Report: Mean MCAT Score Rose to 506.1 Last Year
Looking for information about medical school admissions? We've scoured the latest AAMC report to share the highlights so you can gain a better overall understanding of who's applying – and who's getting in.
As you may already know, the total score on the MCAT ranges from 472 to 528. A total of 51,680 med school applicants in 2017-2018 had a mean total MCAT score of 504.7, while 52,777 applicants in 2018-2019 logged a mean total score of 505.6. This past year, however, the 53,371 applicants had the highest mean total score of 506.1.
These students actually enrolled: Of the students who actually were admitted and enrolled during these three years, the mean scores were higher, not surprisingly. The 21,338 matriculants from 2017-2018 showed a mean total score of 510.4, the 21,622 matriculants from 2018-2019 showed a mean score of 511.2, and the 21,869 matriculants in 2019-2020 logged a mean score of 511.5.
Average GPAs from applicants from these same three application cycles also increased over time:
- 2017-2018: 3.56
- 2018-2019: 3.57
- 2019-2020: 3.58
Again, matriculants showed a higher average GPA in each cycle:
- 2017-2018: 3.71
- 2018-2019: 3.72
2019-2020: 3.73More Females Enrolled Than Males
Although not every applicant reported their gender, the report shows that for the 2019-2020 application cycle, 48.8 percent of applicants were male and 51.1 percent were female. Of those who were admitted and enrolled, 47.6 percent were male and 52.4 percent were female.
In terms of 2019-2020 med school applicants according to state of legal residence, these were the top five states:
- California: 6,229
- Texas: 4,895
- New York: 3,533
- Florida: 3,493
- Illinois: 2,241
The five universities that supplied the highest number of medical school applicants in 2019-2020 were:
- 1,014 from University of California-Los Angeles
- 860 from University of Florida
- 816 from University of Texas at Austin
- 796 from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- 697 from the University of California-Berkeley
Suchi Rudra
Several years as a private test prep tutor led Suchi Rudra to begin writing for education-focused publications. She enjoys sharing her test-taking tips with students in search of firsthand information that can help them improve their test scores. Her articles have appeared in the SparkNotes Test Prep Tutor blog, the Educational Testing Service.s Open Notes blog and NextStepU.Suchi.s background helping students prepare for both the SAT and ACT gives her deep insight into what students need to know at every stage of the testing cycle. This allows her to craft articles that will resonate with both students and their families. As a freelance writer, Suchi’s work has also been featured in The New York Times, BBC Travel, Slate, Fodor’s and The Guardian, among other publications. She holds a journalism degree from Indiana University, loves to slow travel and hails from the Midwest.