How to Get Into Emory Medical School: Requirements and Strategies
/Learn the Emory Medical School ranking and admissions strategies, plus how to approach the Emory secondary application essays (examples included)
EMORY MEDICAL SCHOOL IS RANKED #22 BY US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT FOR RESEARCH
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Part 1: Introduction
When you think of Atlanta, you might think of Southern hospitality, the civil rights movement, or peaches. But Emory University School of Medicine, whose history predates the Civil War, put Atlanta on the map as a medical innovation and discovery place. Through its many scientific partnerships, including one with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory has trained physicians who detect, treat, and prevent diseases in local and global communities.
The Emory Medical School rankings—#23 in Research and #64 in Primary Care by U.S. News and World Report—make it the best medical school in Georgia. As an Emory student, you’ll be taught to see medicine as a means to address social justice issues and promote the well-being of patients and families. From the first week of classes, you’ll gain clinical exposure in outpatient clinics and community centers, including a week-long shadowing experience called the “Week on the Wards.” Emory’s unique curriculum incorporates a five-month Discovery Phase midway through clerkships, which allows you to pursue independent research or expand your study internationally.
If you’re passionate about making a difference in medicine and committed to understanding the barriers to healthcare facing our communities, Emory Medical School is the premier place for you. Continue reading to discover Emory’s medical programs, acceptance rate, and admissions requirements. We’ll also provide strategies for the Emory secondary essays, including full-length examples, and prepare you for the Emory interview based on nearly 20 years of experience helping students get accepted to medical school.
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Part 2: Emory Medical School MD programs
There are several options available when it comes to earning your MD at Emory Medical School:
The traditional, four-year MD program
In this post, we will focus on how to get into Emory’s four-year MD program.
Emory Medical School tuition and scholarships
For the 2023–2024 academic year, tuition at Emory Medical School is $54,000 per year. Add room, board, transportation, supplies, and additional indirect costs, and the total cost of attendance is approximately $98,130.
Emory offers nearly 70 institutional scholarships to its students, some based on demonstrated financial need and others on merit and community service. Emory students in the class of 2022 graduated with an average of $149,000 of medical school loan debt, which is well below the national average for medical student debt.
A small number of Emory students are fortunate to receive full-tuition scholarships. For instance, the Woodruff Fellowship covers tuition and an additional living stipend for four years of study. All matriculants are considered for this award without needing to submit an additional application, but only four MD and two MD/PhD students are chosen as recipients each year.
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Part 3: How hard is it to get into Emory Medical School?
Emory Medical School admissions statistics
Being the top-ranked medical school in Georgia, getting accepted to Emory is not easy. Currently, their acceptance rate is just 2.9 percent.
Let’s take a look at some recent admissions statistics for Emory’s class of 2027:
Applications: 12,881
Complete applications: 9,447
Interviews: 664
Matriculants: 141
Average GPA: 3.78
Average MCAT score: 515.4
(Suggested reading: Average GPA and MCAT Score for Every Medical School)
Emory Medical School admissions requirements
To apply to Emory University School of Medicine, you’ll need to have completed the following coursework:
Physical science: 8 semester hours (with lab)
Biology: 8 semester hours (with lab)
Chemistry: 8 semester hours (with lab)
Organic chemistry: 8 semester hours (with lab)
English: 6 semester hours
Humanities/social sciences: 18 semester hours
International applicants must complete their science requirements at regionally accredited universities in the U.S. or Canada.
Additionally, all applicants must have taken the MCAT within four years of the year they plan to matriculate and no later than October before their matriculation year. So, if you’re hoping to matriculate at Emory Medical School in Fall 2024, you’ll need to have taken the MCAT sometime between 2020 and October 2023.
Emory does prescreen applicants’ MCAT scores before sending out secondary applications. To move on to the next phase of the application process, you’ll need an overall MCAT score of 502 or higher and a score of at least 124 on each section. If you’ve retaken the MCAT, only your latest score will be used in prescreening. Furthermore, if you’ve taken the MCAT more than three times, you won’t be eligible to receive a secondary application.
One of Emory Medical School’s requirements is experience in a clinical setting, although it need not be paid medical experience. Emory looks for students who demonstrate high academic achievement, leadership potential, and a strong motivation to practice medicine. Many applicants use their extracurricular involvements to illustrate possession of these qualities. Another way to showcase your strengths and prove that you’re uniquely suited for Emory Medical School is to write compelling secondary essays—more on that below.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Requirements: The Definitive Guide)
Emory Medical School application timeline
Emory uses AMCAS in its application process. Here are the dates and deadlines to know as you complete your application:
May 2, 2024: AMCAS application opens
May 30, 2024: AMCAS application can be submitted
August 2024: Interview invitations begin
September 2024–February 2025: Interviews conducted
October 2024–March 2025: Admissions decisions released via postal mail
October 15, 2024: AMCAS application deadline
December 1, 2024: Emory secondary application deadline
April 30, 2025: Final decision deadline (applicants may hold only one offer of acceptance)
Although you can apply well into the fall, we highly recommend submitting both your primary and secondary applications well before their deadlines due to the fact that Emory operates on a rolling admissions system. For optimal admissions consideration, you should aim to submit your AMCAS application in May and your secondaries in June or July.
(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)
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Part 4: Emory Medical School secondary application essays (examples included)
After you submit your AMCAS application, you’ll want to start working on your secondary essays for Emory Medical School. You have five questions to answer when completing the secondary application to Emory, and while they’re not overly lengthy, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to devote to these statements. Beyond your medical school personal statement, these secondaries are the best opportunity for you to persuade the admissions committee that you belong at Emory Medical School.
Question #1: List your entire curriculum plan for the current academic year. If you are not currently in school, please briefly describe your plans for the coming year. (200 words)
If you’re applying as you head into your final year of undergraduate study, all you have to do is list your curriculum. Include your courses and the unit amounts. Organize the classes by semester or trimester, listing them in order of medical relevance. For instance, you should list your med school prerequisites first, followed by any science or health electives, and lastly any miscellaneous major coursework or electives.
This is a good reminder that it matters what you take your senior year of college. The Emory Medical School admissions committee will be more impressed by applicants taking courses related to their career or personal goals—for example, foreign language, health policy, or sociology electives—than by applicants phoning it in with easy courses. Be sure your curriculum plan makes sense with the overall theme of your application and represents who you are as a future physician.
If you’re entering a gap year as you submit your application, you’ll want to describe your plans and clearly articulate the goals you’ve set for yourself during your gap year. Show how the activities you’ve planned for your gap year will empower you to be a better medical student and the ideal candidate for Emory Medical School.
Here’s an example:
The summer after my sophomore year, I attended a study abroad trip to Costa Rica. I quickly fell in love with the country and its friendly, welcoming people. But I was taken aback by the lack of resources available at the rural medical clinic we visited. As soon as the trip ended, I started searching for opportunities to return as a volunteer and improve the health of the communities I had visited. This upcoming year, I have arranged to become a healthcare volunteer for 30 weeks in San Jose, Costa Rica. The majority of my time will be spent working directly with patients—distributing medication, providing intake support, leading healthy living workshops, and offering companionship. I will also participate in week-long vaccination programs reaching nearby underserved areas. I chose to pursue this experience so I can better understand the healthcare obstacles facing global communities and search for solutions that promote public health. I hope to gather relevant information that could be used as the basis for an international research project during my Discovery Phase at Emory. The healthcare and patient experience I plan to gain in Costa Rica will move me closer to my ultimate goal of becoming an internationally-focused physician.
Why does this work?
The applicant is wise here to connect their gap year experience with an opportunity they plan to pursue at Emory Medical School. Because Emory encourages its students to be devoted to community service and improving health in global communities, the applicant highlights these aspects of their gap year activities—painting them as a perfect fit for Emory’s program.
Questions #2: Briefly describe your health-related experiences. Be sure to include important experiences that are in your AMCAS application, as well as any recent experiences. (200 words)
Question #3: Briefly describe your interest in Emory and the Emory degree program you have selected. (200 words)
Question #4: What do you consider to be the role of the physician in the community? (200 words)
Question #5: If you have any updates or new information to report since you have submitted your AMCAS primary application, please briefly describe below. (200 words)
Gain instant access to med school secondary essay examples for every single prompt required by every medical school in the United States and Canada. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing after May 31 for new subscribers.
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Part 5: Emory Medical School interview
If you are invited to interview at Emory Medical School, be proud that you’re among the less than 10 percent of students who make it to this stage of the application process.
All interviews were held virtually via Zoom during the 2023–2024 application cycle, and the Interview Season ended in late February. (As of March 2024, information for the 2024-2025 application cycle has not been posted. We will continue to update this guide as information becomes available.)
Despite the virtual format, prepare for a full interview day. You’ll have many opportunities throughout the day to speak with current Emory students, admissions staff, and fellow interviewees. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for Emory and the specific programs that interest you. It wouldn’t be unheard of for the admissions committee to ask students and staff their impressions of the interviewees, so making a positive impression might increase your admissions odds!
You’ll participate in two traditional medical school interviews—one is a group interview and the other is a one-on-one interview with an Emory faculty member. The best way to prepare is to thoroughly research Emory and its programs, especially the ones related to your intended study area. Look at specific research conducted by faculty and be ready to discuss the implications. Review your own application and statements to be prepared to answer questions about your experiences or the personal stories you included in your essays.
Furthermore, we’ve found that some questions come up more often than others during interviews at Emory. We’ve listed a few of these below:
Tell me something about you that has nothing to do with academics.
Tell us about your family, background, etc.
Why Emory School of Medicine?
Tell me about yourself.
What do you do to relax?
How would your friends describe you?
Did you get a chance to explore Atlanta at all?
What have you been doing in your gap year?
What are you most proud of?
What do you see being a challenge for the next generation of physicians?
As you can see from this list, Emory is trying to get a sense of you as a person outside of academics and test scores. Would you have well-thought-out answers to questions such as, “How would your friends describe you?” and “What are you most proud of?” Having solid answers to these questions helps you come across as a well-rounded person, capable of interacting with a team and with patients—something interviews are meant to assess. Make sure you think through your responses so that you leave having endeared yourself to adcoms.
Through everything, keep the mission and values of Emory Medical School in mind—reimagining medicine, promoting health, and making a difference. If you can demonstrate to your interviewers that you’re uniquely suited to benefit from and contribute to Emory’s program, you will greatly improve your chances of getting accepted.
Final thoughts
Applying to Emory Medical School may be daunting considering its ranking and acceptance rate. But attending Emory, learning from leading scientists and doctors, engaging in outstanding clinical opportunities, and further developing your own medical goals will prepare you to be the kind of physician who revolutionizes the fields of medicine and healthcare. By emphasizing what makes you an excellent fit for Emory throughout your secondary essays and in your interview, you’ll make yourself a stand-out candidate and increase your odds of getting into Emory Medical School.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.