August 12, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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The Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University might be your dream school, but the reality is that getting in is anything but easy. The FAU Medical School acceptance rate is low. But don’t lose all hope yet. The acceptance rate doesn’t tell the whole story.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about getting into FAU medical school in 2025, including the average GPA and MCAT scores, admissions requirements, what makes Schmidt College of Medicine stand out from other Florida programs, and more.
And if you want to cut through the guessing and see what actually works, we created a resource to show you just that. Our Premed Catalyst Application Database gives you free access to 8 complete AMCAS applications that earned acceptances to top med schools like UCLA and UCSF. See essays, activities, and more, so you can model your app after what caught the attention of real AdComs.
Get your free resource here.
For the 2025 entering class, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) received 4,236 applications. Of those, only 79 students matriculated.
That puts FAU Medical School’s acceptance rate at about 1.86%.
While FAU is a public medical school, it’s still selective even for Florida residents. About 72% of students are in-state, meaning out-of-state applicants face steeper odds.
FAU doesn’t leave much wiggle room when it comes to stats. The average GPA for accepted students? 3.90. The average MCAT? 516.
For context, the national averages for matriculants sit around 3.84 GPA and 513 MCAT. FAU’s incoming students are not only hitting those marks. They’re exceeding them. You’ll need to do the same if you want to be competitive.
That said, there’s no official minimum GPA or MCAT, but realistically, applicants with a GPA below 3.0 or MCAT section scores under 125 will be at a significant disadvantage.
To be considered for admission to the Schmidt College of Medicine, applicants must complete the following prerequisite coursework:
Additional recommended (but not required) courses include Biochemistry, Calculus, and Statistics.
Beyond academics, to apply to the MD program at the Schmidt College of Medicine, here’s what’s required:
There is no CASPer® or AAMC PREview™ situational judgment test requirement.
For the 2025–2026 academic year, tuition at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine is $31,830 per year for Florida residents and $67,972 per year for non-residents. Include living expenses like books, supplies, transportation, and personal costs, and the total annual cost of attendance rises to about $60,368 for in-state students and $96,510 for out-of-state students.
The good news is that the Office of Medical Student Financial Aid offers financial support, including help with federal aid applications, disbursement of funds, budgeting guidance, and debt management counseling. Students may apply unused Florida Prepaid funds and, if eligible, one semester of Florida Bright Futures funding toward their medical education, provided they notify the Financial Aid Office.
You can get external scholarships, too, but total aid cannot exceed your official cost of attendance. To help manage payments, FAU offers a no-fee, three-installment payment plan through the MYFAU portal. Additionally, all fourth-year students with educational debt are required to meet with the Financial Aid Office to discuss repayment strategies before graduation.
There’s no shortage of medical schools promising “innovation” and “excellence,” but FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine actually walks the talk. This school is one of the fastest-growing medical programs in the country. FAU blends early patient exposure, tight-knit mentorship, and powerhouse research into a med school experience that feels both personal and ambitious.
Here’s more about what makes FAU Medical School stand out.
Forget the “sit through two years of lectures before you meet a real patient” model. FAU’s Integrated Patient-Focused Curriculum has you in clinical settings right out of the gate. Didactics are capped at about 10 hours a week in the first two years, which means more time for hands-on training and real-world medicine. You’re not just memorizing; you’re already practicing.
FAU keeps class sizes small on purpose. This allows professors to actually know your name. Plus, you don’t have to elbow your way into research opportunities, and you’ll be surrounded by classmates who feel more like colleagues than competitors.
For the go-getters, FAU offers two accelerated BS/MD pathways: Med Direct in partnership with the College of Science, and Wilkes Medical Scholars with the Wilkes Honors College. Both give you a direct line from undergrad to med school, skipping the usual uncertainty and keeping you focused on the long game.
The Graduate Medical Education (GME) Consortium partners with five major hospitals across Palm Beach County, meaning you’ll train in a range of environments. Think everything from high-volume emergency rooms to specialized surgical suites.
From healthy aging and neuroscience to chronic pain, opioid use, and precision medicine, FAU’s research priorities align with some of the biggest healthcare challenges today. The facilities? Top-tier. Genomics labs, imaging centers, and biostatistics support. You'll have the tools to not just participate in research, but to drive it.
Getting into FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine isn’t about checking boxes. It's about telling a story that makes the AdCom remember you. Sure, grades and MCAT scores matter, but they’re just the baseline. What will set you apart is how you weave your experiences into a cohesive narrative that shows you’ll be the kind of physician any patient would want.
Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine participates in the AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service) for its primary application and operates on a rolling admissions basis. This means applications are reviewed, and decisions are made as they are received.
Below is an overview of the application timeline you need to follow if you want the best shot at acceptance:
Your FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine personal statement should read like a clear, compelling narrative that reveals who you are, what you value, and the physician you’re becoming.
Here’s the real trick: avoid empty claims. Your experiences are your proof.
If you say you’re committed to underserved populations, show them through community clinic work, public health initiatives, or patient advocacy. If you describe yourself as collaborative, highlight research teams, leadership positions, or projects where outcomes depended on teamwork.
Your secondary essays are where FAU gets to see who you are beyond the numbers. It’s your chance to show self-awareness, grit, and alignment with FAU’s mission.
Below are the prompts from the most recent cycle and advice on how to crush each one.
1. Use this area to justify and/or explain any academic hardships on your transcripts (any failed and/or repeated courses due to any reason).
Don’t sugarcoat it. Address what happened, own it, and then pivot to what you did about it. If you had health issues, family emergencies, or adjustment problems, briefly state the facts without dwelling on excuses. Then show the comeback: improved grades, better study systems, mentoring, or time management changes. Make it clear you’ve not only recovered academically but built habits that will keep you performing under the pressure of medical school.
2. Use this area to explain exceptions to these prerequisites at your institution.
Be clear, factual, and concise. If your school had a combined course, a different credit structure, or an unusual curriculum, lay out the facts and point to how your coursework still covered the required content. If you had to take a different but equivalent course, explain why and how it meets the requirement.
3. Whether or not you will be a full-time student, please provide details of your activities/employment for the application year. (1200 characters)
Paint a clear picture of how you’re spending your year. List major activities like research, work, volunteering, or post-bacc courses. Highlight the skills you’re sharpening that directly translate to med school success: patient interaction, critical thinking, teamwork, or stamina. If you’re working outside healthcare, frame it in terms of transferable skills and the discipline you’re building.
4. Describe why you would like to attend the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU. What values, skills, talents, and life experiences would you contribute to our community? (1600 characters)
Skip the generic “great school” fluff. Connect FAU’s specific programs, teaching style, or mission to your story. If their focus on community health resonates because you’ve worked with underserved populations, say so and share a concrete example. Then shift the lens. What will you bring? Whether it’s cultural insight, leadership experience, or a specific skill set, make it clear how you’ll add value to the FAU community from day one.
5. Please share a meaningful community service experience outside of direct patient care that is unrelated to patient care. What drew you to this, how did you grow, and what did you enjoy most? (1600 characters)
Choose an experience that reveals depth and consistency in your commitment to service. Describe why you got involved and highlight the impact you made, but make sure the focus is on your personal growth—how it shaped your perspective, leadership, or empathy. The “enjoyed most” part should feel authentic and connect back to values you’ll carry into medicine.
6. What traits do you feel you have developed through your experiences (paid or unpaid) that will help prepare you to be successful in medical school and as a future physician? (1600 characters)
Pick 2–3 traits that are both meaningful and easy to back up with examples, like resilience, adaptability, and communication skills. Then tie each to a specific moment where you developed it, explaining briefly how that experience will help you handle the mental, emotional, and academic load of medical school. Don’t just list traits. Prove them.
7. Leadership can be defined in many ways. After reading your entire FAU Medical School secondary application, the reader should understand: how are you committed to improving your community? (1600 characters)
Think beyond titles. Real leadership is about taking initiative to make change happen. Share a time when you identified a need and took steps to meet it, whether or not you were “in charge.” Show how you inspired others, navigated obstacles, and sustained your impact. End by connecting that same drive to your future role as a physician leader.
8. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped shape you as a person. Focus on what you learned about yourself and how it will help you during challenges in medical school and as a future physician. Describe any support system and/or resources you had available and how you utilized them. (1600 characters)
Go beyond the challenge itself. This is about transformation. Briefly set the scene, then focus on the turning points: the choices you made, the mindset shifts, and the coping strategies you developed. Acknowledge your support system. It shows you can seek help when needed. Tie it all back to resilience and self-awareness, making it clear these are tools you’ll rely on when med school tests you.
At FAU, they prefer a committee letter from your school’s pre-med advisory committee. If your college offers one, use it.
If your school doesn’t have a committee, you’ll need at least three individual letters sent through AMCAS. Those three must include two from natural science professors who taught you, and one from a non-science professor who can speak to both your academic ability and who you are as a person.
If you’ve been out of school for a while, you still need three, but they can come from other credible sources like academic advisors, supervisors from clinical or volunteer work, mentors, or professors from any discipline.
There’s no official maximum, but flooding FAU with extra letters won’t make up for weak ones.
At FAU, the medical school interview unfolds over a full day scheduled on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday between mid‑September and February, on a rolling admissions timeline.
Recent applicants describe an experience that strongly resembles a multiple mini‑interview, or MMI, though FAU doesn’t formally label it as that. With most interviews lasting between forty and fifty minutes, the format leans toward shorter, varied stations rather than a single, extended conversation.
Expect to grapple with situational and behavioral prompts that test ethical judgment, self‑awareness, and communication under pressure. One applicant recalled being asked how to respond if a patient’s family requested that their loved one not be told a cancer diagnosis.
Other scenarios challenge personal integrity and resilience: “How would your professors describe you?” “Describe a time someone sought your advice.” “Explain a gap in your clinical experiences.” And “Why should we accept you when you have no research and other applicants do?” Even questions about projected retirement surfaced for non‑traditional applicants
Different medical schools suit different types of applicants. What's a great fit for one person might not be for another. So, is FAU a good fit for you?
Florida Atlantic University is a good fit if you...
Florida Atlantic University may not be a good fit if you...
If you’re applying to FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, it’s worth knowing that Florida has some incredible options for future doctors. Each one has its own culture, expectations, and approach to training. Seeing the full range of medical schools in Florida will help you choose your best fit schools.
Miami Miller School of Medicine
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
If you’re serious about earning a spot at the Schmidt College of Medicine or any competitive MD program, you already know the numbers aren’t in your favor. Acceptance rates are tight, the competition is fierce, and “good enough” applications rarely make it past the first round. With competition like this, you can’t afford to guess what AdComs actually want to see.
That’s why we built the Premed Catalyst Application Database. This free, one-of-a-kind library gives you access to 8 complete AMCAS applications that earned acceptances at some of the toughest schools in the country, including UCLA and UCSF. You’ll see the exact personal statements, activity descriptions, and experience lists that caught the attention of real AdComs.
Instead of wondering whether your essays are strong enough or your activities stand out, you can study real, proven examples and model your application on what actually works.
Get your free resource here.
