Choosing Where to Apply to Medical School

There are over 130 allopathic medical schools and over 30 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. In addition there are schools in Puerto Rico, Canada, and the Caribbean islands. First you should decide whether you are going to apply to allopathic or osteopathic schools, or both. Then you should begin to stratify the schools into three categories based on your GPA and MCAT score.

1. Reach: Pick schools that have a higher GPA and MCAT average compared to your scores. We recommend that 20-25% of your prospective schools be from this category.

2. Match: Pick schools that have a similar GPA and MCAT average compared to your scores. We recommend that 50-60% of your prospective schools be from this category

3. Safety: Pick schools that have a lower GPA and MCAT average compared to your scores. We recommend that 20-25% of your prospective schools be from this category

Another important consideration when choosing where to apply is location. Location is important in two ways. First, you don’t want to apply to medical school in a location where you know you absolutely will not be able to live. But second, and most importantly, there are certain rules that particular medical schools follow with regards to accepting students who are residents of certain states. Most schools outside of California give preference to students who are residents of the same state as the medical school. There are exceptions to this rule, however. For this reason it is important to apply to all of the medical schools within your state of residency to maximize your chances of acceptance. When you are choosing medical schools located outside of your home state you should review their in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rates to get a better idea as to how they view out-of-state applicants. Depending on how competitive an applicant you are you should choose anywhere from 15-75 schools to apply to. The less competitive you are, the more schools you should apply to. Keep in mind, that this is referring to the primary application only. This is also specific to allopathic schools. You should apply to additional schools if you are also considering osteopathic schools. Once you submit these primary applications you will be screened for a secondary application and can further decide where you would like to apply.

Map of Allopathic Medical Schools in the United States

Click a state on the map below to compare medical schools by overall GPA, science GPA, MCAT, In-state preference, and Out-of-state percentage for accepted students. You can sort the schools by clicking on the column header.

To view the full list of allopathic medical schools in the United States click here.

To view a map of osteopathic medical schools in the United States click here.

To view the full list of osteopathic medical schools in the United States click here. 

Related Topics

• Why We Do Not Recommend Foreign Medical Schools (Coming Soon)
• Allopathic vs. Osteopathic Medical Schools
• The Medical School Application Process: Overview
• The Personal Statement

See All Topics in Medicine