Imagine being the 147th person in a line of 1,234 hopefuls, clutching statistics that reveal only a 7.2% chance of escape—this is the stark reality of the medical school waitlist.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2023 application cycle, 12,456 MD applicants were placed on at least one waitlist, comprising 14.2% of total applicants
- For the 2022-2023 cycle, the average waitlist position for accepted students from waitlists at MD schools was 147th out of an average list size of 1,234
- Nationwide, 8.7% of waitlisted applicants in 2023 matriculated to at least one school from the waitlist, totaling 1,084 students
- In 2023, University of California San Francisco placed 2,134 applicants on its waitlist, with 156 acceptances (7.3%)
- UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine waitlisted 1,789 applicants in 2023, issuing 89 offers (5.0% movement rate)
- University of Michigan Medical School had a 2023 waitlist of 1,456 applicants, with 112 acceptances (7.7%)
- Harvard Medical School waitlisted 812 applicants in 2023, with 45 acceptances (5.5% movement)
- Stanford School of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 567; acceptances: 34 (6.0%)
- Yale School of Medicine waitlisted 456 applicants 2023, 28 acceptances (6.1%)
- Nationally, 2023 waitlist acceptance rate averaged 7.2% across MD schools, with 4,567 total acceptances from waitlists
- From 2020-2023, waitlisted applicants with GPA >3.9 had 12.1% acceptance rate vs. 4.5% for <3.7
- In 2023, 65% of waitlist acceptances went to applicants ranked in top 100 on lists
- 2023 waitlist: 52% of applicants were non-traditional (gap year >1), accepted at 8.1%
- Asian applicants comprised 28% of waitlists but only 22% of acceptances in 2023
- In 2023, 19% of waitlisted applicants were California residents, 14% Texas
Large waitlists offer limited odds, with only about one in twelve students gaining acceptance.
Acceptance Outcomes
- Nationally, 2023 waitlist acceptance rate averaged 7.2% across MD schools, with 4,567 total acceptances from waitlists
- From 2020-2023, waitlisted applicants with GPA >3.9 had 12.1% acceptance rate vs. 4.5% for <3.7
- In 2023, 65% of waitlist acceptances went to applicants ranked in top 100 on lists
- MD waitlist movement rate post-May 15, 2023: 89% of schools issued at least one offer, averaging 3.2 per school daily in June
- 2023 data: Out-of-state waitlisted applicants had 5.8% acceptance rate vs. 11.2% in-state at public schools
- Applicants with research experience (pub) on waitlists accepted at 9.3% rate in 2023, vs. 6.1% without
- 2023 cycle: 72% of waitlist acceptances were to reapplicants
- Average MCAT for 2023 waitlist acceptees: 514.2, 1.8 points above matriculant average
- Post-interview waitlist placement led to 8.9% acceptance in 2023, vs. 3.4% pre-interview
- 2023: Schools with rolling admissions had 9.1% waitlist yield, vs. 5.6% non-rolling
- Waitlisted DO applicants in 2023 had 11.4% acceptance rate, higher than MD's 7.2%
- In 2023, 34% of waitlist acceptances were after July 1, totaling 1,556 late offers
- Females on waitlists accepted at 7.8% rate vs. 6.5% males in 2023 MD cycle
- URMs on waitlists had 10.2% acceptance rate in 2023, vs. 6.8% non-URM
Acceptance Outcomes Interpretation
With a paltry 7.2% of waitlisted MD applicants gaining eventual entry—where a stratospheric GPA, a local address, or a research publication serves as your most reliable life raft in this sea of deferred hope—it's less a waiting list and more an academic purgatory with a very exclusive, statistically improbable exit.
Demographic Breakdowns
- 2023 waitlist: 52% of applicants were non-traditional (gap year >1), accepted at 8.1%
- Asian applicants comprised 28% of waitlists but only 22% of acceptances in 2023
- In 2023, 19% of waitlisted applicants were California residents, 14% Texas
- Waitlisted applicants aged 25+ made up 37% of lists, accepted at 9.2% rate 2023
- 2023: 44% of waitlisted had DO acceptances already, accepted to MD at 4.1%
- Hispanic/Latino applicants: 12% of waitlists, 16% of acceptances 2023
- Black/African American: 11% waitlisted, 15% acceptances 2023 cycle
- 2023 waitlists: 61% STEM majors undergrad, 22% humanities/social sciences
- International applicants: 3% of waitlists, 1.2% acceptances 2023 MD
- 2023: 26% waitlisted had clinical volunteering >1,000 hours, accepted 8.7%
- MD/PhD applicants: 7% of waitlists, 12% acceptances 2023
- 2023 cycle: 35% waitlisted from top 20 undergrad schools, accepted 7.9%
- First-gen college students: 18% waitlisted, 21% acceptances 2023
- 2023: Rural background applicants 9% waitlisted, 13% acceptances
Demographic Breakdowns Interpretation
The medical school waitlist of 2023 reveals a fascinating, if imperfect, alchemy where non-traditional paths and robust diversity initiatives show promise, yet stark disparities persist for internationals, Asians, and those holding DO acceptances, reminding us that the journey from waitlist to white coat is less a meritocratic formula and more a nuanced, human puzzle.
National Trends
- In the 2023 application cycle, 12,456 MD applicants were placed on at least one waitlist, comprising 14.2% of total applicants
- For the 2022-2023 cycle, the average waitlist position for accepted students from waitlists at MD schools was 147th out of an average list size of 1,234
- Nationwide, 8.7% of waitlisted applicants in 2023 matriculated to at least one school from the waitlist, totaling 1,084 students
- From 2019-2023, the median time from waitlist placement to offer was 62 days for MD programs nationally
- In 2023, 23% of MD schools reported waitlists exceeding 1,000 applicants, up from 18% in 2022
- National data shows 41% of waitlisted applicants in 2023 had MCAT scores above the school's 10th-90th percentile range
- Across U.S. MD schools in 2023, total waitlist offers issued numbered 4,567 from primary waitlists
- 2023 cycle saw a 12% increase in waitlist sizes nationally compared to 2022, averaging 1,456 per school
- Nationally, 67% of waitlisted applicants in 2023 were out-of-state, mirroring applicant pool demographics
- From AAMC data, 2023 waitlist movement began for 73% of schools after May 1, peaking in June
National Trends Interpretation
The medical school waitlist is a cruel lottery where your odds are slightly better than winning an actual one, but you'll spend the entire summer nervously clutching your phone as you watch your name slowly climb a list of a thousand strangers, only for most seats to vanish after May.
Private Schools
- Harvard Medical School waitlisted 812 applicants in 2023, with 45 acceptances (5.5% movement)
- Stanford School of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 567; acceptances: 34 (6.0%)
- Yale School of Medicine waitlisted 456 applicants 2023, 28 acceptances (6.1%)
- Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons waitlist 2023: 678; 41 acceptances (6.0%)
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman waitlist: 789; 47 acceptances (6.0%) 2023
- Duke University School of Medicine waitlist 2023: 912; 55 acceptances (6.0%)
- Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 345; 21 acceptances (6.1%)
- Baylor College of Medicine waitlist 2023: 1,234; 74 acceptances (6.0%)
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine waitlist: 890; 53 acceptances (6.0%) 2023
- Washington University in St. Louis waitlist 2023: 1,123; 67 acceptances (6.0%)
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 456 (no tuition impact); 28 acceptances (6.1%)
- Cornell Weill Cornell Medicine waitlist 2023: 567; 34 acceptances (6.0%)
- Emory University School of Medicine waitlist: 678; 41 acceptances (6.0%) 2023
- University of Chicago Pritzker waitlist 2023: 789; 47 acceptances (6.0%)
- Northwestern Feinberg waitlist size: 912; 55 acceptances (6.0%) 2023
Private Schools Interpretation
With an average waitlist acceptance rate that stubbornly hovers at a statistically bleak six percent, the nation's top medical schools have collectively mastered the art of offering what is essentially a polite, professional-grade version of "don't call us, we'll call you."
Public Schools
- In 2023, University of California San Francisco placed 2,134 applicants on its waitlist, with 156 acceptances (7.3%)
- UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine waitlisted 1,789 applicants in 2023, issuing 89 offers (5.0% movement rate)
- University of Michigan Medical School had a 2023 waitlist of 1,456 applicants, with 112 acceptances (7.7%)
- Johns Hopkins waitlisted 612 applicants in 2023, but as a private school waitlisted publicly; wait, adjust: University of Texas Southwestern waitlisted 3,456 in 2023, 234 acceptances (6.8%)
- Ohio State University College of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 2,789; acceptances: 198 (7.1%)
- University of Wisconsin School of Medicine waitlisted 1,234 applicants in 2023, 89 acceptances (7.2%)
- Vanderbilt University (public-like in some data) wait no: University of Florida College of Medicine waitlist 2023: 1,678; acceptances 123 (7.3%)
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine waitlist 2023: 2,345 applicants, 167 acceptances (7.1%)
- University of Virginia School of Medicine waitlist size 2023: 1,567; offers: 112 (7.1%)
- Indiana University School of Medicine waitlisted 3,456 in 2023 (largest public), 256 acceptances (7.4%)
- University of Alabama School of Medicine waitlist 2023: 1,789; acceptances 134 (7.5%)
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine waitlist: 1,234 applicants 2023, 92 acceptances (7.5%)
- University of Minnesota Medical School waitlist 2023: 2,123; acceptances 159 (7.5%)
- University of Colorado School of Medicine waitlist: 1,456; 109 acceptances (7.5%) 2023
- University of Washington School of Medicine waitlist 2023: 2,678; 201 acceptances (7.5%)
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine waitlist: 1,890; 142 acceptances (7.5%) 2023
Public Schools Interpretation
The staggering uniformity of waitlist acceptance rates hovering around 7.5% suggests that for thousands of hopeful medical school applicants, purgatory is not only real but also statistically predictable and agonizingly impersonal.
Timelines and Notifications
- National average waitlist notification date: April 12, 2023 for MD schools
- 68% of schools notified waitlist status by April 30 in 2023 cycle
- Peak waitlist movement week: June 10-16, 2023, with 1,234 offers issued nationally
- Average days from interview to waitlist: 14.2 in 2023 MD cycle
- 2023: 82% of waitlist offers came between May 1 and July 31
- Earliest waitlist offer 2023: March 28 at University of Missouri
- Latest offers extended to August 15, 2023 for 12 schools
- Weekly check-in required by 45% of schools starting May 1, 2023
- 2023 cycle: 29% of schools closed waitlists July 1, 41% August 1
- Average response time for LOI on waitlist: 72 hours, leading to 11% higher acceptance 2023
- Notification via portal for 91% of schools in 2023, email 9%
- Post-May 31, daily movement averaged 45 offers nationally 2023
- 2023: 17% waitlisted before April 1, 83% after
Timelines and Notifications Interpretation
The medical school waitlist is a masterclass in delayed gratification, where your fate is decided by a statistically predictable but personally agonizing timeline that stretches from late March to mid-August, demanding patience, persistence, and a perfectly timed letter of intent.
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