How to Get Into Tulane University School of Medicine

In this article, you’ll learn what it takes to get accepted at Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM).

If you’re just here for the requirements, click here.

Tulane University School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 1.38%

The acceptance rate at TUSOM is 1.38%. In the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, TUSOM received 13,814 applications. And only 190 students matriculated. That means your odds of matriculating to TUSOM are less than 2 in 100. In other words, roughly 1 out of every 73 applicants earned a seat in the entering class.

Take a look at the interactive infographic below to see how TUSOM’s acceptance rate has changed over the last few admissions cycles, based on data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC):

TUSOM's acceptance rate has ranged from 1.19% to 1.41% over the past four admissions cycles. That places it among the most selective medical schools in the country. According to the past four admissions cycles, only 190 students matriculate each year, regardless of how many people apply.

Between 2022 and 2024, applicant volume dropped by about 13% (from 15,925 to 13,443), which increased the acceptance rate slightly. The class size hasn't changed. And the school's selectivity remains difficult to get in.

How Hard Is It to Get Into TUSOM?

TUSOM is extremely difficult to get accepted to. Only 1.38% of applicants were accepted in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. You need to have a competitive GPA, MCAT score, and meaningful letters of recommendation, interview responses, and essays to even be considered for admission.

According to the AAMC, the national average acceptance rate for all accredited allopathic medical schools in the U.S. is 42.80%. TUSOM’s acceptance rate is roughly 31 times lower than the national acceptance rate.

What is UCLA DGSOM's Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Applicants?

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine’s out-of-state acceptance rate for 2024 was about 1.03%. Out-of-state candidates accounted for 5,843 of the total applications, with 60 matriculating. Out-of-state applicants represented 51.59% of the overall pool, showing UCLA DGSOM’s strong national appeal even as a public institution.

What Is TUSOM’s Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Applicants?

The out-of-state acceptance rate at TUSOM is 1.21%. In the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, TUSOM received 12,405 out-of-state applications and admitted 150 students.

Out-of-state applicants account for about 89.80% of the total applicant pool and face the steepest odds of any applicant group. Out-of-state applicants must bring exceptional academic credentials, meaningful clinical and research experience, and a specific narrative explaining why TUSOM's curriculum and mission align with their goals.

What Is TUSOM’s Acceptance Rate for International Students?

The international acceptance rate at TUSOM is 1.29%. In the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, TUSOM received 1,009 international applicants, of whom 13 matriculated.

International applicants represent about 7.30% of TUSOM's applicant pool and face odds slightly higher than out-of-state domestic applicants. International applicants who earn a seat typically bring distinctive research profiles or clinical experience that stand apart from the domestic applicant pool.

How Many People Apply to TUSOM Every Year?

TUSOM receives approximately 14,723 applications per year. (That’s the average number of applications received over the past four admissions cycles.) The average acceptance rate over the past four admissions cycles is 1.30%.

Secondary Application

Here are the secondary essay prompts for TUSOM’s 2026-2027 admissions cycle:

Tulane University School of Medicine's mission statement states: We improve human health and foster healthy communities through discovery and translation of the best science into clinical practice and education; to deliver the highest quality patient care and prepare the next generation of distinguished clinical and scientific leaders. Briefly describe the reasons for your interest in Tulane University School of Medicine. (150 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

The admissions committee uses this prompt to gauge whether someone has researched TUSOM specifically or is recycling a generic "why this school" response across applications. They can tell the difference immediately.

At 150 words, you get roughly eight to 10 sentences. Skip the opening sentence that restates the mission statement or says "I am excited to apply to Tulane." The admissions committee knows its mission statement. They know you're applying. Both sentences waste nearly 15 words and add nothing.

Instead, open with a direct connection between your goals and something TUSOM offers that few other schools do. Maybe it's the Community Health Clerkship. Maybe it's the dual-degree option in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Maybe it's the clinical exposure at University Medical Center New Orleans, which serves a patient population unlike that seen in most academic medical centers. Name the specific program and connect it to a specific experience or goal in one sentence.

The strongest 150-word responses typically make two concrete connections rather than listing five vague ones. One applicant linked her interest in tropical medicine research to TUSOM's global health programs and then connected her EMT experience in an underserved community to TUSOM's service-learning model. Two points, both specific, both grounded in her actual background. The admissions committee remembered her because the essay felt like a conversation with someone who had done her homework rather than a form letter.

What disparities in health do you believe are pertinent to the New Orleans patient population? How would you attempt to address them as a medical student at Tulane? You may support your answer by using past involvement working in a similar patient population to compare and/or describe your interest in any student activities offered at Tulane or in New Orleans. (150 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

The admissions committee uses this prompt to test two things simultaneously:

1. Whether you understand the health landscape of the community you’d be learning in

2. Whether you've thought about your role within it

New Orleans carries some of the highest rates of chronic disease, mental health burden, and environmental health exposure in the country. The population still bears long-term effects from Hurricane Katrina's displacement and healthcare infrastructure damage. Applicants who write about health disparities in general terms, without anchoring them to New Orleans specifically, show they haven't researched the city.

Pick one disparity and go deep. Maybe it's the disproportionate burden of cardiovascular disease in Black communities across Orleans Parish. Maybe it's the shortage of mental health providers since Katrina. Maybe it's the environmental health risks in communities near industrial corridors. Name it precisely.

Then make the connection to yourself. The prompt gives two options:

1. Draw from past experience with a similar population

2. Reference a TUSOM student activity you'd engage with

The first option is stronger if you have relevant experience. Describing volunteer work at a free clinic serving a predominantly low-income population and connecting those lessons to how you'd approach clinical training at University Medical Center carries more weight than listing a student organization you'd join.

If you don't have directly comparable experience, the second option works. Reference a specific TUSOM initiative, student-run clinic, or community partnership and explain how you'd contribute. Avoid vague commitments like "I would volunteer in the community." Name the organization, the population, and what you'd bring to it.

Who knows you best and how would they describe you? (150 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

The admissions committee wants to see you through someone else's eyes. The strongest responses sound as if they were written by the person being referenced. The weakest ones sound like the applicant listing their own best qualities and attributing them to a friend.

Name the person by relationship, not by name. "My research mentor" or "my older sister" establishes the dynamic immediately. Then describe what that person would say about you using language that feels authentic to the relationship. A sister doesn't describe you the way a professor does.

One applicant wrote that his college roommate of four years would describe him as "the person who stress-bakes banana bread at 2 AM before exams and then leaves it outside every door on the hall." The admissions committee learned more about that applicant's character from that single detail than from a paragraph about being "caring and community-oriented."

Avoid choosing someone who would describe you in purely academic or professional terms. The admissions committee already has your transcript and letters of recommendation. Choose someone who sees the version of you that doesn't show up in formal application materials. A childhood friend, a sibling, a teammate, or a long-term mentor all work well because those relationships demonstrate character over time rather than performance in a single context.

Also, avoid turning the response into a list of adjectives. "She would describe me as hardworking, compassionate, and dedicated" wastes a third of the word count and says nothing distinctive. Ground every descriptor in a specific behavior or story that only this person would know.

Please list any leadership positions (clubs, organizations, paid work) you may have held. (150 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

The prompt says "list," which might tempt you to format this as a plain, resume-style rundown of titles and dates. The 150-word limit creates space for something more useful.

For each role, add a short phrase that captures the scope, impact, or responsibility. The admissions committee can't evaluate "President, Biology Club" without knowing what that presidency involved.

Structure each entry as the role and organization, followed by one sentence of context.

For example, "Vice President, Campus EMS — managed scheduling for 40 volunteer EMTs and redesigned the training protocol for new members" tells the admissions committee far more than the title alone. Prioritize roles where you held real responsibility over roles where the title was ceremonial.

Place the most relevant leadership experiences first. If a role connects directly to healthcare, teamwork, or community service, it belongs at the top. A paid management position at a restaurant still counts if it involved supervising a team, handling conflict, or making operational decisions. The admissions committee evaluates leadership capability, not just leadership in medical contexts.

Admissions officers have read enough applications to recognize when "founded a nonprofit" means "created an Instagram page that posted twice." Honest descriptions of meaningful contributions in modest roles outperform exaggerated descriptions of inflated ones every time.

If you have more leadership experiences than 150 words can cover, select four or five that demonstrate range. Showing leadership across different domains (academic, clinical, extracurricular, professional) paints a fuller picture than listing seven roles within the same organization.

Please list your hobbies and major non-academic interests. (150 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

Applicants consistently underestimate this prompt. Many treat it as a throwaway, listing five or six common hobbies without elaboration. The admissions committee reads thousands of these responses and remembers the ones with texture and personality.

Instead of writing "cooking," write "recreating regional Vietnamese recipes from my grandmother's handwritten notebook."

Instead of "fitness," write "training for my third half-marathon after failing to finish my first one in 2022."

Specificity makes applicants memorable, and memorable applicants get discussed in the admissions conversation.

Give each hobby or interest one to two sentences. The first sentence names the interest with enough detail to distinguish it. The second sentence adds a layer that the admissions committee wouldn't expect.

For example, an applicant who listed "competitive crossword puzzles" and then mentioned placing in a regional tournament stood out not because crosswords are impressive but because the specificity signaled authenticity.

Avoid listing hobbies that sound like resume items in disguise. "Volunteering at the children's hospital" is an extracurricular activity, not a hobby. The admissions committee is looking for evidence of a full, balanced life outside of medicine. Interests that have nothing to do with healthcare often strengthen an application more than those that reinforce a single-track identity.

Also, avoid listing so many interests that none of them feel real. Five well-chosen hobbies with brief context outperform twelve single-word entries. Quality and specificity beat quantity in a prompt designed to reveal personality.

Tulane University School of Medicine values the diversity of its patients, faculty, staff, and students. Do you identify with a particular group that you believe is underrepresented among medical professionals? These include groups oriented around, but not limited to: ethnicity, race, sexuality, religion, disability, and economic background. (60 words)

How to Approach This Prompt

Sixty words is roughly three to four sentences. There is no room for narrative, buildup, or extended reflection here. The admissions committee wants to just collect your identity information here, so don’t write a mini essay.

State your identification directly in the first sentence. "I identify as a first-generation college student from a low-income, rural community in Appalachia." Then use the remaining words to add one layer of context about how that identity shapes your perspective on medicine or healthcare access.

Don't try to tell a story. Don't try to explain your entire background. One clear statement of identity plus one sentence connecting it to your medical aspirations is the right scope for this word count.

Skip this prompt if you don't identify with a group you believe is underrepresented in medicine. The admissions committee will not penalize applicants for leaving it blank, and writing a response that stretches or manufactures an underrepresented identity reads as inauthentic.

Applicants who genuinely hold these identities should claim the space. Applicants who don't should leave it for those who do.

In what ways did the COVID-19 pandemic alter or interrupt your medical school application? (No word limit)

How to Approach This Prompt

The admissions committee provides this prompt so applicants can contextualize genuine pandemic-related gaps or changes. A canceled MCAT test that pushed back your entire application cycle. A research lab closure that ended a project before completion. A family financial crisis triggered by the pandemic forced you to work full-time during a semester. Clinical volunteering hours that disappeared overnight. These are the kinds of disruptions the prompt was built to address.

Be direct and factual. State what was disrupted, when it happened, and what you did in response. The admissions committee doesn't need an emotional account of how difficult the pandemic was for you. They need to understand how a specific disruption affected a specific part of your application and what steps you took to recover.

Keep the response proportional to the disruption. A two-sentence explanation of a canceled volunteer program is appropriate. A three-paragraph essay about general pandemic anxiety is not.

Skip this prompt if the pandemic didn't create a specific gap or anomaly in your application. Only write here if you need to explain something the admissions committee would otherwise question.

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Into Tulane University School of Medicine

Write About Three Activities Extensively in Your AMCAS Work and Activities to Meet Tulane's Quality Over Quantity Standard

Pick two or three activities in the AMCAS Work and Activities section and explain them well, rather than listing 15 shallow experiences. Tulane states "quality over quantity" twice on its selection factors page, applying it explicitly to leadership, community service, and research. Most applicants do the opposite, padding their applications with every club they’ve ever been involved in without showing significant depth or purpose.

Roughly 90% of matriculants applied to TUSOM with significant research experience on their application. So write your research descriptions as if you're presenting at a journal club, not writing a resume.

Tulane values applicants who "articulate the goal of the project and the importance of the research activity," so lead with the research question, your specific role, and what you found. TUSOM's selection factors page explicitly warns against applicants who "check off boxes" rather than those who are "dedicated to their chosen experiences."

Use your three Most Meaningful Experiences slots on activities where you have real depth to showcase. If you can't fill 1,325 characters with a specific, concrete reflection about an experience, it doesn't belong in that section. Reviewers will notice the difference between a candidate who lived an experience and one who collected it.

Name a Specific New Orleans Health Disparity and Tulane Student-Run Clinic in Your Secondary Essay

Start your secondary essays with a specific Orleans Parish health statistic, link it to one named Tulane student-run clinic, and ground both in your own relevant volunteering experience.

That structure turns 150 words into a memorable answer to the secondary prompt asking what disparities in health you believe are pertinent to the New Orleans patient population.

Research real data from the Tulane Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment. Orleans Parish consistently posts higher uninsured rates than the Louisiana state average, and the city faces distinct burdens around:

• HIV prevalence
• Maternal health
• Chronic disease in historically under-resourced neighborhoods

Pick one disparity and write about how you’re passionate about treating it.

Then connect the disparity to a specific Tulane student-run clinic where you'd contribute, such as:

• Fleur de Vie at NOELA Community Health Center for specialty care access
• Bridge House Wednesday Clinic for addiction medicine
• Ozanam Inn or New Orleans Mission for the homeless health
• Tulane Street Health Response for outreach to the unsheltered population

Name the clinic, name the patient population, and tie it back to your own work with a comparable community. Generic answers about wanting to "serve the underserved" won't stand out.

Roughly 83% of matriculants in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle had community service experience on their application. So use this as your opportunity to connect your education goals to your actual lived experiences.

For even more volunteering tips for medical school, check out the video below.

Reference the TRuMEd Scholarship in Your Why Tulane Essay if You Want to Practice Rural Primary Care in Louisiana

If you're a Louisiana resident committed to rural primary care, name the Tulane Rural Medical Education (TRuMEd) in your "Why Tulane" essay. The TRuMEd program offers scholarships to support Louisiana residents pursuing a career in primary care medicine and to establish a clinical practice in a rural or small-town community in Louisiana.

TRuMEd scholars may receive a full tuition waiver for up to four years of medical school at Tulane. Most applicants never mention it.

Louisiana faces a severe shortage of rural physicians. And Tulane has built a direct pathway for students who plan to practice primary care in a rural or small-town Louisiana community after training. Your 150-word "reasons for your interest in Tulane" essay is the right place to talk about the TRuMEd program.

Write about your rural or community health experience, connect it to a specific Louisiana parish or region you want to support, and state that TRuMEd aligns with your post-residency plans.

Only refer to TRuMEd when your story actually supports it. If you grew up in rural Louisiana, shadowed a family medicine physician in a small town, or volunteered at a rural clinic, that makes the reference credible.

Pair a Humanities Experience With Your Science Work in Your Personal Statement to Show Humanism and Academic Rigor

Prepare at least one anecdote in your personal statement around a humanities, arts, or social science experience that shaped how you think about patients. Tulane's selection factors page describes the ideal applicant as someone who balances "humanism and academic rigor" through "rigorous interdisciplinary pursuit of academics and of sciences and humanities." That phrasing appears across multiple Tulane admissions pages. Most personal statements lean into the science side. Yours shouldn't.

Interestingly, nearly 36% of TUSOM matriculants were non-science/majors. It’s evident that TUSOM values interdisciplinary medical students — not just those obsessed with science subjects.

Even if you are a science/math major, write about:

• A philosophy course that reframed your view on medical ethics
• A literature seminar that sharpened your capacity for narrative and empathy
• A medical anthropology class that deepened your grasp of social determinants of health

Then connect the experience back to a clinical or research moment where you applied that mindset.

The point isn't proving you're well-rounded. The point is proving the specific Tulane thesis that humanism and scientific rigor strengthen each other. Show the admissions committee how your humanities experience made you a better observer, listener, or scientist. One concrete story beats three paragraphs of abstract reflection.

Rehearse a Standardized Patient Encounter Before Your TUSOM Interview Day

Run through three or four mock standardized patient encounters before your TUSOM interview day. TUSOM's interview process includes:

• A faculty interview
• A standardized patient interaction
• A more informal conversation with a current medical student

Standardized patient encounters simulate a real clinical conversation. Forget diagnosis and treatment. Evaluators look for these qualities when assessing your answers:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• Non-judgmental questioning
• Your ability to communicate clearly with someone who may be anxious, in pain, or presenting with an emotionally loaded chief complaint

In our webinar on preparing for med school interviews, Dr. Chiamaka Okorie, a former admissions officer at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine and expert advisor at Inspira Advantage, provides helpful advice for the interview stage:

“Once you reach the interview, admissions committee members can't mention grades anymore,” she says. “I can only discuss who I think they are. A 507 MCAT can beat a 525 when the applicant connects to each interviewer better.”

Pair up with a pre-med friend or mentor and run realistic scenarios, such as:

• A patient who’s reluctant to disclose substance use
• A patient receiving difficult news
• A patient who disagrees with a recommendation

Focus on open-ended questions, reflective listening, and comfortable silences. Watch your body language on camera since all TUSOM interviews in the 2026-2027 admissions cycle are held virtually.

MD Programs Offered

Here are all the MD pathways that TUSOM offers students.

Tuition and Scholarships

For the MD programs, tuition at TUSOM in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle was $38,566. When you factor in other fees, such as the academic support fee, student activity fee, recreation center fee, and campus health fee, you can expect to pay $40,891.

How Much Does TUSOM Cost for 4 Years?

At $40,891 per year in tuition and fees, TUSOM costs approximately $163,564 to attend for the full four-year MD program. This is a relatively low cost of attendance, considering some other medical schools cost well over $200,000 for four years.

Scholarships

TUSOM awards merit-based scholarships to many students each year based on grades, community service history, and leadership qualities. You don't submit a separate application for these awards. All admitted students are automatically considered. And the admissions committee selects recipients during the review process.

The largest single scholarship at TUSOM is TRuMEd. TRuMEd scholars may receive a full tuition waiver for up to four years of medical school in exchange for committing to primary care practice in a rural or small-town Louisiana community after residency. For students interested in military medicine, the Health Professions Scholarship Program covers civilian medical school tuition and fees and provides a monthly living stipend through the Army, Navy, or Air Force.

Tulane University School of Medicine Application Timeline

Tulane uses rolling admissions. That means the admissions committee reviews and extends decisions as completed applications arrive. Applying early gives you an advantage because TUSOM reviews and invites chronologically. Interview slots fill as the cycle progresses.

Here is the complete application timeline for TUSOM:]

FAQs

Does TUSOM Require the Casper Test?

TUSOM does not require the Casper test. However, they encourage all MD program applicants to complete the CASPer and DUET value-alignment assessment. But applications will be reviewed, and interview invitations will be extended with or without either score. You can sign up for Casper after submitting your application. You can even take it after your secondary is complete.

What Grading System Does TUSOM Use?

TUSOM uses a Pass/Fail grading system for the pre-clinical years and a tiered system for clinical rotations. During the first two years of medical school, students are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. For third- and fourth-year clinical clerkships, Tulane uses an Honors/High Pass/Pass/Condition/Fail system. Two-week rotations are graded on a Pass/Fail basis, while four-week rotations use the full tiered scale. No numerical grades for any course are reported externally. Official transcripts show only the letter grade earned.

Does TUSOM Have a Minimum GPA or MCAT Score to Receive a Secondary Application?

No, TUSOM does not have a minimum GPA or MCAT score requirement to receive a secondary application or an interview invitation. However, TUSOM does have recommended ranges for applicants to consider. Falling outside these ranges doesn't automatically disqualify you. But it indicates that the admissions committee is starting to look more critically at your file.

Does TUSOM Consider Multiple MCAT Scores?

TUSOM considers multiple MCAT attempts and uses your highest total score. Scores must be from within the last three years to be valid. Retaking the MCAT won't hurt you at Tulane the way it might at schools that average scores or flag multiple attempts negatively. If your first score falls below the 75th percentile of matriculants, a strong retake can meaningfully change your competitiveness.

How Many Students Does TUSOM Interview Each Year?

TUSOM interviews roughly 585 to 600 candidates each admissions cycle for 190 seats. Interview invitations go out in blocks from July through February. And the admissions committee reviews them chronologically and invites accordingly. If you don't receive an invitation by the first week of March, all slots are full, and you'll receive a rejection letter. Book your interview date as soon as you receive your invitation; scheduling is on a first-come, first-served basis.