Reviewed by:
Former Chief Resident in Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, & Admissions Officer, Columbia University
Reviewed: 5/13/22
Are you considering Meharry Medical College for your medical school journey? Follow along to learn everything you need to know about getting into the Meharry Medical College School of Medicine.
Meharry Medical College is one of the country’s oldest and largest historically Black medical schools. Founded in Nashville, Tennessee in 1876, Meharry became the first medical school in the South for Black students. Since then, the school has maintained its legacy by empowering its diverse student population to continuously improve global healthcare.
Here we’ve created a comprehensive guide to help you get into Meharry Medical School. Follow along to learn about the Meharry medical college acceptance rate, requirements, application timeline, cost, expert tips on admissions, and more.
Let’s get started!
The following list comprises the available medical programs at Meharry Medical College. For detailed information on what Meharry offers, refer to their school website.
Meharry also has a dental school and excellent dental programs.
Before applying to Meharry, it is crucial to understand the school's expectations and requirements. Below are all of the requirements you must meet in order to apply to Meharry Medical College.
Firstly, all applicants are required to have completed a bachelor’s degree in order to be considered for admission. Your pre-medical education must be completed at an accredited US or Canadian school.
The Meharry Med School prerequisites are the following:
Meharry requires each of the above courses in order to consider your application for admission; taking these courses will not ensure that your application is competitive enough for admission.
Meharry recommends obtaining a GPA of between 3.5-4.0 in all of your prerequisite courses in order for your application to be competitive. The current class average GPA of admitted students at Meharry Medical School is just over 3.50.
All Meharry applicants must take the MCAT and submit an official report of performance in order to be considered for admission. Your MCAT must have been taken within the last three years. The current class average MCAT at Meharry Medical School is 503.
Like most US medical schools, you must send in your application to Meharry through AMCAS along with your letters of recommendation. Meharry recommends securing a letter from the Health Professional Advisor or Advisory Committee of your pre-medical education program.
Meharry is aware that not every school has a Health Professional Advisor or Advisory Committee. If your school does not offer this option, a minimum of three letters of recommendation are required, including two from science professors.
The Meharry Medical School secondary application is sent to all eligible applicants upon receipt of the initial AMCAS application. A $65 processing fee (sent to CollegeNet) is due upon submitting your secondary application.
Meharry Medical School has small class sizes and is therefore quite selective, with an acceptance rate of just over 1.6%.
Here are a few tips from our admissions experts on how to improve your chances of admission to Meharry.
Meharry has a long list of pre-medical course requirements and recommends receiving a minimum GPA of 3.5 in each course. It may seem redundant to say “get good grades,” but not all medical schools put such an emphasis on their prerequisite courses.
Meharry accepts very few students each year, so make sure you’ve gone above and beyond in your prerequisite course performance. If you’ve done poorly in a required course, allow yourself enough time to retake it.
Extracurriculars are also an excellent way to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded student. There are no extracurricular requirements on the school’s website, but in order to compete for one of the few positions available at Meharry, we strongly recommend volunteering and participating in at least two extracurricular activities.
Meharry is competitive, so it’s a good idea to do thorough research on the school's mission, values, history, and full range of offerings. You can demonstrate the research you’ve done and your passion for the school in your secondary essays and in your interview by aligning your personal life experiences and qualities with the school.
For small, selective medical schools like Meharry, the interview can often make or break your application. Prepare for your interview by running practice questions with a friend, family member or tutor and with yourself in the mirror. Getting prepared to answer whatever questions they may ask you will help to calm your nerves on your big day.
You should also do plenty of research on the school before your interview. You should be able to answer questions about the programs the school offers and what about them interests you. You should also learn about the school's history and be able to explain why you feel you’d be a good fit for Meharry. The more specific you can be, the better.
Not all medical schools require the CASPer test, but Meharry does! Ensure that you’ve given yourself at least three weeks before your interview to ensure you’ll receive your results by that date. We recommend taking the CASPer test well before the three-week minimum to allow yourself time to prepare and receive your results ahead of time.
Keep in mind that you can only take the CASPer test once in every admissions cycle, so you should be well-prepared for the test before you begin.
Here are the important dates to remember when applying to Meharry. Candidates may apply between June 1st to December 15th.
When it comes to getting started with your medical school application, the earlier you start, the better. Making sure you have time to take all prerequisite courses and improve your application as much as possible is imperative.
Below is a table that comprises estimated costs of tuition, fees, and more at Meharry Medical School across all four years of your degree. If you require financial aid, all information on financial aid and loans is available on Meharry’s website.
For more detailed information on additional costs, you can expect to pay as a med student at Meharry, refer to the school’s cost table.
The secondary application for Meharry typically includes only two essay prompts. Here we’ll talk about how to answer the latest available prompts from Meharry.
“Why do you wish to attend Meharry Medical College School of Medicine?”
How to Answer: This is an example of one of the most common essay prompts asked by universities: the “Why Us” essay. This question aims to determine how passionate you are about Meharry specifically and what your goals are moving forward.
Here, you should express what attracted you to Meharry initially and explain how attending the school will aid your future goals as a physician. You can use this as an opportunity to demonstrate how you connect to their specific programs, mission, vision, and values.
To write a successful “Why Us” essay, do plenty of research on the school's website. Learn about the school’s rich history and find ways to connect your own unique qualities and values to theirs.
You can also mention extracurricular opportunities or projects the school has done that you connect with outside of class. Schools love to see that you’ll contribute to campus life and that you’re passionate about the many facets the school has to offer.
“Please describe a personal situation of failure, significant challenge or a major obstacle that you have overcome. Include a description of your coping skills and lessons you learned from that situation.”
How to Answer: This question falls into the category of an “Adversity Essay.” The school is trying to understand how you perform under pressure and what you take away from a negative experience.
As a future physician, you will experience plenty of ups and downs. Meharry wants to know that when you are faced with a situation of failure, you are the type of person who doesn’t let it get the best of you. Therefore, your main focus here should be on how you got up and improved your approach upon facing adversity.
The story you choose doesn’t have to be the saddest in the world. Secondary essays are not an opportunity to compete with others on who has had the hardest life. The main part of your essay should be how you turned a negative situation into a positive life lesson.
For example, perhaps you had a disagreement with a coworker; think of how you acted then vs how you would respond to the same situation today. What has changed? What did you learn? Approach this essay from a position of growth to demonstrate self-awareness, maturity, objectivity, and the ability to improve.
The final step in the Meharry application process is the interview. A select group of applicants will be invited to interview between September to April. All students that have been invited to interview must take the CASPer test well before their interview date.
Typically, CASPer scores are made available three weeks after taking the test, so you should plan your interview accordingly. We recommend taking the CASPer three weeks in advance to ensure you will receive your results on time.
Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to get into Meharry Medical School.
Meharry Medical School is well regarded by alumni. Although the school does not maintain high rankings on popular forums, it does not have a bad reputation. Meharry is among the top medical schools in Tennessee and is a great option for students who want to live in the area.
The average MCAT score of the incoming class at Meharry Medical School is 503. Achieving a score close to the average (or above, if possible) is recommended.
Meharry has small class sizes and may be difficult to get into due to high competition for the minimal spots available. However, Meharry does not have Ivy-level expectations of GPA or MCAT scores, while maintaining an all around good reputation within the field.
Meharry offers an MD degree and several combined MD and PhD options. The school also has excellent dental education programs.
Meharry is a competitive school with a small acceptance rate, but getting in is achievable with a solid application. Focus on connecting with the schools’ history and values, while also ensuring your grades meet and exceed the current class averages.
Attending and doing well in the mandatory prerequisite courses is also a must for getting into Meharry Medical School. If you’re concerned about any aspects of your medical school application, consider hiring an experienced admissions advisor.
Admissions advisors can help you with every aspect of the application process; from sending in your initial AMCAS application to practicing for your med school interview, we’ve got you covered.
Good luck!
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