According to public records obtained by The Collegiate Commons, the average MCAT score needed to be accepted into the IU School of Medicine in 2015 was slightly higher than the national average. The national average accepted score is roughly 506.5, while the average for the IU School of Medicine is 512.
The lowest score accepted by the IU School of Medicine was 497, while the highest score accepted by the school was 527.
If students retake the MCAT, it is important to note that according to the school’s website, “the Admissions Committee only considers the most recent MCAT for admission purposes.”
Breakdown by Race/Ethnicity:
Accepted MCAT scores where data was available on those who self-identified by race/ethnicity at the IU School of Medicine were all significantly higher than national averages. The equity gap between Black/African-American students and white students at the IU School of Medicine was also about 1.5 points lower than the national average.
Average Accepted MCAT Score and GPA nationally in 2022-2023 by Race/Ethnicity (pictured to the right, courtesy of Association of American Medical Colleges).
Average Accepted MCAT Score at IU School of Medicine in 2015-2016 by Race/Ethnicity (pictured to the left, courtesy of The Collegiate Commons).
Self-identified ethnicities were broadly grouped for ease of comparison, and those whose racial/ethnic self-identification were not disclosed were removed.
GPA and Early Decision:
GPA is also an important aspect of medical school admissions. However, the IU School of Medicine website clarifies that students should not retake courses to improve their GPA.
“Repeating courses will only improve the institution GPA,” it says. “AMCAS will include all grades on the transcript in the GPA calculation.”
Students who intend to enter the early decision program, however, must have at least a 3.7 GPA and a 510 MCAT score if they want to go to an regional statewide campus. If they want to go to the Indianapolis campus, they must have a 3.8 GPA and a 512 MCAT score.
Holistic Review:
MCAT Scores and GPA are only one part of the review process, though.
“All applicants invited to interview are determined based on a holistic review process,” according to the School of Medicine website.
While the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action policies in university admissions this summer, holistic review remains a way for universities to increase measures of diversity in the admissions process.
“[N]othing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise,” said Chief Justice John Roberts.
While this process can differ by school, many schools and admissions staff use the Experiences-Attributes-Metrics (E-A-M) for guidance on this process.