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The District's MD schools fill almost all of their seats from outside the District. DC residents were 0.5% of George Washington's applications and 3.8% of its entering class, 0.6% and 3.4% at Georgetown, and 0.6% and 1.6% at Howard (AAMC FACTS, Table A-1).
Volume sets the pace instead. George Washington drew 17,194 applications for 130 places, about 132 per seat, nearly double Georgetown's 72 (14,542 for 203) and Howard's 70 (8,908 for 128) (AAMC FACTS, Table A-1).
Facts about Washington, DC
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Washington | Full, since before 1942 | 2031-32 |
| Georgetown University School of Medicine | Washington | Full, since 1949 | 2026-27 |
Accreditation: LCME directory.
- GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences gives its entering students' average MCAT as 515 and their average GPA as approximately 3.88, and calls an MCAT below 505, or one with a section score of 123 or below, not competitive. (GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences)
- GW reviews applicants the same way regardless of state residency and takes the highest score in each MCAT section across sittings. (GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences)
- Georgetown's MD admissions page lists 14,953 applications, 1,112 applicants interviewed and an incoming class of 203, with a mean MCAT of 514 and a mean overall GPA of 3.74. (Georgetown University School of Medicine)
- Howard University College of Medicine gives its matriculating class mean MCAT as 505; from the 2026-2027 application cycle (fall 2027 entry) it considers an MCAT of 497 or above, with a science GPA of 3.0 or above, for interview eligibility. (Howard University College of Medicine)
- Howard's six-year BS/MD program asks for a minimum total MCAT of 504, an overall GPA of 3.5 and a science GPA of 3.25. (Howard University College of Medicine)
Sources: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, MD Program FAQs (checked November 1, 2026); Georgetown University School of Medicine, M.D. admissions (checked November 1, 2026); Howard University College of Medicine, Admissions (checked November 1, 2026).
What each Washington, DC school publishes about its MCAT bar
The three schools publish their own admissions numbers, and they sit far apart. George Washington gives its entering students' average MCAT as 515 and average GPA as approximately 3.88, and calls an MCAT below 505, or any section score of 123 or below, not competitive (GW MD FAQs). Georgetown's admissions page lists a mean MCAT of 514 and a mean overall GPA of 3.74 for an incoming class of 203, drawn from 14,953 applications with 1,112 applicants interviewed (Georgetown MD admissions).
Howard gives its matriculating class mean MCAT as 505. From the 2026-2027 application cycle, for fall 2027 entry, Howard considers an MCAT of 497 or above, with a science GPA of 3.0 or above, for interview eligibility (Howard College of Medicine admissions). Its six-year BS/MD program asks for at least 504 on the MCAT, a 3.5 overall GPA and a 3.25 science GPA.
Set against the District's own applicants, who averaged 506.4 in 2025-26 while DC residents who started medical school averaged 512.5 (AAMC FACTS, Tables A-19 and A-20), the three numbers give a DC pre-med three different targets: around Howard's 505 mean, around Georgetown's 514, or past GW's 515 with no section at 123 or below.
How the schools' MCAT rules change your test plan
GW takes the highest score in each MCAT section across sittings (GW MD FAQs), so for a GW applicant a retake that lifts one weak section without the others can still raise the score GW reads. GW also reviews applicants the same way regardless of state residency, which matters in a District whose residents were 0.5% of GW's applications (AAMC FACTS, Table A-1).
GW's section floor is the rule we plan around most: one section at 123 makes an application non-competitive there even with a strong total. That is why we start DC students from their section scores, not just the total, and build the schedule around the weakest one before the test date.
Medical schools in and around Washington, DC
| School | Degree | 2025-26 applications | Applicants from Washington, DC | New students | New students from Washington, DC | Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | MD | 17,194 | 0.5% | 130 | 3.8% | 52.3% |
| Georgetown | MD | 14,542 | 0.6% | 203 | 3.4% | 60.6% |
| Howard | MD | 8,908 | 0.6% | 128 | 1.6% | 53.1% |
Total for the three Washington, DC-area MD schools: 40,644 applications, 461 first-year seats, 88 per seat (AAMC 2025 FACTS, Table A-1, AAMC short names).
Most applications: George Washington (17,194). Largest Washington, DC-resident share of a new class: George Washington (3.8%).
Of 118 Washington, DC applicants in 2025-26, 14 (11.9%) started at an MD school in Washington, DC, 37 (31.4%) started out of state and 67 (56.8%) did not start at any US MD school that year (AAMC Table A-5).
Washington, DC pre-meds by the numbers (the pool Washington, DC applicants are in)
| 2025-26 | Applicants from Washington, DC | New students from Washington, DC |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 118 | 51 |
| Average total MCAT | 506.4 | 512.5 |
| Average total GPA | 3.52 | 3.69 |
Only 118 District residents applied to MD schools in 2025-26, and 51 started one (AAMC FACTS, Tables A-3 and A-4). Ten years earlier the counts were 86 and 41; the high point was 122 applicants in 2021-22. Of this year's 118, 37 enrolled outside the District, 14 at a DC school and 67 at no US MD school (AAMC FACTS, Table A-5), so for most DC residents the realistic plan is a national application list, not a home-school one.
The DC residents who got in averaged 512.5 on the MCAT and 3.69 in GPA; DC applicants as a whole averaged 506.4 and 3.52 (AAMC FACTS, Tables A-19 and A-20). Their section gaps were 1.7 points in both Biological and Biochemical and Psychological and Social, and 1.4 in both Chemical and Physical and CARS. With a pool this small, one year can move a lot: DC applicant counts swung between 96 and 122 in the last five cycles.
MCAT section averages for Washington, DC applicants vs. new students
| Section | Applicants | New students | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical (CPBS) | 126.1 | 127.5 | +1.4 |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) | 125.9 | 127.3 | +1.4 |
| Biological and Biochemical (BBLS) | 126.6 | 128.3 | +1.7 |
| Psychological and Social (PSBB) | 127.8 | 129.5 | +1.7 |
Ten years of Washington, DC medical school applicants, as seen from Washington, DC
| Year | Washington, DC applicants | Washington, DC new students |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 86 | 41 |
| 2017-18 | 116 | 51 |
| 2018-19 | 105 | 54 |
| 2019-20 | 103 | 47 |
| 2020-21 | 118 | 65 |
| 2021-22 | 122 | 50 |
| 2022-23 | 96 | 43 |
| 2023-24 | 96 | 51 |
| 2024-25 | 102 | 47 |
| 2025-26 | 118 | 51 |
Source: AAMC 2025 FACTS, Tables A-3 and A-4.
What MCAT score Washington, DC applicants need
Read the District's averages against AAMC's pooled national acceptance grid, 2023-24 to 2025-26 (AAMC FACTS, Table A-23). A DC applicant at the average, 506.4 with a 3.52 GPA, falls in the 506-509 column of the 3.40-3.59 row, where 36.7% were accepted.
The average DC matriculant, 512.5 with a 3.69, sits in the 510-513 column of the 3.60-3.79 row, at 60% (AAMC FACTS, Table A-23). The 23.3-point difference between those two cells comes from moving up a GPA row and an MCAT band at once; the MCAT band is the half a pre-med can still change in a few months of study.
National AAMC grids (acceptance by MCAT and GPA, six years of averages): MCAT tutoring by city.
How many people in Washington, DC search for MCAT tutoring
For MCAT searches, Google Trends puts the Washington DC (Hagerstown MD) metro 21st of 209 US metros, score 24 of 100, over five years (retrieved October 2026). Few people search the local phrase: Semrush estimates 10 US searches a month for 'mcat tutor washington dc', next to 1,600 for 'mcat tutor' (October 2026).




