LSU New Orleans (LSUHSC)

LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in New Orleans New Orleans, LA · Public · MD

Average MCAT: 509
Average GPA: 3.76
Class size: 195 (3,865 applicants)
Tuition: $67,224 (per year, nonresident)
Out-of-state applicants: Limited

Deadlines

AMCAS deadline: Nov. 1, 2026
Early Decision Program: Aug. 3, 2026
Secondary deadline: Dec. 1, 2026

Essays

Scholarship essay (optional) (500 words)

Optional essay for applicants who want to be considered for the Means for Medicine scholarship.

Questionnaire: academic factors

Do you feel there are any factors in your background that have hindered you from achieving a higher level of academic achievement? If yes, briefly explain why.

Editor's notes

If you're from Louisiana, this is your school to lose, so apply early. Every resident gets the secondary, 171 of the 195 students in the fall 2025 class were residents, and the committee admits on a rolling basis from mid-October. A file completed in December competes for fewer seats.
If you're not a resident, the secondary is a real hurdle. Nonresidents are pre-screened before they get it, and nonresidents who enroll pay a $30,994 nonresident fee each year on top of the resident budget. Weigh that cost before you add LSU to your list.
Read the letter rules closely. Without a committee letter, you need three professors from didactic science or math classes, and a research mentor or one-hour lab instructor doesn't count toward that three. Line up the right writers before the Dec. 1, 2026 deadline.
The 30-hour policy matters if your early grades hurt you. The committee will treat the GPA from 30 or more post-bacc hours in biology, chemistry, physics or math as your GPA. That's a clear path back for a weak undergraduate record.