Getting into any U.S. medical school is a significant accomplishment given the competitive nature of the admissions process.
Osteopathic medical schools tend to have lower GPA and MCAT requirements for matriculants than schools of medicine. However, there are fewer accredited DO programs than MD programs, so the admissions process is still competitive.
We developed a comprehensive list of the easiest medical schools to get into along with tips and resources to improve your chances.
Learn more about how our Physician Advisors can help you write a medical school application that stands above the rest.
It’s incorrect to assume that there are any “easy medical schools to get into,” all U.S. MD degree programs have some level of competition. Even the least competitive medical schools have acceptance rates under 20%.
Only 36% of med school applicants are accepted at any U.S. medical school in any given year — and almost all of them are exceptional students. It takes exceptionality to complete a medical degree, after all.
The schools that have lower undergrad average GPA and MCAT score requirements are what many consider a less competitive medical school. You might think of these as “safety” medical schools used as backups if you aren’t accepted at your first choice school.
But this thought process is misleading. While the requirements for admissions for GPA and MCAT vary from school to school, admissions committees are looking at additional requirements of the application to select high quality medical students for their school.
Let’s take a quick look at the primary med school admissions requirements and what to do with this data.
What is the lowest GPA medical schools will accept? Medical schools will have a lowest standard GPA requirement generally at 3.0, but there are a small number of schools that will accept a GPA as low as 2.5.
Even when the requirement is lower, accepted applicants tend to have GPAs higher than the requirement to be attractive candidates for the schools. Additionally, your average GPA includes all of your undergraduate classes, your average GPA for your science classes matter much more than classes like humanities.
GPA isn’t the only admission statistic medical programs look at. If you have a low GPA, it can be outweighed by other factors.
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is a single objective measurement of your medical education. This score plays a large part in securing an interview, so aim to do your BEST on the MCAT. The average score for applicants that went on to enroll in medical school was 511.9.
The AAMC clarifies the basic prerequisites most medical schools have, but there may be different ones for your pre-med undergrad. In general, college courses that are mandatory for admissions include:
What is the easiest medical major to get into? The easiest pre-med majors include liberal arts, psychology, and public health. However, a major in biological sciences has a better chance to overlap with the necessary prerequisites of medical schools.
The extracurriculars you’ve participated in outside of the classroom can boost your chances of getting into medical school. Admissions committees want to have students with experiences in a variety of activities, demonstrating their work ethic and time management skills.
As you are going through pre-med, hands-on extracurriculars to consider are:
Letters of Recommendation (LoR) can go a long way towards helping you be an attractive candidate. Choose someone that can speak to your abilities, like an undergraduate professor, a doctor that you’ve volunteered with, or an advisor.
Check with the schools you are applying to about their individual requirements, but plan to obtain at least 3 letters of recommendation.
The CASPer test is a situational judgment test that assesses your behavioral tendencies. Not all schools require this test, but it is a strong determining factor for schools to assess how well you will communicate with patients and coworkers.
Please note: Tuition numbers will differ for in-state versus out-of-state students.
Average MCAT Score: 500
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.4
Acceptance Rate: No data
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 0/100
Tuition: $46,000 per year
Location: Hattiesburg, MS
Student Enrollment (2022): 524
Average MCAT Score: 500
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.5
Acceptance Rate: 16%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 1/100
Tuition: $51,500 per year
Location: Pikeville, KY
Student Enrollment (2022): 2,269
Average MCAT Score: 500
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.5
Acceptance Rate: 7.5%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 1/100
Tuition: $43,000 per year
Location: Fort Smith, AR
Student Enrollment (2022): 615
Average MCAT Score: 501
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.4
Acceptance Rate: 9.2%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 2/100
Tuition: $52,650 per year
Location: Harrogate, TN
Student Enrollment (2022): 619
Average MCAT Score: 500
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.6
Acceptance Rate: 5.1%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 4/100
Tuition: $25,797 per year
Location: Tulsa, OK
Student Enrollment (2022): 441
Average MCAT Score: 503
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.46
Acceptance Rate: 1.61%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 5/100
Tuition: $57,243 per year
Location: Nashville, TN
Student Enrollment (2022): 964
Average MCAT Score: 503
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.4
Acceptance Rate: 8.5%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 6/100
Tuition: $48,000 per year
Location: Lynchburg, VA
Student Enrollment (2022): 618
Average MCAT Score: 502
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.61
Acceptance Rate: No data
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 6/100
Tuition: $58,000 per year
Location: San Antonio, TX
Student Enrollment (2022): No data
Average MCAT Score: 502
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.54
Acceptance Rate: 9%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 7/100
Tuition: $22,472 per year
Location: Lewisburg, WV
Student Enrollment (2022): 800
Average MCAT Score: 503
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.5
Acceptance Rate: 15.3%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 7/100
Tuition: $37,740 per year
Location: Erie, PA
Student Enrollment (2022): 1,355
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.47
Acceptance Rate: 4.25%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 7/100
Tuition: $55,690 per year
Location: Dothan, AL
Student Enrollment (2022): 731
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.46
Acceptance Rate: 9.6%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 8/100
Tuition: $61,750 per year
Location: Biddeford, ME
Student Enrollment (2022): 687
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.6
Acceptance Rate: 10.3%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 8/100
Tuition: $55,784 per year
Location: Davie, FL
Student Enrollment (2022): 1,561
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.5
Acceptance Rate: 6.6%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 9/100
Tuition: $36,000 per year
Location: Yakima, WA
Student Enrollment (2022): 573
Average MCAT Score: 502
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.7
Acceptance Rate: 8%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 10/100
Tuition: $49,800 per year
Location: Blacksburg, VA
Student Enrollment (2022): 2,278
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.5
Acceptance Rate: 9%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 10/100
Tuition: $54,336 per year
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Student Enrollment (2022): 1,091
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.54
Acceptance Rate: 2.8%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 10/100
Tuition: $60,668 per year
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Student Enrollment (2022): 636
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.69
Acceptance Rate: 8.2%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 10/100
Tuition: $60,914 per year
Location: Kirksville, MO
Student Enrollment (2022): 700
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.45
Acceptance Rate: 5.7%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 10/100
Tuition: $62,526 per year
Location: Mesa, AZ
Student Enrollment (2022): 586
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.68
Acceptance Rate: 7%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 12/100
Tuition: $37,068 per year
Location: Athens, OH
Student Enrollment (2022): 433
Average MCAT Score: 504
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.65
Acceptance Rate: 10.2%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 12/100
Tuition: $55,300 per year
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Student Enrollment (2022): 718
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.56
Acceptance Rate: 3.7%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 12/100
Tuition: $57,500 per year
Location: Meridian, ID
Student Enrollment (2022): 622
Average MCAT Score: 506
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.47
Acceptance Rate: 2.8%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 13/100
Tuition: $61,580 per year
Location: New York, NY
Student Enrollment (2022): 540
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.57
Acceptance Rate: 21.3%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 13/100
Tuition: $41,339 per year
Location: Stratford, NJ
Student Enrollment (2022): 850
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.6
Acceptance Rate: 4%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 13/100
Tuition: $55,150 per year
Location: Buies Creek, NC
Student Enrollment (2022): No data
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.71
Acceptance Rate: 24.2%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 14/100
Tuition: $42,586
Location: Macon, GA
Student Enrollment (2022): 603
Average MCAT Score: 505
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.76
Acceptance Rate: 8.4%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 14/100
Tuition: $24,324
Location: Huntington, WV
Student Enrollment (2022): 299
Average MCAT Score: 506
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.68
Acceptance Rate: 1.5%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 16/100
Tuition: $47,711
Location: Atlanta, GA
Student Enrollment (2022): 665
Average MCAT Score: 507
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.61
Acceptance Rate: 1.1%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 16/100
Tuition: $52,446
Location: Washington, DC
Student Enrollment (2022): 497
Average MCAT Score: 508
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.61
Acceptance Rate: 4.6%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 18/100
Tuition: $40,526
Location: Spokane, WA
Student Enrollment (2022): 320
Average MCAT Score: 508
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.63
Acceptance Rate: 7.1%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 19/100
Tuition: $23,310
Location: Greenville, NC
Student Enrollment (2022): 469
Average MCAT Score: 506
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.81
Acceptance Rate: 2.7%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 19/100
Tuition: $29,342
Location: Shreveport, LA
Student Enrollment (2022): No data
Average MCAT Score: 508
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.69
Acceptance Rate: 1.04%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 20/100
Tuition: $19,639
Location: Edinburg, TX
Student Enrollment (2022): 223
Average MCAT Score: 506
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.86
Acceptance Rate: 10.2%
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 20/100
Tuition: $18,100
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Student Enrollment (2022): 357
Average MCAT Score: 506
Average GPA Of Incoming Med Students: 3.88
Acceptance Rate: No data
MedSchoolCoach Competitiveness Rating: 20/100
Tuition: $32,738
Location: Jackson, MS
Student Enrollment (2022): 512
MedSchoolCoach has plenty of resources to help you excel during the medical school admissions process. Use our free guidebooks to help you prepare all the important components you’ll need for medical school admissions as you pursue your bachelor’s degree.
Ready to apply to medical school and start your healthcare career? Our team can help you increase your chances of getting into medical school with comprehensive advising programs.
Dr. Marinelli is an advisor at MedSchoolCoach and former admissions committee member at UC Irvine School of Medicine. Her insight into the application process is second to none!