Medical Schools in Vermont: How to Get In (2025)
/All the facts about medical schools in Vermont: the best programs, statistics, and strategies for getting in
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Vermont: Rankings & admissions statistics
Part 3: Vermont medical school profiles
Part 4: Vermont medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: Vermont medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Vermont medical schools by institution type
Part 1: Introduction
Vermont was admitted to the union in 1791 as the 14th state and is one of the six states that comprise New England. Situated along America’s northern border with Canada, its capital city, Montpelier, is considered one of the least populous in the United States.
Despite its small size and population, Vermont is home to one medical school, the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. There, students can earn an MD at the seventh-oldest medical school in the nation. While Vermont may be a small state, Larner’s focus has always been innovative medicine and training physicians for the future.
In this guide, we’ll look more closely at Larner’s ranking and admissions statistics and then discuss its degree programs and curriculum. Finally, we’ll talk about some admissions strategies you can use to make you stand out as an exceptional candidate.
Part 2: List of medical schools in Vermont: Rankings & admissions statistics
Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine - University of Vermont
The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont is ranked Tier 2 for Best Medical Schools in both Primary Care and Research by US News & World Report. For the entering class of 2024, Larner received 8569 applications to fill approximately 124 spots. Of those who matriculated, 26% came from Vermont. Additionally, 24% were from populations underrepresented in medicine, and 27% identified as LGBTQIA. From this data, it stands to reason that Larner emphasizes diversity, which aligns with their mission.
While researching for this guide, we also learned that about one-third (33%) of medical practitioners in Vermont were educated or trained at Larner. This stands to reason since roughly 46% of the school’s alumni practice in New England.
Below, we’ve summarized the ranking and admissions statistics and included more information.
| Vermont Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine* | $69,314 OOS |
Part 3: Vermont medical school profiles
Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine (LCOM) focuses on innovative training and teaching and places a heavy emphasis on maintaining a diverse student body. They seek candidates with a strong academic background who demonstrate intellectual curiosity and ethical responsibility.
Larner offers many degree and certificate options, both online and in-person, but we’ll stay focused on the MD program for this guide. The MD program's curriculum is based on an active learning model, where students aren’t just taught concepts; they’re also provided with ample hands-on opportunities to reinforce those concepts.
Interestingly, the teaching methods at LCOM revolve greatly around the methodology taught in the book Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel. In fact, as a Larner student in the MD program, you’ll be provided with a copy of this book. Because active learning requires learner engagement, classes are delivered in various modalities at the Larner College of Medicine.
To gain acceptance into LCOM, you’ll need to complete the typical medical school prerequisite courses, but the school also recommends at least one course in biochemistry or molecular genetics. You’ll also need to take the MCAT and the Casper exam. If your school offers a committee letter, you must submit one; if it doesn’t, you’ll need three letters of recommendation. Interviews are conducted virtually, and you’ll be provided with more information regarding your interview ahead of your interview day.
Part 4: Vermont medical school admissions strategies
To earn an offer of acceptance into LCOM, you’ll want to make sure your application stands out from others, and there are a few essential things to keep in mind as well as strategies you can employ that’ll increase your chances.
Strategy 1: Lay a strong academic foundation for yourself
Your GPA and MCAT scores will stay with you throughout the entire medical school application process, so it’s vital that you aim for the highest you’re capable of for both. To this end, carefully choosing your prerequisites and other courses is important.
For instance, rather than signing up for the first open session of general biology, research some of your other options and choose a professor whose teaching style aligns with your learning style. Depending on your school, you can often find this information on Reddit or Rate My Professors. Do as much research on the backend as possible, and select your classes wisely.
Of course, you’ll need to do exceptionally well in each class to earn and maintain your GPA. This is especially true for your science courses since medical schools often like to look at your cumulative GPA and your science GPA. As you choose your courses, select various courses that will demonstrate breadth of knowledge since LCOM looks for students whose academic record illustrates intellectual rigor and curiosity. Specifically, they recommend choosing courses in literature, mathematics, behavioral sciences, history, philosophy, and the arts in addition to your science courses.
Strategy 2: Develop a robust personal statement
Your personal statement allows you to talk to adcoms outside of your AMCAS primary application. As you develop it, you should consider your motivations to pursue a career in medicine as well as your specific ties to Vermont. Don’t just repeat the features of the school that you find on its website; the school’s adcoms are well aware of these already.. They’ll be looking for ways you fit into their programs as well as how their programs will help you achieve your goals.
Your personal statement is a fantastic time to recall a specific anecdote that might have transformed your views or even assured you that medicine is the right career for you. Use the story you share to demonstrate why you now hold the values you do and show how it led to your career goals.
In your personal statement, you’ll also want to highlight your alignment with the curriculum and program at Larner. For instance, this would be a good place to discuss an active learning experience, since LCOM places a heavy emphasis on active learning and its benefits. Explain how you learn better through active participation and hands-on experiences, and tie that into Larner’s learning modalities.
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Strategy 3: Prepare compelling secondary essays and excel in your interview
Your secondary essays are another opportunity for you to speak freely to adcoms outside of your formal academic record.To do your best on them, don’t wait until the prompts are released to develop your responses. Instead, you can prewrite your answers by looking at the prompts as they are released, even if you’ve not formally received an invite to complete the secondary application.
For the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 application cycles, LCOM had four required questions. The first question asked you to evaluate how well-suited active learning is to your personal learning style. The second question was about diversity, while the third question asked your views on professionalism. The last required question asked what unique opportunities at Larner are the most meaningful to you. The fifth (and only optional) question provided space for you to clarify anything on your application that you should elaborate on.
For the first question, they provided some bullet points you could evaluate and explain the extent to which you agree or disagree with those bullets as part of your response. The second question is an opportunity for you to explain what cultural competency means to you and how you will make it your mission to understand patient backgrounds as you provide healthcare. For the third question, you will want to explain how your views of professionalism have changed over time and highlight at least one experience that has helped shape your core values. For question four, you might circle back to the active learning and various learning modalities the school offers as you form your response.
The interviews at Larner are held virtually, which might be different to you depending on what you’re accustomed to at this point. During your interview, you’ll meet with Larner faculty, staff, students, and community members from Vermont and Connecticut. You’ll then participate in an MMI style interview where you’ll have the chance to speak to several interviewers. Be prepared to demonstrate your teamwork and communication skills, and you’ll learn about Larner’s curriculum and opportunities for clerkships.
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Final thoughts
If you’re looking for a medical school in a community that offers that small-town feeling without entirely focusing on rural medicine, Larner College of Medicine may be a great fit for you. Since they accept students from Vermont and outside the state, applications are open to anyone, so if the school’s offerings align with your personal interests, consider applying there. You’ll need a strong academic background, a robust personal statement, compelling responses for your secondary applications, and a committee letter or letters of recommendation, but if you’re determined, you can make LCOM your med school home..
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.
Appendix A: Vermont medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in Vermont (MD)
Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine (LCOM)
Osteopathic medical schools in Vermont (DO)
There are no osteopathic medical schools in Vermont.
Appendix B: Vermont medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in Vermont
Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine (LCOM)
Private medical schools in Vermont
There are no private medical schools in Vermont.
