How to Get into Harvard Medical School: Ultimate Guide

February 5, 2024

Written By

Zach French

Insider strategies from a doctor who got in
Get weekly emails designed to help you become competitive for your dream school.

You’ve been grinding for years. Aced orgo. Stacked clinical hours. Crushed the MCAT. But you're still not sure if you're Harvard material. Let’s be real. You already know the odds. Thousands apply. Most get rejected. 

This guide is your cheat code. We cover everything you need to know on how to get into Harvard Medical School, including GPA and MCAT expectations, required coursework, secondary essay strategy, interview prep, and more.

At Premed Catalyst, we don’t just help you apply. We help you build your applications from the ground up. Through personalized mentorship and application advising, we help students become competitive for top medical schools like Harvard. And it works. In the 2024–2025 cycle, 100% of our on-time applicants were accepted.

If you're serious about your future at Harvard, book a free strategy session now. Spots are limited to keep mentorship personalized.

How Hard Is It To Get Into Harvard Medical School?

Harvard Medical School is one of the most competitive institutions on the planet. In the most recent cycle, over 6,900 applicants hit submit. Just 789 got interviews. And only 164 were accepted. That’s a 3.1% acceptance rate.

Required Premed Courses at HMS

The prerequisite courses required for admission to Harvard Medical School include:

  • Behavioral Sciences - Students are encouraged to take courses in subjects like psychology and sociology.
  • Biology - Students must have completed one year of biology with lab experience, focusing on cellular and molecular aspects. AP credits are not accepted, but you can meet this requirement by taking upper-level biology courses.
  • Chemistry/Biochemistry - Students must take two years covering inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry. It’s also necessary to have lab experience.
  • Physics - You must take one year of physics. Lab experience isn’t mandatory but is desirable. If you want to take the HST program, HMS strongly encourages taking calculus-based physics.
  • Math - If you want to take the Pathways program, HMS encourages taking one year of math, including calculus and statistics (preferably biostatistics). Moreover, HST applicants should have upper-level mathematics coursework.
  • Writing - Students must complete one year of coursework featuring expository writing, with an emphasis on analytical and writing skills. This requirement doesn’t accept AP credits.

You can fulfill laboratory experience in biology and chemistry through active participation in faculty-mentored research. The completion of these prerequisites isn’t mandatory for submitting your application, but you must complete them before matriculation.

Harvard Medical School GPA & MCAT

Let’s cut to it: Harvard doesn’t admit average.

The average MCAT score for accepted students? 520.59. That’s top 2% in the nation. If your score starts with a 5-0-anything, you’re already fighting uphill. The breakdown?

  • 130.24 in Bio/Biochem
  • 129.08 in CARS
  • 130.41 in Chem/Phys
  • 130.86 in Psych/Soc

Now the GPA: 3.9. That’s not “pretty good.” That’s near perfect. And that’s the average. Meaning for every 3.78 who made it, there was someone else with a clean 4.0.

Harvard Medical School Tuition Fees and Scholarships

For the academic year 2023-2024, the tuition fees at Harvard Medical School are as follows:

  • Tuition - $69,300
  • Mandatory Fees - $1,480
  • Health Insurance Fee - $4,120
  • Loan Fees - $269
  • Living Expenses - $33,556

With all the mentioned fees included, the total cost of attendance comes to $108,725.

Financial Aid

Scholarships played a significant role in student support for the class of 2027. A substantial 71% of students benefited from financial aid, with the average annual scholarship totaling $56,716. The scholarship awards ranged widely, extending from $2,153 to as much as $96,091.

Harvard Medical School’s Curriculum for MD Students

Harvard isn’t just looking for students who can ace biochem. It’s looking for future leaders, innovators, and change agents. People who see medicine not just as a career but as a calling. If you’re applying here, you need more than great stats. You need alignment with Harvard’s mission: to “nurture a diverse community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all.”

The MD curriculum at Harvard reflects that mission in every detail. It’s rigorous, yes, but it’s also designed to make you think deeper, care more, and lead with both intellect and integrity.

You’ll start by choosing one of two tracks:

  • Pathways (where ~80% of students enroll): This is Harvard’s primary track. It emphasizes early clinical exposure (from your first semester), case-based learning, and strong peer collaboration. You’re not just memorizing; you’re solving. You’ll learn to think like a physician while building relationships with real patients from day one.
  • Health Sciences and Technology (HST) (~20% of students): Jointly run with MIT, HST is for students with strong backgrounds in quantitative science, research, or engineering. You’ll take a deeper dive into molecular mechanisms, data, and discovery, which is perfect if you see your future at the intersection of a lab bench and a hospital bedside.

In year three, all students move into the Principal Clinical Experience (PCE), a full year of clerkships across specialties like surgery, OB/GYN, psychiatry, and pediatrics, with training at world-class affiliated hospitals. By year four, you’ll have the chance to personalize your education through advanced electives, sub-internships, and research.

If you’re drawn to both medicine and discovery, Harvard’s MD-PhD program is among the most prestigious in the world. It takes about eight years, and it’s designed for students who want to become physician-scientists, people who treat patients but also push the boundaries of what medicine can do.

How to Get Into Harvard Medical School

If you're serious about getting in, your application has to do more than list your accomplishments. It has to answer one question:

Why you? Why should they bet on you to carry the Harvard legacy forward?

That means every part of your application, the primary essay, the secondaries, and the interview, needs to tell a cohesive story. Not just about what you've done but about who you are, what you value, and where you're headed.

Harvard Medical School Application Timeline 

Harvard doesn’t operate on rolling admissions, so the timeline is fixed and unforgiving. Miss a deadline, and you’re out. To make sure you stay ahead, here’s exactly when to do what.

Craft a Compelling Narrative About Yourself

Harvard’s not choosing between “qualified” and “not qualified.” Almost everyone who applies has the grades, the MCAT, the clinical hours, and a shadowing story or two. That’s the baseline. What separates the accepted from the rejected is the story.

Harvard wants to admit people with purpose. Not people who did research because they were supposed to or volunteered once a month to check a box. They want people who made a real impact and who understand why that impact matters.

If your application reads like a LinkedIn profile, you’ve already lost them. The best narratives are cohesive, reflective, and emotionally grounded. That doesn’t mean you have to have a perfect origin story. In fact, some of the most compelling applications come from students who changed directions, struggled early, or took a non-traditional route. What matters is that you own your story with honesty, clarity, and a sense of direction.

You’ll have a few places to bring that story to life:

  • The AMCAS personal statement
  • The Harvard secondary essays
  • Your most meaningful activities
  • And the interview

Write a Personal Statement That Actually Sounds Personal

Your AMCAS personal statement is not a diary entry. And it’s not a flex reel, either. It’s your shot to tell a clear, cohesive story about who you are, what drives you, and why medicine isn’t just what you want to do. It’s what you’re meant to do.

Every major experience you include should be evidence of your “why.” If your story is about health equity, then your work should be in underserved clinics, your research should be in public health, and your mentorship should be with first-gen students. Those aren’t just experiences. They’re proof. They support what you’re saying about yourself.

And don’t forget: personal means personal. Harvard doesn’t want a robot in a white coat. They want someone who’s real, who’s reflective, and who can write like they’ve actually spent time thinking about what this journey means.

Secondary Essays

Once your AMCAS is in, the real test begins: Harvard’s secondary essays. This is where they stop asking, “Are you qualified?” and start asking, “Are you a fit?”

Here are the prompts you’ll most likely see. Harvard has kept these consistent across recent years:

1. Gap Year Activities

“If you have already graduated, briefly summarize your activities since graduation.”

(4000 characters max)

This isn’t a bullet-point list. Harvard wants to know: Did you drift through your time off, or did you build something? Whether you worked in a lab, taught middle school science, cared for a sick parent, or traveled, show them your choices had purpose. And tie it back to how you're a better future physician because of it.

2. Background / Identity

“If there is an important aspect of your personal background or identity not addressed elsewhere… we invite you to do so here.”

(4000 characters max)

This is Harvard’s diversity essay, and no, it’s not just about race or ethnicity. It’s about perspective. Maybe you grew up in a medically underserved town, navigated school as a first-gen student, or moved between cultures. What matters is that your identity shaped how you see the world and how you'll serve patients because of it.

3. COVID-19 Impact

“If you wish to inform the Committee as to how these events have affected you…”

(4000 characters max)

Optional, but powerful if the pandemic truly impacted your journey. Lost a loved one? Cared for siblings while classes moved online? Had to postpone the MCAT or switch jobs? Don’t hold back, but stay focused on what you learned, how you adapted, and how you grew.

4. HST Program Essay (HST Applicants Only)

“Please focus on how your interests, experiences, and aspirations have prepared you for HST.”

(4000 characters max)

HST is not Pathways. It’s not just harder or more “sciency.” It’s a fundamentally different vision of how medicine and technology intersect. Show that you’ve lived in the world of quantitative problem solving, that you thrive on complexity, and that you’re not afraid of systems-level thinking.

Secure Letters of Recommendation That Actually Mean Something

Applicants can submit up to six letters of recommendation to enter Harvard Medical School. Here are some guidelines you should follow:

  • At least two letters should be from science professors with whom the applicant has taken classes.
  • At least one letter should be from a non-science professor.
  • Letters from all research supervisors are required for MD-PhD applicants and encouraged for MD applicants. You may exceed the six-letter limit if the additional letters are from research supervisors.
  • Letters from employers are not required but are suggested if you've been working after school.
  • If you’re using a premedical advisory committee evaluation packet, it counts as one letter towards the six-letter maximum.

Applicants should choose letters they believe will best support their application. It's important to note that while these guidelines are strongly recommended, they are not strict requirements.​

Show Up to Your Harvard Interview Like You Belong There

The interview isn’t about regurgitating your application. It’s about owning your story face-to-face with the people who decide who gets in.

At Harvard Medical School, the interview format is traditional. You’ll do two separate interviews, either with:

  • Physician faculty from HMS-affiliated hospitals, or
  • Senior medical students who serve on the admissions committee

And yes, interviews with students carry the same weight as faculty. They’ve read your entire app. They know your numbers. Now they want to know who you are and if it matches what you said in your application.

You might get asked:

  • “Why Harvard?”
  • “What challenges have shaped you?”
  • “What do you want to change about healthcare?”
  • “What’s the common thread in everything you’ve done so far?”

It’s not about having the perfect answer. It’s about being present, grounded, and genuine to the narrative you talked about on paper.

HMS Eligibility Restrictions

Harvard Medical School has several eligibility restrictions for its admissions process:

  • Undergraduate Requirements - You are required to complete at least three years of college work and a baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation. 
  • Number of application cycles - You can only apply a maximum of two times. Bear in mind that incomplete application attempts count toward this two-time maximum.
  • Matriculation at another medical school -  You won’t be eligible for admission if you have matriculated in any other medical school. This includes students who enter medical school directly from advanced secondary school in other countries.
  • Completion of advanced degrees - You should apply in the year you plan to matriculate. Candidates pursuing advanced degrees that can’t be completed prior to matriculation will be rejected, except in cases where deferred admissions are granted.
  • NIH Graduate Partnership Program (GPP) - Candidates participating in the NIH GPP are only considered in the year they intend to matriculate at HMS.
  • Transfer or advanced standing students - HMS doesn’t accept transfer or advanced standing students into the MD Programs.

All required prerequisite coursework must also be completed before matriculation.

Are International Students Eligible to Apply to HMS?

Students from outside the United States or Canada must supplement their education with at least one year of college or university training in these countries. Foreign students without a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an institution in these countries are rarely accepted. 

Moreover, they must demonstrate fluent and nuanced proficiency in English.

Become Harvard Medical School Material

Getting into medical school isn’t about luck. It’s about clarity, consistency, and the ability to tell a story that makes sense of everything you’ve done and everything you’re working toward. That takes more than strong numbers. It takes strategy.

At Premed Catalyst, we work with students who are serious about becoming the kind of applicant top programs can’t ignore. Through personalized mentorship and application advising, we help you craft a cohesive narrative, from academics and volunteering to clinical experiences and interviews.

If you're ready to make yourself Harvard Medical School material, book a free strategy session.