Everything you need to know to navigate Stanford premed, including Stanford premed requirements and extracurriculars, the best premed major, and the Stanford premed acceptance rate

A group of Stanford University premeds studying in a classroom — LEARN HOW TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL AS A Stanford PREMED

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Stanford premed requirements

Part 3: Stanford premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school from Stanford

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Part 1: Introduction

Attending Stanford University can be intimidating and thrilling, especially as a premed student. After all, Stanford is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world thanks to its vast diversity across cultures and disciplines. In fact, Stanford is rated by US News as the number 1 computer science university and the third best university in the U.S. overall.

Their mission is to give students the resources they need to tackle the world’s problems, meaning that you’ll have access to 20 libraries, 18 research and scholarship institutes, and a 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio supported by 2,288 expert faculty!

While Stanford only sees roughly 10% of its student body apply to medical school in a typical year, human biology was one of their most popular degrees in 2022 and all of Stanford’s offered majors are renowned for their rigor.

As a leader in technology, engineering, and medical research, Stanford University is ideal for an especially interdisciplinary career, but accomplishing everything isn’t easy. You’ll need to strategize your studies across four years to fulfill the requirements not only for med school, but for your declared major too, and you’ll have to complete a number of extracurricular activities ranging from studying for the MCAT to shadowing a doctor.

Throughout this guide, we’ll discuss best practices and specific opportunities at Stanford that will help bolster your med school application so that you can move that much closer to getting your white coat.

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Part 2: Stanford premed requirements

The very first thing you’ll want to think about are your med school prerequisites. While Stanford offers a short academic planning guide, overall they don’t have a lot of general information about premed requirements, so you should definitely make an appointment with an advisor to see how you can fit these prerequisites into your schedule.

What Stanford does say about premed requirements is that you should plan on taking:

2 years chemistry with lab (including exposure to general chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry)
1 year biology with lab
1 year physics with lab
Optional: Math
Optional: English

Take it from an expert: math and English aren’t optional. Even if you somehow did manage to find a major that didn’t require these courses, it’s unlikely that you’d be able to enroll in some of the science courses without some math. Plus, with the number of high-quality essays you’ll need to write for your medical school applications, you might want to take multiple English courses.

Typically, taking statistics and any writing course is recommended to round out your med school prerequisites. We also highly recommend taking a biochemistry course so that you’re adequately prepared for the MCAT.

Now, taking all of that into consideration, let’s see a breakdown of these required premed courses:

Stanford Premed Requirements
Medical school requirement	Course options
Chemistry: Two years with lab	CHEM 31M* CHEM 33* CHEM 121 CHEM 123 + 124 CHEM 126 CHEM 151 CHEM 153 + 124
Biology: One year with lab	BIO 8S BIO 32S BIO 86
Physics One year with lab	PHYSICS PHYSICS 170 PHYSICS 171 PHYSICS 172
Biochemistry: One course	BIO 83
Math: One year	MATH 19* MATH 20* STATS 141
English/writing: One year	Any English or Writing course Suggested: ENGLISH 9CI or ENGLISH 16Q

*Stanford utilizes placement tests that may allow you to skip these required courses in favor of more advanced ones.

Keep in mind that these are the most basic requirements for med school admissions. You’ll still need to choose a major and fulfill all of the prerequisites necessary to graduate.

What’s the best premed major at Stanford?

It’s a myth that there’s some universal best major for premeds. In actuality, majoring in biochemistry over art history has no statistical advantage and doesn’t really change whether you’re accepted into medical school.

Of course some majors are much more popular for premed students than others, but this should come as no surprise since premeds share quite a few common goals.

As mentioned earlier, human biology is one of the most awarded degrees at Stanford. It’s also one of the most popular majors for premeds nationally. One benefit of choosing a major that is so closely related to medicine is that you can fulfill most, if not all, of your premed requirements without straying from your degree coursework.

On the other hand, choosing a non-science major typically means less challenging material and more time to study your premed materials. Non-science majors also allow for a break from science work, opportunities for experiences unique from other applicants, and interdisciplinary education that will help you throughout your career as you navigate public policy, pharmaceutical economics, teaching, or any other non-patient-facing task you may have to handle as an MD.

Popularity of a major is another thing to consider as you reach a decision. With more students on the same path as you, you’ll have many chances to form study groups, join active clubs, and hear about various open internships or research projects. Stanford’s top five undergraduate majors by enrollment are:

Computer Science
Economics
Engineering
Human Biology
Symbolic Systems (Stanford’s unique take on cognitive science)

Whether you choose a science major, a non-science major, or simply a popular one, what matters most is how you perform throughout your studies. Keeping your grades up won’t be enough; you’ll need to be truly invested in the subject matter or else it will be difficult for you to do your best. Ultimately, you should consider just four simple questions:

Does the major interest you?
Are you passionate about the subject?
Will you be able to complete all of your med school requirements?
Will you be able to maintain a high GPA?

Sample Stanford premed two-year course plan

Let’s take a look at a sample two-year schedule for a Stanford premed. This schedule aims to complete the requirements for med school and for a degree in Symbolic Systems, as well as the courses needed to ace the MCAT in your junior year.

Sample Stanford Premed Two-Year Course Plan
Quarter	Courses	Optional courses
Freshman Fall	Multivariate Systems SYMSYS 1 CHEM 33 MATH 20
Freshman Winter	Introductory Philosophy CHEM 121 STATS 141 PHYSICS 170	Further Multivariate Systems SYMSYS 280
Freshman Spring	PSYCH 1 PHIL 150 CHEM 123 + 124 PHYSICS 171	Further Multivariate Systems
Sophomore Fall	Probability and Statistics CHEM 126 PHIL 80 BIO 32S
Sophomore Winter	CS 106A CS 103 CHEM 151 BIO 86
Sophomore Spring	BIO 83 CS 106B CHEM 153 PHYSICS 172

How to maintain a high GPA as a Stanford premed

Stanford’s academic prowess is dependent upon the rigor of their courses. Science courses are particularly challenging for most students although, thanks to Stanford’s high percentage of STEM students, there are many resources available to support you through all of your coursework.

Despite this extra help, you’ll still need to adjust to managing your grades alongside your extracurricular responsibilities. Many students receive low grades during their freshman year due to the difficulty of this transition from high school to premed life, causing them to have to work harder to graduate with an impressive GPA worth applying to med school with.

You can avoid having to stress (too much) about your GPA for four years if you implement a full plan and stick to proven strategies. Here are some strategies that consistently lead to success:

Expect studying to be a challenge. Ideally, you should finish study sessions with a greater understanding than you started with, which means reading, writing, and practicing material that you aren’t totally comfortable with! The materials you’ll be learning at Stanford will be far beyond what most students are exposed to in high school, so be prepared to feel a little overwhelmed at first.
Create a study schedule. Having a set time for studying ensures that you’re getting in the hours you’ll need to perform well in courses. As you begin taking on club activities, volunteer work, and clinical experiences, it’ll be easier to stay on top of your studying if you have a regularly scheduled time for it.
Go to office hours and TA sessions. You should go to office hours and TA sessions often. You likely have a question about the most recent class but even if you don’t, you can listen to the answers to other students’ questions and build a relationship with your professor that you can draw on later for a recommendation letter or possibly find a lead on research opportunities.
Join a premed study group. Having a study group is great because not only will you get feedback and support from peers, but you’ll also be able to network and possibly form lifelong, professional relationships.
Spread out difficult courses Make sure that you aren’t front-loading all of your science classes at the expense of your grades. It will not help you to complete courses quickly if you complete them with a poor grade. Additionally, think about which subjects you struggle with and which ones you find easy, alternating your schedule between the two as much as possible. You can even take courses over the summer if you want to pay extra attention to the material or if you think you can complete it while doing your med school extracurriculars.
Do research before registration Once you know which classes you’d like to enroll in, make sure to do some research on both the course and the professor teaching it that semester. Reviewing the professor’s previous syllabus is most helpful, but you can also get valuable information by visiting Stanford forums (like on Reddit or SDN) and talking to current students or alumni.

(Suggested reading: How to Study as a Premed)

When should you take the MCAT?

The best time to take the MCAT depends on a number of factors, including which premed classes you’ve taken and when you’re planning on applying to medical school.

If you’re applying to med school immediately after graduation and won’t be taking a gap year, we recommend taking the MCAT around the fall of your junior year. This plan is timed so that you should have completed most of the courses that cover MCAT materials before the test, and gives you the entire summer to study even more. Additionally, this schedule allows enough time for you to retake the exam if you don’t perform as well as you expected.

The MCAT covers the following subject areas:

Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

We cannot stress enough that you shouldn’t attempt the MCAT without completing courses that cover these topics, especially the biochemistry portion. Many students take only one biochem course to fulfill their requirements, making it seem like biochemistry is not really that important. On the contrary, it’s one of the most challenging subjects and makes up about 25% of the C/P and B/B sections.

You might also want to enroll in courses that cover psychology and sociology, as these topics do come up in the MCAT and will affect your score. However, the honest truth is that the materials for these subjects can be self-taught if you make a solid plan and commit to serious extra studying. Tackling the psychology and sociology sections this way can also reduce stress throughout the school year by reducing your course load during your first two years.

Looking for MCAT practice questions? Check out our proprietary MCAT Question Bank for 2000+ sample questions and eight practice tests covering every MCAT category.

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Part 3: Stanford premed extracurriculars

Stanford, like most elite schools, has hundreds of clubs, groups, research projects, and volunteer opportunities perfect for filling up your AMCAS Work & Activity section.

As a premed student, you should plan on completing certain extracurricular activities, including:

Shadowing a doctor
Joining a research project
Volunteering (preferably in a medical setting)
Having a significant role in a student organization (preferably a leadership role)

We’ll briefly go over what extracurricular opportunities Stanford offers, but for the most up-to-date and accurate information, you’ll want to browse the Stanford On & Off Campus Learning Opportunities (SOLO) catalogue to see what’s currently available to join or apply to.

Stanford premed clinical volunteering

The student service organization Cardinal Commitment is one of the best groups for premeds to partner with when looking for clinical work. Their program, SCOPE (Student Clinical Opportunities for Premedical Experience), places medical volunteers and medical interpreters in the Emergency Department (ED) at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC).

If you decide to join this group, you’ll be committed to completing at least 200 hours of volunteer work with SCVMC, in 9-hour shifts that coincide with a doctor’s shift. You’ll be able to learn a lot from watching, listening, and preparing for patient visits. Students are also expected to sign in and out at the hospital, submit a 750-word reflection journal following each shift, and generally be respectful, curious, and compassionate.

Stanford School of Medicine students can continue to support this program through Cardinal Commitment Mentorship, where they are assigned to supervise undergraduate volunteers. You should take advantage of their availability to ask them about their experience applying to med school, as they will likely have very specific tips and tricks for navigating Stanford’s premed path.

Stanford premed shadowing

The Stanford Immersion in Medicine Series (SIMS) is the primary way that Stanford premeds can be connected to doctors with shadowing opportunities. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in good academic standing can apply to shadow physicians at Stanford Hospital, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and the Palo Alto VA Hospital.

Each session of SIMS runs for one quarter, giving ample time to build lasting relationships with the physicians and other staff you’ll be working with. These relationships not only help guide you on your premed journey, but are also great sources for recommendation letters when it’s time to apply to med school.

The SIMS application for spring 2022-23 is now closed as of March 1, 2023, but will reopen later in the year. Applications are submitted electronically and include several, standard short-answer questions regarding your ability and your motive for shadowing (i.e., “describe your schedule”, “tell us why you should be accepted”, etc.) Students are notified of their status one week after the application deadline.

Stanford premed research

Stanford’s commitment to research is one of its greatest assets. Their 18 research facilities partner with dozens of other research centers and labs sponsored by a variety of academic departments, including medicine.

You can see the full list of Stanford’s research institutions here. Below, we’ve cherry-picked the research centers that will be most helpful to premed students.

Bio-X

Bio-X is an interdisciplinary biosciences institute, connecting biomedical and life science researchers, clinicians, engineers, physicists, and computational scientists to advance human health.

There are so many ways to get involved in research with Bio-X, it’s typically best to check SOLO to see what projects are currently open to you. However, they also have a special summer undergraduate program. The Stanford Bio-X Undergraduate Summer Research Program (USRP) is a highly competitive program that began in 2006 and typically accepts around 50 applicants every year, though they have been accepting more students in recent years. You can apply for this program in the fall.

The Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education (Spectrum)

Spectrum is the Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research and Education, which aims to bridge the gap between basic research and public health to foster innovation in medicine. Also home to the Stanford Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA) (funded by the NIH), this research facility offers students many chances to get involved in some of their exciting projects.

For example, their Clinical Research Operations Program is an intense research-focused class that promises to, “raise the quality of clinical research across Stanford and to enhance the career growth of clinical research personnel.” Throughout the class, students will get a somewhat rare opportunity to participate in clinical research involving humans. There are many requirements to apply, but it can certainly be a valuable way to spend your senior year or even a gap year.

Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute

The Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is Stanford’s innovative center for research on the brain. More specifically, the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is focused on research related to neurodiscovery, neurohealth, and neuroengineering.

The Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is one of the more accessible research centers for undergraduates, and there are dozens of ways to get involved in research programs. One of the best programs they have is the exclusive Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Opportunity fellowship. This fellowship offers students:

Part-time mentorship in their host research lab during spring quarter
A 10-week experiential learning fellowship for full-time research in summer quarter
Participation in spring and summer workshops and community building
A robust community of like-minded peers

Applications are closed for this school year, but there are still many ways to join a team at Wu Tsai. They also have a full directory for students to browse which lists all of the research opportunities currently open to undergraduates.

Sarafan ChEM-H

For students passionate about chemistry and molecular biology, the Sarafan ChEM-H research center is a perfect match. Partnered with Stanford Medicine, this group focuses on epidemiology and human biology at the molecular level with the goal of improving disease treatments and prototyping new or improved medicine.

There are two main ways for undergrads to participate in the work being done at ChEM-H: the Undergraduate Scholars Program and the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program.

The Undergraduate Scholars Program is open to sophomore undergraduates in the engineering, physical science, or life science fields and offers interdisciplinary research opportunities that vary from year to year.

The Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program aims to help students fully understand how their biology and chemistry knowledge can be used in conjunction with technology to improve human health. Throughout the program, students will group up, create a new medical technology, and build a business plan to distribute it, all while under the supervision of academic scientists, biotechnology professionals, and entrepreneurs.

Stanford Student Organizations

Stanford has over 600 student organizations that you can get involved with, making it easy to find a group you identify with and difficult to choose just one or two to join (you likely won’t have time for more).

To get started, you can browse Stanford’s Cardinal Engage system, which lists all of the active student groups. Below, we’ve listed a number of groups that would be great options for premeds. The best groups to join are those related to medicine, however we’ve found that leadership roles in these groups can be highly competitive since most premeds know the importance of such a role.

Having a leadership role is somewhat important for your med school application, but the idea of “leadership” can be applied in many ways and more than a handful of premeds accomplish this soft requirement outside of student organizations. Another factor to consider is the time commitment for such a role.

While leading a student organization is certainly more impressive than leading a group for a single event or experience, it’s also incredibly time consuming! Think about how well you can manage your various responsibilities and, more importantly, your GPA, before even attempting to gain a leadership position in a student organization.

Stanford Student Organizations for Premeds

Note: This list only includes organizations available to undergraduate students. Cardinal Engage lists all student organizations, including those for medical school and other graduate schools at Stanford.

Stanford Premedical Association

Type of group: Pre-professional
Mission: The Stanford Pre-medical Association (SPA) aims to provide pre-medical and pre-health students with the resources needed to pursue a successful professional career.

Stanford Black Pre-Medical Organization

Type of group: Pre-professional
Mission: The Stanford Black Pre-Medical Organization (SBPO) was founded in 1971 by a group of African American students facing similar difficulties in pre-med classes. Subsequently, they developed a study group and found strength in their unity, which has improved their academic performance.
Their mission then and now is to support the growth and development of the black premedical community on campus via programming, event planning, and leadership.

Stanford Pre-Medical Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association

Type of group: Pre-professional
Mission: The Stanford Premed Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) is an organization of pre-medical, pre-health, and other undergraduate students committed to addressing the unique health challenges of Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) communities. APAMSA serves as a platform to help advocate for and educate on Asian Pacific American health issues. In addition, APAMSA offers opportunities for pre-medical students and those interested in Asian American health issues to give back to their community through service. Finally, APAMSA offers a community for pre-medical, pre-health, and others interested in APIA health issues to meet, exchange experiences, and develop professionally through leadership.

Athletes in Medicine

Type of group: Student community
Mission: To foster an intimate community of current and former Stanford student-athletes in medicine, providing resources and guidance to allow individuals to thrive in this challenging and rewarding field.

Healing Harmonies

Type of group: Community service
Mission: Stanford Healing Harmonies is centered around the intersection of music, medicine, and service. They strive to promote healing through music by performing instrumental music off-campus at various community centers, providing opportunities for connection and engagement through music.

Stanford Medical Humanities Club

Type of group: Media/Publications
Mission: This organization seeks to engage undergraduate students in the growth-oriented and collaborative environment of the medical humanities to allow for reflection and growth in their patient interactions and interest in medicine. MedHum will create a unique community where students would have the opportunity to foster deeper and more compassionate connections in their interests in medicine and a shared passion for connecting the arts such as poetry, music, and painting with the medical sciences through events, discussion, and community service focused around publishing works in the MedHum journal.

Stanford Women in Medicine

Type of group: Pre-professional
Mission: SWIM aims to provide guidance and information to Stanford undergraduates interested in pursuing careers pertaining to medicine and health. Specifically, they will reach out to women in leadership positions in medically related fields as a means of inspiring Stanford undergraduate students to close the gender gap currently seen in leadership roles in medicine. SWIM also aims to provide added support for first generation students, low-income students, and students of color who are hoping to pursue a career in medicine.

Comunidad for Health Equity

Type of group: Community service
Mission: CHE aims to create space for discussion on Latinx issues to support an interest in changing the fields of clinical and public health. This organization addresses the needs of the Latinx community by connecting members to volunteer opportunities while supporting them academically. They also encourage an interdisciplinary education rooted in community service that addresses Latinx issues and those intersecting. Finally, they seek to empower the Latinx community through mentorship within the organization and the medical school in order to build a larger network of resources while creating a sense of belonging. You do not have to be pre-med or Latinx to join. CHE always stands in solidarity with those fighting health disparities that affect marginalized and underrepresented minorities.

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Part 4: Getting into medical school from Stanford

As you conquer each step of your premed journey, you’ll inch closer to the penultimate med school application process. This is where you’ll finally start to piece together your personal statement, AMCAS Work & Activities section, MCAT score, GPA, and everything else that you’ve worked hard on to make yourself stand out on paper.

Unfortunately, Stanford doesn’t publish general premed stats anymore, so it’s impossible to know just how many of their premed students matriculate each year. However, we can take a look at Stanford School of Medicine’s requirements, as these should line up with what Stanford expects undergraduates to have accomplished and are likely based on their own student body.

(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)

Stanford School of Medicine acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Stanford School of Medicine is understandably a very competitive school. In 2020 (the most recent year they have released data for), they received 6,800 applications but only accepted 152 students! This 1.4% acceptance rate is the 2nd lowest in the country, with only Kaiser Permanente having a lower rate.

Those who matriculate aren’t just lucky, either. The median GPA for Stanford SOM applicants is 3.89, which isn’t necessarily the highest GPA among med school applications, but it is still quite high. The good news? The average Stanford undergrad has a GPA of 3.96!

The other extremely important score for applying to medical school is your MCAT score. The median MCAT score for Stanford SOM applicants is 517, meaning you’ll have to score higher than approximately 94% of test-takers just to be competitive. There is some wiggle room here, particularly if you have a strong GPA and an impressive extracurricular resume.

These stats may be scary, but remember that Stanford provides students with everything they need to accomplish these scores, from tutoring to clinical opportunities. Additionally, having strong stats is just part of the puzzle and having the very best stats at the cost of your extracurriculars isn’t likely to result in matriculation.

Getting into Stanford School of Medicine as a Stanford premed

While technically there is no advantage to attending Stanford in order to get into Stanford School of Medicine, the reality is a bit more muddled.

As we mentioned above, Stanford School of Medicine’s requirements are likely based on their own undergrads. This means that you’ll be exposed to exactly what Stanford adcoms want to see, as well as have close ties to the larger Stanford community. These small advantages go a long way, as is exemplified by the fact that Stanford undergrads are typically the majority of Stanford School of Medicine matriculants.

Don’t let these facts fool you though – you’ll still need to be a top applicant to compete against other high-achieving undergrads who are also seeking a spot among Stanford’s white coats.

Final thoughts

Getting through premed at Stanford may be one of the most difficult things you accomplish thanks to the rigorous curriculum and the demanding list of to-dos for premeds.

Despite all of that, achieving success and getting your white coat is more than doable. With proper planning and dedication to your studies, along with Stanford’s world-class resources and organizations, you can gain everything you need to stand out to medical schools and get into your top choice!