September 3, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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Getting into medical school is hard, but getting into one of the most respected public med schools in the country? That’s a whole different level. The University of Washington School of Medicine acceptance rate is low. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You just need to know what it actually takes to get in.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the University of Washington School of Medicine: acceptance rate, average stats, key deadlines, and exactly how to stand out in your personal statement, secondaries, and interview. No generic advice. Just guidance on how to get into this specific school.
But if you want to actually see what works, don’t guess. At Premed Catalyst, we created the resource we wish we had when we were premeds. You’ll get access to 8 real AMCAS applications that earned acceptances to top med schools like UCLA and UCI. See real personal statements, activities, and more. All for free.
Get your free resource here.
For the 2025 entering class, the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) received 5,077 applications. Of those, 275 students matriculated.
That makes the University of Washington School of Medicine acceptance rate around 5.42%.
Compared to most public medical schools, that’s selective. But there’s a catch: nearly every student comes from one of the five WWAMI states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, or Idaho. So if you’re not from one of those, your chances are even slimmer.
Let’s talk numbers. The average GPA for accepted students at UWSOM? 3.81. The average MCAT? 512.
That’s just above the national average for matriculants (3.77 GPA, 511.7 MCAT). So it’s competitive, but not cutthroat. What really gives you an edge here is residency. If you’re from a WWAMI state and have strong ties to underserved communities, you’re in a much stronger position.
Still, a sub-3.0 GPA or MCAT section scores below 125 will make it difficult to stand out.
To be considered for admission to UWSOM, you’ll need to meet these minimum requirements:
Advanced coursework in Biochemistry, Statistics, and Genetics is strongly recommended. You’ll also need to complete all prerequisites before you matriculate (not necessarily before applying).
In addition to coursework, there are other criteria you’ll need to meet to be eligible:
No CASPer, PREview, or other situational judgment tests are required. You can check those off your list.
For the 2024–25 academic year, tuition at the University of Washington School of Medicine is $56,287 if you’re a Washington resident, and a steep $99,347 if you’re not. That’s right. Out-of-state tuition is nearly double.
And it’s not just tuition. Once you factor in housing, books, food, transportation, and everything else life throws at you, the total cost of attendance climbs to $95,015 for in-state students and $138,075 for out-of-state.
Now here’s the good news: you’re not expected to go it alone. You’ll want to fill out the FAFSA (due February 28) or the WASFA if you're undocumented. That’s step one. From there, UW’s financial aid team helps build a package that usually includes federal loans, institutional loans, and in some cases, Primary Care Loans. They even have their own need-based scholarships.
But here’s the twist: they determine eligibility using your parents’ tax info, even though you’re technically considered independent. Why? Because it lets them distribute aid where it’s actually needed. In 2024–25, 361 students received one of these scholarships.
If you’re hoping for one of them next cycle, mark your calendar: scholarship apps open May 1 and close June 30. Reviews happen over the summer and into the fall, and decisions are made by December. You’ll get an email if you’re selected. And if you’re starting early and planning on summer courses, don’t forget to submit the Summer Aid Application in MyUW starting April 1.
UW Medicine is a powerhouse of regional impact, innovative training, cutting-edge research, and unwavering commitment to social justice. Here’s what truly sets it apart, and why it might be the perfect fit for you.
UW School of Medicine isn’t just for Seattle. It's the only five‑state medical school in the country, serving Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho through its celebrated WWAMI program.
Here’s how it works: instead of funneling every student into Seattle, UW places students at six regional campuses across the WWAMI states for their Foundations Phase (the first 18 months of medical school). You could start in Spokane (WA), Laramie (WY), Anchorage (AK), Bozeman (MT), Moscow (ID), or Seattle, depending on your state of residency.
Each of these campuses delivers the same high-quality curriculum, taught by UW faculty and local clinicians. After Foundations, students come together for their Patient Care and Explore & Focus Phases, rotating through a wide network of clinical sites across the WWAMI region. These include major hospitals, tribal health centers, rural clinics, and urban trauma centers.
The program was designed to address the shortage of physicians in rural and underserved areas, and it works: graduates are significantly more likely to return to practice in WWAMI states, especially in rural communities. Through programs like TRUST (Targeted Rural and Underserved Track) and WRITE (WWAMI Rural Integrated Training Experience), students get long-term placements that build relationships with patients and communities.
UW School of Medicine consistently ranks #1 or #2 in the U.S. for primary care according to the U.S. News & World Report in 2024.
In FY2023, UW pulled in over $1.3 billion in research grants, ranking second nationally in NIH funding. That funding fuels discoveries in genetics, infectious disease, global health, AI in medicine, and vaccine development (yes, UW researchers were key players in COVID-19 vaccine breakthroughs).
The medical school also houses world-renowned research centers, including the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. Students have ample opportunities to engage in research early, whether through summer research programs, Pathways, or elective research blocks in the Explore & Focus Phase. For aspiring physician-scientists, the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) offers a fully funded MD/PhD path.
UW’s curriculum is designed around three phases: Foundations, Patient Care, and Explore & Focus. Foundations is where you build your base, using a system-based, active learning model taught at your assigned WWAMI campus.
From there, you enter the Patient Care phase, which is 12 months of core clinical rotations at over 100 sites across the region. Then, Explore & Focus is where you dig deep into electives, sub-internships, and advanced patient care.
What makes this curriculum unique is its integration of the Colleges system—a mentoring model where students are grouped into smaller cohorts and assigned a faculty mentor (usually a practicing physician) who works with them all four years. You’ll practice clinical skills in small-group sessions, get tailored career advising, and build a tight-knit support system.
There’s also longitudinal integration of themes like bioethics, health equity, interprofessional care, and health systems science.
Service Learning is embedded from day one. Students volunteer at free clinics, teach in local schools, support harm reduction efforts, and work on community-based participatory research. And then there’s the Pathways program, which lets you tailor your training in areas like:
Each Pathway combines focused coursework, service projects, and mentorship. These are more than electives. They shape your residency application and future clinical mission. If you want your MD to be rooted in equity, UW has one of the most progressive and expansive infrastructures in the country.
In addition to WRITE (a 5-month immersion in a rural community) and TRUST (a longitudinal track from first year to graduation), UW offers the Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP), a 4-week summer experience between first and second year.
Students work side-by-side with preceptors in small communities, getting firsthand insight into what it means to practice with limited resources.
UW’s rural focus isn’t theoretical. It has results. The school ranks #1 in the nation for producing graduates who go into family medicine and rural practice. And in 2023, the American Academy of Family Physicians named UW the #1 school in the U.S. for graduates entering primary care residencies.
If you want to get into the University of Washington School of Medicine, you need to bring more than numbers. You need to bring you. This school values grit, community commitment, and a clear sense of purpose. So while strong metrics help, your story is what sets you apart.
Below, we’ll show you how to build an application that speaks louder than just a GPA, starting with the timeline, then dialing in your personal statement, secondaries, and more.
The University of Washington School of Medicine participates in AMCAS, the centralized application service for U.S. MD programs. UWSOM does not operate on a traditional rolling admissions basis. Instead, it has fixed deadlines and then reviews and interviews applicants in a rolling manner once the secondary application is complete.
Below is an overview of the application timeline you need to follow to stay competitive for the UWSOM MD program:
Your personal statement is your narrative. This is your space to show who you are, what you care about, and the kind of doctor you’re becoming.
It's not just about saying you’re compassionate or committed. You need to use your experiences as proof. If you say you care about health equity, then you should show experiences in free clinics and outreach programs that back that up.
The University of Washington School of Medicine values authenticity and depth, so write like someone who knows why they're here and where they're going.
Secondary essays give the AdCom insight into how well you fit UWSOM’s mission and values. Below are the prompts from the most recent application cycle, followed by exactly how to address them.
1. The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring?
Highlight backgrounds, identities, or experiences that offer a unique perspective. Share a concise story or example, like a cultural lens, socioeconomic background, language fluency, or unique community insight that deepened your empathy, enriched your worldview, or shaped your drive toward medicine.
2. What obstacles have you experienced and how have you overcome them?
Pick one meaningful challenge, not a laundry list. Briefly describe the obstacle, focus on how you navigated it, and emphasize what you learned or how you grew. Demonstrating resilience and adaptability shows your readiness for medical training.
3. How have societal inequities in the U.S. affected you or people you have worked with?
Connect inequities, such as unequal access to care, systemic bias, or health disparities, to either your own experience or work with others. Even if you haven't faced discrimination personally, illustrate through a community or patient scenario how inequities shaped your understanding of health and justice.
4. Describe your competency by explaining how you have explored and come to understand issues in the social sciences and humanities as they relate to the practice of medicine.
Explain how you've engaged with the social side of medicine: coursework (anthropology, public health, ethics), research, service learning, or lived experience. Focus on one or two examples where you gained insight into how society, policy, or culture influences health.
5. (For reapplicants) Please share any areas of growth since your previous application and what you’ve learned from the process.
Be honest and forward‑looking. Highlight one or two concrete areas of improvement. Maybe you got more clinical exposure, improved academic performance, or had meaningful personal reflection. Show how these changes make you a stronger candidate now.
6. (For Wyoming applicants) Describe your experiences in Wyoming that have influenced and/or informed your decision to pursue a medical career.
Tie your connection to Wyoming, its communities, rural healthcare needs, or personal experiences there to your desire to serve as a future physician. Show how living and learning there influenced your career path in medicine.
The UW School of Medicine requires either three faculty letters of recommendation or one pre‑health committee letter. On top of that, you may submit up to three additional letters of your choosing.
Letters must be submitted via the AMCAS Letters Service, and must arrive by your secondary application deadline, which is November 15 at 11:59 PM PT. Aim to have them sent early. AMCAS needs time to process and forward them, and UWSOM won’t grant extensions.
The University of Washington School of Medicine uses a traditional panel interview, not MMI. It’s conducted virtually and lasts about 30 minutes. You’ll be interviewed by three people at once: one member of the Executive Committee on Admissions and two others who could be physicians, faculty, med students, or community members.
Only one of them sees your MCAT and GPA. The rest are blinded to your stats, which means their focus is fully on how you communicate, how you think, and whether you fit the values of UW Medicine. Expect questions about why medicine, your personal background, ethical scenarios, healthcare delivery, and role-play situations. One of them may throw you into a patient scenario to see how you problem-solve in real time.
They each rate you independently before coming together to discuss. If something’s off or opinions are split, you might be called in for another interview. The EXCOM member is the one who brings your case forward when decisions are made.
Every school aligns better with certain kinds of students. Finding your match matters. It can shape your training, your mindset, and ultimately, the kind of doctor you'll become.
University of Washington School of Medicine is a good fit if…
University of Washington School of Medicine may not be a good fit if…
Building a smart school list means balancing reach schools, target schools, and safety schools while considering tuition, location, curriculum style, and mission fit. Even if UW feels like “the one,” remember: admissions are competitive everywhere, and the best way to protect your future is to cast a wider net.
That means looking beyond Washington state. Other schools across the country have regional training models, unique community health initiatives, or research opportunities that could align even better with your goals.
To help you build a well-rounded school list, we’ve created detailed guides to medical schools across different states. Each one breaks down acceptance rates, tuition, financial aid, curriculum, and more.
You already know getting into medical school is competitive. Average stats, cookie-cutter volunteering, and generic essays won’t cut it. The students who actually make it in are the ones who know how to present their story with clarity, strategy, and authenticity.
That’s why we built the resource we wish we had as premeds. Instead of guessing, you can study 8 real applications that earned acceptances at top medical schools like UCLA and UCI. We’re talking complete personal statements, activities, and more—the exact details that made AdComs say yes.
It’s free, it’s detailed, and it’s your shortcut to understanding what a successful application really looks like. Don’t waste time on bad advice.
Get your free resource here.
