How MCAT, GPA and Race/Ethnicity Appear in the Latest Medical School Admissions Data
Medical school applicants often want to know how their MCAT score, undergraduate GPA and demographic background compare with students who received admission offers.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes nationwide statistics that can help answer these questions. Its latest available applicant and matriculant series covers the 2025–26 US MD admissions year.
During that cycle, 54,699 people applied to US MD-granting medical schools, 24,300 received at least one acceptance and 23,440 ultimately matriculated.
That produces a national applicant acceptance rate of approximately 44.4%. In contrast, the AAMC’s pooled three-year MCAT/GPA grid reports a 45.1% acceptance rate across the 2023–24 through 2025–26 application cycles.
An overall acceptance rate describes a population, not the probability that a particular student will receive an offer.
Race/ethnicity, GPA and MCAT appear in different AAMC tables, and their published values cannot be freely combined into an individual prediction.
The most useful comparisons consider academic qualifications together with experiences, residency, school selection and the application process.
Research updated October 21, 2026. The article concerns US allopathic (MD-granting) medical schools. Osteopathic (DO-granting) schools maintain a separate admissions system.
The AAMC’s 2025–26 data show an overall 44.4% MD medical school applicant acceptance rate. The mean MCAT among matriculants was 512.1, and their mean total undergraduate GPA was 3.81.
In the latest race/ethnicity acceptance table, the reported acceptance rates were 48.9% for White applicants, 45.7% for Asian applicants, 40.8% for Hispanic or Latino applicants, 39.6% for Middle Eastern or North African applicants and 32.7% for Black or African American applicants. Smaller categories had more variable rates.
However, AAMC does not publish a national 2025–26 table giving acceptance rates for every combined race × MCAT × GPA cell. The available race/ethnicity rates and academic-score grid must be interpreted as separate descriptive datasets.
Source: AAMC 2025 FACTS: Applicants and Matriculants, especially Tables A-12, A-18 and A-23.
What Counts as a Medical School Acceptance Rate?
Three related but different AAMC measures are commonly confused in online admissions guides.
| Measure | Definition | 2025–26 national figure |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | Unique people who applied to at least one participating US MD school. | 54,699 |
| Acceptees | Applicants who received at least one MD school admission offer. | 24,300 |
| Matriculants | Students who ultimately entered an MD-granting medical school. | 23,440 |
| Applicant acceptance rate | Acceptees divided by applicants. | 44.4% |
| Applicant-to-matriculant ratio | Matriculants divided by applicants. This is not the acceptance rate. | 42.9% |
Why does the difference matter?
A student may receive an offer of admission but choose not to enroll, defer entry or ultimately attend a different programme.
Consequently, dividing matriculants by applicants understates the proportion who received an MD admission offer.
The single-year 2025–26 accepted-applicant rate is 44.4%. The three-year aggregated MCAT/GPA grid reports approximately 45.1%.
Both describe acceptance, but they cover different observation periods. They should not be presented as identical 2026 statistics.
Why isn’t the typical medical school’s acceptance rate 44.4%?
The national applicant acceptance rate measures whether a person received at least one offer across all schools to which they applied.
An individual school may admit only a small percentage of its own applications.
The same applicant can submit applications to many schools, making the acceptance rate at one institution very different from the national share of applicants accepted somewhere.
Medical School Acceptance Rates by Race and Ethnicity, 2025–26
AAMC Table A-12 reports applicants, acceptees and matriculants by race/ethnicity. Its category definitions differ from the separate AAMC tables permitting multiple race/ethnicity responses.
The following table uses mutually exclusive categories, so the listed applicants sum to the national total rather than double-counting people who identified with more than one category.
| Race / ethnicity category | Applicants | Accepted | Matriculated | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 81 | 35 | 33 | 43.2% |
| Asian | 14,585 | 6,664 | 6,484 | 45.7% |
| Black or African American | 5,022 | 1,643 | 1,558 | 32.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,752 | 1,530 | 1,459 | 40.8% |
| Middle Eastern or North African | 2,539 | 1,006 | 976 | 39.6% |
| Multiple race/ethnicity | 6,847 | 2,938 | 2,837 | 42.9% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 51 | 14 | 13 | 27.5% |
| Some other race or ethnicity | 253 | 82 | 80 | 32.4% |
| Unknown race/ethnicity | 2,972 | 1,288 | 1,227 | 43.3% |
| White | 18,597 | 9,100 | 8,773 | 48.9% |
| All applicants | 54,699 | 24,300 | 23,440 | 44.4% |
On mobile, scroll horizontally to see all columns.
Source: AAMC FACTS Table A-12, academic year 2025–26. Acceptance rate = accepted applicants ÷ applicants. Values describe self-reported categories using the published mutually exclusive classification.
What stands out?
White applicants had the highest observed acceptance rate among the largest groups listed, at 48.9%, followed by Asian applicants at 45.7%.
Hispanic or Latino applicants had an observed rate of 40.8%, while Black or African American applicants had a rate of 32.7%.
These differences are descriptive group-level outcomes, not evidence that an applicant’s racial identity alone caused an admissions result.
Why are some groups particularly difficult to compare?
Certain categories have small sample sizes.
For example, the Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander single-category group contained 51 applicants, and the American Indian or Alaska Native single-category group contained 81.
When denominators are small, a change of only a few admission offers can cause a substantial percentage change.
In addition, many individuals identify with multiple racial or ethnic categories. AAMC publishes separate alone-or-in-combination tables that should be used when examining broader demographic representation.
The data are not adjusted for MCAT, GPA, school list, state residency, academic background, socioeconomic resources, clinical experience, recommendation quality or other characteristics.
Comparing unadjusted percentages cannot establish the independent causal effect of race on medical school admission.
Average MCAT and GPA by Race/Ethnicity Among Medical School Matriculants
AAMC Table A-18 presents academic-score averages for applicants and matriculants by race/ethnicity.
The figures below describe matriculants—students who actually began an MD programme in 2025–26—not the average test results of every applicant in each group.
| Race / ethnicity | Mean matriculant MCAT | Mean total GPA |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 505.2 | 3.64 |
| Asian | 514.3 | 3.85 |
| Black or African American | 507.2 | 3.65 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 506.8 | 3.71 |
| Middle Eastern or North African | 511.7 | 3.84 |
| Multiple race/ethnicity | 511.6 | 3.79 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 512.0 | 3.74 |
| Some other race/ethnicity | 510.5 | 3.77 |
| Unknown race/ethnicity | 512.9 | 3.82 |
| White | 512.3 | 3.82 |
| All matriculants | 512.1 | 3.81 |
Source: AAMC FACTS Table A-18, 2025–26. These are mean scores and cumulative GPAs for matriculants under the table’s racial/ethnic classification—not minimum scores for admission.
What does the average MCAT reveal?
Average scores provide context about the academic profiles of entering students.
They do not establish a minimum MCAT score for students in any demographic group, nor do they identify how much weight schools assigned to the exam.
For example, an average score of 514.3 among Asian matriculants does not mean an Asian applicant needs a 514.3 to be admitted. Applicants with scores both above and below that average received offers.
Why should applicants avoid comparing one group’s average directly with another group’s acceptance rate?
The acceptance-rate table includes all applicants within its population, while the academic-score table above describes only students who matriculated.
Consequently, the datasets have different denominators.
A rigorous comparison of admissions outcomes at the same GPA and MCAT level by demographic group would require applicant and acceptee counts for each corresponding intersection, using consistent category definitions.
Compare your academic record with the broad national academic profile, then investigate the actual score ranges and prerequisite expectations at the schools you intend to apply to.
Do not use the group averages as separate cutoffs or as recommendations to pursue different grades based on race.
Medical School Acceptance Rates by MCAT and GPA: AAMC’s Three-Year Grid
AAMC Table A-23 is particularly useful because it measures the share of applicants who were accepted at least once within a specific MCAT and total GPA combination.
The latest grid aggregates three application years: 2023–24, 2024–25 and 2025–26.
It is not separated by race/ethnicity, and it should not be presented as a race-specific probability calculator.
| Total GPA | 498–501 MCAT | 502–505 | 506–509 | 510–513 | 514–517 | 518+ | All MCAT scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.80–4.00 | 30.6% | 44.9% | 57.1% | 70.5% | 77.2% | 83.3% | 63.7% |
| 3.60–3.79 | 22.3% | 34.7% | 45.4% | 60.0% | 66.7% | 71.3% | 42.4% |
| 3.40–3.59 | 20.0% | 30.3% | 36.7% | 48.7% | 56.5% | 66.4% | 29.7% |
| 3.20–3.39 | 17.5% | 24.7% | 31.8% | 42.3% | 45.5% | 60.7% | 20.8% |
| 3.00–3.19 | 15.4% | 23.2% | 28.4% | 37.4% | 43.3% | 46.5% | 15.9% |
| 2.80–2.99 | 10.8% | 23.3% | 27.7% | 39.0% | 36.4% | 41.7% | 11.5% |
| All GPAs | 22.2% | 35.4% | 47.1% | 62.4% | 71.2% | 79.9% | 45.1% |
Scroll horizontally on mobile for all MCAT bands.
Source: AAMC FACTS Table A-23, aggregated academic years 2023–24 through 2025–26. This is an abbreviated selection of the official grid. The first row represents GPA greater than 3.79, and the last score column represents MCAT greater than 517.
What if you have a 3.8 GPA and a 512 MCAT?
In the historical grid, applicants with a GPA above 3.79 and an MCAT between 510 and 513 had a 70.5% acceptance rate.
This means 70.5% of applicants in that national historical combination received at least one MD acceptance.
It does not mean any new student with those numbers has exactly a 70.5% chance, because applications differ in experiences, school selection and many other factors.
What if you have a 3.5 GPA and a 515 MCAT?
Applicants in the 3.40–3.59 GPA and 514–517 MCAT cell had a historical acceptance rate of 56.5%.
That is higher than the 29.7% aggregate acceptance rate across all MCAT scores in the same GPA band.
The data illustrate that MCAT performance and undergraduate GPA interact in observed admissions outcomes.
Can a high MCAT compensate for a lower GPA?
A strong MCAT can provide important evidence of academic readiness when undergraduate grades are weaker.
For example, the pooled grid shows a 60.7% acceptance rate for applicants with a GPA of 3.20–3.39 and an MCAT above 517.
Nevertheless, academic deficiencies, missing prerequisites and poor grade trends may remain concerns.
Schools review the full transcript and may place particular importance on science coursework.
Multiplying a group’s 2025–26 race/ethnicity acceptance rate by a three-year GPA/MCAT grid percentage has no valid statistical interpretation.
The required joint applicant and acceptee distributions are not supplied by these tables.
How to Read the Medical School Admissions Statistics Correctly
The most useful approach is to ask what each data point measures before deciding whether it can inform your application strategy.
Applicant acceptance rate
Measures the share of people receiving one or more admission offers. It is not the acceptance rate at a particular medical school.
Matriculant mean MCAT
Describes average academic performance among those who eventually enrolled. It is not a hard minimum.
Race/ethnicity group outcome
Summarizes a broad observed population; it is not adjusted for other differences between applicants.
GPA/MCAT grid cell
Shows historical acceptance among applicants whose academic metrics fall in the same bands.
What the statistics cannot tell you
National tables do not individually quantify the effects of letters of recommendation, clinical service, shadowing, interviews, research accomplishments, personal circumstances or individual school mission.
They also do not account for every state-residency preference.
A student who applies exclusively to highly selective schools may have a very different result from a student with similar grades who constructs a realistic and mission-aligned school list.
Race, Ethnicity and Medical School Admissions: Important Context for 2026
The AAMC publishes demographic information to describe who applies to and enters medical school and to help institutions and researchers understand patterns in medical education.
Race and ethnicity are not measures of academic ability or potential to practice medicine.
Observed differences in group outcomes can reflect many intertwined factors, including educational resources, undergraduate institutions, financial access, application choices, geography and other characteristics.
What changed in AAMC demographic reporting?
Beginning with 2025–26 reporting, AAMC added a separate Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category.
It also changed the way race/ethnicity information is reported for applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents.
As a result, 2025–26 demographic figures are not directly comparable with older published tables without accounting for those changes.
Why do AAMC demographic totals sometimes exceed the total number of applicants?
Some tables permit applicants to identify with more than one race or ethnicity.
When each response is counted in its respective group, the categories overlap and their counts can sum to more than the total number of unique applicants.
This guide’s main acceptance-rate table instead uses AAMC Table A-12’s mutually exclusive categories, including a separate multiple-race/ethnicity category.
How should applicants think about the legal environment?
In 2023, the US Supreme Court restricted the use of race in undergraduate admissions through decisions involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina.
Medical schools and other educational institutions must follow applicable law and their own current admissions policies. Applicants should not assume a particular school’s practices can be inferred from broad historical demographic statistics.
Schools may evaluate an applicant’s individual experiences and accomplishments, including experiences that shaped their interests, leadership and commitment to patient care, consistent with applicable legal requirements.
Describe real experiences in which you learned to work with people from different backgrounds, addressed barriers to care, demonstrated responsibility or developed a better understanding of your community.
Use concrete actions and reflection rather than relying on demographic labels as a substitute for evidence.
What MCAT and GPA Should You Aim for in 2026?
The 2025–26 national matriculant averages—512.1 MCAT and 3.81 total GPA—provide useful benchmarks, but individual schools vary widely.
Applicants should review each institution’s accepted-student profile, stated prerequisites and selection criteria rather than assume the national average is sufficient everywhere.
Is a 510 MCAT competitive?
A 510 can be competitive at some medical schools, particularly when paired with strong academic performance and a well-matched application.
The AAMC grid shows that applicants in the 510–513 band had a 62.4% pooled acceptance rate across all GPAs.
However, those results reflect a self-selected group of applicants and historical school lists.
Is a 500 MCAT enough?
Some applicants with MCAT scores around 500 are accepted to MD-granting medical schools.
In the three-year grid, the 498–501 MCAT category had an overall acceptance rate of 22.2%.
Acceptance varied substantially by GPA.
Applicants in this range should examine academic readiness, appropriate school choices and whether retesting or further coursework might strengthen their application.
How important is science GPA?
Medical schools often examine science coursework separately from the overall undergraduate GPA.
AMCAS calculates a Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics (BCPM) GPA as part of its application processing.
A student with a strong cumulative GPA but weaker grades in relevant science courses should investigate those academic patterns before applying.
What if your GPA is below 3.3?
The AAMC grid shows that acceptances are possible below a 3.3 GPA, but the overall acceptance percentage decreases substantially in many lower GPA bands.
Depending on the academic record, an applicant may benefit from additional upper-level science coursework, a carefully chosen postbaccalaureate programme or another structured academic improvement pathway.
The best choice depends on the underlying problem: missing prerequisites, weak science grades, an inconsistent academic trend or other issues.
Do These Acceptance Rates Include Osteopathic (DO) Medical Schools?
No. The main AAMC tables in this article describe US MD-granting medical schools.
Osteopathic medical schools award the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and generally use the AACOMAS application system.
Many applicants apply to MD schools, DO schools or both, but the admissions datasets are not interchangeable.
| Feature | MD programmes | DO programmes |
|---|---|---|
| Professional degree | Doctor of Medicine | Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine |
| Primary central application | AMCAS for most US schools | AACOMAS for most US schools |
| National admissions reference | AAMC FACTS | AACOM/AACOMAS data |
| Main acceptance grid in this article | Included | Not included |
| Clinical practice eligibility | Physician training and licensing pathway | Physician training and licensing pathway |
For an applicant comparing MD and DO schools, the appropriate approach is to use current programme-specific academic profiles and admission requirements for each type.
Do not apply the 44.4% MD acceptance rate to all US medical school applications combined.
How to Improve a Medical School Application Beyond MCAT and GPA
Academic statistics provide important context, but strong applications are built through several complementary elements.
Evaluate academic readiness honestly
Review total GPA, science GPA, MCAT performance and grade trends. Compare your qualifications with the published ranges of the schools on your list.
Complete and verify prerequisites
Different schools may have specific Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, English or competency-based academic requirements.
Gain meaningful clinical exposure
Clinical employment, volunteering and other appropriate patient-facing experiences can help applicants understand the realities of medical care.
Develop service and professional maturity
Meaningful service, ethical decision-making, teamwork and reliability help demonstrate readiness for a demanding professional environment.
Build a realistic school list
Consider academic fit, state-residency rules, school mission, community focus, cost, curriculum and programme type.
Prepare strong reflections and recommendations
Explain what you learned from your experiences and seek recommendations from people who can discuss your actual work, judgement and development.
Apply early with a complete application
Plan MCAT timing, transcript processing, primary application submission, secondary essays and interview preparation well ahead of school-specific deadlines.
Should you retake the MCAT?
Retesting may be appropriate when an applicant has evidence that a meaningfully improved score is achievable and when the new score could materially improve school fit.
But repeated testing without a clear preparation strategy can consume time and money without strengthening the application.
The decision should account for score history, practice-test performance, the application cycle and the schools selected.
Should you postpone an application to improve GPA?
Delaying can be worthwhile if substantial academic repair is necessary.
However, a gap year should serve a concrete purpose rather than become an automatic recommendation for everyone below the national matriculant mean.
Applicants should seek advice from a qualified pre-health adviser who can examine their actual transcript and preparation.
Use AAMC data to identify strengths, weaknesses and plausible school choices. Then build an application around authentic preparation, service and readiness to study medicine.
Historical admission percentages are a planning tool—not a prediction, entitlement or substitute for careful research.
Frequently Asked Questions About Medical School Acceptance Rates by Race, MCAT and GPA
What is the overall medical school acceptance rate for 2026?
The latest available AAMC 2025–26 MD admissions figures show 24,300 acceptees among 54,699 applicants, or approximately 44.4%. The AAMC’s aggregated 2023–24 through 2025–26 MCAT/GPA grid reports approximately 45.1%. These are different reporting periods.
Does AAMC publish acceptance rates by race and MCAT together?
AAMC publishes race/ethnicity acceptance counts in Table A-12 and a separate GPA/MCAT acceptance grid in Table A-23. The public tables do not provide a complete national acceptance matrix for every combined race, MCAT and GPA category.
What is the average MCAT for medical school matriculants?
The mean MCAT among students who entered US MD-granting medical schools in 2025–26 was 512.1, according to AAMC data. This average is not a minimum required score.
What is the average medical school matriculant GPA?
The average total undergraduate GPA among 2025–26 MD medical school matriculants was 3.81. Medical schools also examine science grades, coursework rigor, grade trends and other academic qualifications.
What was the acceptance rate for Asian medical school applicants?
In the AAMC’s mutually exclusive 2025–26 Table A-12 categories, 6,664 of 14,585 Asian applicants were accepted, producing a 45.7% rate. This is a group-level result and not an individual acceptance prediction.
What was the acceptance rate for Black medical school applicants?
AAMC Table A-12 reports 1,643 accepted among 5,022 Black or African American applicants in the 2025–26 mutually exclusive category, an observed acceptance rate of 32.7%. The statistic is not adjusted for academic preparation or other applicant characteristics.
What was the acceptance rate for Hispanic or Latino applicants?
AAMC reports 1,530 accepted among 3,752 Hispanic or Latino applicants in the 2025–26 mutually exclusive category, or 40.8%. The category definition should not be confused with broader alone-or-in-combination demographic reporting.
Can you get into medical school with a 3.5 GPA and 515 MCAT?
Yes. In the AAMC three-year grid, applicants with a GPA of 3.40–3.59 and MCAT of 514–517 had a historical 56.5% acceptance rate to at least one MD school. This is a population statistic, not an individual’s probability.
What is the medical school acceptance rate with a 3.8 GPA and 512 MCAT?
The aggregated AAMC grid reports a 70.5% acceptance rate for GPA above 3.79 and MCAT 510–513, using the 2023–24 through 2025–26 application cycles. Individual results also depend on school selection and other qualifications.
Do these statistics include DO medical schools?
No. The principal acceptance-rate, MCAT/GPA and race/ethnicity figures in this article cover US MD-granting medical schools. DO schools have a separate application system and national admissions datasets.
Official AAMC Data Sources and Research Methodology
The Association of American Medical Colleges’ FACTS programme provides the main reference data for this guide.
- AAMC 2025 FACTS: Applicants and Matriculants Data — Official national tables for the 2025–26 academic year.
- Table A-12: Applicants, Acceptees and Matriculants by Race/Ethnicity — Source of the 2025–26 race/ethnicity acceptance-rate calculations.
- Table A-18: MCAT Scores and GPAs by Race/Ethnicity — Mean academic metrics for applicants and matriculants by race/ethnicity.
- Table A-23: MCAT and GPA Acceptance Grid — Pooled accepted-applicant rates for 2023–24 through 2025–26.
- AAMC FACTS Main Directory — Access to tables, glossary, historical data and methodology.
- US Medical Schools Enroll Record Number of Students in 2025 — Official December 2025 summary confirming 54,699 applicants, 23,440 matriculants and demographic reporting changes.
- Medical School Enrollment Reaches 100,000 Students — AAMC press release on enrollment, applicant characteristics and the 2025 demographic methodology.
- AMCAS Application Information — Centralized MD application procedures and academic reporting.
- Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) — School-specific application requirements, admissions profiles and programme information.
Methodology: The 2025–26 race/ethnicity acceptance rates use AAMC Table A-12 acceptees divided by applicants. The mean race/ethnicity MCAT and GPA figures come from Table A-18 and describe matriculants, not acceptees. The MCAT/GPA grid uses Table A-23 aggregated across three academic years. The data use different observation populations and should not be mathematically combined to estimate joint race–MCAT–GPA acceptance probabilities. Changes introduced in 2025–26 demographic reporting limit year-over-year comparisons. Small categories require extra care because observed percentages can be unstable.
Final Takeaway: Use the Data to Plan, Not to Predict Your Future
The latest AAMC medical school admissions figures show that approximately 44.4% of applicants in the 2025–26 US MD cycle received at least one offer.
GPA and MCAT are closely associated with observed acceptance rates, but neither score is a universal cutoff. Students with below-average metrics have received offers, and many strong academic applicants have been unsuccessful.
Race and ethnicity tables add useful information about representation and observed group outcomes, but unadjusted differences should not be mistaken for individual admission chances or proof of a single causal explanation.
The best admissions strategy combines academic readiness, a carefully researched school list, strong clinical and service experiences, thoughtful writing and timely, complete applications.
Use the AAMC’s published tables as benchmarks, then evaluate each target medical school’s actual requirements and educational mission.