A strong medical school application usually includes high academic scores (MCAT, GPA) and meaningful experiences in areas like clinical work, research, leadership, and service. It should also fit each school’s mission. This article will give you benchmarks to see how your application compares to those of recent successful applicants.
Recent AAMC data show that most MD students have an average MCAT score of about 512 (out of 528) and a GPA around 3.8. For DO students, the averages are about 503 for the MCAT and 3.6 for GPA. Acceptance rates go up a lot with higher MCAT scores: about 78% for scores of 517 or higher, but less than 2% for scores of 502 or lower. I usually advise students who are not from underrepresented backgrounds (such as Black, Latino, Native American, or first-generation immigrants) and have an MCAT below 508 to apply broadly to DO schools.
For science GPA (GPA for just basic sciences, including chemistry, biology, physics, and math), the numbers are comparable, with an average sGPA of 3.75 for MD matriculants and 3.55 for DO matriculants.
There are a few more important points. Trends in your grades matter. If your GPA was below about 3.7 in your first two years, showing improvement later is important. The same goes for the MCAT. If you retake the MCAT, an increase of at least 5 to 7 points is usually needed to show real progress. Smaller increases, or a lower score, can hurt your application.
Admissions committees look for quality and commitment in extracurriculars – they must show passion, leadership, teamwork and resilience beyond grades[9]. In practice, a competitive applicant’s activities often include:
Clinical Exposure: Shadowing doctors in different specialties and volunteering in hospitals or clinics is almost required. The AAMC recommends that applicants get firsthand experience with medical practice. Many successful applicants have over 50 hours of shadowing with several doctors. Paid or volunteer roles like scribing, EMT, or medical assistant show deeper involvement and are strong additions.
Research Experience: At research-focused MD schools, having significant research experience, such as working in a university lab, presenting posters, or publishing, can make your application stand out. Some schools expect over 100 hours of research or summer lab work. For DO programs, research is still valued but is usually less important than for MD programs. If possible, all applicants should try to get research experience, but not having it is usually not a dealbreaker for most DO schools.
Volunteer/Community Service: Ongoing service, especially with underserved groups, shows you are caring and culturally aware. Many advisors recommend 200 to 300 or more hours of community service for a strong MD application.
Leadership and Teamwork: Taking on roles like club officer, team captain, or project leader shows you are responsible and work well with others. Applicants who show long-term leadership, such as running a student group, coaching, or leading an event, demonstrate commitment and initiative. The AAMC notes that admissions committees look for proof of leadership, dedication, and teamwork in applications.
Unique Interests/Hobbies: Having a range of experiences, like music, sports, or starting a business, can show discipline and creativity. These should be real interests, not just added to fill a requirement.
Admissions committees usually suggest focusing on long-term, meaningful activities instead of one-time events. Doing more is good, but after a point, extra hours matter less. The quality of your activities is more important than the number. For DO applicants, similar activities are important, but there may be a bit more flexibility if you show a clear interest in osteopathic principles, such as experience in holistic or community care or shadowing DO doctors.
Medical school admissions have changed a lot in the past five years. AAMC data show that MD applications peaked during the COVID era (2021-22) at about 62,443, then dropped back toward pre-pandemic numbers. By 2024-25, applications fell to around 51,946, a 1.2% decrease from the year before and the lowest since 2017–18. At the same time, class sizes grew, with first-year MD enrollment reaching 23,048 in 2024-25, up 0.8% from the previous year. So, there are more seats but fewer applicants. Overall, MD acceptance rates are still in the low 40% range, according to AAMC data.
DO applications have followed a similar trend. The number of AACOMAS applicants peaked around 2021, with some schools getting up to 11,819 applicants, then dropped. The average number of applicants per DO school went from about 5,799 in 2021 to around 4,340 by 2025. The number of students accepted per school stayed about the same, so the percentage of students accepted per school rose from about 3.7% in 2021 to about 4.9% in 2025.
Gender: Women have been the majority of medical school applicants and students for several years. In 2024-25, women made up about 56.8% of MD applicants and 55.1% of those who started medical school. This share has gone up a bit in recent years. DO programs show a similar pattern: in 2022, 57.4% of applicants and 54.7% of new students were women. So, there is now a slight female majority, but admission rates are about the same for men and women when comparing similar academic records.
Race/Ethnicity: The AAMC tracks all major racial and ethnic groups and has seen some changes. From 2015 to 2024, the percentage of Black medical students went from 7.2% to 10.3%, and Hispanic/Latino students from 9.2% to 12.3% in MD classes. In 2024-25, the number of Black/African American applicants rose by 2.8%, but the number who started medical school dropped by 11.6%. Hispanic/Latino applicants increased by 2.2%, but matriculants fell by 10.8%. Both Asian applicants and new students increased slightly, while the number of White applicants went down.
Other demographics: The AAMC also tracks things like socioeconomic status, first-generation college students, and DACA or immigration status. About one-quarter of MD students are the first in their family to graduate from college, and a small but growing number are DACA-eligible. These groups often overlap with underrepresented minorities, and admissions committees stress the value of a holistic review.
Age and Background: Most new medical students are between 22 and 25 years old, but there are also older applicants, especially among DO students, who often include more career-changers. Many applicants are non-citizen U.S. residents with green cards, and a small percentage are international students on visas, who are counted separately.
Residency status has a big impact on getting into public medical schools. Most public MD programs give most of their seats to in-state residents. AAMC data show that in 2024-25, only 18% of California residents who applied to California medical schools got in, while 57% of West Virginia residents were accepted to schools in their state. That year, 58% of California applicants did not get in anywhere, showing how tough it is in large states. Many public schools admit almost only in-state students, with very few out-of-state students, sometimes fewer than 10 per class. So, if you are applying to your own state’s public school, your chances are much better than for an equally qualified out-of-state applicant. Private schools (MD or DO) have different levels of preference for in-state or regional students. Be sure to check this before adding a private school to your list.
Key data points: AAMC’s FACTS reports (Table A-5) show that many states with few medical seats per capita (WV, ND, MT) have very high in-state yield (50–70% or more). Large states with many applicants per seat (CA, NY, NJ) have much lower in-state yield. Applicants should use resources such as AAMC’s FACTS, MSAR, or AACOM’s DO Explorer to review each school’s in/out breakouts. In short, living out of state makes admission significantly more difficult at public medical schools. It’s often prudent for OOS students to include more private and out-of-state-friendly programs in their applications.
