by Mary Mahoney
Applying to Medical School with Low Stats: What You Need to Know
In the medical school admissions process, your MCAT score and GPA carry significant weight. If the rest of your application is stellar, having less-than-perfect stats likely won’t prevent you from being accepted. However, having low stats might. A “low” GPA or MCAT score is one that falls significantly below the average or median at the school you’re targeting. These data points are often the first elements of your application that the adcoms will look at, so if they do not fall within the proper range, the adcom might choose to remove your application from consideration.
In this post, we take a closer look at what your options are when you want to pursue a career in medicine but have a GPA or MCAT score that make you a less-than-competitive applicant.
A Low GPA
A low GPA can be challenging to overcome in the medical school application process, in large part because it was developed over the course of several years and can’t be quickly or simply altered. It can take roughly a year of advanced-level science courses to bump a GPA in the high 2.x range to one above 3.0. The lower your GPA and the more classes you’ve taken, the longer it will take for improvement to be obvious in your academic record.
However, you do have options. The first is to take steps to increase your overall or science (biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics) GPA, the second is to apply to a different kind of program, and the third is to move ahead with your application and attempt to mitigate your weak GPA using specific strategies.
Take Steps to Boost Your GPA
If you choose to postpone your medical school application and take time to improve your GPA, you can take one of several routes to do so.
Postbaccalaureate Coursework
This is a popular option, especially for applicants who did well on the MCAT but have a lower-than-ideal GPA. You can retake science classes to show that you have now mastered the material. You can also take advanced classes, but you must perform well in them. If you have any doubt about your ability to earn an A grade, this approach might not be the best one for you.
The quality of the institution offering the courses is also important; taking classes at a community college, for example, will not be sufficient. One option is to see whether you can take additional courses at your alma mater. Often, this can be done at a reduced cost.
A Science-Based Master’s Program
A science-based master’s program is another good option, because it provides opportunities for more independent, self-directed research and allows you to demonstrate your scientific acumen. This path can be especially helpful if you don’t already have a research background. You will need to excel in your coursework and finish the entire program. If you earn below-average grades or drop out before the program ends, it will do more harm than good when you ultimately apply to medical school.
A Postbac or Special Master’s Program
By succeeding in a postbac or special master’s program (SMP), which are usually one or two years long, you can show the adcom that you’re ready for medical training. This means that once you’ve been accepted into an SMP, the odds are very good you’ll eventually get into medical school.
Programs such as GeorgeSquared, Johns Hopkins University’s , and Georgetown University’s Special Master’s in Physiology and Biophysics immerse students in a rigorous science-based curriculum similar to what they will experience in medical school. Students in these programs often take classes alongside first-year med students. Some programs even cater to the lower end of the GPA/MCAT spectrum, such as East Virginia Medical School’s MS in Biomedical Sciences, Drexel University’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences (IHS) program, and Drexel’s Pathway to Medical School program.
Use the AAMC’s Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs database to find programs that will help you boost your academic qualifications for medical school. Programs with “linkage” guarantee an interview or a seat in a future M1 class at their medical school or at a medical school with whom they have an articulation agreement – as long as you complete the program with a designated GPA (not rounded, typically).
GPA Bump Followed by a Postbac
This method is a bit circuitous, but it does work. First, you boost your GPA by earning a year of good grades in upper-level science courses, ideally getting you up to at least a 3.0. At that point, you apply to a postbac program with strong links to a medical school. This will take a minimum of two years, but look at this option as a way of building your confidence and shoring up the science and study skills you’ll need to excel in medical school.
Apply to a Different Kind of Program
An alternative to taking steps to improve your GPA for your medical school application is applying to different types of programs – ones at which having a low GPA is less of an impediment.
Osteopathic Programs
If your GPA is too low for an MD program, consider an osteopathic (DO) medical school instead. Although DO programs are still extremely competitive, their average GPAs and MCAT requirements tend to be slightly lower, and they generally use more holistic criteria when evaluating applicants.
Before you apply, be sure to shadow some osteopathic physicians and learn about the osteopathic approach – DO schools don’t want to be a fallback plan for MD applicants. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine focus on integrating the whole person into the healthcare process. This makes them especially strong in primary care specialties (e.g., family practice, general internal medicine, pediatrics) and popular in many other specialties. And with the merger of allopathic and osteopathic residencies in 2020, the distinction between MDs and DOs will likely be blurred even more.
International Medical Schools
Another option is to target a medical school outside of the United States. But this comes with some important considerations. As an international medical student, you will have to contend with many different challenges – from language barriers to culture shock – that could affect your studies. Classes are large and might feel impersonal, and attrition rates are high. You might not have as many choices for clinical rotations, and you might even need to arrange your own elective rotations. The biggest concern for international medical graduates (IMGs) is matching with a residency program after completing medical school. Some international schools have poor records of residency placement.
However, an international program can be a feasible option for certain people and offer some advantages. The required GPA is often lower than the U.S. average, and for some programs, the MCAT is not required. You will interact with peers, professors, and patients from around the world with a wealth of different perspectives. And while securing a residency is a challenge, it’s certainly not an insurmountable one. In the 2025 Main Residency Match, U.S. IMGs accounted for nearly 15% of the applicant pool; 58.0% of these matched to their preferred specialty. These vary by specialty, and applicants in the primary care fields fare the best.
International medical students tend to set themselves apart in that they make up for any lack in their initial qualifications by working harder than the average medical student. They’re often heavily involved in university activities, community healthcare initiatives, and international case competitions. They go above and beyond in their clinical rotations, demonstrating their cultural competence by adapting seamlessly in varied environments and contributing on different teams. And significantly, they embrace the advantages of their non-U.S. medical education, including increased resourcefulness and a deep grounding in diagnoses that comes from doing without modern diagnostic equipment.
If studying medicine in another country appeals to you, do your research to find programs that best match your personal priorities. Among the Caribbean programs, Ross University, St. George’s University, San Saba, and the American University of the Caribbean have consistently high placement rates. Courses are often taught by U.S. academic physicians with well-established clinical rotations in the United States. Israeli programs such as Sackler and Ben-Gurion also have partnerships with American programs; likewise, the University of Queensland offers an attractive option for U.S. students. And Ireland’s Atlantic Bridge program, while quite competitive, is flexible with regard to the GPAs of otherwise qualified U.S. and Canadian students and offers a diverse, world-class medical education.
Being an IMG is not always easy, but if you have your heart set on medicine and your GPA is an obstacle, it is something to consider. Keep your eyes on the prize, and someday, you’ll likely be wearing a white coat.
Be Strategic in Your Application to Offset Your GPA
If you have your heart set on moving forward with your medical school application despite your low GPA, consider the following strategies:
• Apply only to schools that have a history of accepting candidates with lower GPAs. Be realistic about where you fall in relation to a school’s history of average GPAs for its students.
• Directly address the reasons for your low GPA in your essays. Simply state the facts, don’t make excuses, and never, ever blame others. (Check out our Admissions Straight Talk podcast episode “How to Apply Successfully to Grad School Despite a Low GPA” for more advice.)
• In your application, show your enormous commitment to medicine and community service.
Many applicants are accepted to medical school each year with below-average GPAs. It’s better to have an impressive record of service, convey a mature and insightful story via your essay, and demonstrate evidence that you are resilient and overcome obstacles with positive outcomes.
Your MCAT Score
If your MCAT score is low and could therefore be an impediment to getting accepted to your target medical school, you have two primary options – retake the exam to achieve a higher score or move ahead with your application anyway.
Deciding Whether or Not to Retake the MCAT
The MCAT is offered 20 times per year, and many applicants take the exam more than once. However, there are some limitations on how many times a person can take the exam in a calendar year or in a lifetime. The maximums are three times in a single (12-month) year, four times in two years, and seven times in one’s lifetime.
Some adcoms prefer to look at an applicant’s best scores in each section from multiple tests, while other schools consider the average of all of a candidate’s scores. However, individual adcom members might have a personal preference for how they weigh applicants’ scores. When so many people are involved in the review process, it’s impossible to predict how any one school will view your scores. Each committee member will bring their unique perspective and opinion to the discussion.
If you are committed to obtaining an MD, you should plan to retake the exam. Taking the MCAT multiple times can demonstrate your persistence and determination to get into medical school. However, it is important to show an upward trend. As mentioned, some schools will average an applicant’s scores, but in general, adcoms tend to give a candidate’s most recent scores the most weight, and dropping even a few points can hurt you.
Retaking the MCAT
If you decide to retake the MCAT, give yourself plenty of time, but schedule the test as early as you feel you’re ready in case you might want to take the exam an additional time after that (if possible). Many students do not prepare enough for the MCAT, thinking that their coursework is sufficient preparation. This is a faulty assumption, especially for applicants who struggle on standardized tests. Ideally, you should plan to study hundreds of hours (40 hours a week for several months) and engage resources such as preparatory courses, private tutors, and varying prep approaches to succeed. It is also extremely important to take practice tests regularly (ideally weekly) to master not just the content but also the necessary test-taking skills to succeed under the additional stress of test day.
Reviewing your old class notes and introductory tests will provide the most solid basis for your test preparation. Scrutinizing old tests remains one of the best ways to identify the areas where you’re weak.
There are numerous resources available for self-study. The AAMC should be both your first and last stop. Focusing on their practice tests, both at the start of your study and again in the weeks leading up to the exam, can put you in the right frame of mind. Alongside the AAMC guides, the Princeton Review and Blueprint Prep come highly recommended for studying the physical section, while Examkrackers tops the list for both the verbal reasoning and biological sections.
For some people, private tutoring or even professional test prep services from firms such as Magoosh and The Berkeley Review can boost their MCAT preparation. Taking an MCAT prep class can provide structure, keep you focused and on track, and help you navigate those areas of the exam you’d rather avoid.
Whichever test prep method you choose, keep the following goals in mind:
- Understand why you got each wrong answer. If you understand the material, you might be having issues with the format of the question, and this is something you can straighten out before test day.
- Be able to choose right answers even when you don’t know the material. It’s unlikely that you can answer every question, but a keen test taker can read clues in the question that help narrow down the possible answers.
- Finish every question in your timed practice tests with at least five minutes to spare. And focus not only on what you’re studying but also how you’re studying. Better time management and more effective study habits will help you on the exam and in your med school studies as well.
If test anxiety was an obstacle for you in obtaining a higher MCAT score, you’ll need to learn to manage this before retaking the exam. Explore how exercise, breathing techniques, and yoga could help alleviate your stress. You might also benefit from addressing any learning disorders, if applicable, and seeing a therapist, as the Mayo Clinic suggests. Your college counseling center might even have options such as biofeedback training to combat test anxiety.
Do not retake the test until you are scoring (on practice tests) above the range that you feel you need for admission. The confidence you’ll feel on test day knowing that you’ve been scoring a 512 on practice tests is a large part of the mind game you must master to succeed. Hard work, discipline, and true motivation are the necessary ingredients to MCAT success.
Apply with Your Low MCAT Score
If you choose not to retake the MCAT exam, you will need to present yourself in the best possible light in your application by emphasizing your positive attributes and credentials and by highlighting your strong academic background. Some adcoms approach applications “holistically,” meaning that they weigh all aspects of a candidate’s application and understand that standardized tests are not always the best measure of a person’s aptitude. But many medical schools do initially screen applicants using their MCAT scores.
If your scores are simply too low to be competitive at U.S. MD medical schools, you might pursue DO medicine. As noted earlier in this post, DO schools evaluate applications more holistically and are more accepting of lower MCAT scores than MD schools are. You might also consider attending a foreign medical school, such as those in the Caribbean. Some do not require the MCAT. Be aware, though, that graduating from a program outside North America can make your return to a U.S. residency more difficult.
Life’s challenges build character. Often, the students with lower numbers have the most heart, exude empathy, and demonstrate great commitment to a life serving others through medicine.
Dr. Mary Mahoney, PhD, is the medical humanities director at Elmira College and has more than 20 years of experience as an advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. She is a tenured English professor with an MFA in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a PhD in literature and writing from the University of Houston. For the past 20 years, Mary has served as a grad school advisor and essay reviewer for med school applicants. Want Mary to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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