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US Medicine · 2027 Entry

Harvard Medical School

2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format

Harvard Medical School is a US MD program in Boston, MA that takes 2027-entry applications through AMCAS. Its published class profile lists a median MCAT of 521 (range 517–528), a median GPA of 3.93, a 2.8% acceptance rate and a class of 165. The school holds a traditional interview: October 2026–February 2027. Decisions for 2027 entry: March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard).

Location
Boston, MA, United States
Established
1782
Interviews (2027 entry)
October 2026–February 2027
Decisions (2027 entry)
March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
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Harvard Medical School (MD) — The iconic white marble Gordon Hall

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Photo: King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: NewtonCourt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: The original uploader was Billyau84 at Chinese Wikipedia . · Public domain

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Full guide

How to get into Harvard Medical School (MD) medicine

Step-by-step: entry requirements, MCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.

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Interview guide

Prepare for the Harvard Medical School (MD) interview

Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.

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The program

What the Harvard Medical School MD program is like

Case-based learning + Integrated, 4 years, clinical rotations in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Overview

About Harvard Medical School (MD)

Harvard Medical School (HMS), founded in 1782, is one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the world, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston. It offers a New Pathway curriculum combining problem-based learning with rigorous basic science. Graduates consistently match into the most competitive residency programs nationally.

The school is closely affiliated with 11 major Boston hospitals including Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's, and Beth Israel Deaconess.

What makes Harvard Medical School (MD) different

HMS operates two MD curriculum tracks — Pathways and Health Sciences & Technology (HST, offered jointly with MIT) — giving students genuine program choice. Affiliation with the Harvard–MIT HST program offers a research-intensive MD-PhD track. The school does not rank students academically, replacing grades with a Pass/Fail/Honors system.

Harvard Medical School (MD) course & teaching

PBL curriculum. The New Pathway (4-year MD) integrates basic science and clinical learning from Year 1. The Pathways program (one of three tracks) provides a fully problem-based immersive curriculum. Students rotate through affiliated teaching hospitals starting in Year 2.

Harvard Medical School (MD) research strengths

Harvard Medical School (MD) is strong in these research areas:

  • Cancer biology
  • Neurodegenerative disease
  • Genomics
  • Infectious disease
  • Health equity

How the Harvard Medical School (MD) interview runs

Format: Traditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student)

Harvard Medical School (MD) intake

Approximately 165 students per year.

Where Harvard Medical School (MD) is

Harvard Medical School was founded in 1782 and is based in Boston, MA.

Programmes offered:

  • Biomedical Research
  • Internal Medicine
  • Surgery
  • Neuroscience
  • Global Health
Practise

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Entry requirements

What you need to apply to Harvard Medical School (MD)

Harvard Medical School (MD) at a glance

Harvard Medical School Medicine — 2027 entry at a glance
MCAT / GPA (medians)521 · 3.93 (MCAT range 517–528)
Acceptance rate2.8%
Class size165
In-state preferenceNo stated in-state preference
Interview formatTraditional interview
IntakeApproximately 165 students per year
Decisions (2027 entry)March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
Harvard Medical School Medicine admissions profile — 2027 entry
Admission overviewBachelor's degree required; no specific major prerequisite but strong foundation in biology, chemistry, physics, and biochemistry expected. MCAT required. Competitive applicants typically demonstrate significant research experience, clinical exposure, and community service. CASPer is not currently required. Applications submitted via AMCAS.
MCAT median521 (range 517–528)
GPA median3.93 overall / 3.92 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate2.8%
Class size165
In-state preferenceNone
CASPerNot required
AAMC PREviewNot required
Holistic review emphasisStrong research background, leadership, meaningful clinical exposure, and personal narrative.
NotesMCAT total derived from the four section medians HMS publishes (130.42 / 129.25 / 130.57 / 130.82), rounded to a whole point. Acceptance rate approximate.
Specialities offeredBiomedical Research, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Neuroscience, Global Health

MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures are taken from Harvard Medical School's published admissions data. Class profiles are republished each year — confirm which entering class these numbers describe before you rely on them.

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Interview

How Harvard Medical School (MD) interviews applicants

Harvard Medical School Medicine interview — 2027 entry
FormatTraditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student)
Interview window (2027 entry)October 2026–February 2027
Decision date (2027 entry)March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
Tutor insight
HMS interviews are one-on-one conversations that test communication, ethical reasoning, and self-awareness — not just factual knowledge. Be ready to discuss your motivation and the experiences in your application in depth, and practice talking through an ethical question clearly (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice) without sounding scripted. Research experience is very strongly weighted at HMS; applicants without meaningful lab or clinical research exposure will be at a significant disadvantage. Apply broadly to reach schools alongside HMS — acceptance rates of ~2% mean even outstanding applicants are waitlisted.
Practice

Practise for your Harvard Medical School (MD) interview

PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside

Interview questions matched to Harvard Medical School (MD)

Two questions from our US bank that match Harvard Medical School (MD)’s panel format. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.

MediumMMI · PanelQ1

Sustained Service in Underserved Communities

Describe a service commitment you have sustained for at least a year in an underserved or under-resourced community. What tensions, frustrations, or ethical discomforts did you encounter, and what did they teach you about the relationship between helping and power?

Likely follow-up · Have you ever experienced a moment when you questioned whether your service was genuinely helping the community or primarily benefiting your own medical school application?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
MediumMMI · PanelQ2

Resilience After a Terminated Research Project

During your gap year you were deeply involved in a longitudinal research project that was abruptly terminated when the principal investigator lost funding. Months of your work were never published and the project was archived. How did you respond to that setback, and what did it teach you about resilience, uncertainty, and the nature of scientific progress?

Likely follow-up · How do you anticipate managing the uncertainty and setbacks inherent in clinical medicine, where not all patients recover and not all diagnoses are clear?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
Open Prometheus for Harvard Medical School (MD)Free medicine interview question bank for Harvard Medical School (MD) applicants →
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MCAT Strategy

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Interview preparation

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Sources

Where Harvard Medical School (MD)'s figures come from

Checked against Harvard Medical School's own website on 15 August 2026: our record for the school was reconciled with what it publishes there. For most US schools that is class size and interview format only, so MCAT, GPA and acceptance-rate figures remain unconfirmed.

Harvard Medical School (MD) — official course page →Entry requirements, interview format and deadlines published by the school itself. The primary source for everything on this page.Harvard Medical School (MD) — published admissions data →The class profile and admissions statistics this record's MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures were taken from.
FAQ

Harvard Medical School (MD) — frequently asked questions

Harvard Medical School (MD) matriculants have a median MCAT of 521. The middle range of matriculants is 517–528. US schools publish medians rather than cut-offs, and committees review holistically — the MCAT is weighed alongside GPA, clinical and research experience, letters of recommendation and secondary essays.

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