Requirements for Medical School

Degree Requirements

Most medical colleges require you to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.

There is no “pre-med” degree. Instead, pre-med usually refers to a track that you’re on to get the required coursework for applying to medical school.

Most pre-med majors are in Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology. However, you can major in anything — even Humanities or Social Studies — as long as you get the course prerequisites for med school.

Pro tip: A biology-related major is usually the most efficient degree track to get your required courses.

What about BS/MD? High schoolers can apply to a BS/MD program where their undergrad and med school education are guaranteed as a package. Many of these programs are accelerated (6-7 years instead of 8 years). If you’re already in BS/MD, you don’t need to apply again to med school, and your degree requirements may be different.

Coursework and Prerequisites

Course requirements vary from school to school, but most medical schools require the following prerequisite coursework to be eligible for admission:

• Biology I & II (two courses with lab)
• General Chemistry I & II (two courses with lab)
• Organic Chemistry I & II (two courses with lab)
• Physics I & II (two courses with lab)
• Calculus I (one course)
• Statistics (one course)
• Biochemistry I (one course)
• English/Writing (one course)
• Psychology, Sociology, or other Social Science (one course)

I can’t stress enough that every school has different requirements. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has this handy spreadsheet with every med school’s published requirements, where you’ll see a very non-standardized set of pre-med course requirements.

Learn More: Does a Withdrawal Look Bad on My Application?

Warning: Advanced Placement (AP) credits often don’t count towards medical school. Although you can get AP credit to save time in undergrad, you’ll need to take most, if not all, requisite courses at the college level in order to count them towards med school admissions requirements.

Pro tip: Remember, medical schools evaluate your science/math GPA separately from your overall GPA, so maintain strong grades in these required courses. Also, taking some extra science courses makes you a more competitive candidate, as long as you keep those grades up.

What about post-bacc? There are non-SMP post-baccalaureate programs that you can take after undergrad but before med school. Post-bacc is great for non-traditional students who need certain prerequisite courses or just a higher GPA.

GPA (Cumulative & BCPM)

The minimum GPA requirement to apply to most medical schools is 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale. However, a 3.0 is not enough to be a competitive candidate.

A competitive cumulative GPA for applying to med school is 3.75, which is around the average GPA of allopathic matriculants. For osteopathic matriculants, the average GPA is closer to 3.53.

To be competitive at a top-tier or Ivy League med school, your GPA should exceed 3.85.

Overall GPA vs. BCPM GPA:

• Your overall GPA considers all your coursework, including science and non-science classes. Admissions boards expect this to be high, but they care about it less than BCPM.
• Your BCPM GPA averages your Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses on a 4.0 scale. Some schools exclude Math classes. AdComs care more about BCPM GPA than overall GPA. Typically, BCPM is slightly lower than overall GPA, but it would make you a highly competitive candidate if you could pull your BCPM higher than your overall GPA.

Read More: Do AdComs Use the 32-Hour Rule for GPA?

According to the AAMC, the acceptance rate for applicants with a 3.0-3.19 GPA is under 20% and greatly depends on your MCAT score:

• If your MCAT is below 500, your chances of acceptance could drop below 10%.
• To get an acceptance rate above the overall rate for all applicants (>40%), you need at least a 514 on the MCAT.

What can you do if you have a lower GPA? Here are some expert tips on ways to increase your GPA or accommodate for a lower GPA:

• Apply to a DO school. Osteopathic colleges are medical schools, too. Getting a DO generally requires a lower GPA and MCAT score, but you can practice medicine just the same as if you earned an MD.
• Work towards a stellar MCAT score. Not to exaggerate, but the MCAT score is your biggest opportunity to stand out. If you have a 512 or higher, AdComs can’t ignore your application even if your GPA is a little low. Here are some self-guided MCAT resources.
• Maximize your clinical hours. You want to get 100-300 clinical hours anyway, but bump it up to 300-500 hours if you’re trying to make up for a lower GPA.
• Tack on some research hours. For many med schools, you don’t need research hours. But having research lab experience can make you stand out if your GPA is low. And research is a must at prestigious, research-heavy institutions like the Ivy League medical schools, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and Stanford.
• Consider a post-bacc. Post-baccalaureate programs are for after undergrad but before med school. They offer classes that can boost your GPA and even more greatly improve your most recent 32 hours of coursework, which some schools look at more than your first 2 years of college.
• Consider an SMP with linkage. There are Special Master’s Programs with linkages to medical schools. If your GPA is low or you need more courses under your belt, consider boosting your resume with an SMP that guarantees admittance to med school after completion.

MCAT

Medical schools may say there’s no minimum MCAT score to apply, or they may list a score of 498 as a minimum. However, it’s difficult to get into an MD program with lower than a 500.

The MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) uses scaled scores between 472-528. Here are the average MCAT scores of various groups in 2024-2025:

• All test-takers: 501.3
• All allopathic (MD) applicants: 506.1
• Allopathic (MD) matriculants: 511.8
• All osteopathic (DO) applicants: 502.43
• Osteopathic (DO) matriculants: 502.97

A competitive MCAT score would be over 511 for MD-granting schools — or over 503 for DO-granting programs. If you are applying to Ivy League medical colleges, aim for a 519 or higher.

Pro tip: Take the MCAT before your senior year of pre-med. This timeline gives you plenty of room to either retake the MCAT or to adjust the schools you’re applying to.

Check out this free MCAT study guide with expert tips!

Extracurriculars

Typically, medical schools don’t require a specific set of extracurriculars. However, admissions committees are looking for well-rounded applicants who not only have a great GPA and MCAT score but also have hobbies and off-campus experiences that they’re passionate about.

The best and most common extracurriculars to have on your resume include:

• Clinical hours, where you’re directly involved with patient care (100 hours minimum, at least 300 hours to be competitive)
• Volunteering hours, where you’re serving others in a healthcare or non-healthcare setting (150 minimum, at least 300 hours to be competitive)
• Shadowing a physician, not including patient exposure (30 hours minimum, 50 hours to be competitive)
• Research experience (0 required, but target at least 400 hours for research-heavy schools)
• Hobbies that diversify what you bring to the table, such as art, music, campus clubs, or athletics

Read Next: Free Guide to Filling Out the AMCAS Work & Activities Section

Letters of Recommendation

Most medical schools require at least three letters of recommendation (LORs) from non-family members who can speak to your character and talents. The AMCAS application allows up to 10 LORs. 

You should check with the med school you’re applying to for specific guidelines, but usually schools require the following:

• Two letters from two different science professors or faculty
• A letter from a non-science professor
• A letter from someone who can speak to your character (e.g. a physician, research mentor, or community leader)

These may not be hard-and-fast requirements. Some schools may allow leeway for non-traditional applicants who have been out of school for a while; other schools may request different types of letters. 

• Again, check with the schools you’re applying to. When in doubt, email or call the admissions committee directly to get clarity on the actual requirements.

Pro tip: Ask letter writers at least two months before the submission deadline to write you an LOR. They will need to submit the letters to AMCAS or whatever application service you need to use, so be sure to send them instructions on how to do that. Just be polite and grateful in your interactions. Sending a light reminder when the deadline is approaching is acceptable, but avoid being arrogant or pushy.

Also remember to waive your right to read the letters of recommendation. AMCAS gives you this option to read your LORs, but it’s standard practice to allow letter writers to craft their LOR without the pressure of the applicant reading it.

Go More In-Depth: Med School LORs: A Comprehensive Guide

Additional Considerations

Check with the school you’re applying to in order to see what unique requirements they may have.

For instance, some med schools require the Casper exam. Meharry Medical College and UVermont Larner College of Medicine require you to take the Casper, but others, like Vanderbilt and Harvard, do not have Casper requirements.

Others may recommend or require certain extracurriculars or specific courses. For example, whereas many medical colleges list Sociology as “Recommended,” Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science lists Sociology as “Required.”

Also, pay attention to whether the med school will accept courses under different grading scales. For instance, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine doesn’t accept coursework that was graded Pass/Fail; however, they do accept AP credits, which is not a universal practice.

Read Next: Best Med Schools for Non-Traditional Applicants

Preparing to Apply

You want to get your application materials in order as early as possible. Don’t cram at the last possible minute. Give yourself plenty of space before the application deadline to gather info, write personal essays, and seek out LOR writers.

You will also want to build a school list. This is not a requirement to apply, but it may be a requirement for your sanity. Figure out where your application will be most competitive, and focus on schools where you know you’d like to attend. Add in a couple of “reach” schools and a couple of “fallback” schools.

Go More In-Depth: Use Our FREE MedSchool Explorer to Build Your School List

Application deadlines are different for each medical school. Since most admissions boards distribute acceptance offers on a rolling basis, we recommend applying as early as possible in the cycle to boost your chances for success.

You could consider applying early decision or early assurance if you are confident in your #1 choice. (However, this is not a route we recommend to most students.)

Finally, find every opportunity in your essays to demonstrate the AAMC’s 17 pre-med core competencies that they feel every pre-med student should exhibit.

FAQs