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Entrance Statistics US

There are currently 133 medical schools in the United States offering 4 year programs in medicine. In 2010, there were 580,304 applications from 42,742 applicants. Out of the 42,742 applicants, 18,665 matriculated to a medical school. Overall, approximately 47% of US students applying to medical school in the US are accepted each year [14]. Acceptance percentages for international applicants tend to be slightly lower.

Most programs are open to out-of-state and international applicants, but the number of international applicants accepted at each medical school varies widely. Approximately 17% of US schools are relatively open to international applicants and accept 5 or more international students each year, while roughly 40% accept no international students at all.

The US medical schools vary substantially in the weight they place on grades and test scores in their admission process, as well as their ratios of number of applicants to number of students accepted. There are some very competitive schools in the US that accept as few as 3-4% of applicants such as Harvard University and Yale university, but also many well established schools in the US that have higher acceptance percentages than Canadian and UK schools.

Entrance Statistics Canada

In 2009, there were 10,945 applicants in Canada for 2,865 places available, meaning that roughly 26% of applicants gain admission to at least one medical school. This is a very competitive statistic, but it should not discourage you if your goal is to be a doctor. There are many steps applicants can take to increase their chances of admissions to medical school. A significant proportion of applicants who do not get in first time, do get in second time with more preparation.

The average GPA in 2010 for entering students at Canadian medical schools ranged between roughly 3.66 to 3.88, and the average MCAT scores range from roughly 28 to 33, but note that schools vary significantly in their GPA calculation methods. For more information on entrance statistics, please see Canadian Medical School Statistics.

Canadian medical schools have fewer spots for more applicants than many schools in the US and abroad. Some Canadian schools have significnatly better in-province selection ratios than out-of-province or international. Most schools have selection ratios of between 5:1 and 15:1, with some as high as 30:1 because of large applicant pools. You can find below the admissions ratio statistics for a few selected medical schools in 2010. 

950 in-province

900 out-of-province

152 in-province

28 out-of-province

6:1 in-province

32:1 out-of-province

355 in-province

380 out-of-province/int'l

99 in-province

9 out-of-province/int'l

4:1 in-province

42:1 out-of-province/int'l

275 in-province

437 out-of-province

98 in-province

5 out-of-province

3:1 in-province

87:1 out-of-province

2979 in-province

762 out-of-province

44 int'l

194 in-province

9 out-of-province

1 int'l

15:1 in-province

85:1 out-of-province

44:1 int'l