The Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine is the top medical school in Ohio, a regional biomedical research hub, and home to a diverse population of passionate students and knowledgeable faculty. The school offers an incredible amount of compelling dual degree programs, as well as 2 distinct MD programs. Show
So, what does it take to get into Case Western Medical School? We’ve organized all the key information you need to confidently apply, including admissions details and information on how to acquire medical school application consultations. Consider bookmarking this page for easy access during your application process. Be an Informed ApplicantOnly 8 out of every 100 applicants get accepted to Case Western’s School of Medicine. To stand out, we recommend taking the time to familiarize yourself with the school’s numerous medical programs, values, admissions requirements, and pedagogical focus. This article details what is expected of you to be considered a competitive applicant. While metrics such as GPA and MCAT scores represent your academic abilities, medical school admissions committees work to understand who you are as a person, and what makes you uniquely fit for a career in medicine. With some preparatory research, you’ll better understand what the CWRU School of Medicine looks for in a candidate, giving you a greater ability to focus your interview and secondary application responses. This article covers:
Personalized HelpApplying to medical schools is a challenging and complex process, with many moving parts. It requires exceptional organization and writing skills, steadfast focus, and extensive research. Our medical school admissions consulting gives you comprehensive guidance and expert support, personalized to fit your unique skill set and ambitions. Why Case Western Medical School?Located in Cleveland, Ohio near the shores of Lake Erie, Case Western’s campus is home to regional leadership in medicine, research, engineering, bioethics, and more. Case Western Reserve University Medical School is the #1 medical school and largest biomedical research institution in Ohio. The university features high marks in national medical school rankings as well. The CWRU School of Medicine offers an incredible amount of programs for medical students, including 7 dual degree options, 2 MD programs (and an MD/PhD program), and 6 MD-level Pathway programs that feature instruction in a range of medical themes from holistic medicine to urban healthcare. Candidates look forward to the ample opportunities for mentor-led or self-directed research, specialized instruction, and hands-on clinical experience at top-ranked Cleveland hospitals. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Rankings 2022Case Western Reserve University ranks #42 in National Universities and #50 in Best Value Schools. The School of Medicine ranks:
MD Programs at Case Western Medical SchoolHere is a complete list of the MD programs currently offered at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine:
4-Year MD ProgramCase Western revamped its 4-year MD curriculum in 2006 to better explore public health and the social/behavioral contexts of illness, as well as train students in the fundamentals of doctoring, clinical medicine, and the biology of disease. Years 1 and 2 are graded on a pass/fail basis. Individual assessments are used in years 3 and 4. The learning style throughout the program is evenly split between small group learning sessions and lecture-style courses. Patient-based learning is encountered early in the curriculum and employed frequently. Year 1 and 2: The Foundations of Medicine and Health The social and behavioral contexts of disease and the foundations of health and medicine are the primary focus during the first 2 years of the MD program. Longitudinal themes include Bioethics, Pharmacology, Health Systems Science, and Professionalism. Each block is followed by an assessment week. Block 1: Becoming a Doctor – Community Health-Related Experiences, Population Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Systems Science, Medical Error, Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, Peer Handoff Block 2: The Human Blueprint – Endocrinology, Reproduction, Development, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology Block 3: Food to Fuel – Gastrointestinal, Nutrition, Energy, Metabolism, Biochemistry Block 4: Homeostasis – Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Renal, Cell Regulation, Pharmacology, Cell Physiology Block 5: Host Defense and Host Response – Immunology, Microbiology, Blood, Skin, Immune System Block 6: Cognition, Sensation, and Movement – Neurology, Mind, Musculoskeletal System, Cellular System, Neurophysiology Block 7: Structure – A longitudinal block taught throughout years 1 and 2 and covers Anatomy, Histopathology, and Radiology Block 8: Foundations of Clinical Medicine – Integrated throughout years 1 and 2 and includes Physical Diagnosis, Patient-Based Experiences, Seminars, Medical Communication, IPE, and Procedures Year 3: Clinical Rotations and MD Thesis Research Project Clinical rotations begin in year 3 and encompass 40 weeks of clinical care and integrated science learning objectives. Individual performance is assessed and graded as Honors, Commendable, Satisfactory, or Unsatisfactory. Students have the option to complete their rotations through Traditional Clinical Care Rotations or the Cleveland Clinic Longitudinal Clerkships. Traditional Clinical Care Rotations include:
Cleveland Clinic Longitudinal Clerkships include:
The MD Thesis Research Project requires 4 months of faculty-mentored research. Students are free to explore their research interests in any area of biomedical or health sciences. Projects are due in December of the 4th year. Year 4: Advanced Clinical and Scientific Studies The final year of Case Western’s MD program includes:
Pathways Programs for MD StudentsThe Pathways Programs offer MD students the opportunity to explore education and experiences beyond the core MD curriculum. The Pathway Programs include:
5-Year MD with Special Qualification in Biomedical Research (CCLCM)The CWRU School of Medicine offers an MD with Special Qualification in Biomedical Research through the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. This MD program offers students a distinct focus in medical research and the scientific method, while also providing core MD clinical experiences and doctoring skills. The program favors self-directed students with deep research experience and a passion for clinical investigation. PhD/MD and Dual DegreesThe Case Western Reserve School of Medicine offers an MD/PhD program (MSTP) and numerous dual degree programs (7 in total). Candidates apply to each program separately. MD/PhD in Biomedical Research (MSTP)Students with exceptional academics and rich research experience are invited to apply to Case Western Reserve’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). This combined MD/PhD program takes 7-8 years to complete and trains physician-scientists to become leaders in specialized biomedical research. MD/MA in BioethicsCase Western Reserve boasts one of the nation’s top Bioethics Departments and offers MD students a Master’s in Bioethics degree program that can be completed in the usual 4-year MD timeline. This program gives special emphasis to the interdisciplinary nature of the field of bioethics. Students can expect to study contemporary and historic moral issues in healthcare policy-making, as well as diverse fields of inquiry such as law, philosophy, ethics, and theology. MD/MPH (Master of Public Health)Case Western’s MD/MPH program qualifies physicians to analyze, diagnose, and prevent public health problems at the local, state, national, and international levels. Students participate in hands-on work with nationally recognized healthcare systems and faculty-guided research. This program offers 5 concentrations: health promotion and disease prevention, population health research, health policy and management, global health, and health informatics. MD/MS in Applied AnatomyThis program provides advanced training in the anatomical sciences. Students complete the anatomical sciences core curriculum during the first 2 years of medical school, an advanced surgical anatomy course in the 4th year, and conduct anatomy-oriented independent research project. MD/MS in Biomedical EngineeringCase Western’s MD/MS program prepares physicians with the skills necessary to develop and deploy biomedical technology, as well as conduct technology-based translational research. The program includes graduate-level engineering courses, research, and specialized training. MD/MS in Biomedical InvestigationThe dual degree in Medicine and Biomedical Investigation trains physicians to conduct research in specific fields of interest in order to advance medical science. The core curriculum includes intensive research, seminars, scientific integrity training, and 3-6 graduate courses in the student’s chosen track. However, each track has specific course requirements. The available tracks are Biochemistry, Clinical Research (CRSP), Epidemiology, Nutrition, Pathology, Pharmacology, and Physiology & Biotechnology. MD/MBA in BusinessCase Western’s MD/MBA program offers students expanded career options upon completing medical school, such as healthcare consulting, hospital administration, family practice management, and more. This program equips physicians with the management skills necessary to take leadership roles in today’s complex healthcare system. The Doctor of Medicine and Masters in Business Administration dual degree takes 5 years to complete. MD/MA in AnthropologyThe dual degree program in Medicine and Anthropology at Case Western trains students to conduct bio-cultural research and analyze cultural factors concerning access to healthcare around the world. Physician-anthropologists study and interpret the relationships between medicine, ecology, population, psychology, culture, disease epidemiology, and more. Academic RequirementsIn this section, we provide an overview of the basic admissions requirements published by the CWRU School of Medicine Admissions Committee. Minimum GPA and MCAT RequirementsCWRU School of Medicine reviews academic performance in the context of the candidate’s entire application. There is no minimum GPA or MCAT score required to apply. The average GPA of the school’s entering class was 3.78. The average MCAT score was 518. MCAT scores must be no more than 4 years old. Case Western Medical School Letters of RecommendationThe university requires 3-5 letters of recommendation, 2 of which must be from science advisors or professors. A Pre-Medical Committee evaluation letter that contains multiple letters may be submitted instead of the 3-5 letters of recommendation. If your school’s Pre-Medical Committee uses a single letter for its evaluation letter, you must submit 2 additional letters: 1 from a research advisor or science advisor/professor and 1 from someone of your choosing. The 5-year MD program at CCLCM and the MSTP require an additional letter of recommendation from a research advisor to be considered for enrollment. We suggest providing a recommendation letter for medical school from a research advisor when applying to any of Case Western’s medical programs. Any recommendation letter for medical school should be written by someone who knows you well and has worked with/instructed you in a professional and/or academic environment. Required CourseworkCandidates must complete a baccalaureate degree from an accredited US or Canadian college or university to enroll in CWRU School of Medicine. Students with degrees from institutions outside of the US and Canada must complete 1 year of advanced science coursework at an accredited US university. The Admissions Committee favors applicants with a record of broad and deep studies, from sciences to humanities. Successful non-science majors usually have at least 40 credit hours of science coursework and science majors typically have at least 55. Here is the minimum coursework required by admissions, according to the University’s Admissions Requirements webpage:
Additionally, the Admissions Committee recommends coursework or research experience in the following areas:
Finally, while research is not required to be considered for acceptance in the 4-year MD program, favorable applicants will at least demonstrate an interest in participating in research. However, for the 5-year MD program with CCLCM, more than 1 summer of research experience is required for consideration. Case Western Medical School Admissions Statistics: Acceptance Rate, Class Profile, and MoreAdmissions statistics provide candidates with a better idea of what constitutes a competitive applicant and how selective the school is. Here’s an overview of CWRU School of Medicine’s key admissions statistics.
Here are some more statistics for the entering class of 2021:
Tuition and Cost of Attendance at Case Western Reserve University School of MedicineThe following information breaks down the estimated total cost of attending Case Western Medical School. These figures were provided by the university in 2022 and apply to the traditional MD program. Tuition: $68,788 per year Technology fee: $1,015 per year Student Health Insurance: $3,192 per year Loan fees: $2,090 Books and Supplies: $1,200, $1,500, $500, and $500 for years 1-4 respectively. Other estimated costs for things such as food, transportation, utilities, and housing vary from year to year. The total estimated cost of attendance is $102,919 (year 1), $101,658 (year 2), $104,085 (year 3), and $102,582 (year 4). AMCAS Primary Application and Case Western Medical School Secondary ApplicationThe AMCAS is your primary medical school application, which is sent to all the schools you apply to. Upon receiving your AMCAS, CWRU School of Medicine will invite you to complete its secondary application. If you still have questions, we’re here to help you understand the differences between primary and secondary medical school applications.  Case Western School of Medicine Secondary Application: Essay Prompts, Sample Answers, and AdviceThe written components of your secondary application are often the only chances you have to communicate a well-rounded picture of your skillset, experience, and ambitions. While your AMCAS application demonstrates many of your qualifications, the secondary essay responses express who you are as a person and why you’re uniquely positioned to excel in medicine. Your responses should show a passion for service, exceptional doctoring principles, a dedication to lifelong education, and resilience in the face of adversity. They should also demonstrate your specific interests in CWRU School of Medicine’s programs, facilities, and faculty. Take your time writing your secondary application essays. Try not to repeat information contained in your AMCAS application, but certainly use the space to elaborate on details you feel are important to express your strength as a candidate. Here are the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine secondary essay prompts from the latest application cycle. We’ve included sample responses, as well as advice for how to provide rich and effective answers. Essay #1 The Admissions Committee is interested in gaining more insight into you as a person. Please describe a significant personal challenge you have faced, one which you feel has helped to shape you as a person. Examples may include a moral or ethical dilemma, a situation of personal adversity, or a hurdle in your life that you worked hard to overcome. Please include how you got through the experience, how you handled the uncertainty or stress, and what you learned about yourself as a result. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters), and leave a blank line between paragraphs. Relating experiences with adversity can communicate a lot about your values, how you handle stress, and what sort of person you are. Perhaps most importantly, it also demonstrates your capacity for learning from tough situations. Your response should ideally relate to medicine and the skills necessary to become an exceptional doctor. With that said, everyone’s life is different, and what is most important here is to communicate an honest account of a meaningful experience with adversity. When answering any essay prompt, especially one that asks for a story, take care to narratively structure your response so that it’s easy to follow. Here’s a sample response: During my sophomore year in college, I had the opportunity to participate in a research internship with a highly-recognized faculty member. I was to be paired with a graduate student who had been working on the project for years, tasked with organizing data in preparation for analysis. A week before I was to begin, my brother, who was a fellow pre-med student, told me an unsettling story about the graduate student. It involved extremely inappropriate behavior during an afterschool study session. I am a highly-principled person, and at this time I had talked to others who had been in similar situations or dealt with people who had done similar things. I had a habit of being quite forceful with my advice and morals in these matters. Now, I was confronted with dealing with the situation myself. Although I was afraid of complicating an exciting opportunity — or worse, having to go through official inquiries and put myself and possibly others in the spotlight — I ultimately spoke to the lead researcher about my concerns. To be honest, I was so surprised by how accommodating and understanding the faculty was that I was moved to tears. Without going into detail, I can say that I was able to participate in the research opportunity in a comfortable environment with people I trusted — and it ended up being one of the most educational experiences of my pre-med years. I learned a lot from this experience. For one, I realized that, while my principles were in the right place, I had a habit of moralizing and lecturing, rather than focusing on supporting people in difficult dilemmas. It showed me how emotionally and professionally complicated ethical dilemmas can be, and that people in those situations require human comfort and support, not just ethical analyses. In another sense, this experience solidified a good standard for how leadership should handle interpersonal and ethical dilemmas. The relief, comfort, and confidence I felt after speaking to faculty about my situation has become a guidepost for me when judging the leadership of myself and others. Finally, this experience gave me insight into how easily professional and academic aspirations can be foiled by interpersonal ethical dilemmas, if not for robust systems of accountability and socially-fluent faculty. This is partly why I plan to attend the Advocacy and Public Health Pathway at CWRU School of Medicine — to learn how to use my position as a physician to advocate for others. Essay #2 (Optional) The past year has reflected an unprecedented time in world history, and we are aware that many have experienced significant disruptions in numerous aspects of their lives. Please use the text field below to share with us how you may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including academic, financial, medical disruptions, etc. If medically-related or patient-based experiences were interrupted, tell us how you were able to explore these areas in alternate ways. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters), and leave a blank line between paragraphs. For this essay response, explain how COVID-19 disrupted your academic and career path. Focusing on how you were able to mitigate these setbacks will demonstrate resilience and resourcefulness. Of course, COVID-19 affected everyone in different ways. Be honest and, although you are free to include personal setbacks, try to focus on experiences related to school and healthcare. Although this question is optional, you should take advantage of opportunities to share your personal history, academic achievements, and professional goals. Essay #3 (Optional) If you took coursework that was Pass/No Pass due to pandemic disruptions for 2019-2020 and/or 2020-2021 academic years, please list the courses below. Here, simply answer the prompt by listing any relevant coursework. Details about the coursework (such as COVID-19 related challenges) should be answered in prompt #2. Essay #4 (Optional) Did you take a gap year(s)? Yes or No. If Yes: If you are taking time off between college graduation and medical school matriculation, please tell us what you are doing during this gap, and why. Please limit your response to no more than 1000 characters, and leave a blank line between paragraphs. It is very common for students to take a gap year before attending medical school. This time is often spent applying for medical school, attending enriching internships (such as IMA’s pre-med healthcare internships abroad), working, and/or traveling. Use this space to detail:
Essay #5 (4-Year MD Applicants, Optional) (Note that if you are applying to both the University Program (4-year MD) and the CCLCM (5-year MD), the research response will default to the CCLCM required response.) Research Response: One of the four pillars of the Western Reserve2 Curriculum is Research and Scholarship. Although research is not a prerequisite requirement for the University Program, if you have participated in research or another scholarly project, please tell us about it. Describe your experience, including the question you pursued and how you approached it, your results and interpretation of the results, and most importantly, any thoughts about what this experience meant to you. Remember that research is broad-based and can include such projects as a senior capstone or a thesis and can include both medical and non-medically-related investigations. If you have not completed research, please indicate that in the text box below. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters), and leave a blank line between paragraphs. Accounts of your research experience should communicate curiosity, attention to detail, and fluency with the scientific method and research processes. Here are some things to keep in mind when describing your research experience:
Essay #6 (4-Year MD Applicants, Optional) Is there any further information that you wish to share with the Admissions Committee that may not be captured in the rest of your application? Please limit your response to 3,500 characters. We strongly recommend that respond to “anything else?” prompts when applying for medical school. When looking back over your application, try to get a clear idea of what is missing. What strengths do you have that you haven’t quite communicated? Which experiences need to be elaborated on or discussed in a different light? This is also a fine space to demonstrate your skillset from other areas of work or service. Qualities such as leadership, collaboration, compassion, and other important doctoring skills aren’t wholly gained through healthcare-related experiences. Make sure to explain how these experiences relate to medicine, your ambitions, and/or your dedication to service. Finally, if you have pre-written responses from other applications that will add to your application for Case Western, you can use them as a foundation for this response. Make sure to keep in mind CWRU’s specific medical school programs and double-check to make sure you aren’t repeating information you’ve already covered elsewhere. CCLCM (5-Year MD) Essay Prompts Our ultimate medical school guides focus on the 4-year MD programs offered at medical schools. However, the CCLCM program at Case Western appeals to many students wishing to focus on developing research skills without attending an 8-year MD/PhD program. For this reason, we’ve included the CCLCM essay prompts here. While we don’t go into detail about how to respond to these essays, much of the tips from the prompts above are easy to apply to the CCLCM application questions. 1. Please tell us about ONE research project to which you made a significant contribution. In your essay, describe your role on the project, the hypothesis of your research, why the methods were selected to answer that hypothesis, your results, and interpretation of your results with respect to future findings. In addition, please briefly share your motivation for pursuing this research project and reflect on how this experience affected you. If you have not participated in research or scholarly work, please indicate so in the text area below. Please limit your response to 1 page (about 3,500 characters) and leave a blank line between paragraphs. 2. We all have targeted areas for improvement (TAFIs) in our personal and professional lives. Please share a current TAFI you have identified that does not include the acquisition of medical/scientific knowledge. How did you recognize this TAFI, and what steps are you taking to address? How will you measure your progress and know when you have reached your goal? Please limit your response to 1000 characters and leave a blank line between paragraphs. 3. Please tell us about a time when you prioritized the needs of others before your own, as well as a time when you put your own needs first. For each, please explain your decision-making process and the outcome. Please limit your response to 2000 characters and leave a blank line between paragraphs. 4. How do you envision your career ten years after medical school graduation? Please limit your response to 1000 characters and leave a blank line between paragraphs. Admissions Consulting: A Powerful Asset for Medical School ApplicantsOur site is full of valuable resources for medical students and applicants. Still, we always find that the most effective way to optimize the application process is to provide personalized guidance. At International Medical Aid, we leverage the expertise of veterans in the field of medicine and education to help students just like you put their best foot forward. We help with everything from in-depth application reviews to conducting mock medical school interviews. Whether it’s detailed feedback or help developing an overall strategy, we’re here for you. Interested in a complimentary 30-minute consultation session? Find out more here. Voluntary Healthcare Internships AbroadYour experience in healthcare is one of the most important aspects of your candidacy. In fact, instructive and hands-on health-related activity is all but required for nearly every medical school. IMA’s unique and enriching voluntary healthcare internships abroad provide students with compelling stories, deep healthcare experience, and a global perspective on doctoring and medicine. Our interns go on to attend top medical universities and carry with them experiences that continue to shape their philosophy of doctoring and understanding of compassion, service, and leadership. Good Luck!We truly wish you the best of luck on your journey to becoming a physician, and we hope this guide serves you well. And so you know, we have many other ultimate medical school guides for you to dive into:
What percent of Case Western students get into med school?The acceptance rate at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is 8.41%. Out of 8,830 applicants, 1,303 were invited to interview, and 216 matriculated to Case Western Medical School.
Is Case Western Reserve University a good medical school?In the most recent U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine came in at No. 24 nationally, solidifying once again its place as one of the nation's leaders in medical education.
How many people get into the Case Western BS MD program?This past cycle, programs like the Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars program had more than 1600 applicants for just six seats—putting the acceptance rate at less than 1%. Similarly, Case Western Reserve University's Pre-Professional Scholars Program (PPSP) had an acceptance rate of 1%.
What is the acceptance rate for Case Western Reserve University?30.3% (2020)
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Case western reserve university pre med acceptance rate
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