Is Getting into Medical School Harder than It Was Before or Does It Just Feel Like It?

Last cycle, over 52,000 brave candidates applied to medical school, with just under 23,000 matriculating. While getting into medical school is extremely competitive, the number of applicants has actually decreased from two years ago when over 62,000 individuals applied to medical school (and the number of matriculants/spots has stayed almost the same). People attributed that peak in applications to the Fauci Effect, a trend that motivated individuals to simulate medical leaders and contribute to the health of society in the setting of the pandemic. In reality, it's unclear why numbers rose significantly that year. But since, applications have declined. The problem for candidates is that the number has decreased only to levels that are about equal to those pre-pandemic and still higher than the 2014 cycle when there were under 50,000 applicants. 

Having said that, there are more open medical school slots than there were in the past. In the 2014 cycle, 20,343 individuals matriculated out of 49,480 (41.1%). This past year 22,981 matriculated out of 52,577 applicants (43.7%).

None of these statistics take into account the fact that a more competitive applicant pool may have emerged over the course of the last decade. In other words, the whole achievement level of the application cohort may be stronger than it was in the past.

Bottom line: Looking at numbers alone, it is easier to get into medical school than it was during the anomalous cycle two years ago. Furthermore, although there were more applicants, it is slightly easier to get into medical school now that it was about a decade ago because there are more spots. 

That conclusion is likely reassuring for upcoming applicants, while at the same time, maddening for any of this year's candidates who have received a recent rejection. 

Either way, getting into medical school is extremely competitive.