Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Reviewed: 4/13/22
Are you ready to gain admission to the Pritzker School of Medicine? Read on to learn more and get the competitive edge you need!
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is a popular choice for medical school applicants. Ranked #20 in the U.S. News medical school rankings, Pritzker upholds a prestigious reputation and is considered a challenging school to get into.
If you’re looking for tips on how to get into the Pritzker, look no further. This is your ultimate guide to getting into Pritzker; let’s get started!
Before applying to medical school, you should always research your target schools. Here we'll outline what you need to know about Pritzker.
Since 1927, Pritzker has focused on developing its world-renowned research institutions and academic programs. Pritzker’s mission statement is as follows:
“At the University of Chicago, in an atmosphere of interdisciplinary scholarship and discovery, the Pritzker School of Medicine is dedicated to inspiring diverse students of exceptional promise to become leaders and innovators in science and medicine for the betterment of humanity.”
The school takes its name from the Pritzker family, who have made sizable donations to the school.
Pritzker mainly operates on a pass/fail grading system, except for the third year of your four-year program. According to Pritzker, during the third year (or the “clerkship year”), students are given the grade of Honors, High Pass, Pass, or Fail.
According to Pritzker, their pass/fail and uncurved grading systems have resulted in a highly collaborative and supportive learning environment.
Pritzker offers multiple programs that allow MD students to incorporate their academic interests. Here are the MD program options at Pritzker.
*Important Note: Each combined degree program requires two separate admissions and financial aid applications.
Beyond the degrees mentioned above, Pritzker offers several types of Medical Science and combined PhD degrees. For more information on Pritzker’s program options, refer to their website.
To ensure you have enough time to complete your application, follow the Pritzker MD application timeline. You should begin preparing for medical school applications during your college years by taking prerequisite courses, volunteering, taking the MCAT, and building up your experience.
Here are some Pritzker medical school deadlines you should know:
If you’re accepted to multiple schools, you have until the end of April to decide which one to attend.
We’ll outline Pritzker’s MD program admission requirements. Remember, separate admission and financial aid applications are required for combined MD programs, meaning these degrees have additional requirements.
Pritzker medical school applicants must complete 90 credit hours from an accredited four-year degree-granting U.S. or Canadian college or university. Although a bachelor’s degree isn’t required, it’s highly preferred.
Pritzker doesn’t technically have prerequisite courses but requires high competency levels in relevant topics. Pritzker’s required competencies are:
Although Pritzker doesn’t require completing these recommended courses, it does require competency in each subject.
Although Pritzker doesn’t have a minimum MCAT score, it’s a competitive school. The MCAT score percentile range of incoming students is 68th-100th, which means students scored between 507 and 528 (according to AAMC percentile rankings).
Pritzker doesn’t have a minimum GPA requirement. The GPAs of the entering class can be used as a jumping-off point, which ranges from 3.2 to 4.0 for Science GPA and 3.3 to 4.0 for cumulative GPA.
During the Pritzker School of Medicine application process, every student who applies through AMCAS receives a secondary application via email. The secondary application requires a (waivable) fee of $85 and must be submitted with letters of recommendation.
Pritzker requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation, one of which must be a committee letter, composite letter, or premedical advisor’s letter. Your Pritzker medical school recommendations are submitted with your secondary application.
If you’re submitting individual letters, it’s recommended that two of them should come from the science faculty.
If your primary and secondary applications are successful, you’ll be invited to an interview. Pritzker doesn’t offer much information about their interview process but states that information is given to invited individuals.
To prepare for a Pritzker interview, try watching mock interviews, practicing with a friend, or enlisting the help of an interview coach.
The Pritzker School of Medicine’s acceptance rate is 1.39%. Although Pritzker is a highly competitive school, the acceptance rate has slightly improved in recent years. In a recent application cycle, 6,395 people applied to Pritzker for one of the 90 available spots.
As a potential Pritzker student, you may wonder who you’ll be studying alongside. Let’s look at Pritzker's class profile and other helpful statistics.
The entering class at Pritzker is composed of 80 MD and 9 MD/PhD students. Of those students, 78% come from out of state, and 35% belong to groups that are underrepresented in medicine.
The average MCAT score of the Pritzker entering class ranges from 507 to 528. Additionally, the cumulative GPA for Pritzker students currently ranges from 3.2 to 4.0.
Only 29% didn’t take at least one gap year before applying.
Tuition at Pritzker costs $58,836 for the first two years (three quarters each) and $78,063 for the final two years. However, your tuition doesn’t factor in other costs such as books, room and board, transportation, insurance, personal expenses, and more.
Factoring in these variables, Pritzker estimates that the total cost of attending is $89,979 in years one and two, $111,662 in year three, and $112,690 in year four. Remember that these are estimates – depending on your lifestyle and needs, these costs may be greater or lesser.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your Pritzker application, look no further. Here are our top tips for getting into the UChicago Pritzker medical school.
UChicago Pritzker doesn’t have a minimum GPA, MCAT, or prerequisite course requirements. However, this isn’t a sign that you don’t have to push yourself as hard academically.
Our number one tip isn’t to take these recommendations lightly. You should take every course, lab, extracurricular, and opportunity to show your commitment to attending Pritzker. Remember, this is a highly competitive school, so you should do everything you can to strategically position yourself as a stellar candidate.
You should do plenty of research on Pritzker’s history and what it has to offer. This is especially important for your interviews, as you’ll likely be asked why you want to attend Pritzker or what drew you to the MD program.
You should express yourself genuinely in your personal statement, supplemental essays, interviews, and anytime you get the chance. Express why you love medicine and are passionate about Pritzker, and tell your story.
Pritzker encourages diversity and devotes a lot of resources to the community. Connecting your personal journey and passions to the school helps the admissions committee get to know you and can ultimately help you get admitted to Pritzker.
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the Pritzker medical school.
Pritzker tuition costs $58,836 for the first two years and $78,063 for years three and four of a four-year degree.
Yes, Pritzker is considered a competitive and highly prestigious medical school. It is ranked number 20 in the U.S. News world medical school rankings.
Pritzker is known as the best medical school in Chicago. Pritzker is known for its research programs and academic excellence.
Yes, the Pritzker School of Medicine offers several combined MD programs, including MD/MBA, MD/MA, MD/MPH, MD/MS, and MD/PhD degrees.
The standard MD program at Pritzker takes four years to complete. However, the several combined MD degrees offered at Pritzker take at least five years to complete, depending on your course load.
Pritzker’s pass/fail grading system makes it unique and fosters student collaboration. It’s also one of the few medical schools located physically on a university campus.
The Pritzker School of Medicine is an option for any medical student, especially if you’re particularly interested in research. Pritzker is a competitive school, so your application should show your passion, leadership skills, and academic achievements.
If you’re ever stuck at any point in the application cycle, reach out to an admissions expert to help get you into your dream medical school. Good luck!
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