August 8, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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Knowing the OHSU Medical School acceptance rate is just the starting point. The real challenge is understanding what makes an applicant actually competitive in the eyes of this specific AdCom. Are your academic stats enough? Is your story compelling? Is your mission fit clear?
This guide breaks down exactly how to be competitive for OSHU. You’ll learn how hard it really is to get into OHSU, including average GPA and MCAT scores, admissions requirements, and what makes this school different. Then we’ll walk you through the application timeline, personal statement, secondaries, and interview prep with details specific to this school. No generalized advice.
And if you want to see what a successful application actually looks like, ones that impressed AdComs at top med schools like UCLA and UCSF, we’ve made a free resource just for you. You’ll get insider access to 8 full AMCAS applications so you can see what works and model your own app so you can become competitive for OHSU.
Get your free resource here.
For the 2025 entering class, OHSU School of Medicine received about 5,655 applications. Out of those, only 150 students matriculated.
That puts the OHSU Medical School acceptance rate at approximately 2.65%.
Translation? It’s tough. And if you’re not an Oregon resident, it’s even tougher. Roughly 73% of OHSU’s incoming class is from in-state, which means out-of-state applicants are competing for just a fraction of those seats.
OHSU’s most recent class came in with an average cumulative GPA of 3.74 and an average MCAT score of 511.
For context, the national averages for med school matriculants are around 3.84 for GPA and 513 for MCAT. So, while OHSU’s numbers are slightly below that, they still reflect a highly competitive pool.
OHSU doesn’t have a strict list of prerequisites, but you’re expected to demonstrate these core science and communication competencies, typically through the following courses:
All coursework must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or higher before matriculation.
Beyond the academics, you’ll need the following:
For the most recent academic year, estimated tuition was around $49,468 for Oregon residents and $74,752 for out-of-state students, though rates may vary slightly by year and program.
But here’s a plus: OHSU’s School of Medicine follows a Tuition Promise policy, which locks in a student’s tuition rate for the entire duration of their program, provided they graduate on time. This means that once you start your MD or MD/MPH program, you won’t have to worry about annual tuition hikes derailing your financial plans.
To help offset costs, OHSU also offers a variety of scholarships and aid options through both the university and the OHSU Foundation. One of the most notable opportunities is the Scholars for a Healthy Oregon Initiative (SHOI), which covers full tuition and fees in exchange for a service commitment in rural or underserved Oregon communities.
Additional awards, such as the Presidents’ Fund and Promising Scholars grants, can help with tuition, relocation expenses, or research-related costs. Students may also qualify for statewide programs like the Oregon Student Loan Repayment Program or Primary Care Loan Forgiveness, particularly if they plan to work in high-need areas after graduation.
If you’re looking for a medical school that will churn you out as just another white coat in the hallway, OHSU isn’t it. This is Oregon’s only academic health center. That means they don’t just teach medicine, they live it, breathe it, research it, and send it straight from the lab to the bedside.
Here’s more about what makes this medical school stand out.
OHSU is the only place in Oregon where world-class patient care, groundbreaking research, and medical education all happen in the same ecosystem. You could literally see a treatment developed in the lab on Monday and watch it change a patient’s life on Friday. That kind of integration is baked into your training.
“Advance health for all” isn’t just a nice line on their website. It’s the playbook. The school actively pushes students into environments that will stretch them: urban safety-net clinics, rural hospitals hours from the nearest city, and community health projects that require more than just medical knowledge. They require humility and cultural fluency.
OHSU tossed out the “read, regurgitate, repeat” model and built YOUR M.D. This is a fully integrated, competency-based curriculum where you step into clinical environments almost immediately instead of waiting years to see your first patient. Foundational sciences are woven directly into patient cases, so you’re learning anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry in the context of real medical decision-making.
The Knight Cancer Institute is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center with serious funding and a track record for delivering breakthroughs. Whether your interest is in cancer, neuroscience, or public health disparities, you’ll be learning from people who are actually moving the field forward, not just teaching from the sidelines.
From Doernbecher Children’s Hospital (one of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals) to the Center for Women’s Health (a nationally recognized Center of Excellence), your clinical training isn’t limited to “typical.” You’ll see cases and care models that shape the kind of physician you become and they won’t all be in the same shiny urban hospital.
OHSU School of Medicine isn’t looking for another applicant who can flex a high GPA and MCAT score, although you’ll need that to get through the door. They’re looking for someone unforgettable who has a compelling story that stays consistent through the primary app, secondary essays, letters of recommendation, and the interview.
The OHSU School of Medicine participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and follows a rolling admissions process. This means applications are reviewed as they are completed, and interview invitations and acceptance offers are extended throughout the cycle rather than on a single date.
Below is an overview of the application timeline you should follow to stay competitive:
At OHSU, your personal statement is more than an essay. It’s your narrative, the through-line that connects who you are, what drives you, and the physician you’re growing into. But how do you prove any of that? Anyone can say anything about themselves.
It’s your experiences. They’re your proof.
If you claim a passion for health equity, the AdCom should see it in your work at free clinics, advocacy groups, or public health projects. If you talk about innovation in medicine, show the research bench hours or the pilot programs you’ve built. Every value you state should be backed by lived moments.
The secondary essays show OHSU’s admissions committee who you are beyond numbers and checkboxes. They’re looking for evidence of mission fit, self-awareness, and the grit to thrive in a school that values serving Oregon and rural communities.
Below are the most recent prompts from the 2024–2025 cycle, along with straight-shooting advice on how to tackle each one.
1. What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1550 characters)
Pick one clear story, not a laundry list. Show the AdCom you’ve interacted meaningfully with the population OHSU prioritizes—rural, underserved, or diverse communities. Focus on what you learned about patient needs, barriers to care, and how it shaped your perspective as a future physician. Reflection is more powerful than drama here.
2. What will be your greatest challenge in becoming a physician? (1550 characters)
Avoid cliché answers like “work-life balance” unless you have a unique angle. Be real about a personal or professional hurdle, then show how you’ve already been working to address it. OHSU values resilience, so make sure the takeaway is that you know your weak spot and you’ve got a plan to overcome it.
3. Please discuss any personal connection to Oregon or the Pacific Northwest. (1550 characters)
OHSU admits primarily Oregon residents, but if you’re out-of-state, you’re not out of the running. You just have to clearly show why you belong there. If you’ve lived, studied, or worked in Oregon or the broader Pacific Northwest, highlight that. If not, demonstrate a genuine commitment to serving OHSU’s mission region through past experiences, cultural understanding, or long-term goals. Be specific, not generic, and don’t just say you “love the outdoors.”
4. Discuss any time you had to navigate a situation that challenged your personal values. (1550 characters)
Choose a story where the stakes were real, and the decision wasn’t black-and-white. Show your moral reasoning, self-awareness, and how you maintained integrity. OHSU wants to see if you can handle ethical complexity without arrogance or rigidity.
5. Please tell us about a time when you failed at something. (1550 characters)
Failure essays live or die on honesty. Pick an event that genuinely stung, not something thinly disguised as a win. The focus should be on what you learned, how you adapted, and how you’ve grown since. Keep it humble and forward-looking.
6. Describe a time when you personally experienced, observed, or acted with explicit bias. (1550 characters)
This is a delicate one. You’ll need to own your role if you were the one acting with bias, or show your empathy and courage if you were on the receiving or witnessing side. OHSU is looking for applicants who can reflect on bias, acknowledge its harm, and actively work against it in healthcare.
When you think of letters of recommendation, OHSU expects substance, not numbers. Here’s what the MD program expects:
If you're applying to the combined MD/PhD program:
What to keep in mind:
OHSU uses a hybrid interview format, which means you’ll have a traditional interview and MMI.
You’ll complete six to eight MMI stations that test ethical reasoning, communication, problem-solving, and cultural humility. Scenarios may involve topics like a houseless patient refusing shelter or resolving conflict on a healthcare team.
You’ll also have a traditional one-on-one interview with a faculty member or student focused on your fit with OHSU’s mission, especially in rural health and underserved communities. Expect the entire process to take most of the day.
Every medical school attracts a certain kind of student. The key is figuring out if its values, programs, and environment match how you want to train and practice medicine.
So, is OHSU Medical School right for you?
OHSU is a good fit if…
OHSU may not be a good fit if…
You can know the numbers, study the mission statement, and memorize every admissions stat out there, but that still doesn’t guarantee you’ll stand out to an AdCom like OHSU’s. The truth is, most applicants never see what a truly competitive medical school application looks like. They guess. They hope. And when the rejection letter hits, they realize they built their app in the dark.
That’s why we put together a free resource that removes the guesswork: 8 full, real AMCAS applications that earned acceptances at top programs like UCLA and UCSF. You’ll see how high-achieving applicants frame their stories, connect their experiences to their mission, and structure their activities to scream “fit” for the school.
Get your free resource here.
