It is very challenging to get accepted into medical schools, even for excellent students with high GPAs. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, more than 50,000 applicants applied to medical schools with an average GPA of 3.56 in the 2017-2018 academic year. Medical schools are highly selective, with a focus on GPA and the MCAT due to the large number of applications received each year.
According to U.S. News, in the 2017-2018 academic year, the average acceptance rate for medical schools was 7%, with 10 medical schools having an acceptance rate of only 2.8%.
Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Minnesota had the highest level of selectivity with an acceptance rate of 2.1% in 2017-2018. This is a slight increase from the previous year’s rate of 1.8%. Out of over 8,000 applicants to Mayo Clinic, only 168 were accepted.
Georgetown University in Columbia had the most applicants on the list (14,062). The school had an acceptance rate of 2.9%, similar to George Washington University and the University of California-Davis.
Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine had an acceptance rate of nearly 25% in the 2017-2018 academic year.
Below is a list of the 10 medical schools with the lowest acceptance rates (below 4%) for the 2017 fall academic year (*) (List updated as of April 3, 2018).
| School Name (State) | Total Applications | Total Students Accepted | Acceptance Rate | Research Ranking (U.S. News) | Primary Care Ranking (U.S. News) |
| Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (MN) | 8,068 | 168 | 2.1% | 6 (tie) | 32 (tie) |
| Stanford University (CA) | 7,258 | 167 | 2.3% | 3 (tie) | 32 (tie) |
| Florida State University | 5,866 | 151 | 2.6% | RNP | RNP |
| Wake Forest University (NC) | 9,281 | 261 | 2.8% | 52 (tie) | 61 (tie) |
| George Washington University (DC) | 11,432 | 335 | 2.9% | 62 (tie) | 79 (tie) |
| Georgetown University (DC) | 14,062 | 403 | 2.9% | 46 (tie) | RNP |
| University of California—Davis | 6,943 | 204 | 2.9% | 39 (tie) | 10 (tie) |
| University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen) | 11,417 | 362 | 3.2% | 8 (tie) | 4 |
| Brown University (Alpert) (RI) | 9,922 | 322 | 3.2% | 32 (tie) | 39 (tie) |
| University of California—San Diego | 7,972 | 258 | 3.2% | 22 | 17 |
(*) U.S. News surveyed 177 medical schools in the United States in 2017 regarding their research and primary care programs. Schools updated their academic program information, student activities, and other areas, making U.S. News a reliable source for accurate and detailed events and data on universities.
Source: USNews
