Case Western Reserve School of Medicine Requirements, Tuition, and More

We’re covering everything you need to know as you consider applying to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. You’ll learn about acceptance rates, application deadlines, average MCAT scores, tuition, curriculum, and more.

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Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRUSM) is located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school is home to 16 Nobel Laureates, boasts $334.2 million in sponsored research project funding, claims 1,314 sponsored research projects, and works with more than 270 industry partners. Worth noting, too, is that the institution was the first in the country to offer an MD/PhD dual-degree program, a model others have since adopted.
CWRUSM has 938 full-time students (51.3 percent female / 48.7 percent male), 2,822 full-time faculty on staff, and a faculty-student ratio of 3:1. 
Beginning in 1952, the school initiated the most advanced medical curriculum in the country at the time through an integrated education approach, which focused on organ systems and team teaching in the preclinical curriculum. Case Western Reserve’s tradition of offering cutting-edge education continues to this day. In 2006, the institution launched its Western Reserve2 Curriculum (WR2), which emphasizes self-directed learning and collaboration between small groups of students by integrating four themes of research and scholarship. Students engage with these four themes—clinical mastery, teamwork and leadership, civic professionalism, and health advocacy—through team-based learning activities, anatomy and dissection sessions, clinical skills training, and patient-based activities.
Students looking to build relationships, influence university policy, and support the local community will benefit from a choice of more than 35 student organizations and a variety of activities. Events like Doc Opera, a fundraising event and variety show written and directed entirely by CWR graduate students, allows students to showcase their hidden talents while helping the local community. Proceeds from the event, which is in its 35th year, go towards the institution’s Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland.

Case Western Reserve School of Medicine offers students a choice of three pathways into medicine: the University Program, the College Program, and the MD/PhD program.
The University Program curriculum (culminating in an MD degree), which is the oldest and largest at CWRUSM, begins with eight-blocks of training and coursework in foundational medicine and health. The first block, Becoming a Doctor, includes early field experiences, but is mainly comprised of courses in population health, epidemiology, biostatistics, and bioethics. Blocks two through six follow a similar pattern, but include a Clinical Immersion Week during which students are assigned to different clinical sites. There, they shadow clinical faculty in local hospitals, observe patient procedures, and participate in exercises with electronic simulators and Standardized Patients—actors trained to behave as patients presenting with various symptoms. Each block culminates in an assessment week to evaluate student comprehension and determine their readiness for the USMLE exams. Block seven includes courses in anatomy, histopathology, radiology, and clinical mastery. Foundations of Clinical Medicine, the eighth and final block, aims to help students develop a broad range of clinical and professional capabilities. Clinical rotations begin in the spring of the second year and provide students with opportunities to experience hands-on patient care in the fields of family, geriatric, pediatric, and emergency medicine, as well as others. Internships and advanced electives courses follow.
Students interested in careers as physician-investigators may be interested in the five-year College Program, which equips graduates with qualifications in biomedical research. The dual MD/PhD program, which can take up to eight years to complete, is ideal for students who wish to become physician-scientists.
In addition to the MD track, the school offers the following dual-degree programs:

• MD/MA in Bioethics– this joint degree provides advanced training in bioethics and covers moral issues related to health. These issues address health care and health policy at the local and national levels.
• MD/MS – this program is ideal for students interested in advanced training in the anatomical sciences.
• MD/MS in Biomedical Engineering – this program prepares medical graduates to be leaders in the development of medical technology.
• MD/MS in Biomedical Investigation – this five-year program trains medical students in basic or clinical research approaches and includes a full year of research culminating in a written report and exam.
• MD/MBA – combines the studies of medicine and business and is ideal for those interested in managing hospitals and corporate practices.
• MD/MA in Anthropology – this four-year dual degree program is designed for students who wish to pursue anthropology beyond the BA level.

Since its founding in 1843, there have been many medical firsts at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine: 

• First MD/PhD dual-degree program in the country
• First DMD/MD dual degree program in the country
• First simulated milk formula for infants
• First CPR course
• First successful defibrillation of the human heart
• First diagnostic test for carpal tunnel syndrome
• First discovery of Bovine Growth Hormone polyadenylation signal (BGH Poly-A)
• First creation of artificial human chromosome
• First link found between oral bacteria and preterm birth in humans
• First stool DNA tests for early detection of colon cancer
• First rapid-detection device for malaria

• #1 for Neurosurgery
• #10 for Dermatology

In the 2018-2019 application cycle, 6645 candidates applied to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. 1416 applicants were invited to interview (21.3% interview rate), 586 were accepted, and 215 chose to enroll.

The acceptance rate is 8.8%.

The cost of tuition is $63,262.

Here is the application cycle:
Early June: AMCAS application opens
July 1-November 1: Applicants electronically invited to complete secondary application
November 1: Latest filing date for primary AMCAS applications
December 1: Deadline to submit secondary application; qualified applicants electronically invited to schedule an interview
August-February: Interviews conducted
April – July: Offers to students placed on the alternate list potentially extended
The application fee is $90. Case Western Reserve School of Medicine has a rolling admissions policy.

Accepted applicants in the 2018-2019 admissions cycle had a median undergraduate GPA of 3.79 and median MCAT scores as follows:

• Total MCAT Score: 518
• Chemical & Physical: 129
• CARS: 128
• Biological & Biochemical: 130
• Psychological, Social & Biological: 130

The Case Western Reserve School of Medicine Class of 2018 had a nearly 100% match rate, according to the school. The top residency matches were in the following specialties: