What is the Acceptance Rate to Medical School?

Session 52

If you’ve applied to medical school, you have seen the annual acceptance rates to DO and MD schools. What does that tell you about your chances?

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[00:25] Looking at AAMC Data (for MD schools)

Do a quick google search and you’d probably see 30% to 40% chance of getting into medical school. The chances aren’t very good. Looking at those percentages will make you question whether you do have a shot.

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Looking at the AAMC data for applicants and matriculants from 2016-2017, it shows that there were over 50,000 applicants to medical school with only 21,000 students who matriculated. That’s 42% acceptance rate. This refers to MD schools only.

This doesn’t include the Texas medical schools, which is the biggest asterisk here. A large of percentage of those students who didn’t get into medical school according to the AAMC probably got into a DO school.

[02:15] Looking at AACOMAS Data (for DO schools)

'The DO application system captures its own acceptance rates to medical school.' Click To Tweet

Based on the AACOMAS data, the acceptance rate for DO schools is only 35%. And looking at this, you’d assume it’s harder to get into a DO school than it is to get into an MD school.

According to the DO data, a large chunk of those who didn’t get in might have gotten into an MD school. So this 35% acceptance rate isn’t really real either.

[03:20] Looking at the TMDSAS Data (for Texas medical schools)

The TMDSAS data for matriculants also shows 35% acceptance rate to medical school.

For instance, students who applied to Baylor applied to TMDSAS and to AMCAS because although in Texas, it’s also a private medical school. So students have to apply through AMCAS to get into Baylor. And maybe they didn’t get into a TMDSAS school but got into Baylor. According to TMDSAS, they weren’t accepted. But according to AMCAS, they were accepted.

'How do you figure out what the true acceptance rate is?' Click To Tweet

[04:25] Figuring Out the True Acceptance Rate

Just do some rough estimations about how many DO school applicants applied to MD schools and MD applicants applying to DO schools. It’s not very hard to get that number up above 50% or closer to 55%.

Without any in-depth research study and asking every single student if they also applied to MD or DO or Texas schools, that number is going to be very hard to nail down.

[05:05] You Have to Put In the Work

At the end of the day, the acceptance rate doesn’t matter. Sure, it’s reassuring to look at those data but it still doesn’t really mean anything. You still have to put in the work.

If you don’t put in the work, you’re not going to get into medical school. You still need to have good grades and a good MCAT score. You need to write a good personal statement and do well in your interviews. All of that matters.

'Your chances of getting into medical school are based solely on your stats, your application, and who you are as a person.' Click To Tweet

[05:50] The Key Takeaway

'Stats don't matter in terms of what the acceptance rates are for medical schools.'Click To Tweet

Apply broadly. Apply to schools you think you’d fit their mission and their mission fits you. From there, your stats with them would be what matters. What are the chances of you getting into that particular medical school?

And nobody knows that until you apply, until you interview, and until you get that acceptance.