How Hard Is It to Get Into an Ivy League Medical School?

Ivy League medical schools are among the most selective medical programs in the United States. Thousands of applicants compete for relatively small entering classes, often with median MCAT scores around 515 to 521 and GPAs approaching 4.0.

There are seven Ivy League medical schools, not eight. Princeton University is an Ivy League institution but does not operate its own medical school.

The seven are:

• Harvard Medical School
• Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
• Yale School of Medicine
• Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
• Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Weill Cornell Medical College

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Ivy League Medical School Acceptance Rates and Admissions Data

Acceptance rates can be difficult to compare directly because schools do not all publish the same admissions statistics. Some publish the number of applicants, interviews, acceptances, and matriculants, while others publish only part of that information.

For that reason, class size divided by applications should not automatically be treated as an acceptance rate. Schools usually make more offers than the number of students who ultimately matriculate.

Here is a snapshot based on the latest official data available from the schools.

These figures come from the schools' official admissions and class-profile pages.

1. Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School received 6,856 applications for its Class of 2028 and interviewed 757 applicants for a class of 165 students.

The class reported:

• Average GPA: 3.90
• Average MCAT: 520.42
• Class size: 165

Harvard evaluates far more than academic performance. Its admissions process considers applicants' academic records alongside research, extracurricular activities, healthcare experiences, and community service.

2. Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Columbia VP&S is another exceptionally competitive Ivy League medical school in New York City.

For applicants receiving an offer during the 2026 application cycle, Columbia reported:

• GPA range: 3.53 to 4.0
• MCAT range: 508 to 528

Columbia reviews applicants holistically and considers academic preparation alongside experiences, personal qualities, and alignment with the school's values. 

3. Yale School of Medicine

Yale School of Medicine provides one of the clearest official acceptance-rate figures among Ivy League medical schools.

For its Class of 2028, Yale reported:

• Applicants: 5,669
• Class size: 104
• Acceptance rate: 4.9%
• Median GPA: 3.94
• Median MCAT: 521

That means even outstanding academic credentials should be viewed as only one component of a competitive Yale application.

4. Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

The Warren Alpert Medical School has several routes of admission, making its admissions numbers somewhat different from other Ivy League medical schools.

Its newest class has 144 students, but not all entered through the traditional AMCAS route.

For the MD Class of 2030, Brown reports approximately:

• 44% entering through standard AMCAS admission
• 45% through Brown's PLME pathway
• 8% through its postbaccalaureate pathway
• 3% through its Early Identification Program

This is important when comparing Brown's apparent acceptance rate with schools where almost the entire class enters through the traditional medical school application process. 

5. Perelman School of Medicine at UPenn

The Perelman School of Medicine enrolled 153 incoming students for the 2025-26 academic year.

Its entering class reported:

• Median GPA: 3.97
• Median MCAT: 521
• GPA range: 3.25 to 4.00
• MCAT range: 513 to 528

These numbers illustrate how academically competitive admission to Penn can be, although the school evaluates applications beyond numerical metrics.

6. Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

The Geisel School of Medicine reports:

• Complete applications: 8,374
• Interviewed: 661
• Class size: 96
• Median GPA: 3.82
• Median MCAT: 515

With fewer than 100 students matriculating from more than 8,000 complete applications, applicants should expect significant competition.

7. Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College receives more than 9,000 applications for approximately 106 places in its entering MD class.

Approximately 700 to 750 MD applicants are interviewed each year, meaning even reaching the interview stage is highly selective.

What About Princeton Medical School?

There isn't one. Despite being one of the eight Ivy League universities, Princeton University does not have a medical school. Princeton does, however, provide pre-health advising and participates in biomedical research and collaborative programs, including an MD-PhD partnership involving Rutgers.

So, when discussing "Ivy League medical schools," there are seven institutions to consider.

What GPA Do You Need for an Ivy League Medical School?

There is no universal minimum GPA that guarantees admission.

Recent entering-class data illustrate the academic level of successful applicants:

• Harvard average GPA: 3.90
• Yale median GPA: 3.94
• Penn median GPA: 3.97
• Dartmouth median GPA: 3.82

Applicants with lower GPAs can still be admitted. Medical schools generally consider academic trends, MCAT performance, experiences, personal qualities, and the rest of the application.

What MCAT Score Is Competitive?

At several Ivy League medical schools, recent entering students have median or average MCAT scores well above 515.

Harvard's Class of 2028 averaged 520.42, Yale reported a median of 521, Penn reported a median of 521, and Dartmouth reported 515.

These are useful benchmarks, not required scores.

A 520 MCAT does not guarantee admission, just as scoring below a school's median does not automatically eliminate you.

What Makes a Strong Ivy League Medical School Applicant?

Academic excellence matters, but applicants also need experiences that demonstrate their readiness for medicine.

That may include:

• Meaningful clinical experience
• Physician shadowing
• Community service
• Research
• Leadership
• Strong communication skills
• Evidence of teamwork and maturity
• A clear motivation for medicine

Clinical experiences are particularly valuable when they help you understand what patient care and healthcare teamwork actually involve.

Students who want additional exposure before applying can explore Go-Elective's Pre-Health and Pre-Med Internships, which provide supervised opportunities to learn about healthcare delivery in different clinical and cultural environments.

Should You Apply to Ivy League Medical Schools?

Yes, if your academic profile, experiences, interests, and goals genuinely align with the schools.

But prestige alone should not determine your medical school list.

Look at:

• Curriculum
• Clinical training
• Research opportunities
• Location
• Cost and financial aid
• School mission
• Patient populations
• Academic environment
• Your realistic competitiveness

With acceptance rates this low, even highly qualified applicants should generally build a balanced medical school list rather than applying only to Ivy League or similarly selective programs.

FAQs About Ivy League Medical Schools

1. How many Ivy League medical schools are there?

There are seven Ivy League medical schools. Princeton is the only Ivy League university without its own medical school.

2. Which Ivy League medical school has the highest acceptance rate?

Acceptance rates cannot be reliably ranked from publicly available school data because the institutions report admissions statistics differently. Yale, for example, officially reports a 4.9% acceptance rate for its Class of 2028, while several other schools report applications, interviews, and class size without publishing a directly comparable acceptance percentage.

3. Is Harvard Medical School the hardest Ivy League medical school to enter?

Harvard is extremely selective, receiving 6,856 applications for a Class of 2028 containing 165 students. However, comparing which Ivy League school is "hardest" based solely on these figures can be misleading because applicant pools and admissions reporting differ between schools.

4. Do you need a 4.0 GPA to attend an Ivy League medical school?

No. Successful applicants do not all have perfect GPAs. Penn's recent entering class, for example, included GPAs ranging from 3.25 to 4.00, despite having a median GPA of 3.97.

5. Does Princeton have a medical school?

No. Princeton University does not operate its own medical school, although it supports premedical students and participates in biomedical research and collaborative medical programs.

Article Details

Categories

Recent Articles , Med Schools, Pre-health, MCAT/MSAR/USMLE, Dental Internships,

Author: Tatina Himes

Date Published: Sep 2, 2026