University of Washington, School of Medicine Admission
University of Washington, School of Medicine Undergraduate Program
University of Washington, School of Medicine Application

The Facts

The University of Washington is a rather large, public institution located in the city of Seattle, Washington, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 32,000 students. The university's School of Medicine, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 734 graduate medical students. The average age of enrollment is around 24, and it is fairly rare for any of the students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its terrific research facilities and programs, as well as for its emphasis on the biomedical sciences. Aside from the basic MD degree, the school offers a joint MD/PhD degree in the areas of biochemistry, bioengineering, biomathametics, biostatistics, biological structure, epidemiology, environmental health, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biotechnology, pathology, pharmacology, physiology, biophysics, as well as zoology.

Admission to the University of Washington's School of Medicine is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,124 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 230 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 175 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had average MCAT scores of about 11.2 in Biology, 10.7 in Physics, and 10.3 in Verbal, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.7. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The School of Medicine has about 1,020 faculty members, all of whom come from relatively diverse medical and academic backgrounds; the school also boasts a very manageable student to faculty ratio of about 1:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of discussion and interaction between students and their professors.

Graduates of the School of Medicine often go on to be accepted into some of the most prestigious and competitive residency programs in the nation, and most frequently specialize in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, psychiatry, general surgery, as well as neurology.

Clinical Programs

Students are required to complete extensive clinical training including 12 weeks of family medicine, 6 weeks of ob/gyn, 6 weeks of pediatrics, 6 weeks of psychiatry, 6 weeks of surgery, 6 weeks of family medicine, 4 weeks of emergency medicine, 2 weeks of rehabilitation, as well as 24 extra weeks of electives. Students complete their clinical training at affiliated facilities including Children's Hospital, Harboview Hospital, UW Medical Center, Seattle Veteran's Affairs Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Boise Veteran's Affairs Hospital, Boise Veteran's Affairs Hospital, as well the Group Health Cooperative.

What's Good

"There are a huge amount of opportunities to have hands on learning experiences."

"The faculty here are very dedicated to the school and their students."

"Upon leaving the school, I felt very prepared for my residency."

What's Bad

"If you are an out of state student, tuition can be quite high."

"The administration always seems busy with the undergraduate students."

"There is never enough on campus graduate housing available."

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