Updated
Easiest Medical Schools to Get Into: 11 Applicants per Seat at MCG
The easiest MD schools to get into are public schools admitting their own residents. By its own numbers, the Medical College of Georgia had 3,367 applications for 304 seats in its 2025 class, about 11.1 per seat, and 300 of those students were Georgians. At ETSU in 2025, 22% of Tennessee applicants got an offer, against 0.9% from out of state (our math).
No medical school is easy. This page ranks schools by numbers each one publishes on its own site, with the year, and shows our math. Read November 3, 2026.
What does “easiest” mean for medical school?
Nationally, 54,699 people applied to US MD schools in 2025 and 23,440 enrolled, per the AAMC. That is about 42.9% by our math. Any one school's rate is far lower, because each applicant applies to many schools and enrolls at one.
Most schools publish two numbers in their class profile: how many applied and how many enrolled. Dividing them gives applicants per seat, which works the same way for every school. Fewer applicants per seat means less competition, but only for the applicants the school actually takes. A school with few applicants usually has them because it takes mostly residents.
Which medical schools have the fewest applicants per seat?
These MD schools had the fewest applicants per seat among the class profiles we checked. Each number links to the school's own page. Per seat is our math.
| School | Class | Applicants | Seats | Per seat | Who they take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical College of Georgia (GA) | Class: Class of 2029 (entered 2025) | Applicants: 3,367 | Seats: 304 | Per seat: 11.1 (9%) | Who they take: 300 of 304 students are Georgia residents |
| Uniformed Services University (MD) | Class: Class of 2030 | Applicants: 2,338 | Seats: 177 | Per seat: 13.2 (7.6%) | Who they take: Federal school, students serve in the military |
| MUSC (SC) | Class: Fall 2026 | Applicants: 3,417 | Seats: 186 | Per seat: 18.4 (5.4%) | Who they take: 94% of the class is in-state |
| UAB Heersink (AL) | Class: 2026 | Applicants: 3,835 | Seats: 194 | Per seat: 19.8 (5.1%) | Who they take: 169 of 194 from Alabama |
| Washington State (Floyd) (WA) | Class: Class of 2030 | Applicants: 1,669 | Seats: 80 | Per seat: 20.9 (4.8%) | Who they take: 96.3% Washington residents |
| Hawaii (JABSOM) (HI) | Class: 2026 | Applicants: 2,658 | Seats: 77 | Per seat: 34.5 (2.9%) | Who they take: 70 of 77 Hawaii residents |
| Toledo (OH) | Class: 2026 | Applicants: 7,051 | Seats: 175 | Per seat: 40.3 (2.5%) | Who they take: 109 of 175 Ohio residents |
Why the Uniformed Services University is different
USU trains military doctors. Its graduates serve as military or Public Health Service doctors. It extended 292 offers for its Class of 2030 and calls that a 12% acceptance rate. It has few applicants because only people ready to serve apply, not because the bar is low.
How much easier is it for in-state applicants?
A lot, at public schools. These schools publish their numbers by residency. The rates and the advantage are our math.
| School | Year | Residents | Non-residents | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAMS (Arkansas) | Year: fall 2025 class | Residents: 144 of 277 enrolled (52%) | Non-residents: Up to 50 seats by state law | Advantage: |
| Hawaii (JABSOM) | Year: 2026 | Residents: 70 of 298 enrolled (23.5%) | Non-residents: 7 of 2,360 enrolled (0.3%) | Advantage: 79.2x |
| ETSU Quillen (Tennessee) | Year: 2025 | Residents: 138 of 626 got an offer (22%) | Non-residents: 31 of 3,383 got an offer (0.9%) | Advantage: 24.1x |
| Toledo (Ohio) | Year: 2026 | Residents: 109 of 1,217 enrolled (9%) | Non-residents: 66 of 5,834 enrolled (1.1%) | Advantage: 7.9x |
| UVA (Virginia) | Year: Class of 2030 | Residents: 149 of 1,056 were interviewed (14.1%) | Non-residents: 478 of 6,192 were interviewed (7.7%) | Advantage: 1.8x |
UAMS is the extreme case. It says 277 Arkansas residents applied, 221 interviewed and 144 joined the class, so about half the Arkansas applicants enrolled. Non-residents need a 505 MCAT to be considered, against 500 for residents.
Private schools can run the other way. Rush in Chicago enrolled 113 out-of-state students and 31 Illinois residents in 2025. If your state has no public school that favors you, a private school with a national class may be your best bet.
Which schools admit mostly in-state students?
Some say so in their own rules. A few examples, each from the school's own page:
- Mercer requires Georgia domicile by the time you apply.
- UAMS may take up to 50 non-residents under Arkansas law.
- Oklahoma limits non-residents to 25% of each class.
- South Alabama says more than 90% of its students are from Alabama.
- Washington State reports 96.3% Washington residents in its Class of 2030.
If you live in one of these states, these schools belong on your list first. If you do not, they are usually a poor use of an application fee.
Are DO schools easier to get into?
DO schools use their own application, AACOMAS, and many applicants apply to both MD and DO schools. They are selective too. Our MD vs DO guide compares the two paths.
How to use this when you build your list
- List every public MD school in your state of legal residence first. Those are your best odds, and AMCAS will not refund a school you were never eligible for.
- Read each school's own residency rule before adding it. Some take residents only, some cap non-residents, some prefer applicants with ties.
- Add private schools that publish an out-of-state friendly class, where most students come from elsewhere.
- Check each school's published class profile for applicants, interviews and class size, and work out the ratios yourself.
- Consider DO schools too, which apply through AACOMAS and look at the whole applicant.
- Then prepare for the interview, because at every school on this list it decides who gets the offer.
For the size of the list, see how many medical schools to apply to. For the application itself, see our AMCAS application guide.
Practice the question a state school will ask
Schools that take mostly residents want to know you will stay and serve. Expect a version of “why us” at every interview. Our why this school guide has more.
“Why do you want to attend our medical school?”
Schools with strong state missions want to know you will serve the people they were built for. Name what is specific to the school, connect it to your own experience and say where you see yourself practicing.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I want to train where I plan to practice. I grew up in a county with one family doctor for 9,000 people, and I have spent two years as a scribe at a rural clinic an hour from here.
Your rural track would put me in a community like mine for my third year, and your students' free clinic is where I would want to spend my evenings. Both match what I want to do after residency: primary care in a town that needs one more doctor.
I also like that most of your graduates stay in the state. That is my plan too.
Sources: each school's own class profile, statistics or news page, linked in the tables, and the AAMC's 2025 enrollment news, all checked November 3, 2026. Applicants per seat, percentages and advantages are our math. Schools count applicants differently (some count applications), so compare within a school before across schools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest medical school to get into?
By its own numbers, the Medical College of Georgia had the fewest applicants per seat among the schools we checked: 3,367 applications for 304 seats in its 2025 class, about 11 per seat by our math. But 300 of those students were Georgia residents, so it is easiest for Georgians. See MCG's 2025 fact sheet.
What percentage of medical school applicants get in?
In 2025, 54,699 people applied to US MD schools and 23,440 enrolled, per the AAMC. That is about 42.9% by our math. Each school's own rate is much lower because applicants apply to many schools. Read the AAMC's 2025 numbers.
Is it easier to get into medical school in your home state?
Usually, at public schools. At ETSU in 2025, 22% of Tennessee applicants got an offer against under 1% of out-of-state applicants, by our math from the school's numbers. Private schools often take most of their class from other states. See ETSU's admissions statistics.
Which medical schools only accept in-state students?
Some public schools take residents only or nearly so. Mercer requires Georgia domicile, UAMS can take at most 50 non-residents under state law, and Oklahoma caps non-residents at 25% of the class. Check each school's own residency rule. See UAMS's admissions rules.
Are DO schools easier to get into than MD schools?
DO schools use a separate application, AACOMAS, and are selective too. Many applicants apply to both. Our MD vs DO guide compares the two paths, from admissions to residency. Read MD vs DO.