitive states such as New York and California, students may want to apply to more than 20.

Medical schools in the United States have an acceptance rate of around 41%. While these programs are hard to get into, medical school is an attainable goal for many people.

Generally, a GPA of 3.5 or higher is ideal. You are still considered competitive if your GPA is within 0.1 points of the medical school's average. However, it may be considered low if your GPA is more than 0.3 points below the average (or in the school's 75th or 80th percentile).

When applying to med school, the majority of applicants will get around one to three interviews. It also depends on things like: Your qualifications, like your MCAT/GPA scores. The school's admissions process.

Prepare for the interview if you are invited to interview. For most medical schools, the acceptance rate for interviewed applicants goes way up. Most are between 25% and 50%, which is far better than the one to 10% acceptance rate for applicants as a whole at most schools.

The lowest MCAT score accepted by most medical schools in the U.S. and Canada is typically in the range of 490-495. Scores below 490 are rarely, if ever, accepted. It's important to note that while 490-495 is the minimum score accepted, the vast majority of applicants score well above this range.

Are med school applications declining? ›

The number of matriculants (first-year enrollees) was up 1.2% from 2022-23 to 2023-24 despite the number of applicants to medical schools declining for a second year in a row, by 4.7%.

Enrollment in M.D.-granting medical schools has grown steadily from 92,626 during the 2019-2020 school year to 97,903 in 2023-2024, according to AAMC data. That's up significantly from 69,718 med school students in 2002, per the AAMC.

It varies a little by year, but around 40% of applicants to allopathic schools and 35% to those who apply to osteopathic schools get in. A percentage of those accepted, perhaps 25% (or less), are repeat applicants but the numbers drop off after the second try. ~58K apply to medical school each year.

Of those, around 50,000 apply to med schools (most students with below average MCAT scores don't bother to apply). A little over 22,000 are seated for a class. So one way to answer the question is that 28,000 were completely rejected, and another 50,000 didn't even try because they knew their chances were slim.

For the most part, the answer to this question is: no. College admissions officers don't have secret meetings to gossip about which of the incoming freshmen applied to their schools. They are much too busy reviewing applications for that.

When you apply to law school, each school is unable to see other other schools that you applied to as well as what schools you have received offers from. I know that on some applications for law school you will be asked to note other schools that you are considering.

According to the AAMC, the average medical school applicant applies to 16 different schools. It is recommended that students apply to no fewer than 15, considering how difficult it can be to get in. On the higher end, it is generally recommended not to apply to more than 40 schools.

Do not send multiple letters to multiple schools with the intention to receive multiple offers of admission. Doing so will reflect badly on you, and as Dr. Kim pointed out, medical schools talk to each other and it could be found out that you sent out letters of intent to more than one school.