Applying to Out-of-State Medical Schools: What You Need to Know

Most medical school applicants are going to be applying out-of-state simply based on the number of medical schools you should apply to. If you’re applying to approximately 25 schools, which is what we recommend, you won’t be able to find all of those schools in one state. Even if you happen to be in one of those lucky states like California, New York, or Texas with 16, the reality is you’ll likely be applying out-of-state. But every school is different; some cater almost exclusively to in-state students, whereas others encourage out-of-state applicants.

School Availability and Residency Considerations

The bottom line is it’s very likely you will be applying to out-of-state schools. To cover target, reach, and safety schools, we recommend applying to approximately 20 different medical schools, and no state has this many. If you’re concerned about the strength of your application or are a reapplicant, you should apply to more than 20 schools for your best chance of acceptance.

An exception exists if you live in Texas. Texas medical schools heavily favor in-state applicants, and tuition is much lower for residents. Since Texas uses its own application service, students may decide they only want to apply through TMDSAS (the Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service) rather than submit a second application through AMCAS, the main application service for US medical schools.

Look at the Data — Using MSAR

It’s up to you to put in the research to determine which schools make the most sense to apply to based on acceptance data, school fit, and personal preferences. Your first step in crafting a medical school list is to study the data provided by the Medical School Admission Requirements™ (MSAR®), an online database that allows you to search and compare information about medical schools in the US, Canada, and beyond. You can actually check how many in-state and out-of-state applicants schools accept each year, and it’s very easy to spot trends. Consider these factors when evaluating schools:

• State-funded medical schools usually prefer in-state applicants.
• Private schools don’t tend to have an in-state or out-of-state preference.
• Elite institutions like Harvard, Stanford, or Emory accept both in-state and out-of-state applicants in equal measure.

Determine your risk preference for applying to out-of-state schools with a preference for in-state applicants. You’re already at a disadvantage applying to medical school at all, as less than 50% of applicants earn medical school acceptance. You do not want to compound that by applying to mostly out-of-state schools that only accept 10-20% of out-of-state applicants. Some schools nearly exclusively prioritize in-state applicants, and in these cases, it can be a waste of your time to apply.

Are You Prepared to Move?

If you don’t live in Texas, your decision won’t be whether or not to apply out-of-state, but how many out-of-state schools to apply to and how far you’re willing to live from your family and friends. Do you want to live in the state where the school is located? This is an extremely important consideration for a number of reasons, including whether or not you have a partner and how close you are with your friends and family. Long distance relationships can put quite a strain on both you and your partner, as well as friendships.