Reviewed by:
Third-Year Medical Student, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Reviewed: 03/03/23
If you’d like to attend a medical school known nationally and internationally for its commitment to creating scientific knowledge, read on to learn more about how to get into Drexel Medical School.
Drexel Medical School is a unique institution that combines two of the oldest medical colleges in the nation: the Hahnemann Medical College and the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, the first medical school that granted degrees to women.
Combined, these schools have offered students considerable innovations in education, research, and the delivery of compassionate care. With a strong emphasis on biomedical and translational research, Drexel has always been a strong contributor to the growing healthcare needs of society.
In fact, Drexel has one of the largest centers for spinal cord research in the mid-Atlantic region and one of the largest HIV treatment centers in the greater Philadelphia area!
If this impressive school has piqued your interest, this guide will tell you more about how to get into Drexel Medical School, its application timeline, secondary essays, interview process, and more admission-related information!
In an effort to cater to students in every stage of their medical careers, Drexel offers several programs to its prospective students:
MD Program: a typical four-year medical program.
MS/PhD in Biochemistry of Health and Disease: a combined Master of Science and PhD, focused on studying the interface between chemistry and biology.
MS in Biotechnology: a degree focused on cutting-edge technologies used in bioscience and biotechnology.
MS in Cancer Biology: designed for students interested in learning the fundamentals of cancer.
MD/PhD Physician Scientist Program: for students interested in a career in academic medicine and medical research.
MS in Microbiology and Immunology: to study infectious disease pathogens and host response.
MS/Phd in Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics: a dual degree program for students interested in cross-disciplinary biomedical problems.
MS/Phd in Neuroscience: a dual degree that studies the neuroscience systems in depth.
Ms/Phd in Pharmacology and Physiology: involves highly active research programs involving experimental pharmacology and physiology.
MD/MBA: a combined MD and Master of Business Administration for students to build business skills to manage practices or organizations.
MD/MPH: a combined MD and Master of Public Health that teaches students how to be physicians with a public-health orientation.
Continuing Education Programs: various programs to help existing physicians or other healthcare providers stay up-to-date on the latest medical practices.
ELAM Program: the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine fellowship for women faculty in schools of medicine, dentistry, public health, and pharmacy to develop skills needed to navigate the healthcare environment as a woman.
ELH Program: the Executive Leadership in Health Care fellowship for women in mid-senior level positions that desire executive leadership positions.
ELATES Program: the Executive Leadership IN Academic Technology, Engineering, and Science program to promote senior women faculty.
WHEP Program: the Women’s Health Education Program focuses on women’s health issues and concerns as patients and professionals.
With so many options to choose from, Drexel is sure to have the perfect program to advance your medical career!
Since the most popular option for students is the MD program, this guide will go over the precise admission requirements Drexel has for its aspiring MD students:
The first step to applying to any medical program is to have an undergraduate degree. The exact major you choose to pursue doesn’t matter, but there are certain competencies Drexel recommends its students have prior to matriculation.
Drexel no longer has specific course prerequisites but asks students to have coursework and experience in the following areas:
In these courses, as well as any others that make up your undergrad, you should aim to maintain a GPA of 3.74 to be considered competitive.
Applicants must also write the MCAT to be eligible for admission at Drexel Medical School. Previously accepted students had a median MCAT score of 511, which is your target score. Drexel only accepts scores that are up to three years old.
If you have multiple MCAT scores, Drexel will pay particular attention to your most recent. The committee does not look at your best score but reviews all of them, with extra emphasis on whichever exam you wrote last.
To ensure your final MCAT score is the best, you should create a comprehensive study schedule that involves understanding theory and applying it!
The MCAT isn’t the only assessment students must complete in order to apply to this medical school. They must also write the CASPer.
This test largely assesses your non-cognitive and interpersonal skills to create more objectivity in the admissions decision process. The CASPer will take around 75-90 minutes to complete and consists of both video and written scenarios.
Drexel prefers if students’ undergraduate institutions provide committee letters. However, if this option is not available, students can submit up to four letters of recommendation as part of their application.
You are required to submit letters from professionals with whom you built strong connections and can objectively speak to your academic and personal potential. These letters typically have the most impact if they’re written by professors.
Ensure you begin making meaningful connections with your professors early into each semester so they can attest to specific skills and abilities you have.
You are also required to write a personal statement to apply to Drexel. This statement should give the committee more insight into who you are, what motivates you, and why you chose medicine.
Your secondary application will ask you to include more information about your personal experiences and characteristics. You will also have to answer certain essay prompts, which we will discuss further in this guide!
Knowing these extensive admission requirements, you might be curious about the Drexel Medical School acceptance rate. Drexel only accepts 6.1% of all its applicants.
With the stress of completing your application requirements, ensuring you meet all of the necessary deadlines may be overwhelming. To make this process less stressful, here are the key deadlines you should keep in mind:
For students who feel weary about Drexel’s high GPA and MCAT requirements, you may want to consider an early decision application. If you’re sure Drexel is the perfect medical school for you, this binding application means you cannot accept an offer from any other medical school if Drexel accepts you into their program.
Since Drexel values commitment, they typically review these applications with more leniency. Since fewer students apply early, there is also less competition.
Most of your application to the Drexel School of Medicine will be completed through AMCAS, including your transcripts, MCAT scores, letters of recommendation, and other supporting details. The rest of your application, like your secondary application, will be completed through Drexel’s application portal.
As we stated earlier, there are a few essays students must answer as part of their secondary application. To ensure you’re as prepared as possible for your application, these are the prompts you can expect to see:
If you are a recent graduate, please tell us what you have been doing since graduation. If you have not yet graduated, please discuss your current activities and engagements. We understand that it may have been difficult to obtain clinical or volunteer service experience during the pandemic; therefore, be sure to discuss any traditional and/or nontraditional clinical exposures and volunteering experiences that you have done during this time.
This answer has no word limit, but ensure you keep it as concise as possible. This is not a trick question, and you should answer honestly! Detail any relevant work or volunteer experience you have engaged in and relay its relevance to medicine and your particular medical goals.
Prove you have already begun honing important skills required of physicians! Detail that you’ve learned proper patient etiquette and bedside manners and how to communicate with diverse patients.
Remember, Drexel asks its students to have significant service and clinical experience, so ensure you mention your commitment to community service as well.
What else do you feel is important for us to know about you? Are there any challenges over the last year that impacted your medical or non-medical service experiences? You can use this space to highlight something not addressed in your application, including new experiences not in your AMCAS application.
This essay has a 1000-word limit and is pretty open-ended. Think about any challenges you faced during the final year of your undergraduate career that further inspired you to pursue medicine, changed your view on medicine, or even made your journey to medical school difficult.
Drexel values resilience and wants to see that you have a strong commitment to medicine, even in the face of adversity. This essay is similar to your personal statement; you can share a specific experience that you feel fits this prompt.
Students struggle with their personal statements because medical schools often give little direction on what they expect in these statements in an effort to give students the freedom to share whatever they feel is most important.
Your personal statement should help distinguish you from other applicants. Some common topics you can consider writing about include:
You also want to touch on Drexel’s missions and visions when writing your personal statement. Drexel values diversity, compassionate care, a commitment to local and global communities, collaboration, excellence, and translational and biomedical research.
Ensure you weave some or all of these values into your personal statement to prove your interests align with Drexel's, thus making you a perfect candidate for their medical school! Don’t focus solely on why you think Drexel can advance your medical career - show the admissions committee how you can also contribute to Drexel!
Applicants selected to interview will attend virtual interviews sometime between September to April of the given admissions cycle. This interview is an essential part of the admissions process and helps the committee get to know each applicant more personally.
To prepare for this interview, go over common interview questions and review your application. Keep note of any additional experiences or information you’d like to share, and ensure you let some of your personality shine through!
Don’t just memorize your answers, as this can make you seem like you lack confidence and can make your answers come across as robotic and flat.
Each semester at Drexel will cost MD students around $32,836. For a full year, this brings the total tuition and fees to $65,672.
To help ease the burden of these high costs, Drexel offers its students several awards, scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities.
If Drexel Medical School is a top med school contender for you, you may be wondering how you can leverage your application to stand out. Here are some tips to help you distinguish yourself from other applicants:
To ensure you are as prepared as possible for Drexel’s MD program, you should aim to have a substantial amount of clinical experience and volunteer experience.
Begin early! You can join pre-medical clubs at your university during your first year to gain better insight into opportunities you can pursue to begin building your medical resume.
Since the Drexel School of Medicine is best known for its biomedical and translational research, you should try to have some research experience before matriculation. This can give you good content for your essays or personal statements and can prove your values and commitments align with Drexel’s.
Drexel is a unique medical school! It is a combination of two medical schools, including a women-only university that offers unprecedented opportunities for women.
If you’re a female applicant, consider mentioning this in your application to explain the importance of providing space for women in the medical field. You may also draw upon your own experiences that make you grateful for schools like Drexel.
For any remaining questions about getting into Drexel Medical School, read on to find your answers.
Yes, Drexel Medical School is competitive. It has a low acceptance rate of 6.1% but high admission requirements, with a median MCAT score of 511 and a median GPA of 3.74.
Yes, students must have an MCAT score no older than three years to apply to Drexel.
Yes, Drexel is a leading medical school that has made several large contributions to the field of biomedicine and research. It is well-known for its distinguished faculty, diverse programs, and academic rigor.
No, Drexel is not an Ivy League medical school.
Drexel Medical School is known for its commitment to equality, as one of the first medical schools to offer degrees to women, and its research efforts. It is home to the nation's leading spinal cord research center and one of the nation’s best malaria study centers.
Drexel Medical School is the 85th-best medical school for research and the 94-124th best medical school for primary care.
Regardless of whether you want to join Drexel Medical School to aid in their extensive research efforts or to reap the benefits of their diverse program and course offerings, this school can be an excellent stepping stone in your medical career!
.svg)
