Rush Medical College: Acceptance Rate, MCAT & Strategies
Rush Medical College has a 3.59% acceptance rate, average MCAT of 510, and average GPA of 3.72. Learn what it takes to get in and admissions tips for 2026.
Learn what it takes to get into RUSH Medical College
Rush Medical College: overview and mission
Rush Medical College quick facts
Rush Medical College tuition and financial aid
Rush Medical College class profile: average MCAT and GPA (2025–2026)
Rush Medical College location: Chicago's Illinois Medical District
Rush Medical College curriculum: the “flipped classroom” model
Rush Medical College secondary essays: prompts and strategy
Rush Medical College interview: format and preparation
Rush Medical College frequently asked questions
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Rush Medical College: overview and mission
Rush Medical College (RMC) at Rush University was founded in 1837 as one of the first medical campuses in the Midwest. With its location in a rich urban setting in Chicago’s Cook County and at the internationally acclaimed Rush University Medical Center within the Illinois Medical District, Rush Medical College’s medical students boast a strong education serving diverse patient populations.
Since its foundation, Rush Medical College has established itself as one of the leading medical institutions focused on service and aiding the community. The Rush community service initiatives program, established in 1991, has helped students care for underserved populations and learn the nuances of providing targeted care and social services based on the needs of a complex community.
Beyond just service, RMC takes pride in being at the forefront of research with over 150 NIH research grants and over 1600 projects to expand scientific and medical knowledge.
RMC is an institution that has established excellence in multiple areas of interest. It nurtures students’ curiosity and development in various areas and thus cultivates a new generation of physicians who can address the demands of a constantly evolving healthcare landscape. With all its accolades and RMC’s over 13,000 applicants a year, it is no wonder you would be worried about your chances of achieving admission at this institution.
In this guide, we will help provide you with pertinent information we have acquired over our numerous years of experience getting students into RMC. Within the rest of this guide, we will shed more light on the admissions process specific to RMC. We will delve into the nitty gritty details of programs, admissions data, and requirements to help you understand what it takes to impress the admissions committee. Finally, we will dive into RMC’s secondary application prompts.
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Rush Medical College quick facts
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Rush Medical College tuition and financial aid
It’s no secret that medical school is financially expensive, and RUSH does not deviate from this norm. For the 2026—2027 academic year, RMC’s tuition fees for first-year students is approximately $72,875. The estimated total cost of attendance, including books, housing, etc., comes out to significantly more. Given this, RMC provides financial aid in the form of loans and gives out both needs-based and merit-based scholarships that students are considered for automatically through the admissions process. Additionally, the RMC Office of Financial Aid will communicate directly to students about any grants and scholarships that require additional application.
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Rush Medical College location: Chicago's Illinois Medical District
Let's be honest – when you're evaluating medical schools, location matters more than people admit, and Rush gives you one of the best deals in American medicine with a world-class training environment inside one of the country's most exciting cities.
Rush University Medical Center sits in the Illinois Medical District near Chicago's Loop, the largest urban medical district in the nation. From day one, you're not just in a hospital; you're at the center of a hub of leading-edge patient care, research, and education that has earned an impressive collection of national distinctions.
Rush’s iconic butterfly-shaped Tower building opened in 2012 and was literally designed from the inside out, with Rush's own nurses and doctors collaborating with architects to build the right environment for high-quality patient care.
Beyond the campus, Chicago delivers globally renowned museums, stunning architecture, miles of Lake Michigan beachfront, and a rich mosaic of neighborhoods welcoming to people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
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Rush Medical College curriculum: the “flipped classroom” model
If you've ever sat in a lecture hall for eight hours while someone talked at you and wondered whether there was a better way to learn medicine, Rush Medical College agrees with you, and they've done something about it.
Rush was one of the first medical schools in the United States to fully "flip" its curriculum, eliminating traditional classroom lectures entirely. Instead of sitting in a lecture hall absorbing information passively, you study the core content on your own time, through online animated videos, audio recordings, selected readings, and exercises, and then come to class ready to actually use what you've learned.
Class time at Rush is spent in small groups, working through real-life case studies with faculty acting less as lecturers and more as facilitators The Dean of Rush Medical College has described it as moving from being a "sage on the stage" to a "guide on the side."
Traditional medical school curricula present two years of classroom learning followed by two years of clinical rotations. But this can delay the moment when the science you're learning actually connects to real patients in front of you.
Rush's curriculum is designed to close that gap much earlier. From your first year, coursework is organized around organ systems and emphasizes clinical application of basic science alongside early patient interaction, supported by hands-on simulation work in the Rush Center for Clinical Skills and Simulation. By the time you finish your pre-clerkship training and step into your clinical rotations, you're ready to work and make a meaningful impact on patients.
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Rush Medical College class profile: average MCAT and GPA (2025–2026)
Getting into medical school is hard no matter where you go, with fewer than half of applicants gaining acceptance at 44.4%. Gaining acceptance is difficult even as a competitive candidate. To help clear up some of the picture, we have provided admissions statistics for the entering class of 2025 at RMC:
Primary Applications received: 13,327
Completed applications: 7,935
Average cumulative GPA: 3.72
Average MCAT: 510
Interviews offered: 450
Illinois residents: 55
Out-of-State residents: 395
Number of matriculants: 144
Illinois residents: 31
Out-of-State residents: 113
It is important to note that these numbers are just averages; some students were accepted with a wide range of scores, and numbers are not the end-all-be-all. It also requires mentioning that RMC’s dedication to service is intertwined in its application process, and successful applicants boast many meaningful volunteer service hours. As such, to succeed in pursuing an admission letter from RMC, you should demonstrate commitment to community work, service, and caring for underserved communities in your application.
(Suggested reading: Average GPA and MCAT Score for Every Medical School)
(Suggested reading: How to Choose the Right Extracurricular Activities for Medical School)
RMC admissions requirements
While RMC does not explicitly require any specific coursework, beginning with the 2025-2026 application cycle, the following coursework will be required:
One year of biology (with a lab)
Including one semester of cell biology
One year of chemistry (with a lab)
One semester of biochemistry
One semester of organic chemistry
Two semesters of physics (This requirement can be filled with AP credit.)
One semester of algebra or a higher-level mathematics course (This requirement can be filled with AP credit.)
One year of English Composition
An exposure to humanities and social sciences is also recommended
While no specific coursework is required yet, we advise completing the abovementioned coursework.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Requirements: The Definitive Guide)
Additionally, RMC has specific GPA and MCAT cutoffs for applicant consideration that are based on your GPA/MCAT combination:
If you are in the 2.99-3.19 GPA range, the minimum MCAT score you can earn is 510.
If you are in the 3.20-3.59 GPA range, the minimum MCAT score you can earn is 506.
If you are in the 3.60-3.79 GPA range, the minimum MCAT score you can earn is 502.
If you are in the 3.80+ GPA range, the minimum MCAT score you can earn is 500.
Successful applicant attributes
Beyond just complex numbers, RMC has provided a list of attributes that they look for in their applicants:
Academic excellence
Professionalism, integrity, and ethics
Communication and teamwork
Community service orientation
Clinical experience
Leadership
Resilience and adaptability
Reliability and dependability
Letters of recommendation
Along with all the other components of the RMC application, RMC places high importance on letters of recommendation to understand your qualities and attributes as described by someone else. RMC accepts one of the following options for letters of recommendation:
One pre-medical committee letter (if offered, this is preferred)
One letter packet
Three individual letters with the following classifications:
Academic letter: to speak to your educational capabilities from either a science or non-science faculty
Professional, non-academic letter: from someone who has worked with you and can speak to your soft skills (resilience, social skills, reliability, cultural competence, and service orientation). Examples: work supervisor, volunteer supervisor, physician shadowed, etc
Personal letter: from someone who can assess your personal qualities and address your goals and aspirations for a medical career. It should not be from friends or family.
If you choose the individual letters option, you can provide no more than three letters. If you submit more than three, you’ll be asked which three you want to be considered for your application.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Letters of Recommendation: The Definitive Guide)
RMC application timeline
This subsection gives a brief overview of the timeline for your application to RMC and the dates to keep handy in your back pocket.
Earliest MCAT test date acceptable: January 2024
Latest MCAT test date acceptable for Early Decision applicants: June 27, 2026
Rush begins to extend secondary application invites: July, 2026
Deadline to submit AMCAS application as Early Decision: August 3, 2026
Interviews conducted: Early September, 2026 through end of February, 2027
Latest MCAT test date acceptable: September 12, 2026
Admissions decisions made for early decision applicants: September 30, 2026
AMCAS application deadline: October 1, 2026
Admissions decisions begin: October 15, 2026
Deadline to submit Rush secondary application: Nov. 13, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Central Time)
(Suggested reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline)
How are Rush Medical College applications evaluated?
Once you have successfully submitted your primary application, secondary application, and supplemental materials (e.g., letters of recommendation, situational judgment tests, etc.), your application will be reviewed as a whole by the admissions committee, where you will not only be assessed based off your academic numbers but also by your other attributes and skills that are more difficult to condense into a number. The decision as to whether you will or won’t be extended an interview is not so straightforward as the multiple components of the application lends itself to a more holistic process.
If you make it through the interview stage, your entire application will be reviewed again with your interview day performance. You will be stacked against the rest of your application cohort in the cycle thus far, and a decision will be made with a ranking on a list. At the end of the review process, you will either be offered admission or a position on the waitlist (which is constantly revised and reevaluated until the end of the cycle).
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Rush Medical College secondary essays: prompts and strategy
Once you have successfully submitted your primary application, RMC will send you their secondary application, in which you will answer their specific questions. The secondary application is the place to highlight your different skills, attributes, and competencies while also detailing how these do or can apply to RMC. Remember the list of attributes that RMC is seeking that we shared above. Successful applicants help showcase these attributes in this secondary application.
In the rest of this section, we will review the specific secondary essay questions RMC asks and example responses. After these, we will also go into why these responses are effective.
Question 1: Rush Medical College is located on Chicago’s Near West Side and serves a diverse patient population. We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us about a life experience that has broadened your own world view or enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from this experience. (1,000 characters)
This is the classic example of the “diversity” essay that many schools like to ask in their secondary applications. The best responses to these questions not only specifically answer the question but also add a little more to shed light on how their attributes or traits mentioned in the response can come back and specifically contribute to RMC as an institution and the student body as a whole.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Secondary Essays the Complete Guide)
Here is an example of an effective response to this question:
I began studying Spanish at the age of 7. My grandmother was from Mexico and hardly spoke English. I wanted to be able to talk to her, so I begged my parents to enroll me in Spanish classes. My mother was raised in the USA, so she decided to come along with me to classes in order to improve her Spanish skills as well.
Our class was located next to an ESL class that many children my age were taking. They often came to class in old clothes and shoes with holes in them. Seeing their situation made me want to help and forced me to confront the privilege I had. I went to a private school, spoke English, and had ample opportunities. After talking with my mom, I set up a fundraiser to help raise money to give to these children in need. We were ultimately able to pay their class tuition so they could attend ESL classes for free. I hope to carry this passion for helping others into my practice as a physician.
What makes this an effective response?
This student directly answered the specific question (asking for an example of an experience that has enabled them to understand those who are different from the student). They shared an example of a time when they noticed people nearby who were very different, which caused the student to realize their privilege.
In turn, the student related this experience to how they hope to practice medicine. By bringing this same awareness to their practice as a physician, they’ve shared an ability to take notice of those who aren’t as fortunate.
Furthermore, this student showed a strong desire to help those who are less fortunate.
Question 2: "Distance traveled" is the metaphorical distance that represents the journey an applicant undertakes throughout their life, encompassing achievements, personal identity, and the competencies developed along the way. The Committee on Admissions seeks and values the skills and competencies that applicants develop as a result of their individual experiences, and recognizes them as desired and essential attributes of a future physician.
Based on your experiences and your distance traveled, please describe any adversities, challenges, and/or marginalized experiences that you have encountered.
2a. Please describe the effect of these adversities, challenges, and/or marginalized experiences on you as an individual. Explain how you overcame them, what skills you built, what lessons you learned, and how these experiences motivated you to be a doctor.
2b. Can you describe a time when you recognized your privilege and used it to promote health equity? Please share specific initiatives, projects, or actions in which you were involved in and the impact they had. (Optional)
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Rush Medical College interview: format and preparation
RMC currently conducts its interviews virtually on Wednesdays from September through February. The interview is the time for RMC to gain information about you and ask more questions/clarify some of your application materials while also assessing your qualities.
The following questions are some standard questions that RMC asks its applicants:
Why do you want to pursue a career in medicine?
How would you describe yourself?
Why do you want to come to RUSH?
Explain <activity on your application>
<ethical question>
What are your hobbies?
While these questions seem straightforward, it can be easy to stumble through a clunky response. Don’t be afraid to take a breath and think before answering immediately. Also, we recommend reading through all the components of your application again in preparation to be asked to provide any additional details.
Rush Medical College post-interview strategy
You've just logged off from your Rush interview, and suddenly the nervous energy that carried you through the conversation evaporates into an uncomfortable silence. Maybe you're replaying that one answer you stumbled over, or maybe you're feeling cautiously optimistic about the connection you made with your interviewer. Either way, you're probably wondering, “What now? Is there anything I can do, or is my fate entirely out of my hands?”
The truth is, you do have some agency in this process, even after your interview is over. The admissions committee has spent time getting to know you, but a little bit of thoughtful engagement can go a long way.
Sending a thank you note to Rush Medical College
In the day or two after your interview, while the conversation is still fresh in both your mind and your interviewer's, take some time to write a thank you note. This small gesture can make a real difference, not because it's a box to check, but because it's a chance to extend the human connection you started during your interview.
Think about a moment during your conversation that genuinely moved you or excited you about Rush. Maybe your interviewer shared a story about working with underserved patients that aligned perfectly with why you want to become a doctor. Maybe you learned about a specific program that made something click in your mind.
Keep your note concise. Remember, you're simply saying thank you and pointing to one specific thing that resonated. The tone should feel like you're writing to someone you genuinely appreciated speaking with. It’s best to send your note within 24 to 48 hours after your interview. Within this timeframe, the conversation is still alive in everyone's memory.
Should I send an update letter to Rush Medical College?
In the weeks after your interview, before you’ve received a decision from Rush, you might find yourself obsessively checking your email and questioning whether you should reach out. Just because it can seem like forever before you hear anything doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten about you. But it can help to send an update letter to register your continued interest and remain fresh in the adcom members’ minds.
The key here is to only make sure you’re sharing significant updates. We're talking about winning a major research award, publishing a paper, receiving a meaningful promotion, completing a substantial service project, or other accomplishments that materially strengthen your candidacy.
What doesn't warrant an update? Getting a slightly higher grade in your current coursework, adding a few more shadowing hours, or general expressions of continued interest without new information. These things won't really change the committee's evaluation of your application enough to justify the communication.
Rush makes the process of submitting updates straightforward by accepting them throughout the entire application cycle through their applicant portal. When you have meaningful news to share, save your document as a PDF and upload it using the "Updates" tab in your applicant portal. Make sure your document title uses only letters and numbers. Don't include periods, dashes, hyphens, underscores, or special characters in the filename, or the system may have trouble processing your upload. Something like "UpdateJanuary2025JohnSmith" works perfectly fine.
Keep your update brief and focused. Share your accomplishment in a few sentences and explain why it's relevant to your candidacy.
Should I send a letter of intent to Rush Medical College?
If you’re placed on the waitlist at Rush, and it truly is the place you most want to be, a letter of intent can be powerful. You're telling the admissions committee that if they offer you a seat, you will accept it immediately and withdraw from everywhere else. You're saying, "This is where I belong."
So why would Rush be that school for you? Maybe you learned about a special program at Rush that excited you. Maybe you walked away from your interview day with a clear vision of yourself learning medicine in exactly that environment. Whatever your reasons, they need to be concrete and unique to Rush. Generic statements about prestige or reputation won't cut it here. The committee needs to feel that you understand what makes Rush distinct and that those specific qualities align with who you are and who you want to become.
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Rush Medical College frequently asked questions
What is the acceptance rate at Rush Medical College?
Rush Medical College has an acceptance rate of approximately 3.59%, with 144 students matriculating from a pool of over 13,327 applicants in the most recent cycle. Only 450 applicants were invited to interview, giving the school a 3.37% interview invitation rate, meaning getting an interview here is itself a significant achievement.
What MCAT score do I need for Rush Medical College?
The average MCAT score among matriculants is 510, and Rush has a published minimum MCAT score of 500 for consideration (based on your reported GPA). Rush evaluates the MCAT holistically alongside the rest of your application, so while 510 is the average, a strong overall profile can support a score that falls somewhat below that mark.
What GPA do I need to get into Rush Medical College?
The average GPA among enrolled students is 3.72, and Rush publishes specific GPA and MCAT combination thresholds. For example, if your GPA falls between 3.20 and 3.59, you'll need a minimum MCAT of 506, and if your GPA is between 2.99 and 3.19, the minimum MCAT rises to 510.
Does Rush Medical College require CASPer?
No. While RMC has required CASPer in previous admission cycles, as of the incoming class of Fall 2027, CASPer is no longer required or recommended for admission to Rush.
What is the interview format at Rush Medical College?
Rush uses a traditional interview format rather than the MMI, and interviews are conducted virtually. The interview is RMC’s opportunity to learn more about you as a candidate, asking questions to clarify some of your application materials while also assessing your qualities. Interview invitations will begin in August and continue through February.
Does Rush Medical College prefer Illinois residents?
No. Rush is a private institution with no residency preference, and the class profile reflects this. 78.47% of matriculants come from outside Illinois, with only 21.53% being Illinois residents. You are evaluated on exactly the same criteria regardless of where you live.
Does Rush Medical College have an Early Decision Program?
Yes. Rush offers an Early Decision Program with its own set of deadlines, including an earlier MCAT cutoff date and an AMCAS plus all materials deadline of August 3. If Rush is your top choice and you meet or exceed the average GPA and MCAT benchmarks, keep in mind that an EDP acceptance requires you to withdraw all other applications.
How hard is it to get into Rush Medical College?
Rush ranks among the most selective medical schools in the country. However, Rush's averages (GPA 3.72, MCAT 510) are somewhat lower than peer schools at a similar selectivity level, which means a compelling, well-rounded application with strong clinical experience, meaningful research, and demonstrated alignment with Rush's urban health mission, can carry real weight here even if your stats aren't at the very top of the range.
Final thoughts
With all the years spent dedicated to the premed track, it is no wonder you would feel nervous and out of your comfort zone regarding the application process. It is important to remember that one size does not fit all regarding admissions.
Highlighting what makes you unique and being genuine not only in your application responses but also in your interview day can help set you apart. With the information provided in this guide, an acceptance from RMC will be that much closer.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For over 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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