10 Med Schools That Receive the Most Applications

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Medical school experts predict a shortage of doctors throughout the next decade, but there is no shortage of prospective students. In 2012, total applications increased by 3.1 percent, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

East Coast institutions continue to round out the list of top 10 medical schools -- all private -- that receive the most applications, according to data submitted to U. S. News in 2012 by 114 ranked schools. The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Drexel University College of Medicine remain at the top of the list in first and second place, respectively.

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None of the schools listed are ranked higher than No. 20 in the 2014 Best Medical Schools rankings, but the competition for admission is still steep.

For the fall 2012 entering class, George Washington received 14,700 applications; 2.1 percent of applicants were accepted. Drexel received 12,690 applications for the same school year and accepted just under 5 percent. More than 45,000 people applied to U.S. medical schools in 2012, according to the AAMC. Prospective students apply to an average of 14.3 schools.

Tufts University School of Medicine joins the list at No. 10 with 8,318 applicants. The Yeshiva University Albert Einstein College of Medicine held this spot last year. It had an increase of more than 100 applicants for the 2012-2013 year, but not enough to qualify for the top 10 list.

Of the 114 schools included in the 2014 rankings, the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine had the least number of applicants with 525 prospective students applying. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, No. 5 on this list, is designated Rank Not Published for its ranking in research, but ranks No. 62 in primary care. U.S. News calculates a numerical ranking for all schools listed as RNP but does not publish them.

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Among the top 10, the average number of applications was approximately 10,812, more than double the overall average of applications received.

Below are the top 10 medical schools that receive the most applications.

Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass to find applicant data, complete rankings and much more.

U.S. News surveyed more than 140 medical schools for our 2012 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News's data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News's rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools. The applicant data above are correct as of April 23, 2013.