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Planning on attending a medical school in Pennsylvania? You may be in the pool of tens of thousands of other applicants this cycle. In the 2016-2017 cycle alone, Pennsylvania was reported to have four of the top ten medical school application received in the United States. For instance, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine received 16,187 applications in the 2016-2017 cycle, most out of any medical school in the United States. Similarly, Pennsylvania had three other medical schools in the top ten for the volume of applications received. These include Drexel University College of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Does it mean that your chances of getting in a medical school in Pennsylvania are extremely low? Not exactly. Although the state reviews four of the most applications in the United States, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, for example, has an acceptance rate of 7.6% which is greater than most medical schools across the United States reported by US News and World Report.
Medical Schools in Pennsylvania: How to Get In (2023)
Which are the best medical schools in Pennsylvania? Learn the Pennsylvania medical school rankings, plus strategies to get into your top-choice schools
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Pennsylvania: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
Part 3: Pennsylvania medical school profiles
Part 4: Pennsylvania medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: Pennsylvania medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Pennsylvania medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: Pennsylvania medical schools by region
Part 1: Introduction
Pennsylvania is known for its rich history, plethora of museums, and record of scientific advancements (e.g., the telescope lens, the polio vaccine, and the extra-uterine placenta). It is also well-regarded for its numerous medical schools, located in a diverse range of cities from Erie to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
Whether you want to work with urban patient populations as a Philadelphia medical student or you aspire to immerse yourself in the osteopathic tenets of medicine at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine or the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, it’s likely that you will find a Pennsylvania medical school that dovetails with your professional aspirations.
Our goal for this guide is to outline the various admissions statistics and unique qualities of Pennsylvania medical schools so you can prepare an informed and comprehensive medical school application geared towards getting into these institutions.
Part 2: List of medical schools in Pennsylvania: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
Below you will find statistics on Pennsylvania medical schools’ rankings, locations, average GPAs and MCAT scores, and other information to help you compare the schools side-by-side. While compiling this information, a few main takeaways were observed:
- Six Pennsylvania medical schools appear in the 2023 U.S. News Best Medical Schools (Research) ranking, with two landing in the top 15.
- In-state applicants enjoyed higher interview rates at all allopathic medical schools in Pennsylvania, with the exception of the University of Pennsylvania.
- The majority of Pennsylvania medical schools are located in the largest city, Philadelphia.
- All Pennsylvania medical schools are private.
In the ranking column below, numbers in parentheses show each medical school’s national ranking, whereas numbers outside parentheses reflect each Pennsylvania medical school’s relative rank. Relative rankings allow us to more easily answer the question, “Which are the ‘best’ medicals school in Pennsylvania?”
(Note: We strongly recommend that you sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date information on MD programs and that you sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
Pennsylvania Medical Schools | U.S. News Ranking | Location | Degree | Year Est. | Annual Tuition & Fees | Avg. GPA | Avg. MCAT | Interview Rate | First-Year Class Size |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine | 1 (6) | Philadelphia | MD | 1765 | $67,291 IS $67,291 OOS |
3.95 | 522 | 11.6% IS 11.5% OOS |
156 (12.8% IS) |
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | 2 (14) | Pittsburgh | MD | 1886 | $60,298 IS $62,600 OOS |
3.86 | 517 | 26.0% IS 8.9% OOS |
158 (39.9% IS) |
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University | 3 (56) | Philadelphia | MD | 1824 | $61,270 IS $61,270 OOS |
3.82 | 514 | 13.6% IS 5.4% OOS |
275 (28.0% IS) |
Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine | 4 (68) | Philadelphia | MD | 1901 | $55,483 IS $58,761 OOS |
3.74 | 512 | 24.0% IS 5.5% OOS |
219 (40.2% IS) |
Drexel University College of Medicine | 5 (85) | Philadelphia | MD | 1848 | $62,089 IS $62,089 OOS |
3.79 | 512 | 32.1% IS 9.2% OOS |
303 (31.7% IS) |
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine | 6 (95–124) | Erie | DO | 1992 | $37,200 IS $37,200 OOS |
3.5 | 503 | NA | 314 (20.4% IS) |
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | UR | Scranton | MD | 2008 | $60,300 IS $66,725 OOS |
3.8 | 513 | 41.3% IS 8.0% OOS |
114 (70.2% IS) |
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine | UR | Hershey | MD | 1967 | $52,482 IS $52,482 OOS |
3.82 | 512 | NA | 151 (53.0% IS) |
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine | UR | Philadelphia | DO | 1899 | $53,502 IS $53,502 OOS |
3.5 | 505 | NA | 327 (43.7% IS) |
UR: Unranked | IS: In-state | OOS: Out-of-state | NA: Not available
Medical Schools In Pennsylvania: Rankings & Information
Planning on attending a medical school in Pennsylvania? You may be in the pool of tens of thousands of other applicants this cycle. In the 2016-2017 cycle alone, Pennsylvania was reported to have four of the top ten medical school application received in the United States. For instance, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine received 16,187 applications in the 2016-2017 cycle, most out of any medical school in the United States. Similarly, Pennsylvania had three other medical schools in the top ten for the volume of applications received. These include Drexel University College of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, and Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Does it mean that your chances of getting in a medical school in Pennsylvania are extremely low? Not exactly. Although the state reviews four of the most applications in the United States, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, for example, has an acceptance rate of 7.6% which is greater than most medical schools across the United States reported by US News and World Report.
Furthermore, one of the top-ranked schools in the country, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania ranked 6th in research while University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ranked 14th. It is no coincidence that top-ranked medical schools in the country, especially those in Pennsylvania accept students who have research experience.