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US Medicine · 2027 Entry

Penn State College of Medicine (MD) Medical School2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format

Location Hershey, PA, United StatesEstablished 1963Interviews October–FebruaryDecisions March 30 (AAMC standard)
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Full guide

How to get into Penn State College of Medicine (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 Penn State College of Medicine (MD) interview

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

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Overview

About Penn State College of Medicine (MD)

Penn State College of Medicine, founded in 1963 and located at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is a public research medical school and one of Central Pennsylvania's most important healthcare and academic institutions. The college offers a rigorous MD curriculum alongside one of Pennsylvania's strongest MD/PhD programs, with NIH-funded research across cancer biology, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. Penn State graduates match broadly across specialties with strong placement in academic medicine and surgical subspecialties.

What makes it different

Penn State College of Medicine is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania — a purpose-built academic medical community — and is the academic medicine and research hub for the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, one of the largest health systems in Central Pennsylvania. The college has a major MD/PhD (MSTP) program and consistently ranks among the top 50 research medical schools nationally. Penn State has distinctive strengths in cancer biology (Penn State Cancer Institute), basic biomedical research, and rural Pennsylvania health. The medical humanities and arts program (MESH) is a nationally recognized interdisciplinary initiative.

Course & teaching

Integrated curriculum. 4-year MD. Years 1–2: integrated curriculum at the Hershey campus with early patient contact through the standardized patient program. Years 3–4: core clerkships at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital (Lebanon), and regional community hospitals in Central Pennsylvania. MSTP MD/PhD track available. Medical Education for Stress and Healing (MESH) humanities program embedded throughout.

Research strengths

Penn State College of Medicine (MD) has notable research strength in Cancer biology and immunotherapy, Neuroscience and neurodegeneration, Cardiovascular disease, Biomedical engineering, Rural health disparities.

Interview

Penn State College of Medicine (MD) interviews via Traditional one-on-one or panel interviews with faculty and students. Penn State College of Medicine interview day is held at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center campus in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Candidates typically participate in two one-on-one sessions of 30–45 minutes each with a faculty physician and a current medical student or resident. Interviewers review the full application beforehand and focus on motivation for medicine, research interests aligned with Penn State Hershey's major NIH-funded programs, and commitment to Central Pennsylvania's rural and underserved communities. The day includes a tour of the Hershey Medical Center campus and simulation facility, an informal lunch with students, and an admissions information session. Penn State also uses a structured holistic review rubric aligned with AAMC Core Competencies.

Intake

Approximately 145–150 students per year.

At a glance

Founded in 1963, based in Hershey, PA. Programmes offered: Cancer Biology, Biomedical Research, Neuroscience, Surgery, Primary Care.

Entry requirements

What you need to apply to Penn State College of Medicine (MD)

Admission overview
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS. Penn State is a public school and gives preference to Pennsylvania residents but accepts a meaningful number of out-of-state applicants. Secondary application required. CASPer is not currently required.
MCAT median
514 (range 509–519)
GPA median
3.77 overall / 3.72 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate
2.5%
Class size
148
In-state preference
Moderate — some OOS consideration
In-state matriculants
45%
CASPer
Not required
AAMC PREview
Not required
Holistic review emphasis
Research experience, academic excellence, Pennsylvania residency, and community service.
Notes
Estimates from public AAMC FACTS / AACOMAS / ADEA AADSAS / class-profile; verify current cycle.
Specialities offered
Cancer Biology, Biomedical Research, Neuroscience, Surgery, Primary Care
Interview

How Penn State College of Medicine (MD) interviews applicants

Format
Traditional one-on-one or panel interviews with faculty and students
Interview window
October–February
Decision date
March 30 (AAMC standard)
Post-interview chances
Estimated post-interview acceptance rate approximately 20–25%; the interview pool is filtered for Pennsylvania residency and academic profile.
Tutor insight
Penn State Hershey is a research school first — if you have significant research experience, cite specific projects and align them with the Penn State Cancer Institute, neuroscience, or biomedical engineering programs. The MESH (Medical Education for Stress and Healing) humanities program is distinctive and beloved by students; mentioning it in your interview signals genuine research. Pennsylvania residency is an advantage but the school admits more out-of-state applicants than most PA public schools given its research reputation. The Hershey location is genuinely rural-adjacent — be prepared to speak to the Central Pennsylvania patient population and rural access context.
Practice

Practise for your Penn State College of Medicine (MD) interview

PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside

Interview questions matched to Penn State College of Medicine (MD)

Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Penn State College of Medicine (MD)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.

EasyPanelQ1

AAMC Core Competency: Professionalism and Social Media Identity

Before entering medical school, you had an active social media presence with posts that were sometimes edgy, politically charged, or contained language that you would not use in a professional context today. A medical school admissions committee member who googled your name found some of these posts. How do you address this, and what principles should guide a medical professional's approach to their digital footprint going forward?

Likely follow-up · At what point in the application process should you audit and curate your digital presence?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
MediumMMI · PanelQ2

AAMC Core Competency: Cultural Humility in Clinical Practice

An attending physician you are shadowing tells a patient, a recent Haitian immigrant, that she needs to stop drinking herbal teas prepared by a community healer and switch entirely to her prescribed blood pressure medications. The patient agrees in the office but the attending later tells you she probably will not be adherent. What do you think went wrong in this interaction, and how would you approach the conversation differently?

Likely follow-up · What is the difference between cultural competence and cultural humility, and why does the distinction matter clinically?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
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FAQ

Penn State College of Medicine (MD) — frequently asked questions

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