Healthgrades for ProfessionalsGetting Into Medical School is Getting Harder – Despite Doctor Shortages

Fewer than half (41%) of people who apply to medical school get accepted. Today’s acceptance rate is the lowest it’s ever been, even though people submit an average of 17 applications each to medical schools. Why such a low acceptance rate? One reason is that more people are applying to medical school than ever before. In 2019, before the pandemic, more than 53,000 people applied to U.S. medical schools, a 25% increase over the past decade. The lack of acceptance into medical school comes as the country is forecast to be short as many as 131,300 doctors in the coming 10 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).