Being a Premed at Yale University (2022-2023)

Yale Pre Med and Yale University New Haven CT Premed

What we love about Yale premed here at MedEdits is that the school is so transparent about who gets in, how many students get in, and what their admissions stats are. As you will see once you review the data is that your Yale degree is not a 100 percent guarantee that you will be accepted to medical school.

Percentage of Yale Undergrads Accepted to Medical School

In fact, 82% percent of Yale applicants were accepted in 2021 (the most recent data published publicly) and 85% of first time applicants were accepted.

We realize this may be humbling so let us tell you what you need to do as a Yale premed o make sure you are accepted!

How Many Yale Students Apply to Medical School?

Interestingly, Yale had 189 students apply to medical school for the fall of 2021. 155 applicants were accepted. 

For the entering class of 2022, 215 students applied.

Average GPA and MCAT for Yale First Time Applicants

Total Range Class of 2021

  • Accepted BCPM 3.83 Non-Science 3.88 Total GPA 3.85 GPA Range: 3.43 – 4.00 (n=34)
  • Class of 2021 Rejected BCPM 3.74 Non-Science 3.83 Total: 3.79 Range: 3.52 – 3.99 (n=7)

Yale Alumni

  • Accepted BCPM: 3.70 Non-Science: 3.80 Total GPA: 3.75 Range: 2.98 – 4.00 (n=112)
  • Yale Alumni Rejected BCPM: 3.41 Non-Science: 3.54 Total: 3.47 Range: 2.79 – 3.91 (n=19)   

AVERAGE MCAT PROFILE OF ACCEPTED AND REJECTED APPLICANTS  

Class of 2021

  • Accepted: 519
  • Rejected: 515

Yale Alumni

  • Accepted: 517
  • Rejected: 514

This data is really useful and supports what we have been telling applicants in recent years: taking time off before medical school will make you a stronger and more compelling medical school applicant.

Average GPAs and MCATs for alumni are lower than they are for recent graduates!

The Yale Premed Advising office wisely explains that not all applicants will get into Harvard or Yale medical school but that this isn’t necessary to practice medicine and earn the residency you want and we agree!

Yale Premed Advising

The first thing you want to do once you decide to be premed, is meet with the premed advising office! Continue to meet with them, at least once annually, until you matriculate.

What Should you Major in at Yale?

The answer to this is, it doesn’t matter! Major in what interests you most and will allow you to earn the highest GPA and MCAT possible while pursuing research, advocacy, teaching, and community service experiences.

RELATED ARTICLE: The Best Premed Major for Medical School Admissions

You might surprised to know that humanities majors have one of the highest acceptance rates for medical school applicants.

The most popular premed majors are, not surprisingly, in the biological sciences.

Best Premed Major to Get Into Medical School

When Should You Take the MCAT at Yale?

The bottom line, is take the MCAT when you have to time to devote to prepare so you can earn the highest score possible. For most students, that they can find that time during a summer usually before senior year or after senior year. 

A couple of things to keep in mind:

1) You want to make sure you MCAT won’t be more than two years old when you apply to medical school

2) Ideally, you want to take the MCAT, at most, twice.

Find out more here: When to Take the MCAT: An Ideal Timeline

Yale Premed Curriculum

Yale does a great job breaking down what premed courses you should take when as well as offering guidance about when to pursue research, volunteering, and what courses to take in addition to the “standard” premed curriculum such as English, Psychology, and Statistics. 

You can find those recommendations here

Yale Extracurricular and Scholarly Experiences

With Its New Haven location without a huge number of graduate students and other colleges, finding valuable experiences is not an issue at Yale!

1) Find research experience in something of interest at either Yale New Haven or other local hospitals or through a department of interest at Yale. Yale offers some great suggestions.

2) Seek out advocacy and community service experiences in the Yale community. Again, find an area that interests you and make an impact. 

RELATED: Best Extracurricular Experiences for Medical School

Yale Gap Year

Outcomes data shows that taking at least one gap year before medical school will make you a stronger applicant. 

The most recent medical school matriculant survey from the Association of American Medical Colleges indicates that 70% of respondents took at least one gap. Statistics from some top medical schools indicates that 90% of matriculants take at least one gap year.

This also supports the data from Yale itself which shows that gap year applicants have higher acceptance rates.

Putting Together Your Medical School Application

When composing your medical school application, your Yale degree and what it took for you to be accepted will speak for itself! What you want to do it put all of your experiences together, write about your path to medical school and why you want to be a doctor and write thoughtfully about the experiences that have led you to this point and what you have learned.

RELATED: Medical School Personal Statement

RELATED: AMCAS Work and Activities

RELATED: AMCAS Application

We wish you the best! Good luck!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here