Admission Trends for 2025 and Beyond

With rapid changes in medicine and the healthcare system, admissions officers are also changing the way in which they select applicants to medical school. Students graduating from college in 2025 and beyond need to think differently than students did in the past. It’s impossible to predict exactly what medical school will be like in the future, but here are some of the trends medical education experts say are happening right now.

• Competition is increasing. The number of applicants to U.S. medical schools will be increasing, and that will likely continue well into the future. And with a larger applicant pool comes more competition. Grades and MCAT scores have also been improving, with the average GPA for all applicants nearing 3.80 and average MCAT scores 512. As the number of applicants is soon to approach 60,000, it will be difficult for students with average academic records to be admitted. Recently, when admissions officers were asked about competition, the majority reported that admission will be much more competitive than it was five or ten years ago.

• Primary care is the future. An increasing number of medical schools are looking at ways to identify students committed to primary care over higher paying specialties. Over the next decade, medical programs will increase their focus on primary care and, therefore, students who can convince admissions committee members – through their volunteer work at clinics, for example – that they’re serious about primary care will gain an advantage in the screening process.

• Applicants are increasingly selected based on the Holistic Review. Current and future admissions decisions will include what the AAMC calls the Holistic Review, a flexible, individualized way of assessing an applicant’s capabilities based not only on academics but on life experiences, personal attributes, and non-science activities. What schools are looking for are doctors of tomorrow, individuals who can relate to people and who are well-rounded. In fact, in the past few years, U.S. medical schools accepted a greater number of students with undergraduate degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences than ever before.

• Three-year medical degrees. As medical education costs increase, and residency programs more difficult to find, more medical schools will offer a three-year medical degree in which courses are condensed so that students can graduate a year earlier. These accelerated programs will be especially valuable in attracting students into choosing primary care. Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine and Texas Tech University School of Medicine are the pioneers. Other schools are currently experimenting with a three-year program for select students.

From: The New Medical School Preparation & Admissions Guide, 2025, 2025, 5th Edition