Learn admissions strategies to get into the best Kentucky medical schools

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: List of medical schools in Kentucky: Rankings & admissions statistics

Part 3: Kentucky medical school profiles

Part 4: Kentucky medical school admissions strategies

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Part 1: Introduction

Admitted to the Union as the 15th state in 1792, Kentucky is officially known as the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While you won’t find any oceans resting up against this landlocked state, you will find plenty of plains regions, wide landscapes, and many folks bestowing that down-home country charm. Fun fact: they call Kentucky “The Bluegrass State” because long ago, European settlers introduced a certain type of grass to the region, but today, that term has a double meaning as it also refers to a time-honored genre of music.

In addition to being home to the world’s longest cave system, Kentucky has three medical schools—two allopathic and one osteopathic.

The University of Louisville School of Medicine (ULSOM)—the ninth oldest medical school in the United States—and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine are public allopathic schools. In contrast, the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine (KYCOM) is associated with a private school and is osteopathic.

Whether you’re interested in becoming an MD or a DO, read on to learn more about how you can do so in Kentucky.

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Part 2: List of medical schools in Kentucky: Rankings & admissions strategies

The three medical schools in Kentucky each have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Below is an easy-to-read table outlining key statistics, such as rank and interview rates.

As we did research for this data set, we noted a few significant findings:

According to the AAMC Facts Data, only 13.8% of University of Kentucky College of Medicine applicants were from Kentucky. However, 77.6% of matriculants were from the state. This indicates a clear preference for in-state applicants.
Only the University of Pikeville KYCOM and the University of Louisville SOM are ranked.
The University of Pikeville is ranked among the 10 most affordable private medical schools (allopathic and osteopathic).
The University of Louisville School of Medicine admits around 165 students each year and aims for 120 of those to be Kentucky residents.

Kentucky Medical Schools	Location	Degree	Year Est.	Annual Tuition & Fees	Avg. GPA	Avg. MCAT	Interview Rate	First-Year Class Size
University of Louisville School of Medicine*	Louisville	MD	1837	$46,088 IS $69,170 OOS	3.71	507	N/A	165 (73% IS)
University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine	Pikeville	DO	1997	$55,380 IS $55,380 OOS	3.54	502.6	12.5%	141
University of Kentucky College of Medicine	Lexington	MD	1960	$42,094 IS $76,842 OOS	3.82	506	13.5%	201

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Part 3: Kentucky medical school profiles

University of Louisville School of Medicine

The University of Louisville School of Medicine is a top-ranked program with state-of-the-art facilities to provide its students a rich, comprehensive medical education. Its basic science, clinical, and academic departments combine to prepare students for practicing medicine now and in the future.

By choosing one of the Distinction Tracks, students can concentrate on areas such as medical education, business and leadership, or global public health. Alternatively, they can enroll in a dual degree program, such as an MD-MBA, MD-PhD, or MD-MA in Bioethics and Medical Humanities.

University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

The UP-KYCOM program offers students the opportunity to earn a degree in osteopathic medicine at one of the nation’s best private universities for osteopathic medicine. Currently ranked as a tier four for research and a tier two for primary care, it also is one of the most affordable private medical colleges in the U.S.A. There’s no denying that this school provides students with a transformative educational experience.

At UP-KYCOM, students are the primary focus, and the school goes to great lengths to ensure that those students are prepared for their future careers. KYCOM’s close proximity to a regional hospital makes it an ideal place for students interested in serving their local community upon graduation.

University of Kentucky College of Medicine

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine prides itself on ensuring that its graduates are ready to take on the challenges of medicine in Kentucky now and in the future. With their curriculum offered across four integrated locations, you’ll explore different parts of Kentucky and understand how each region will benefit from future physicians focused on their community needs.

Each program has the same objectives and assessments, which allows students to adapt to varying teaching styles throughout the integrated program. The curriculum is divided into three phases: the core principles phase (M1 & M2), the application phase (M3), and the advanced development phase (M4). All students take the same courses during the core principles phase, but after the first semester of M1, students may add elective courses. In this phase, lessons are taught through weekly small-group meetings and live-streamed large-group sessions. During the application phase, students focus on applying the principles and skills learned in the previous phase as they explore various medical disciplines, from pediatrics and neurology to surgery and obstetrics. In the final phase, students begin preparing for their ultimate career paths. Classes are four weeks long, and students must complete eight classes, including one focusing on transitioning into residency.

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Part 4: Kentucky medical school admissions strategies

Strategy 1: Determine which school best suits your stats

There aren’t significant differences between the average GPA and MCAT scores for matriculants in the three Kentucky medical schools, so if your stats align with those, you could consider applying to all three schools. The biggest difference seems to be between UP-KYCOM (the DO school) and the other (MD) schools.

Regardless of which school(s) you choose to apply to, applying to the “right” school(s) is crucial. Applying to medical school is a huge feat in and of itself, so adding a program you’re not likely to qualify for into the mix isn’t wise. Ensuring your GPA and MCAT align with the school will save you time and money, as well as reduce the risk of submitting low-quality applications.

Strategy 2: Ensure that your secondary essays and interviews reflect your fit with Kentucky medical schools

Strategically deciding on where to apply is only step one. Once you’ve submitted your AMCAS application, you’ll (hopefully) receive an invite to complete the secondary application and essays. If you provide knockout essays, you’ll be invited to interview.

This part of the application process is perhaps one of the most important aspects of it. This is where the school gets to ask you specific questions and evaluate your responses. You can’t leave this part to chance; it’s essential to have proper preparation for both the secondary essays and the interview. Many schools require you to return the secondary essays within two weeks of receiving your invite, so if you’ve applied to multiple schools, that’s quite a few essays to construct! Don’t procrastinate and risk lowering the quality of your essays. Give yourself plenty of time and focus on completing the essays to the absolute best of your ability.

Strategy 3: Plan for different interview styles

Depending on the school, the interview format could be traditional, MMI, in a group, or even virtual. Training for various interview styles will prepare you for your big day.

From our research, we discovered the schools in Kentucky use the following for medical school interviews:

The University of Louisville School of Medicine is doing virtual interviews for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. If invited for an interview, you’d interview with two adcoms to learn more about ULSOM and provide the adcoms with an opportunity to learn more about you.
At the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, interviews occur between August and April or until the entering class is filled. The university's website doesn’t specify the type of interview format they use, but in previous years, they conducted open-file interviews with a panel of interviewers.
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine conducts in-person interviews and notifies each applicant whether an interview will be granted.

Regardless of your chosen school's interview style, you’ll want to prepare adequately for the interview. Doing mock interviews can help tremendously, as can reviewing your application so you know what material might be fair game for interview questions. You could also use psychology to ace your med school interview! Remember to research your interviewer(s) and be prepared to ask them questions yourself. Finally, if you’d prefer 1:1 personalized coaching before your med school interview, we’re here to help!

Strategy 4: Construct your time management plan around the number of secondary essays you’ll complete

The more schools you apply to, the more essays you’ll be developing. Pre-writing your secondary essays can drastically reduce the time required to write them, but a good time management plan is essential.

For instance, some students we’ve helped prefer to list their top three priorities for each day, followed by a list of all the day’s to-dos. From there, you can estimate how much time each task will take and prioritize those that will use up a good amount of your energy (such as writing secondary essays) and those of the utmost importance. A good time management plan also includes setting goals and actually scheduling your day. Once you’ve put together a solid time management plan, you can better focus on creating content for your secondaries.

Kentucky medical schools have an ample number of secondary essays, except for Pikeville, which only has two. You should schedule time into your days and weeks to provide comprehensive responses.

For 2024-2025, each school requires a different number of essays:

University of Louisville School of Medicine - 6 total (5 required, 1 for non-residents)
University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine - 2 total, both required
University of Kentucky College of Medicine - 8 total, all required

Final thoughts

Premeds in Kentucky have three great schools to choose from within their home state. Since it’s not uncommon for schools to give preference to residents—such as the University of Louisville mentioned above—students living in Kentucky would do well to apply to at least one school in the state. Regardless of the school(s) you choose to apply to, check your overall fit with the school, its program, and mission, and consider where you hope to practice in the future.