November 3, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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If you're researching the SLU Medical School acceptance rate, chances are you’re wondering if you’re competitive enough for this program. You’ve likely heard mixed things. Some say SLU is within reach, others call it a hidden gem that’s tougher than it looks. But here’s the truth: the numbers only tell part of the story. Understanding what it actually takes to get in means digging deeper than GPA and MCAT stats.
In this post, we’ll break down exactly how hard it is to get into Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 2025. You’ll learn the average stats of accepted students, the unique qualities SLU looks for, key deadlines, what to write in your personal statement and secondaries, and how to know if SLU is the right fit for you.
If you want to go beyond averages and see what successful applications really look like, get access to 8 full AMCAS applications that earned real acceptances to schools like UCLA and UCI. And it’s completely free. Use it to reverse engineer what works.
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For the most recent entering class, Saint Louis University School of Medicine (SLU SOM) received 5,808 applications. Out of those, just 176 students matriculated.
That puts the SLU Medical School acceptance rate at around 3.03%.
Translation? Your chances aren’t as slim as some of the T20 medical schools, but it’s still tough. And like most private medical schools, SLU doesn’t give any preferential treatment to in-state applicants. So whether you’re from Missouri or across the country, your odds are the same.
Let’s talk numbers. The average GPA for accepted students at SLU is 3.89. The average MCAT score? 513.
Compare that to national med school averages (3.77 GPA and 511.7 MCAT) and it’s clear: SLU students are performing above the norm.
There’s no official minimum GPA, but SLU does have a hard MCAT cutoff: applicants must score at least 502 (total score) to be considered.
But realistically? Applicants with a GPA under 3.3 or MCAT section scores under 125 are facing an uphill climb.
To apply to SLU’s MD program, here’s what you’ll need to have completed:
You also need at least 90 semester hours of undergraduate coursework, but most applicants complete a full bachelor’s degree (120 hours). Coursework must be taken at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college.
Beyond coursework, be sure you meet the general criteria for admission:
For the 2025–26 academic year, SLU’s MD program tuition is $69,960. But that’s just the beginning. When you add in required fees, books and supplies, health insurance, and living expenses, the estimated cost of attendance ranges from about $89,766 (if you live with your parents) to over $98,500 (for students living independently).
Financial aid and scholarships at SLU SOM aim to ease some of this burden. The school does offer targeted support like the School of Medicine Opportunity Scholarship, which prioritizes students with financial need who also express a commitment to underserved communities. Students who are underrepresented in medicine are especially encouraged to apply.
While exact numbers on how many MD students receive aid aren’t fully public, SLU’s broader financial aid stats show that over 90% of its students receive some form of financial assistance, and the university awarded more than $450 million in aid last year.
When you're applying to medical school, it's easy to get caught up comparing rankings, tuition, and match lists, but every school has a deeper story. Saint Louis University School of Medicine is one of those programs that doesn’t just look good on paper; it’s built on values, history, and a clear mission that shows up in how students are trained and how doctors are made.
SLU SOM is one of only a few Catholic, Jesuit medical schools in the U.S., and that identity isn’t just a footnote. It’s a guiding principle.
The school emphasizes “cura personalis,” or care for the whole person, which shows up in everything from its ethics training to its community outreach. Students are taught to integrate compassion with competence, and to understand that being a great doctor means more than scoring well on exams. It’s about the human experience.
SLU SOM gives its students early access to patient care, beginning clinical experiences in the first year. This isn’t the norm at every med school, and it means students hit the ground running with real-world exposure alongside classroom learning.
By the time they’re in their third and fourth years, SLU students rotate through SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, a high-volume academic center that gives them hands-on experience in complex and diverse patient cases.
SLU’s location in St. Louis means students are immersed in a community with real healthcare disparities, and the school doesn’t shy away from that. Instead, it leans into it. Students participate in service projects, mobile clinics, and health fairs throughout the year. There’s a clear focus on social justice and a belief that future doctors should understand the systems that shape health outcomes.
While SLU is deeply committed to service, it’s also a serious research institution. The school has made major contributions to vaccine development, infectious disease research, and organ transplant research, among other fields. Medical students who want to get involved in research can start early, with plenty of faculty support and access to labs and funding.
Whether you’re MD-only or planning to explore an MD/PhD pathway, there are strong opportunities to build your research résumé and learn how science and clinical care intersect.
Getting into Saint Louis University School of Medicine isn’t just about having the right numbers. It’s about proving you’re more than a stat line. Yes, SLU still wants strong academic numbers. But what really moves the needle is your story: the why behind your passion for medicine, the how behind your growth, and who you’ve become along the way.
SLU SOM uses the Association of American Medical Colleges’s centralized service (AMCAS).
They operate on a rolling‑admissions basis. That means applications received earlier in the cycle may be invited to interview and may receive offers earlier. So, if you procrastinate, your odds are actively getting smaller.
Be sure to stay on top of this application timeline if you want to stay competitive:
Your personal statement is not just about telling AdComs you’re passionate about medicine; it’s about proving it.
How? Use your already lived experiences as your proof. If you say you care about health equity, then you’d better show experiences in underserved clinics and community outreach. If you value leadership, then point to the moments you stepped up and made a difference.
SLU is a Jesuit institution that values service, compassion, and integrity. Your story should reflect that.
The secondary essays show the Admissions Committee that you’re more than just grades and test scores. They show how you will fit into the school’s mission and environment.
Below are the most recent secondary prompts for SLU and how to address each one.
Prompt 1: Have you or will you have taken gap time equal to a semester or more? Please describe your gap activities (past and/or future) (1000 characters).
Advice: If you took or plan to take a gap, treat this as your opportunity to show intentionality, not just “I needed a break,” but how you used (or will use) the time to grow clinically, in service, in skills, or personally. Show what you did, what you learned, and why it matters for your journey toward medicine. If you didn’t take a gap, you can still use this prompt to show you’ve used your time productively in other ways. Focus on forward momentum rather than excuses.
Prompt 2: Do you wish to include any comments to the SLU School of Medicine Admissions Committee (e.g., why you chose to apply to SLU, other extenuating circumstances, etc.)? (1000 characters)
Advice: This is your “why SLU” plus your “anything else you want us to know” in one. Use it to connect your story to SLU’s mission (for example, their Jesuit values, commitment to social justice, community service). If you’ve had extenuating circumstances (family illness, extra work hours, etc.), briefly but clearly state what happened and what you learned. Don’t dwell on excuses. Focus on resilience and relevance to medicine.
Prompt 3: Tell us about a time when you were the “other” (1000 characters).
Advice: This is a tricky one, but powerful. “The other” means a time when you felt different, marginalized, or observed an inequity firsthand. Pick a concrete moment, describe how you felt or what you noticed, and then show how this experience changed you or shaped your perspective. Link it to your future physician role: how will that experience make you a better doctor for someone who’s “the other”?
Prompt 4 (MD/PhD only): Relate your current thinking about the type and scope of clinical career that you seek. Remember that most applicants cannot identify at this point the specific medical disciplines they might choose for residency programs. However, you may have preliminary ideas about your relative interest in direct patient care vs. consultative service, translational vs. basic research, academic medical center vs. corporate, etc. (3000 characters)
Advice: For MD/PhD applicants: treat this as your “vision” essay. You don’t need to commit to a single specialty, but you do need to show that you have thought deeply about how you will integrate research and clinical work, the kind of environment you want to work in, and how that serves patients, communities, and science. Use specific examples of your research and clinical experiences to illustrate your direction, and explain how SLU’s MD/PhD program fits your goals.
SLU requires either a committee letter or three individual letters. If your undergraduate institution offers a pre-medical advisory committee or a composite letter service, SLU prefers that you use it. One committee letter is sufficient, though you may supplement it with up to two additional letters if you think they add value.
But don’t go overboard. SLU asks that you do not send more than three letters of recommendation total.
One of these letters, if not submitting a committee letter, must come from a science professor who taught you at the college or university level. The other two can come from mentors who know you well.
Think research advisors, physicians you’ve shadowed, or supervisors from significant community service or leadership roles. While not required, SLU “greatly appreciates” a letter from someone who worked with you during a long-term clinical or service experience.
The interview at SLU is a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format. You’ll move through a series of stations (typically 6‑8), each lasting about 8‑10 minutes. At each station, you may face an ethical scenario, a role‑play, a community‑oriented prompt, or a question about communication skills and values.
The interview itself is virtual or may be hybrid depending on the cycle, so check the most recent admissions communications.
When evaluating whether a medical school is the right fit, it’s not just about reputation or metrics. It’s about how the program aligns with your values, learning style, and career goals.
Here’s a breakdown of whether SLU may be a good fit for you, and when it may not.
SLU Med is a good fit if…
SLU Med may not be a good fit if…
Getting into SLU Medical School, or any med school, is about more than just checking boxes. Stats matter, sure. But it’s the story your application tells that will get you accepted. And the truth is, most premeds never get to see what a successful story looks like.
That’s why at Premed Catalyst, we created the resource we wish we had as premeds: the Application Database. You’ll get free access to 8 real AMCAS applications that earned acceptances to top medical schools. See personal statements, most meaningfuls, and more. Use this insider access to see what works and create your own acceptance-worthy application.
Get your free resource here.
