Top 50 Pre Medical School Programs

If you're in high school and applying to college with the goal of going to medical school then take a look at this list of the top 50 pre medical school programs. 

Here's your chance to apply to colleges that have a very strong track record of getting their undergraduate students into medical school. As you can see by the list of pre medical school programs it is based on the total number of medical school applicants each university produces.

I think this is actually great for you.

Northwestern University ArchwayNorthwestern University a Top Pre Medical School Program

Medical schools like familiarity. So if you apply to medical school coming from a college that has a reputable and known pre medical school program it makes the job of the medical school a lot easier. And at the same time makes it easier for you to gain admission to medical school.

Why?

Medical schools will have previous students from that particular college in their entering class which helps them to predict what type of student you will be once you arrive. They can do this because they will have the MCAT scores and grades in particular premed science courses and by using some statistical analysis will be able to gauge how you are most likely to perform based on your own numbers. 

Choose These Pre Medical School Programs

Listing of undergraduate institutions with the highest total number of medical school applicants each year:
  • University of California-Los Angeles 780
  • University of California-Berkeley 730
  • University of Texas at Austin 693
  • University of Michigan 660
  • University of Florida 550
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison 484
  • Cornell University 471
  • University of California-San Diego 459
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 412
  • University of California-Irvine 361
  • University of Washington, Seattle 356
  • University of Pennsylvania 350
  • Michigan State University 348
  • Duke University 341
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 340
  • Rutgers University-New Brunswick 339
  • Brigham Young University 336
  • University of Georgia 334
  • Northwestern University 332
  • Johns Hopkins University 326
  • University of California-Davis 326
  • Harvard University 320
  • Stanford University 320
  • New York University 313
  • University of Maryland-College Park 312
  • Ohio State University-Main Campus 311
  • Louisiana State Univ & Ag & Mech & Herbert Laws Ctr 306
  • Emory University 297
  • University of Arizona 287
  • University of Virginia-Main Campus 287
  • University of Miami 274
  • Brown University 270
  • Washington University, St Louis 267
  • University of Notre Dame 266
  • Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus 263
  • University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 253
  • Indiana University-Bloomington 248
  • Vanderbilt University 242
  • Baylor University 238
  • University of Toronto 232
  • University of Oklahoma Norman Campus 226
  • Yale University 225
  • University of Colorado at Boulder 222
  • University of Southern California 213
  • Columbia University 207
  • Boston University 206
  • University of Illinois at Chicago 200

Source: AAMC Data Wharehouse: Applicant Matriculant File, as of January 2008

Things to Keep In Mind

There's more to college than using it as a stepping stone to medical school.

You will be best served choosing a college you like regardless of your plans of medical school or not. 

I know it sounds surprising to hear me advise you to choose a college without thinking about pre medical school programs and their reputations but it is what you should do. The reason being not everyone who starts out as premed will stay premed. Plus, if you go to a reputable undergraduate institution, perform well academically and score well on the MCAT medical school will be in your future. 

The list is provided to give you a general sense of the undergraduate institutions producing the most medical school applicants.

There are some aspects which you need to consider.

Obviously, the school with a larger student population is more likely to send more students to medical school. Additionally, the educational focus of the college matters too. Some colleges are basically feeder schools to specific medical schools because of their very close relationship. 

At the end of the day the list is provided for your benefit but it should not be your sole focus when deciding where to attend college. Remember undergrad is a place of personal growth, where you will make friendships that last a lifetime so choose wisely.