Medical Schools in Connecticut: How to Get In (2024)
/Which are the best medical schools in Connecticut? Explore the Connecticut medical school rankings, plus admissions strategies to get into your top-choice programs
There are three medical schools in Connecticut
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Connecticut: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
Part 3: Connecticut medical school profiles
Part 4: Connecticut medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: Connecticut medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Connecticut medical schools by institution type
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Part 1: Introduction
Despite its small size, Connecticut packs a lot in for the prospective medical student. One of the original thirteen colonies, Connecticut offers students access to fascinating historical sites, scenic hiking trails, and vacation shore towns, as well as proximity to major cities like New York City and Boston. On top of this, it is also home to excellent educational institutions at which you can earn your medical degree.
Connecticut’s three medical schools offer three different locations, curricula, and focuses. For instance, you might opt to attend a globally recognized medical school with a large emphasis on research, such as the Yale School of Medicine, or you might prefer to study at a school that foregrounds humanism in medicine, such as the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.
In this guide, we’ll go over what makes each Connecticut medical school unique and what you can expect when you apply. We’ll cover rankings, admissions statistics, give short profiles of each institution, and discuss strategies you can apply to your own application. This informed approach can help you select the best programs upon which to focus your efforts and therefore increase your likelihood of success when applying to medical schools in Connecticut.
This informed approach can help you select the best programs upon which to focus your efforts and therefore increase your likelihood of success when applying to medical schools in Connecticut.
Suggested reading: (Medical School Requirements in 2024: The Definitive Guide)
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Part 2: List of medical schools in Connecticut: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
We’ve gathered statistics on Connecticut medical schools so you can easily compare and contrast the schools. While compiling this information, we noticed the following:
All three Connecticut medical schools are recognized by the 2023 U.S. News Best Medical Schools (Research) ranking, with one landing in the top 10.
All Connecticut medical schools are allopathic.
In the table below, each Connecticut medical school’s national ranking is listed inside parentheses, whereas each school’s relative rank within Connecticut is shown outside parentheses. Relative rankings help us answer the question, “What are the best medical schools in Connecticut?”
(Note: We strongly recommend that you sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date information on MD programs and that you sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
| Connecticut Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale School of Medicine | $72,290 OOS |
9.2% OOS |
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| University of Connecticut School of Medicine* | $74,739 OOS $70,855 New England Regional |
(4335 applications) “Approximately 320 applicants are selected for interviews.” |
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| Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University | $63,170 OOS |
3.1% OOS |
(Suggested reading: Do Medical School Rankings Matter?)
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Part 3: Connecticut medical school profiles
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
The Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University is a newly established medical school that places an emphasis on active learning. The first two years of medical school are divided into dedicated focus on integrated system blocks. In addition to this basic science foundation, students will participate in the Medical Student Home (MeSH) program during their first two years, in which they will form longitudinal relationships with patients in community practices.
University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine
UConn School of Medicine is the only public academic medical center in Connecticut and, as a result, prioritizes admitting and training Connecticut residents as future physicians. The school has an innovative team-based learning curriculum called M Delta, which places students in small groups to pursue problem-based learning instead of lecture-style coursework. Additionally, UConn School of Medicine has a very robust community health program, which medical students can participate in, called the Community Based Education (CBE) program. This helps students recognize how to care for at-risk populations and address community health issues. Example CBE partners include the Hartford Health Department, the Department of Children and Families, and the American School of the Deaf.
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine has a small class size of approximately 100 students per year, which fosters collaboration and a sense of community. Additionally, the school is known for the Yale System, a curriculum design that fosters a non-competitive atmosphere. A key feature of the Yale System is the accelerated, pre-clerkship 18-month period in which there are no grades or established rank order. Additionally, students have the option to pursue a tuition-free, fifth year of medical school for research or additional education. Yale also has a strong emphasis on serving the local and global communities; this is evidenced by opportunities such as global health rotations, the HAVEN free clinic, and Neighborhood Health Project.
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into the Yale School of Medicine: Requirements and Strategies)
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Part 4: Connecticut medical school admissions strategies
Strategy 1: Use the data provided about each Connecticut medical school to select which programs you should apply to.
Since Connecticut medical schools encompass a wide range of average GPAs and MCAT scores, it is wise to reflect on how your own objective data align with the various schools’ statistics. By strategically choosing schools at which you are a competitive applicant, you can optimize your likelihood of receiving an admissions offer.
For example, with a 3.8 GPA and 513 MCAT score, UConn and Quinnipiac would be excellent target schools for you, whereas Yale would be considered a reach.
(Suggested reading: How Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To? Which Ones?)
Strategy 2: Leverage your holistic understanding of each Connecticut medical school in order to select institutions that align with your own strengths and future goals.
As elaborated on above, while there are only three Connecticut medical schools, each is unique in its focus and class profile.
If you are a high-achieving applicant who prefers a collaborative learning environment, the Yale School of Medicine would align with your goals. If you are an in-state Connecticut resident, you should certainly apply to the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, given their strong preference for in-state applicants.
Once you have identified schools whose missions and focuses mesh with your own experiences and aspirations, invest time in writing tailored secondary essays that demonstrate this fit.
Strategy 3: Consider secondary essays when organizing your time
Medical school applications require a lot of work if they’re to be completed well. Making the best case for yourself as a candidate in your secondary essays necessitates revision and time.
Most premeds apply to 15 to 20 schools which translates into a lot of essays. Each secondary essay you write should be tailored to each school for the best chances of admission. Organizing your time around the number of essays required is a useful strategy to ensure the picture you paint of yourself is as clear as possible.
In practice, this will depend on your personal work style. Whether you complete longer or shorter essays first is up to you but thinking this through beforehand will prevent a mad rush to finish essays before the deadline.
For the 2023-2024 application cycle, UConn requires 3 essays, Quinnipiac requires 6, and Yale requires 2 plus 1 optional essay. We’ve compiled all of the current essay prompts so you can get a head start on considering what you will write.
Suggested reading: Medical School Secondary Essays: The Complete Guide
Strategy 4: Planning for different interview styles is beneficial
You’ve written stellar essays and your scores are top-notch. All of this has been validated with the offer of an interview. However, all interviews are not created equal.
The type of interview you will encounter can vary across schools so it’s a good idea to prepare by familiarizing yourself with the interview styles at each institution before the big day.
Each medical school in Connecticut takes a traditional approach to interviews but Yale and Quinnipiac conduct them virtually. For Yale, the process is different depending on the program you are applying for, namely MD or MD/PhD. MD/PhD applicants are interviewed over two days, while applicants to the MD program have 2 interviews lasting about 45 minutes each.
UConn also takes a traditional interview approach but conducts them on campus. There is a faculty and student interview with all the activities wrapping up around 2:30 pm on interview day.
Recently, many schools have adopted the multiple mini-interview (MMI), and while medical schools in Connecticut don’t currently use this, it’s beneficial to familiarize yourself with this style as you’ll likely be applying to medical schools in other states.
This style of interview is done in short bursts in which you’ll have 7 minutes to answer a question either to a small panel of interviewers or a single interviewer.
It’s meant to test your critical thinking skills and sense of ethics with questions seeking to understand how you will react in different situations. This is markedly different from a traditional interview where a panel asks you questions such as “Why do you want to be a doctor?” and “Why do you want to attend our school?”
No matter which type of interview you encounter, with a little practice and forethought, you’ll ace interview day and walk away feeling confident of your ultimate acceptance.
Suggested Reading: How to Ace Medical School Interivews (Questions Included)
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Part 5: Frequently asked questions
How hard is it to get into UConn med school?
UConn is a favorite among applicants for its robust research culture and proximity to top-tier facilities as well as major cities like New York and Boston. As we’ve seen above, the average stats of UConn matriculants are quite high—not as high as Yale, but still higher than Quinnipiac.
Getting into any med school across the country is tough but medical schools in Connecticut tend to be quite selective. UConn’s acceptance rate stands at just 4.8 percent, so you will need stellar stats and a healthy amount of extracurriculars to succeed.
Suggested reading: (How Hard Is It to Get into Medical School?)
What are the minimum GPA and MCAT score requirements for medical schools in Connecticut?
Neither of the three medical schools in Connecticut expressly list a minimum GPA or MCAT score as a requirement for consideration. However, as noted in the table above, the average GPA and MCAT scores of matriculants tend to be quite high at each school. It would be safe to say that a 3.5 GPA and below a 510 MCAT will likely have you denied acceptance in the first round without some exceptional extracurriculars or personal circumstances.
Do Connecticut medical schools have preferences for in-state applicants?
Applicants who claim Connecticut as their state of residence have favorable admissions odds at two Connecticut medical schools; this is especially true at the state’s sole public medical school (the University of Connecticut School of Medicine). While only 10.9% of the applications they received in 2023 came from in-state students, more than 75% of matriculants were Connecticut residents. Unsurprisingly, being an in-state student doesn’t seem to help you in your admissions odds to Yale.
Final thoughts
When choosing which Connecticut medical schools to apply to, make sure to select programs that support your prior achievements and future goals, and which align with your statistical profile. Educate yourself about the various features of each school and spend time making your application materials school-specific to maximize your odds of getting into your first-choice Connecticut medical school.
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 nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix A: Connecticut medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in Connecticut (MD)
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
Osteopathic medical schools in Connecticut (DO)
There are no osteopathic medical schools in Connecticut.
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Appendix B: Connecticut medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in Connecticut
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Private medical schools in Connecticut
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Yale School of Medicine
