Penn State

Penn State College of Medicine Hershey, PA · Public · MD

Average MCAT: 511
Average GPA: 3.77
Class size: 150 (11,207 applicants)
Tuition: $71,176 (per year, nonresident)
Out-of-state applicants: Welcome

Deadlines

AMCAS deadline: Nov. 15, 2026
Secondary deadline: Dec. 15, 2026

Essays

Essay 1 (if not enrolled full time) (75 words)

If not currently enrolled in a full-time academic program, please summarize your activities from the time of graduation from your baccalaureate program through the time of this application, as well as your plans between now and your matriculation to medical school.

Essay 2 (75 words)

Is there a unique aspect of your application that should be considered by the admissions committee?

Essay 3 (75 words)

Explain why you decided to apply to the Penn State College of Medicine and what meaningful ties you may have to Hershey and the central PA area.

Essay 4 (250 words)

Part of the PSCOM mission is providing excellent care to the patients of Central PA and rural communities and ultimately the nation. How will you help us fulfill this mission?

Essay 5 (250 words)

Describe your motivation to be a physician.

Editor's notes

Submit a finished file. Penn State won't take updates, extra letters or update letters after you submit the secondary, and it refuses late submissions. Line up every required letter, including one from each degree-granting school, before you hit send.
The deadlines are earlier than they look: AMCAS must be verified and received by Nov. 15, and everything else by Dec. 15. Verification can take weeks in the fall, so a November AMCAS submission is a real risk.
If you already know you want emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics or psychiatry, look hard at the 3+3 pathways. You indicate interest in the secondary, and the pathway leads straight into a Penn State Health residency. Only do it if you're sure. The year saved costs you the chance to change your mind.
The short answers are tiny, 75 words for why Penn State and your ties to central Pennsylvania. With 11,207 applications for 150 seats in the 2025 entering class, the rural and Central PA mission essay is where a specific record of service stands out.