15 Med Schools That Accept Students With Low GPAs (2024)

FAQs

15 Med Schools That Accept Students With Low GPAs? ›

A GPA of 3.0 or higher is generally considered to be the minimum requirement for medical schools. Some schools may have a lower minimum requirement, such as a 2.5 or 2.75, but these are less common.

A GPA of 3.0 or higher is generally considered to be the minimum requirement for medical schools. Some schools may have a lower minimum requirement, such as a 2.5 or 2.75, but these are less common.

Generally, a GPA of 3.5 or higher is ideal. You are still considered competitive if your GPA is within 0.1 points of the medical school's average. However, it may be considered low if your GPA is more than 0.3 points below the average (or in the school's 75th or 80th percentile).

Note that an average GPA of 3.95 is very high. Many admissions officers view a GPA of 3.8 as very competitive, and they like to see at least a GPA of 3.5 or above.

Many medical schools have a cut-off for GPAs below 3.0. The average GPA at most MD medical schools ranges from about 3.7 to 3.9. The average GPA at most DO medical schools ranges from about 3.4 to 3.6.

In general, 3.6 or above is a good GPA for med school. A 3.8 GPA is needed to be considered very competitive for med school. This is especially true if you're applying to ivy league schools.

Harvard Medical School obviously has the luxury of selecting students from an outstanding pool of applicants. If your MCAT and GPA are excellent (517 and 3.8 or higher) or there are other extenuating circ*mstances about your background that distinguish you, try applying.

I would say to have a competitive chance at most medical schools you probably want to have a GPA above 3.5 So a B or two per semester is probably OK but do you want to make sure you get mostly A's or A- in your science and math courses. B's are commendable. I got a C minus in organic chemistry once.

While perfect grades are not required for medical school admission, premeds "would want to be in the mid-3.0 range and higher to feel relatively competitive," Grabowski says. Still, it is possible to get into med school with a mediocre or low GPA.

What is the lowest MCAT score accepted? ›

Medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada that necessitate the MCAT typically accept scores ranging from 490-495 at the minimum. Scores below 490 are rarely if ever, accepted. Interestingly, a vast majority of individuals score above this range. Recent data suggests that the average score hovers around 506.5.

Every medical specialty presents unique challenges; however, family medicine is generally considered the easiest MD to become. This is because it takes less time than most other specialties and doesn't require as much intense training as other programs, such as general surgery.

Attaining a score of 509 on the MCAT means you performed in the 82% percentile. An even distribution for the section scores is preferred.

This means you can have close to one B throughout your high school career to maintain a 3.9 GPA.

So, in this example with 10 classes, having eight A's and two B's will result in a 3.8 GPA.

If you scored a 513 on the MCAT, this means you performed in the 87th percentile according to most recent AAMC statistics, and you now have a competitive score for med-school admission.

Many colleges and universities offer pre-med programs, so it's important to do your research to determine which schools are the best fit for you. Consider that a 3.5 or higher is a good GPA for med school — especially if you want to gain admission into a top-tier program.

It is extremely difficult to get into medical school with a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0.

Many medical schools will not even consider a candidate with less than a 3.0 GPA, and competitive schools may require close to a 4.0. If you have a low GPA, don't let that discourage you from trying.

While you can still get into medical school with a low GPA, it's a lot more difficult, and all other areas of your application need to really stand out. If your GPA falls between 3.4-3.6, you can still get accepted, but in these cases, a good MCAT score can improve your chances of acceptance.