Washu Med School Acceptance Rate

For prospective students, these strengths make for a highly competitive admissions process. Similar to other schools of its caliber, WashU only accepts the most qualified candidates, so applicants need to keep the school’s unique identity in mind if they want to be successful.

Washington University in St. Louis – Washington University School of Medicine

Washington University expects applicants to have completed one year of Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics, in addition to Math through the Calculus level. The MCAT is required, and scores must be no more than three years old.

Other Admission Factors

Science GPA Letters of Recommendation Essay / Personal Statement
Interviews Extracurricular Activities Exposure to Medical Profession

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Expenses per Academic Year

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Demographics

Graduates

Graduates gain acceptance to the nation’s most competitive residency programs. About half enter a primary care field.

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Office of Admissions, 660 South Euclid Aven
Campus Box 8107
St. Louis, MO 63110

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How to Get Into Washington University School of Medicine: Requirements and Strategies

Learn the WashU Medical School acceptance rate and admissions strategies, plus read sample responses to the school’s secondary essays

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Washington University School of Medicine MD programs

Part 3: How hard is it to get into Washington University School of Medicine?

Part 4: Washington University School of Medicine secondary application essays (examples included)

Part 5: Washington University School of Medicine interview

Part 1: Introduction

There are several reasons why Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, often known as simply WashU, is routinely ranked among the top 15 medical schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The school boasts stellar resources, exceptional faculty, vibrant student life, and a proven track record of placing graduates in prestigious residency programs nationwide.

For prospective students, these strengths make for a highly competitive admissions process. Similar to other schools of its caliber, WashU only accepts the most qualified candidates, so applicants need to keep the school’s unique identity in mind if they want to be successful.

Here, we’ll provide you with an overview of the WashU medical school admissions process and share proven strategies so you can outperform other applicants.

Part 2: Washington University School of Medicine MD programs

There are several programs through which you can earn an MD at WashU:

• The traditional, four-year MD program
• The Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD)
• The MD/PhD in Biomedical Engineering
• The MD/Master of Science in Clinical Investigation
• The MD/Master of Population Health Sciences
• The MD/Master of Public Health (MD/MPH)

We’ll cover the basic MD admissions process here.

Washington University School of Medicine tuition and scholarships

For the 2023–2024 academic year, WashU’s tuition for first-year students is $67,295 and will remain constant for all four years of the program. The school estimates that additional expenses, such as med school materials, housing, food, and travel, bring the total cost of attendance up to $93,402.

In 2019, the school pledged $100 million to support a new scholarship program for eligible MD students that offers financial aid packages which are need-based, merit-based, or both.

In 2021, the average WashU grad graduated with $107,412 in debt from the program. While still formidable, that’s about half the medical school national average debt of $215,900.

Part 3: How hard is it to get into Washington University School of Medicine?

Washington University School of Medicine admissions statistics

With an acceptance rate of 7.5%, WashU is competitive to get into. Below we’ve detailed admissions statistics for the class of 2026:

• Matriculants: 124
• Average GPA: 3.86
• Average MCAT: 520.2

Washington University School of Medicine admissions requirements

The admissions office requires that applicants take the MCAT within three years of applying. This means no earlier than January 2020 and no later than September 2023 for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle.

Before enrollment, the school also requires applicants to complete at least 90 semester hours at an approved undergraduate institution. WashU also requires that students complete one year of study in each of the following courses prior to enrollment:

• Biology
• General or inorganic chemistry
• Organic chemistry (one semester can be replaced by a semester of biochemistry; one course in biochemistry is encouraged)
• Physics
• Calculus (one semester can be replaced by a semester of statistics)

It is highly encouraged—though not required—that students take these required courses for a letter grade rather than a pass/fail grade at their main undergraduate college or university. As long as applicants have completed their premed requirements, they can major in whatever they wish; WashU matriculants have studied subjects ranging from engineering to the humanities, in addition to science.

Washington University School of Medicine application timeline

WashU provides a detailed timeline of important dates, from the beginning of the admissions process to the first day of classes for accepted students. Our timeline below lists dates that are specific to the school’s admissions cycle:

• May 2, 2023:AMCAS application opens
• May 30, 2023: AMCAS application can be submitted
• Early July 2023: Encouraged time to complete your AMCAS application, including the secondary application
• September 2023–February 2024: Interviews conducted
• Mid-November 2023–April 14, 2024: Admissions decisions released
• November 22, 2022: AMCAS application deadline
• November 30, 2023: Deadline to submit your secondary application, recommendation letters, and MCAT scores

We always recommend applying early so your application can be reviewed and processed as soon as possible, and so that you can take advantage of WashU’s policy of rolling admissions.

Part 4: Washington University School of Medicine secondary application essays

Following your medical school personal statement, which you’ll submit in your AMCAS application, you’ll be asked by WashU to write up to three secondary essays: two are required and one is optional. We recommend you complete all three essays so as not to waste a chance to better introduce yourself to the admissions committee.

Below are guidance on how to handle each secondary essay prompt, plus sample responses.

Question 1: Have you already completed your undergraduate education, have you had your college or graduate education interrupted, or do you plan not to be a full-time student during your application year? (YES/NO)

This is a simple yes/no question.

If yes, describe in chronological order your activities during the times(s) when you were not enrolled as a full-time student. (2000 character limit)

This prompt asks for information that you most likely included in the AMCAS Work and Activities section. Still, you should take this essay just as seriously as any other part of your application.

WashU wants to know about your activities outside of the context of school, so extracurriculars you completed as a full-time student can’t be included. This may cause anxiety for prospective students who are still in college and wondering, “Aside from summer internships, what other experiences do I have?”

Conversely, this question may prove difficult for older or nontraditional applicants who have lots of work experience in addition to the summer activities they completed as college students: “How can I accurately describe all my activities in less than 2000 characters?”

For these reasons, plan out your response and strategically prioritize your activities. For instance, the description of the mentorship program you did for ten hours one summer shouldn’t be as long as the description of your full-time, postgraduate research job at a top university. Here are some additional tips:

• Focus on yourself. When describing different experiences, focus on your individual responsibilities and contributions. Shy away from discussing other people who were participants, colleagues, mentors, etc., who you worked with.
• Refrain from deep dives into how the experience(s) changed you. Although you might want to discuss how an activity influenced your life choices, the question is asking you to describe these activities.
• Be consistent. Keep in mind that your descriptions need to align with the information that appears in other parts of your application.

Below is a sample description, or entry, detailing a student’s summer internship:

Assistant Research Technician; University of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Medical Centers; June–Aug, 2019. I worked in a laboratory on synthetic cell culture activities and assisted lead researchers with the day-to-day functioning of their research projects. I was primarily responsible for monitoring synthetic cell culture development, analyzing and documenting data for my supervisors, and preparing research findings for publication in academic journals. Additionally, I took on the added responsibility of creating a new internal database to track newly approved laboratory procedures for my department.

This entry is approximately 605 characters, which is over 30 percent of the allotted space you have to answer this question. Once you’ve decided on the number of entries, make a clear-cut decision about how long each needs to be. Remember, this is only one part of your application, and admissions committee members are aware of the space limitations. And never repeat anything from your W&A word-for-word!

Question 2: Describe a time or situation where you have been unsuccessful or failed. (3000 character limit)

Question 3: Is there anything else you would like to share with the Committee on Admissions? Some applicants use this space to describe unique experiences and obstacles such as significant challenges in access to education, unusual socioeconomic factors, and/or identification with a particular culture, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity and/or possibly challenges related to COVID or other issues in preparation for medical school. (optional) (3000 character limit)