Rush

Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center Chicago, IL · Private · MD

Average MCAT: 510
Average GPA: 3.72
Class size: 144 (13,327 applicants)
Tuition: $60,999 (per year)
Out-of-state applicants: Welcome

Deadlines

AMCAS deadline: Oct. 1, 2026
Early Decision Program: Aug. 3, 2026
Secondary deadline: Nov. 13, 2026

Essays

Broadened world view (1,000 characters)

Rush Medical College is located on Chicago's near west side and serves a diverse patient population. We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us about a life experience that has broadened your own world view or enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from this experience.

Complexity of care (1,000 characters)

Tell us about an experience within a healthcare environment that revealed the complexity of caring for others. How did your understanding evolve through reflection, observation, or continued engagement, and what did you learn about the responsibilities of medicine?

Sustained engagement (1,000 characters)

Some commitments grow deeper the longer we remain involved. Tell us about an experience that required sustained engagement with others. What drew you to it initially, what kept you engaged, and how did it influence the way you think about caring for others, serving communities, social responsibility, or contributing to something larger than yourself?

Sustained inquiry (1,000 characters)

Advancing knowledge often begins with curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to question what is already known. Tell us about an experience, project, or question that demanded sustained inquiry from you. Where did it lead, and how did it shape the way you think about discovery, innovation, or lifelong learning?

Persistence and leadership (1,000 characters)

Describe an experience that required you to persist, adapt, or rethink your approach in order to create meaningful progress. What kept you engaged, and how did the experience influence the way you approach leadership, accountability, or future challenges?

Optional: COVID-19 (1,000 characters)

If applicable, describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your application to and/or preparation for medical school.

Optional: Additional information (1,000 characters)

Use this space to provide additional information, that is non-COVID related, you would like the Committee on Admissions to be aware of when reviewing your application.

Editor's notes

Rush publishes hard floors. With a 3.60 to 3.79 GPA you need at least a 502; below 3.20 you need a 510. Check where you fall before you pay for the secondary. The graduate coursework route (24 hours, 3.5 science GPA, 503) is there for career changers with a weaker undergraduate record.
This is a national school. In 2025, 113 of 144 entering students came from outside Illinois. Out-of-state applicants shouldn't count themselves out.
Five 1,000-character essays reward range. Each prompt targets a different trait (world view, clinical reflection, commitment, inquiry, persistence), so map five different experiences before you write. Reusing one story across two answers wastes space you don't have.
Rush decides quickly after interviews, usually within two to three weeks, starting Oct. 15. Finishing the secondary early matters more here than at schools that release all decisions in March.