Let’s make no mistake, getting into any medical school is an extremely difficult accomplishment that one should be proud of. This is even more impressive given that the acceptance rate for medical school in Canada is extremely low at 5.5%! However, some medical schools are easier to get into than others in terms of their admission requirements and acceptance rates.
We’ve compiled a list of the 5 easiest dental schools to get into in Canada for both in-province and out-of-province students to help you out on your medical school applications. This order has been created using a mix of the acceptance rates for each university as well as their admission statistics.
Easiest Medical School to Get Into for In-Province Applicants
Most medical schools in Canada are very open about skewing their admission process in favour of applicants who reside within the province they are located in. The purpose of this is to increase the likelihood of graduates to practice in the province they studied in, preventing a “brain drain”. This gives in-province (IP) applicants a much higher acceptance rate in most cases.
These statistics assume that you have an in-province bias for your applications to all medical schools in Canada. Although this is not feasible, these statistics give us an idea for the easiest medical schools to get into with in-province bias.
#5 University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
| IP Acceptance Rate: Unknown | Mean MCAT Score: 514 | Mean Total GPA: 3.85 |
#4 Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
| IP Acceptance Rate: 20.4% | Mean MCAT Score: 507 | Mean Total GPA: 3.80 |
#3 University of Manitoba Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
| IP Acceptance Rate: 23.7% | Mean IP MCAT Score: 514 | Mean IP GPA: 4.18* |
For requirements for admission to this university click here
#2 Memorial University Faculty of Medicine
| IP Acceptance Rate: 21.1% | Mean MCAT Score: 506 | Mean Grade: 85% |
#1 University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine
| IP Acceptance Rate: 27.9% | Mean MCAT Score: 509.7 | Mean Grade: 88.26% |
Please note that Nothern Ontario School of Medicine has a “version” of in-province bias towards students that are indigenous, francophone, or from Northern Ontario. If you meet any of these criteria consider applying to their medical school as well.
Easiest Medical School to Get Into for Out-of-Province Applicants
These statistics assume that you have no in-province bias for any medical school in Canada. This means that most of the medical schools that make this list will be those located in Ontario since they do not have a bias for in-province vs out-of-province students. Truthfully, all these medical schools are extremely hard to get into.
#4 Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa
| Acceptance Rate: 3.44% | Mean MCAT Score: NR | Mean GPA: 3.96 |
#3 Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University
| Acceptance Rate: 3.49% | Mean MCAT Score: 129 CARS | Mean GPA: 3.88 |
#2 University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine
| Acceptance Rate: 5.99% | Mean MCAT Score: NR | Mean GPA: 3.96 |
#1 Western University School of Medicine
| Acceptance Rate: 7.08% | Mean MCAT Score: 509 | Mean GPA: 3.87 |
Additionally, applicants who are fluent in French should consider applying to the three French medical schools Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, and Université Laval as they have do not have an extreme bias towards in-province students.
Easiest Medical Schools to get into for International Students
Most medical schools in Canada do not accept international students. Those that do accept international students tend to have even lower acceptance rates than out-of-province applicants. Usually, a maximum of 2-3 are accepted so those looking to apply as international students in Canada must have extremely high MCAT, GPA, and extracurriculars. In general, applicants looking to study internationally may wish to look at American universities that are more open to accepting international students. Information for international students looking to study in Canada is sparse so those looking for information should check the individual university websites for more information.
Closing Thoughts
Choosing which medical schools to apply to should not solely be based on the acceptance rates of each program. In addition to these statistics, applicants should also consider both the costs and requirements for each medical school.
As we have seen from the above-provided information gaining entry to any medical school in Canada is extremely difficult. Applying to these schools requires lots of advanced preparation. For students looking for help applying to medical schools consider checking our articles on the Medical College Admission Test and CASPer test, two mandatory aspects of most medical schools in Canada.