Best Liberal Arts Colleges For Pre Med

The college has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Committee, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years. Additionally, the college offers a Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Program for students who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare but did not complete the necessary pre-med coursework during their undergraduate studies.

Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Pre Med

Choosing the right college is a critical decision for pre-med students. The right college not only prepares students for medical school but also helps them to develop the necessary skills, experiences, and networks to become successful physicians. With so many options available, it can be challenging to determine which colleges are the best for pre-med. In this article, we will examine ten liberal arts colleges that are generally considered to be some of the best for pre-med, and explore what makes them great options for aspiring doctors.

In the following article, we will take a closer look at each of the top ten liberal arts colleges for pre-med, based on their pre-med programs, resources available to pre-med students, and success rates of their graduates in gaining admission to medical school. We will also include specific details about each college, as well as honorable mentions. By the end of the article, readers will have a better understanding of what makes these colleges great options for pre-med students and be better equipped to choose the right college for their pre-med education.

Methodology:

Before diving into this list, it’s important to highlight the methodology we used to rank the top liberal arts colleges for pre-med. We first researched and analyzed data from several sources of information. This included individual college websites, but also rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and the Princeton Review. We then considered factors like program strength, the availability of resources, student support, reputational standing, and the success rates of program graduates in gaining admission to medical school. While this list is not exhaustive, it provides a comprehensive overview of some of the best liberal arts colleges for pre-med in the United States.

Our Rankings for the Best Liberal Arts Pre Med Programs

#1. Amherst College

Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, Amherst College offers a rigorous pre-med program that emphasizes critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and hands-on learning. Students are required to take a series of courses in biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as upper-level courses in topics such as genetics, neuroscience, and microbiology. In addition to coursework, students can also participate in research projects, clinical experiences, and community service programs.

The school has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, tutoring, and pre-medical society. The college also has a strong relationship with the University of Massachusetts Medical School, which offers internships, research opportunities, and mentoring programs to Amherst College students.

According to the college’s Career Center, approximately 90% of Amherst College pre-med graduates (including 80% on their first try!) who apply to medical school are accepted, which is well above the national average.

#2. Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College, located in Brunswick, Maine, offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The college also offers a unique interdisciplinary program in neuroscience, which combines coursework in biology, psychology, and philosophy.

Bowdoin College has several resources available to pre-med students, including advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Committee, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years. According to the college’s Health Professions Advising Committee, approximately 91% of Bowdoin College pre-med graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, far above the national average!

#3. Carleton College

A small liberal arts school in Northfield, Minnesota, Carleton College offers a rigorous pre-med program that emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary learning. The program includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, as well as upper-level courses in topics such as immunology, biochemistry, and genetics.

Carleton College also has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

According to the college’s Career Center, the success rate of Carleton College pre-med graduates in gaining admission to medical school on their first try alone is a staggering 77%!

#4. Claremont McKenna College

Located in sunny Claremont, California, Claremont McKenna College offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The college also offers a unique program in Biophysics, which combines coursework in physics and biology.

The school has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

While the college’s Career Services hasn’t released official data on what percent of Claremont McKenna College pre-med graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, it’s known to be well above the national average.

#5. Haverford College

Located in the heart of Haverford, Pennsylvania, Haverford College offers a rigorous pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The college also offers several upper-level courses in topics such as molecular biology, microbiology, and human anatomy.

Haverford College has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Pre-Health Advising Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

Haverford claims that 95% of their pre-med graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, although it’s important to add an asterisk to that number; it’s really the acceptance rate of graduates in a six-year period after graduating.

#6. Pomona College

A sister school of Claremont College, Pomona College is also located in Claremont, California. The small liberal arts college offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The college also offers several upper-level courses in topics such as genetics, neuroscience, and molecular biology.

Pomona College has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

According to the college’s admissions department, approximately 85% of Pomona College pre-med graduates who apply to medical school are accepted, which is well above the national average.

#7. Swarthmore College

Located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The program emphasizes critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and hands-on learning, and provides students with opportunities for research, internships, and clinical experiences.

The school has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Sciences Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

Swarthmore’s pre-med program is known for preparing students well for medical school, and the school recently boasted a 77% medical school acceptance rate for its graduates.

#8. Williams College

Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williams College offers a rigorous pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The program emphasizes critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and interdisciplinary learning, and provides students with opportunities for research, internships, and clinical experiences.

This bucolic school has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advisory Committee, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years.

An astounding 85-90% of Williams College pre-med graduates who apply to medical school are accepted!

#9. Wellesley College

Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Wellesley college is a private women’s liberal arts college. it offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The program emphasizes critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and interdisciplinary learning, and provides students with opportunities for research, internships, and clinical experiences.

Wellesley College has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Office, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years. 72% of Wellesley grads get into medical school.

#10. Harvey Mudd College

Another one of the Claremont Colleges, Harvey Mudd College—also located in Claremont, California—offers a comprehensive pre-med program that includes coursework in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. The program emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and hands-on learning, and provides students with opportunities for research, internships, and clinical experiences. The college also offers a unique Joint Science Department with neighboring colleges, which allows students to take advantage of a wider range of courses and resources.

The college has several resources available to pre-med students, including academic advising, research opportunities, and internships. The college also has a Health Professions Advising Committee, which provides guidance and support to pre-med students throughout their undergraduate years. Additionally, the college offers a Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Program for students who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare but did not complete the necessary pre-med coursework during their undergraduate studies.

While specific data on acceptance rates is not readily available, Harvey Mudd’s pre-med program is known for preparing students well for medical school. The college’s Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Program has an acceptance rate to medical school that is well above the national average, and it’s safe to assume that, just like its peer institutions, many Harvey Mudd pre-med graduates go on to attend top medical schools across the country.

Honorable Mentions

While some of the colleges we previously mentioned are considered to be some of the best for pre-med, there are many other liberal arts colleges that offer excellent pre-med programs. Some honorable mentions include:

Conclusion

Choosing the right college for pre-med can be a daunting task, but with careful research, it is possible to find a college that fits your needs and goals. By considering the pre-med programs, resources, and success rates of these top liberal arts colleges, as well as honorable mentions, students can make an informed decision and set themselves up for success in their medical careers.

Read applications

Read the essays, activities, and awards that got them in. Read one for free!

The Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Medical School (2023)

Learn whether liberal arts colleges adequately prepare graduates for med school

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: What is a liberal arts college?

Part 3: The best liberal arts colleges for medical school

Part 4: What medical schools should a liberal arts student apply to?

Part 1: Introduction

Colleges today boast hundreds of majors, from astrobiology to comic art to theme park engineering, and everything in between. With so much to choose from, some students with their sights set on becoming doctors may wonder if they have to miss out on the veritable fairgrounds of undergraduate studies.

The good news is: according to the AAMC, only 58 percent of entering medical students in 2022 held degrees in biological sciences. What did the other half major in? Some opted for the humanities, while many others went the route of physical and social sciences—all of which fall under the umbrella of a liberal arts education.

Acceptance Rates (%) to U.S. Medical Schools by Primary Undergraduate Major, Class of 2026
Major	Total Applicants	Total Matriculants	Acceptance Rate (%)
Biological Sciences	31,540	12,865	41%
Humanities	1,775	897	51%
Math and Statistics	381	172	45%
Physical Sciences	4,636	2,151	46%
Social Sciences	5,100	2,058	40%
Specialized Health Sciences	2,422	930	3%
Other	9,334	3,639	39%
All Majors	55,188	22,712	41%

In fact, when taken as a whole, students whose majors were outside of the biological sciences matriculated into medical school at a higher rate than students with biological science majors. So, rest assured that if your premed child wants to study something along the lines of English, art history, psychology, or sociology, you need not worry.

You may have imagined premed students crammed together in huge lectures on anatomy and physiology, and while those lectures are part of a premedical education, it’s equally legitimate for your child to choose a smaller campus where they can take seminars on non-medical or non-biological subjects.

They might even pursue a biological science major at a liberal arts college, supplementing it with humanities and social science courses in a way that may not be possible if they were to attend a large research institution.

Why would my child benefit from supplementing their education with humanities or social science courses?

You’ve likely heard horror stories about a student that had a 4.0 GPA and a 525 MCAT score but still didn’t get into their preferred medical school. There can be many reasons for this ranging from whether the adcoms believe that student is a good fit for a particular year’s entering class, the number of places available, and whether or not the student was “well-rounded.”

By engaging with the social sciences and humanities, your child can broaden their knowledge of the human experience and showcase interests to adcoms that may complement an entering class. For example, taking courses in religious studies or anthropology could help them stand out in an applicant pool that’s very science-heavy.

Keep in mind that part of being a good physician is dealing with a wide range of people, points of view and personalities. An applicant with more in-depth knowledge of traditional practices in Judaism or Islam is likely able to provide better care for people from these communities.

Additionally, seeing the social sciences and humanities on an application can signal to adcoms that a student is well-rounded, especially if what they learned in those classes is mentioned in a personal statement or their learning is backed up with extracurriculars.

Part 2: What is a liberal arts college and how is it different from a university?

When parents hear the term “liberal arts college,” they often furrow their brows and wonder what sort of education these institutions provide. Liberal arts colleges emphasize undergraduate study across a wide variety of subjects including the arts, sciences, and humanities. Although this traditional definition does not differentiate it significantly from a university, there are some notable differences between the two.

Liberal arts colleges

Primarily invest resources in undergraduate education
Lower total number of students enrolled (smaller classroom sizes)
Teaching styles tend to rely on smaller classroom discussions
Easier access to faculty
More opportunities to get involved in a leadership role

Universities

Invest resources in both undergraduate and graduate educations
Higher total number of students enrolled (larger classroom sizes)
Teaching style tends to rely on large lecture halls
More nationally recognized faculty
More research opportunities and available options already established

Ultimately, the decision to pursue a liberal arts college or university depends on a combination of factors, ranging from your preferred teaching style to what type of extracurricular activities your child hopes to take advantage of.

As your child decides between a liberal arts college and university, one of the most important questions to ask is: how do they learn best? If they prefer a smaller community of students, maybe a liberal arts school would allow them the opportunity to thrive. On the other hand, maybe they’re determined to get involved with biological research with a faculty member who already has an established lab. In that case, they should focus on larger institutions which offer students the opportunity to personalize their research interests.

But most importantly: as long as your child feels like the college they choose will provide an enriching experience and allow them to achieve at a high level academically, they will be well equipped to get accepted into medical school and succeed as a physician. Top liberal arts schools, like the ones we list below, will offer premed students excellent opportunities to secure a spot in medical school after graduation.

Can my child get a liberal arts education at an Ivy League or other university?

Liberal arts colleges aren’t the only schools that offer a liberal-arts-style education. Many universities also emphasize liberal arts tenets, such as in-depth classroom discussion and learning broadly across academic disciplines. Typically, this type of education can be found in a university’s College of Letters and Science, College of Arts and Science, or another similarly named division.

Nevertheless, not all liberal arts style educations are equal. Deciding which college or university to attend can radically influence how medical schools interpret your major.

When considering where to pursue a liberal arts education besides small liberals arts colleges, both Ivy League schools and so-called “Public Ivies” offer phenomenal, rigorous programs that admissions teams will look favorably upon. They wed the benefits of a large research institution to the philosophy of a liberal arts education—or the idea that studying widely, and without a specific pre-professional aim in mind is universally beneficial.

How is a liberal arts approach beneficial?

The benefits of this approach to learning for premeds are numerous. In your premed coursework and especially so in medical school, you will be required to memorize huge amounts of information related to biology, physics, and chemistry in order to make qualified diagnoses of patients.

By studying varied disciplines, you will gain the ability to make connections between disparate sources of data or reasoning that you may not otherwise have been able to do. Liberal arts college graduates are astute critical thinkers who enter a range of diverse fields. The overall effect of a liberal arts education on your career as a physician is a greater capability to connect the dots and come up with novel solutions to pressing medical problems.

If your child is interested in pursuing a medical career via the liberal arts path, they are among notable company. Tom Cech, a graduate of Grinnell College and Thomas Steitz, a graduate of Lawrence College, both went on to win Nobel prizes in Chemistry.

Public Ivies, such as the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, University of Texas–Austin, and more, also offer top liberal arts as well as science degrees, ensuring that both the major you pursue and your additional science coursework will prepare you adequately to do well on the MCAT and get you one of those coveted acceptances.

The UC system in particular is chock full of Public Ivies, such as UC Berkeley and UCLA, that offer students both liberal arts curricula and a wealth of research opportunities.

Liberal arts colleges vs. universities

Deciding where to pursue your undergraduate degree depends on your intended major, your preferred teaching style, and how you want to spend four years as an undergrad.

Small liberal arts colleges like Swarthmore and Williams have total undergraduate enrollments of about 2,000 students or less, whereas mid-size private schools like Johns Hopkins and Washington University in St. Louis boast 15,000–20,000 total undergraduate enrollment.

This means that the class sizes your child encounters in the liberal arts college will be significantly smaller, especially when it comes to premed basic science requirements. Does a big lecture hall of several dozen students suit your child, or do they prefer smaller groups with more individualized attention and greater opportunities to stand out?

One benefit of smaller schools is that your child can form relationships with professors both in and out of the sciences, and network with mentors more easily. This is crucial for getting top-notch letters of recommendation for medical school. We’ve seen tons of premed applicants come in from large universities who have lots of research experience but lack personal relationships with their professors because their premed science courses were simply overrun and office hours were too crowded.

It’s also important to note that most schools require a letter of recommendation from a non-science faculty member. This requirement emphasizes that the work students do outside the science realm is important. Medicine is becoming more and more interdisciplinary, with emphases on ethics, informatics, communication, and team collaboration. A liberal arts school might offer your child a chance to get a fantastic non-science letter—one that sets them apart from every applicant at a large research university who asked their biology lecture professor.

In addition, faculty at smaller schools are sometimes under less pressure to “publish or perish” and may have chosen to work at these colleges because they have a greater commitment to teaching over earning grant money or becoming public figures in their field. This might mean your child simply gets a better education in those tough courses like organic chemistry.

One flip side is that faculty at larger universities tend to be leading scholars in their area of expertise. And, attending larger schools may provide students with more exposure and opportunities for research. Within many universities, research fairs and clubs help students get involved with scientific investigation. There is significantly less emphasis on research within a liberal arts college.

How can students at a liberal arts college get involved in research?

Students attending liberal arts colleges can reach out to their school’s research labs and inquire about work opportunities. For example, Williams College encourages incoming students, as well as current students, to pursue both summer and winter research opportunities with biology faculty. They also offer students the opportunity to study at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

Although liberal arts colleges may not always have several research facilities on sight, they typically develop extensive networks with partner universities. Schools usually offer an annual lab open house to provide students with information on what sort of opportunities are available to them.

Many liberal arts colleges also offer students honors research projects, which are often semester-long courses that culminate in a scientific publication, something sure to impress a medical school admissions committee.

The takeaway: if your child wants a small liberal arts experience for college but plans on attending medical school, they should be prepared to make a comprehensive plan to make up for their school’s weak spot—a dearth of major research labs.

However, keep in mind that while students at small liberal arts colleges typically have fewer overall opportunities to get involved with research, they are often able to take advantage of a silver lining: less competition for the opportunities that are available.

Do liberal arts colleges offer resources and support for premeds?

The short answer is: yes. It is important to remember that liberal arts colleges are cognizant that there are hundreds of hopeful premed students at their institutions. Many schools, especially those that are highly ranked, offer students thorough guidance on how to take advantage of the premed opportunities they provide. There are health sciences offices, advisory committees, healthcare-related experiences, volunteer opportunities, and networking events all organized for premed students.

Keep in mind that liberal arts colleges tend to have significantly less students enrolled, so they are often able to provide customized support. Premed advisory groups can help connect liberal arts students with research mentors, volunteering and shadowing opportunities, and tutoring services to help them thrive.

Part 3: The best liberal arts colleges for medical school

We’ve listed our picks for the best liberal arts colleges for medical school below, taking into account factors such as: each school’s medical school acceptance rate, how many students from each school apply to medical school, reputation, and U.S. News & World Report rankings.

When viewing each college’s medical school acceptance rate, keep in mind that the national medical school acceptance rate is currently 41 percent.

(Note: Unless otherwise noted, “Number of medical school applicants” refers to the number of students and alums who applied to enter medical school in Fall 2022.)

U.S. News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 1
Location: Williamstown, MA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 9%
Number of medical school applicants: 73
Medical school acceptance rate: 85%

U.S. News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 2
Location: Amherst, MA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 9%
Number of medical school applicants: 54
Medical school acceptance rate: 75–80% on average

U.S. News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 3
Location: Swarthmore, PA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 8%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 77%

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 4
Location: Pomona, CA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 7%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 85% in 2018

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 5
Location: Wellesley, MA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 16%
Number of medical school applicants: 66
Medical school acceptance rate: 81% in 2018

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 6 (tie)
Location: Brunswick, ME
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 9%
Number of medical school applicants: Roughly 8% of all students (approximately 40 students per year)
Medical school acceptance rate: 87% average over the last 15 years

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 9 (tie)
Location: Northfield, MN
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 18%
Number of medical school applicants: 54
Medical school acceptance rate: 82% average over the past 5 years

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 9 (tie)
Location: Middlebury, VT
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 13%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 90% over the past 5 years

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 13 (tie)
Location: Grinnell, IA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 11%
Number of medical school applicants: 50
Medical school acceptance rate: 66%

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 13 (tie)
Location: Davidson, NC
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 18%
Number of medical school applicants: 64 ( 13–15% of each class apply to medical, dental, or veterinary school each year)
Medical school acceptance rate: 79%

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 16
Location: Haverford, PA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 18%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 95% between 2015 and 2020

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 17 (tie)
Location: Waterville, ME
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 9%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 75% average over the past 5 years

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 17 (tie)
Location: Northampton, MA
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 29%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: 80% of qualified applicants (applicants who graduated with GPAs of 3.7 or higher and MCAT scores of 512 or higher)

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 17 (tie)
Location: Middletown, CT
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 19.3%
Number of medical school applicants: 60
Medical school acceptance rate: Ranges from 55–77% between 2016 and 2020; applicants with GPAs of 3.6 or above were accepted at rates ranging from 71–87%

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 17 (tie)
Location: Hamilton, NY
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 17%
Number of medical school applicants: 69
Medical school acceptance rate: According to Colgate, “The medical school acceptance rate for first-time applicants from Colgate is between one and a half to two times the national average” (approximately 60–80%).

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 17 (tie)
Location: New York, NY
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 11%
Number of medical school applicants: 75
Medical school acceptance rate: 84% who have at least a 3.5 GPA and 510 MCAT

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 13 (tie)
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 20%
Number of medical school applicants: 67
Medical school acceptance rate: 88%

News & World Report Rank (Liberal Arts Colleges): 25
Location: Lewiston, ME
Undergraduate acceptance rate: 17.3%
Number of medical school applicants:
Medical school acceptance rate: Roughly 75%

Part 4: What medical schools should a liberal arts student apply to?

As your child reaches the end of college and prepares to apply to medical school from a liberal arts college, they may want to consider which admissions committees seem predisposed to letting in liberal arts grads.

If your child has majored in, say, history or anthropology, they can take into account which medical schools accept high rates of non-biological science majors when creating their medical school list, among other factors. For example, among the 2021 entering class at Brown’s Alpert School of Medicine, 45 percent majored in the humanities or social sciences.

Additional schools where humanities and social science majors are readily accepted can be found on this list. Also highly useful is MSAR, which reports the percentage of science/math majors among each medical school’s latest entering class.

Nevertheless, your child’s major doesn’t reflect whether they’ve attended a liberal arts college or a university. The fact of the matter is that your child can major in any discipline at either type of institution, and plenty of liberal arts students graduate with majors in the biological sciences.

And, to reiterate an earlier point, your child’s major has little to do with how likely they are to get into medical school. Far more important are factors like their GPA, MCAT score, and medical school personal statement.

Thus, in order to determine whether a liberal arts college or a university will better prepare your child for medical school admissions success, consider which type of learning environment will provide them with the greatest opportunities to thrive.

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world’s foremost experts on college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into top programs like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT using his exclusive approach.