How to Get Into Stanford Medical School: Requirements and Strategies
/Learn the Stanford Medical School acceptance rate, admissions requirements, and strategies, plus sample responses to Stanford secondary prompts
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Part 1: Introduction
Few medical schools hold the prestige and promise of Stanford. Stanford Medical School has produced physicians and researchers at the forefronts of their fields since its establishment in 1908 and is consistently ranked among the top ten medical schools in the country. In fact, Stanford holds the #5 spot in U.S. News and World Report’s research rankings—one of the highest rankings among medical schools in California. Considering its immense resources and expectations of excellence, it’s easy to understand why.
Unsurprisingly, getting into Stanford Medical School is extremely tough. Fortunately, our team has nearly 20 years of experience helping students gain admission to Stanford. In fact, we routinely receive messages like this:
If you’re a high-achieving premed wondering how to get into Stanford University School of Medicine, you can use this guide to learn what concrete steps you can take to make your application stand out. We’ll cover Stanford admissions requirements, how to approach secondary essays, and what to expect during interviews.
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Part 2: Stanford Medical School MD programs
There are a number of ways to achieve an MD at Stanford, including several renowned dual-degree programs:
The traditional, four-year MD program
MD/Master’s degrees (MD/MPH, MD/MBA, MD/MPP, and more)
The MD/JD Program
Stanford Medical School tuition and scholarships
For the 2023–2024 academic year, Stanford’s quarterly tuition is $21,781, though students participating in research may qualify to have their tuition reduced. Taking into consideration living expenses and other costs (books, supplies, health insurance, etc.), Stanford recommends an overall budget of $137,888, if living on campus, and $145,468, if living off campus. Keep in mind that their most recently published cost of attendance pertains to the 2022-2023 academic year, not the 2023-2024 year.
Though these costs are high, Stanford offers need-based institutional aid and need-based Stanford Loans, most of which have 0% interest while students are in school or residency. There are also a number of other grants, federal loans, and external sources of funding available.
In recent years, over two-thirds of Stanford medical students have qualified for financial aid. The median student debt among the class of 2023 was $122,830, well under the national average.
Furthermore, in 2020, Stanford received a $55 million gift that will be used to increase financial aid for students with demonstrated need over the next ten years. You can therefore expect that the levels of financial aid given out to future classes will be even more generous.
Interdisciplinary learning and collaboration
In addition to its excellent MD programs, Stanford offers medical school students unique interdisciplinary learning and collaboration opportunities. Developing a more holistic approach to healthcare can prepare you for the complexities of modern medicine.
The Bio-X program brings together students from various disciplines—including medicine and engineering—and challenges them to solve complex problems. By combining biomedical and life sciences, the program allows students to explore the complexities of the human body in ways no other existing program can.
The Stanford Biosciences department allows students to collaborate with computer science, engineering, physics, and chemistry experts to solve the common goal of understanding the human body and its intricacies on a molecular level.
Pursuing one of Stanford’s dual degree programs allows students to follow their interests in multiple disciplines, further promoting cross-discipline collaboration.
Specific programs, such as the Division of Pain Medicine, also offer students the chance to collaborate with peers from various disciplines while also providing clinical care to patients.
Finally, students interested in the humanities may enjoy intersecting medicine and the humanities with MedMuse. MedMust is one way students can merge an interest in the arts and humanities with medicine.
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Part 3: How hard is it to get into Stanford Medical School?
Stanford Medical School admissions statistics
Stanford Medical School’s acceptance rate is 1.4%. Let’s break that figure down by taking a look at admissions statistics for the class of 2027:
Applications: 8,837
Interviews: 498
Matriculants: 89
Furthermore, Stanford has exceedingly high expectations when it comes to GPA and MCAT scores:
Median GPA: 3.89
Median MCAT score: 519
Stanford Medical School admissions requirements
Stanford doesn’t require applicants to complete specific coursework, but to be seriously considered, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and academic preparation in the following areas:
Biology
Chemistry and physics
Physics and mathematics
Laboratory or field experiments
Behavioral and social sciences
Communication (includes fluency in a foreign language, particularly Spanish or an Asian language)
If you’re applying in the 2024–2025 cycle, you must submit an MCAT score from an exam taken between January 2021 and September 10, 2024. Note that Stanford does not combine the section scores of your MCAT to create a higher cumulative score, and they will be able to see all of your previous scores, not just the most recent.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Requirements: The Definitive Guide)
Beyond academic excellence: Standing out for Stanford
It’s well-known that to gain acceptance to any medical school you will need a robust extracurricular profile including volunteering, shadowing and possibly even research experiences. At a top-tier school such as Stanford, this is all the more important to stand out on your application.
But how can you go about targeting extracurriculars that Stanford is looking for? For clues to this, you can look to Stanford’s mission statement and affirmation. Their mission statement says, “To educate and inspire a diverse group of leaders in medicine and science who will improve human health through discovery, innovation, scholarship, education, and the delivery of outstanding patient-centered care.”
Some key words stand out here such as, “a diverse group of leaders,” “discovery, innovation, scholarship,” and “outstanding patient-centered care.” Long before you even apply to Stanford, you’ll need to consider how you can demonstrate these qualities in your application to show the admissions committee that you’ll not only add to the Stanford community but are on track to become a valued member of their diverse group of leaders in medicine.
With that in mind, we’ve listed some activities to consider pursuing with the goal of acceptance to the Stanford University School of Medicine below.
Leadership: Have you held leadership positions in clubs, research teams, or volunteer organizations? Did you spearhead initiatives or projects that demonstrably improved healthcare or scientific understanding? Seek out opportunities where you can position yourself as a leader. This means being selective (if you can) with the volunteer experiences you choose. Think of each experience as contributing to the bigger picture of you and create that picture as one in harmony with Stanford’s mission.
Diversity and Inclusion: Do your activities reflect a commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in healthcare? Have you volunteered in underserved communities or participated in programs that address health disparities? Many cities across America have free or low-cost clinics aimed at addressing issues with healthcare access for the underprivilaged. Seek out clinics or volunteer programs in your community that specifically address these issues.
Research and Innovation: Do you have research experience in a lab or clinical setting? Have you presented your findings at conferences or co-authored publications? You’ll certainly need to take labs as part of your premed coursework and getting clinical experience is also necessary. But neither of these will really help you stand out on a Stanford application. Demonstrating your commitment to research and innovation takes a bit of extra effort. If you have an idea, make sure to discuss it with an advisor or someone at the pre-health office at your school. They’ll often be able to point you to opportunities for funding, summer undergraduate research programs, or national programs such as the Summer Internship Program at the National Institutes of Health.
Service and Patient-Centered Care: Have you volunteered in healthcare settings like hospitals, clinics, or hospice care? All medical schools will look for something like this on your application and so will Stanford. Demonstrating your compassion and commitment to direct patient interaction can be done in many ways through shadowing a doctor or working at a hospice. You may even consider becoming an EMT as a premed to help bolster your application.
While hours spent in specific activities matter, make sure to focus on the impact you made when writing your essays. Did your research result in progress within the field? How did your leadership improve the lives of others?
Remember, you won’t necessarily have to do all of the above to get into Stanford and some of your experiences may overlap. For example, your patient-centered care or research experiences may also portray you as an effective leader. At the end of the day, you want to show how your experiences align with Stanford’s mission of being a leader in improving human health.
Stanford Medical School application timeline
Here are the dates and deadlines you’ll need to know to apply to Stanford Medical School through AMCAS:
May 1, 2024: AMCAS application opens
May 28, 2024: AMCAS application can be submitted
July 2024–October 2024: AMCAS applications transmitted to Stanford and Stanford secondary application invitations sent
August 2024–January 2025: Applications reviewed and interview invitations sent
October 2, 2024: AMCAS application deadline
October 23, 2024: Stanford secondary application deadline
January 2025–March 2025: Offers of admissions sent
April 30, 2025: Deadline to accept offers of admission to a single school
Remember that it’s always in your best interest to submit your AMCAS and secondary materials as soon as possible to take advantage of medical school’s rolling admissions. To be a competitive applicant to Stanford Medicine, you should have everything finalized, including your medical school personal statement, AMCAS Work and Activities section and pre-written secondary essays, by June or July of your application year.
Note that Stanford expects international applicants to “have studied for at least one academic year at an accredited college or university in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom prior to applying for admission.”
Finally, remember that many top medical schools like Stanford and Harvard expect their students to not only be interested in patient care but also future leaders in medicine and healthcare. Strong applicants to Stanford will not only be able to tell a story of why they want to be in medicine as a career but will also tell a story of how they hope to impact the changing field of healthcare and biomedical sciences in the long run.
You’ve probably heard that simply saying you like science and want to help people is an insufficient way to make a case for yourself as a great future doctor. That’s always true, but especially so when you’re applying to top programs like Stanford’s. If you have great grades, test scores, and clinical experiences, the big difference between heading to a mid-tier and a top-tier medical school can lie in the qualitative aspects of your application—how eloquent and reflective are you about medicine? In other words: how good are your essays?
(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)
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Part 4: Stanford secondary application essays (examples included)
Once you’ve gotten the AMCAS application out of the way, you’ll have the chance to answer Stanford Medicine’s secondary prompts. For each essay, we’ve listed strategies and ways to make your answers stand out from the field. The examples are based on composites of students we’ve worked with in over nearly 20 years of advising.
Question 1: Are there any current or pending disputes concerning your academic status? If yes, please explain. (300 character limit)
Question 2: Was your enrollment status ever interrupted during your undergraduate or graduate program, not including summer term (e.g. medical, personal, or academic reasons, military service, other)? If yes, please explain. (150 character limit)
Question 3: What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? Choose the single answer that best describes your career goals and clinical practice setting:
Academic Medicine (Clinical)
Academic Medicine (Physician Scientist)
Non-Academic Clinical Practice
Health Policy
Health Administration
Primary Care
Public Health/Community Health
Global Health
Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path? (1,000 characters)
This prompt involves a few components. First, you’re asked to pick a single “practice scenario” or career path from the list provided. Then, you’re asked to elaborate on the “knowledge, skills and attitudes” that make you well-suited for this path.
In asking this question, the admissions committee wants to know that you’re passionate about a particular field or pursuit, and that your experiences have prepared you for this pursuit. Lead off with a straightforward thesis statement and try to keep your answer focused on why Stanford is uniquely suited to help you realize your goals, as opposed to another med school with similar programs. Here’s a good example:
Public Health/Community Health
I’ve always been passionate about public health and community organizing. Pursuing an MD/MPH would allow me to expand the work I’ve done for nearly ten years—educating people on the benefits of a locally sourced, plant-based diet.
After college, my wife and I bought an empty lot in Price Hill, the neighborhood in Cincinnati where we were living, and turned it into a community garden. The number of families living below the poverty line in Price Hill was staggering, and there was a corresponding decline in health outcomes. Our garden worked against this decline.
At Stanford, I would contribute to and learn from the exciting research in nutrition intervention studies conducted by the Gardner Nutrition Research Group. It would also be wonderful to draw on the resources of the innovative food communities in the Bay Area. I believe Stanford Medicine embodies my attitudes about wellness—that health must be cultivated on the community level, before it can take root in individuals.
What’s working about this response?
It reveals the applicant’s passion for a particular field of medicine, a passion that’s woven into his life and predates even his interest in medical school.
It doesn’t summarize the applicant’s resumé. If courses and research opportunities have prepared him for a career in public health, those will show up in his transcript and CV. This answer focuses on what won’t show up on a transcript, which is precisely the opportunity that the secondary prompts afford.
It demonstrates familiarity with both Stanford and the Bay Area.
Here's another example:
Primary Care
For the last two years, I’ve worked as a medical translator for a walk-in clinic in Austin, Texas. The clinic is located in a mostly Spanish-speaking neighborhood, and many of the patients are Hispanic immigrants who work on local organic farms or construction sites. They come in with illnesses and workplace injuries, and it’s my job to translate the advice of primary care physicians. This involves not only discretion, but also great responsibility and careful listening.
I’ve learned a lot through this experience about the roles and duties of primary care physicians. I’m applying to Stanford Medicine because I want to be a primary care physician myself. I admire Stanford’s work with the Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose, and their other outreach efforts in Hispanic communities. I believe that with my knowledge, both as a Spanish speaker and a medical translator, I can help contribute to this ongoing outreach.
This answer takes a slightly different tack. What’s working well?
The applicant foregrounds her health-related experience. In this case, the experience is directly related to the practice scenario. The constraints of the prompt make it necessary to cut to the chase, and that’s exactly what the applicant’s done here.
Her perspective on the practice scenario is unique. It’s not just that she worked or volunteered at a primary care clinic. She filled a niche role at the clinic. She sees the medical profession from another angle, one that perhaps is not typical, and has experience working with an underserved population—all of which she communicates clearly in the short space allotted.
Question 4: How will you take advantage of the Stanford Medicine Discovery Curriculum and scholarly concentration requirement to achieve your personal career goals? (1,000 characters max)
Question 5: Describe in a short paragraph your educational and family background. (For example – I grew up in New York City, as the 3rd child of a supermarket cashier and a high school principal. I attended Mann High School where my major interests were boxing and drama.) (600 characters)
Question 6: Please describe which aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you to make a distinctive contribution to Stanford Medicine. (2000 characters)
Question 5: Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1000 characters)
Question 6: Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000 characters)
Question 7: Please describe how you have uniquely contributed to a community with which you identify. (1000 characters)
Question 8: Please describe an experience/ situation when you advocated for someone else. (1000 characters)
Question 9: Please include anything else that will help us understand better how you may uniquely contribute to Stanford Medicine? (Optional) (1000 characters)
Gain instant access to med school secondary essay examples for every single prompt required by every medical school in the United States and Canada. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.
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Part 5: Stanford Medical School interview
Stanford switched to the Multiple Mini Interview, or MMI, format in 2011. Because this format tests your critical thinking and decision-making processes, rather than medical or scientific knowledge, there’s no way to memorize answers or know exactly what specific questions will be asked.
In other words, knowing a lot about Stanford Medicine and its programs and departments, while crucial for your essays, won’t necessarily be helpful as you go station to station in your MMI. However, you may have a chance to express your enthusiasm for Stanford during the down time at your interview, so bring your excitement anyway.
In the 2024–2025 application cycle, interviews will be held virtually.
(Suggested reading: How to Ace Your Medical School Interviews)
Invited to a med school interview? Congrats! There's no need to land in waitlist purgatory or the rejection pile. Learn how to craft memorable, acceptance-worthy responses using the resource below.
Gain instant access to the most common traditional and MMI interview questions, plus sample responses for each, to help you craft responses that lead to acceptances. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.
Final thoughts
Stanford Medical School’s application and interview process can seem like a gauntlet. But while it’s true that admissions are highly competitive, you can take concrete steps to maximize your chances. In a pool of applicants whose grades and test scores are superb, secondary essays separate the wheat from the chaff. If your other credentials are strong, focus on writing essays that portray you as a future leader in healthcare.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.