Medical Schools in Michigan: How to Get In (2024)
/Which are the best medical schools in Michigan? Learn how hard it is to get into Michigan medical schools, plus strategies to increase your admissions odds
There are seven medical schools in michigan
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Michigan: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
Part 3: Michigan medical school profiles
Part 4: Michigan medical school admissions strategies
Part 5: Frequently asked questions
Appendix A: Michigan medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Michigan medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: Michigan medical schools by region
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Part 1: Introduction
Michigan is home to five Great Lakes, two peninsulas, picturesque coastal towns such as Traverse City and Holland, and urban centers, most notably Detroit. The state also has seven medical schools, including one of the top-ranked schools in the U.S. and one osteopathic school.
Medical schools in Michigan span a wide range of locations, strengths, differentiating features, and requirements. In this guide, we will go over the various schools’ admissions statistics, curricula components, and other unique qualities to help guide your application process when targeting Michigan medical schools for admission. We’ll round all that off with profiles of each school and helpful admissions strategies you can use on your way to a white coat.
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Part 2: List of medical schools in Michigan: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
We’ve compiled all the latest data on Michigan medical schools’ rankings, locations, average GPAs, average MCAT scores, and other statistics so you can effectively compare the schools side-by-side. While putting together this information, we observed the following trends:
Three Michigan medical schools appear in the 2023 U.S. News Best Medical Schools (Research) ranking, with one in the top 20.
Of the seven medical schools in Michigan, nearly all demonstrate a preference for interviewing and/or accepting in-state Michigan applicants.
Several Michigan schools have relatively accessible average MCAT scores of 506–510. Others are more competitive, with the University of Michigan possessing the highest average statistics.
Every medical school in Michigan is a public institution, with the exception of Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. As such, the majority of Michigan medical schools have favorable annual tuition and fees for in-state matriculants.
In the rankings column below, numbers in parentheses show each medical school’s national ranking, whereas numbers outside parentheses reflect each Michigan medical school’s relative rank. Relative rankings allow us to better answer the question, “Which are the ‘best’ medicals school in Michigan?”
(Note: We strongly recommend that you sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date information on MD programs and that you sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
| Michigan Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Medical School* | $72,268 OOS |
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| Wayne State University School of Medicine* | $72,321 OOS |
9.6% OOS |
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| Michigan State University College of Human Medicine* | $61,054 OOS |
1.0% OOS |
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| Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine* | $65,325 OOS |
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| Central Michigan University College of Medicine* | $64,062 OOS |
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| Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine* | $60,277 OOS |
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| Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine | $67,000 OOS |
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Part 3: Michigan medical school profiles
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
CMU College of Medicine offers students a holistic medical education that combines aspects of both the humanities and science of medicine. The preclinical curriculum promotes self-directed, active learning techniques; students participate in problem-based learning in small groups, hands-on simulation and laboratory experiences, and a longitudinal clinical skills course that teaches students how to perform a comprehensive history and physical and present patient cases.
Notably, third-year medical students participate in the Comprehensive Community Clerkship, an integrated clerkship that immerses CMU students into primary care over the course of six months. Through this experience, students can opt to work either in a rural or urban practice setting under the direct mentorship of a primary care provider. The fourth-year curriculum affords students much flexibility; CMU students have 28 weeks of elective clerkships that they can complete either at CMU or at different medical institutions in the setting of away rotations. Students study on one of two campuses: Mount Pleasant or Saginaw.
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine is a community-focused medical school that has a strong social mission of graduating medical students who practice primary care or who serve patients from underserved areas. Students have the opportunity to rotate across seven campuses throughout Michigan, and each campus is led by a Community Assistant Dean who is affiliated with the medical school; this contributes to an education-focused clinical learning environment. Additionally, the institution’s curriculum integrates early clinical experiences that are based on a specified group of competencies: service, patient care, rationality (defined as practice-based learning), integration (defined as system-based practice), professionalism, and transformation (defined as fund of medical knowledge).
To foster a sense of community within a larger medical school, students are organized in four Learning Societies that are led by faculty. Within the four Learning Societies, students will be further split into Scholar Groups of ~8-10 students. In these groups, students will participate in small-group learning experiences to consider the clinical material from multiple perspectives.
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Students at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine have the opportunity to complete their first two years of medical school at either the Detroit Medical Center site, the East Lansing campus, or Macomb University in Clinton Township. In addition to the traditional preclinical and clinical curriculum, an osteopathic curriculum is integrated into the four-year degree program. In addition to basic science courses, preclinical MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine students will have the opportunity to elect into various courses such as Medical Spanish, Clinical Tropical Medicine, or the Sports OMT Elective. The school also has relationships with several international institutions, which enable students to travel to locations such as Mexico, Peru, Cuba, and Haiti for immersive clinical experiences. Moreover, students will be able to apply their clinical skills to serve Michigan patients in clinical outreach programs such as Detroit Street Care, Spartan Street Medicine, and the Student OMM clinic.
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Over the course of four years, Oakland University medical students will engage in a vertically integrated curriculum. This means that, alongside their basic science preclinical education and clinical rotations, they will also participate in medical humanities courses, the four-year Embark student research program, and the PRISM (Promoting Reflection and Individual Growth Through Support and Mentoring) experience. Embark is a required scholarly concentration program of OUWB; students will learn about research methodology and data analysis, hone project management skills, and apply these skills in the construction of abstracts, manuscripts, and presentations. Through PRISM, students will reflect on their clinical and life experiences individually, with their peers, and with faculty mentors. They will also benefit from close guidance throughout the residency application and career planning process. Notably, OUWB has partnerships at several off-campus locations both within the United States and globally where students may pursue clinical away rotations or research electives.
University of Michigan Medical School
The University of Michigan Medical School is a highly ranked medical school, globally renowned for its leadership in healthcare innovation, research, and clinical excellence. Prior to arriving on campus, students can participate in the CAMP (Creating Adventurous and Mindful Physicians) program, a student-led wilderness orientation program. The school also has the M-Home program; through this initiative, students will be placed in Houses from their first day on campus. In the Houses, students will participate in various community-building events, and they will be further organized into Doctoring groups of 10–12 students. The Doctoring Course aims to teach Michigan medical students skills not only in history taking, physical examinations, and oral patient presentations, but also in leadership, teamwork, and communication. The Doctoring Course spans the four years of medical school; thus, students have the opportunity to form strong connections with their smaller group of peers and two faculty mentors.
The University of Michigan is the #1 U.S. public university in terms of the amount of research conducted. Hence, medical students will have the opportunity to participate in an abundance of frontier-facing research.
Wayne State University School of Medicine
WSUSOM students will participate in an 18-month preclinical curriculum during which they will study the science and art of medicine, a 12-month clerkship phase during which they will rotate across the various core areas of medicine, and a 14-month post-clerkship phase during which they will hone their clinical skills in preparation for their selected field of medicine. Students can additionally participate in the Peer Mentor Program, where they can ask questions to their co-medical students in a safe and open environment. This program also includes Mentor Meet-Ups where students meet to discuss the various challenges they are currently facing as medical students and expect to face as future physicians in addition to the healthcare disparities they observe in Detroit throughout their curricular and extracurricular experiences.
Additionally, WSUSOM is the only medical school in Michigan to offer a three-year accelerated MD degree program with a direct residency placement at Wayne State. If interested, students can note their preference to be considered for this program on their application and which of the 12 Wayne State residency programs they would like to attend if accepted to the program.
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Western Michigan University School of Medicine has a decompressed preclinical curriculum which allows students to take multiple shorter one-week breaks in between systems-based courses in lieu of the traditional three-month summer vacation commonly observed at other medical schools. During the one week breaks, students can either catch up on prior material, take vacation, or take electives such as research, medical ethics, and forensic pathology. Students will have a seven-week vacation from February to April during their second year of medical school before entering their clerkship rotations in May.
Medical students are also placed in Learning Communities upon arrival to the Western Michigan University School of Medicine and learn applied clinical skills and participate in community-building activities in these Communities. The medical school additionally has a peer counseling support group, Mentoring and Supporting Each Other for Success, to ensure that students have an opportunity to connect with and confide in their own peers when facing difficulties in medical school.
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Part 4: Michigan medical school admissions strategies
Strategy 1: Take a data-driven approach when deciding which Michigan medical schools to apply to
The data outlined in this guide demonstrate that there is a wide range of average GPA and MCAT scores among Michigan medical schools. Therefore, it’s critical to think rigorously about your own objective statistics so you can determine which schools you will have a competitive advantage at based on your prior academic accomplishments.
For example, based on GPA alone, a 3.8 would make you a competitive candidate for all Michigan medical schools. Combined with a 512 MCAT, however, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan might be out of reach, whereas other Michigan medical schools would be excellent targets.
By employing a targeted approach in your medical school application process, you can focus your efforts on schools from which you have a likelihood of opening an acceptance offer.
(Related reading: How Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To? Which Ones?)
Strategy 2: Develop a comprehensive understanding of what makes each Michigan medical school unique and ensure your own strengths and prior experiences align with these key features
As detailed above, Michigan school differ from one another based on the patient populations they serve, their curriculum designs, and the extracurricular opportunities offered to their medical students.
Additionally, if you are a Michigan resident, you will benefit from higher in-state applicant interview rates, in-state applicant admission offers, and lower annual tuition and fees. Given the increased likelihood of success and potential financial savings, it strongly benefits in-state residents to consider Michigan medical schools.
Use this information to help you decide which Michigan schools to apply to. Ask yourself: which will fit your existing strengths and demographic profile while supplementing your professional growth as an aspiring physician? Then, when writing secondary essays and preparing for medical school interviews, make sure to communicate this fit in order to convince adcoms that you’re a terrific candidate.
To assist you with your organization and time-management for secondary essays, we’ve put the number of each school’s prompts in the table below.
| Michigan Medical Schools | |
|---|---|
| Central Michigan University College of Medicine | |
| Michigan State University College of Human Medicine | |
| Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine | |
| Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine | |
| University of Michigan Medical School | |
| Wayne State University School of Medicine | |
| Western Michigan University School of Medicine |
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Strategy 3: Formulate an interview strategy
Once you’ve sent off your application and essays, if you’ve made it to the interview stage, you should be proud! You hard work has paid off and there’s only one final hurdle between you and acceptance to your dream Michigan medical school.
But that also means you need to formulate a coherent strategy that will leave adcoms with a fantastic impression of you and your talents. The best way to do this is to review common questions and seriously think through how you might answer them. Questions like, “Why do you want to attend our school?” are to be expected but how would you answer “Where do you see yourself 15 years from now?”
Simply saying that you want to be a successful and respected physician is not enough. You need to tell a confident and compelling story about who you are and your reasons for applying to their institution. Make sure you research specifics of the school’s offerings and/or research interests and paint a picture of how those align with you and your talents.
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.
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Part 5: Frequently asked questions
What school in Michigan has the best medical program?
When it comes to medical schools in Michigan, we’re often asked which program is the best. However, ‘best’ is a bit of a subjective term. Each Michigan med school has its strengths and stand-out qualities, so to determine the best medical program in Michigan, you will have to consider exactly what you’re looking for.
If we start by just looking at the average GPA and MCAT scores of these programs, we can see at least four of them are quite high with the other three not far behind. That would indicate a high caliber of matriculants and we can infer that quality of student is necessary to succeed in such a rigorous program.
But it’s also important to take other factors into account, such as curriculum, faculty-to-student ratio, ongoing research projects at the institution, and even tuition. Furthermore, let’s not forget overall medical philosophy. If you wish to study osteopathic medicine in the state of Michigan, you have only one option, the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
What GPA do you need to get into a Michigan medical school?
A quick look at the table above will tell you the typical matriculant to a medical school in Michigan has an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.7–3.88. These are impressive stats and it holds steady across institutions in the state. It’s safe to say you will have to work hard to achieve a GPA at a level high enough for entry into Michigan med schools.
That said, there are a few other ways to think about this. For example, we can consider GPA and MCAT scores in tandem. The two top-ranked schools had average MCAT scores around 515 while the others hovered around 510, with one notable exception. Western Michigan University matriculants’ MCAT scores averaged 514 but their average GPAs are the lowest of the group. We might be led to infer that their admissions committee is weighing MCAT scores more heavily.
We could also answer this question by considering what is meant by ‘average.’ Typically, schools list the ‘mean’ average scores rather than the ‘median,’ which is the value people are usually thinking about when they think about averages. The ‘mean’ would result from taking all of the submitted GPAs, adding them together and dividing them by the number of scores submitted. In contrast, the ‘median’ would be the GPA that happens to appear in the middle of a set of GPAs.
Not every school reports the mean. Some choose to report the median perhaps because they think this is a more accurate representation of the spread of GPAs they received from applicants. For example, if 70 percent of matriculants had 3.8+ GPAs and the other 30 percent had 3.4 the resulting mean would be weighted toward the 3.8 side, but we might expect to see a reported GPA around 3.6–3.7 if they chose to report the median.
If you’re concerned about what GPA to aim for or even if yours may be a little low for Michigan med schools, it’s worth reaching out to the school you’re interested in and asking how they report their scores.
Suggested reading (How Hard Is It to Get into Medical School?)
Final thoughts
There are many excellent medical schools in Michigan and, therefore, there is a lot of information to consider when you construct your application materials and prepare for your interviews. By choosing schools at which you have a good chance of acceptance and tailoring your application materials accordingly, you will position yourself to be successful when applying to medical schools in Michigan.
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.
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Appendix A: Michigan medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in Michigan (MD)
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Osteopathic medical schools in Michigan (DO)
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Appendix B: Michigan medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in Michigan
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Private medical schools in Michigan
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
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Appendix C: Michigan medical schools by region
Medical schools in Southeast Michigan
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Medical schools in Central and Western Michigan
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
