The Hardest Medical Schools to Get Into Accept <2% of Applicants

Harvard Medical School is consistently ranked among the top medical schools in the world. With a median MCAT score around 520 (a perfect score is 528) and an acceptance rate of about 3 percent, Harvard Medical School is one of the most competitive medical schools in the world.

The vast majority of Harvard’s admitted students have significant research experience and a history of community service. The school’s mission emphasizes excellence and leadership in medicine through education, research and clinical care.

Stanford’s School of Medicine employs an innovative “Discovery Curriculum” that stresses early research and innovation, supported by cutting-edge research facilities.

Stanford’s students are among the highest-achieving in the nation (incoming classes average ~3.92 GPA and 519 MCAT), and the school expects academic excellence across the board.

This is one of the most difficult medical schools for prospective students aiming to join elite medical schools. Stanford provides early clinical exposure—with first-year students participating in patient care—and training at multiple affiliated teaching hospitals.

Johns Hopkins is widely regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious medical schools. Johns Hopkins has a rigorous admissions process. For example, its recent entering class averaged about a 3.94 GPA and 520 MCAT score.

Students at Johns Hopkins train in state-of-the-art facilities and benefit from a deep focus on academic medicine. The school is a top choice for aspiring physician-scientists who want to excel in both patient care and research.

Don't let its smaller size fool you. Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine is extremely hard to get into. It accepts less than 2 percent of applicants—a reflection of its top-notch training and a relatively small first-year class of only about 50 to 60 students.

Mayo Clinic Alix consistently ranks as a top-tier medical school nationally and operates on a rolling admissions system. Students at Mayo begin seeing patients within their first weeks, gaining hands-on clinical experience across diverse settings from the start.

Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is highly competitive, with accepted students averaging around a 522 MCAT—one of the highest in the nation.

Located in New York City, Columbia attracts a diverse student body drawn to its emphasis on academic medicine and service to underserved communities.

Columbia’s program places heavy emphasis on community care, research, and global health initiatives. All Columbia MD students complete a mentored scholarly research project during medical school, integrating research with their medical training.

Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine is one of the most competitive medical schools in the nation with a roughly 2 percent acceptance rate).

Known for intense academic rigor, WashU has invested in generous scholarships (a $100 million initiative now provides full-tuition awards to about half of each incoming class) which attract top-tier candidates nationwide.

Students benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, training at sites like Barnes-Jewish Hospital—a top-ranked teaching hospital—and other cutting-edge centers.

The Yale School of Medicine takes a unique approach with a flexible curriculum that heavily emphasizes student self-directed learning.

Despite the freedom of its curriculum, Yale remains one of the hardest medical schools to get into. It draws over 6,000 applications for about 100 seats (≈1.6 percent acceptance), thanks to its global prestige.

Yale’s program gives students considerable freedom to chart their own path and requires every student to complete an original research thesis before graduation.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.