Technology is revolutionizing the way today’s medical school admissions work
Medical school admissions have gone digital, with virtual interviews and AI screening widening access, although becoming a doctor remains demanding.
Many students grow up with aspirations of completing their studies and becoming a doctor. Those doing so today are picking an exciting time.
The number of people applying has jumped nearly 86% over the last few decades, and some medical universities have to sift through over 5,000 applications for programs with just 100 student places. This demand has forced admissions offices to rethink their approach, and many are using technological solutions to try to narrow down the candidate list.
How the Application Process Has Changed
If you’re applying to medical school today, the process you’ll go through is very different from that experienced by your parents. Medical educational institutions have gone digital.
Before 2020, almost no medical schools interviewed applicants virtually, but the restrictions placed on schools by the pandemic forced them to change their approach.
With the lockdown restrictions long since over, the Association of American Medical Colleges continues to actively recommend that schools keep using virtual interviews. The main reason for this is that it cuts travel costs for applicants and widens access for those who can’t afford to fly across the country for a single interview.
For applicants, that means it’s possible to cast a wide net and apply for schools all over the country without necessarily needing to worry about travel logistics until you move into the next phase.
Some aspiring physicians also look beyond the United States. English-taught medicine and surgery programs at Italian public universities, for instance, select their international applicants through the IMAT 2026 entrance exam.
What Does AI Mean for Medical Education?
Of course, the biggest shift in education is coming from AI. While it’s clear that large language models like ChatGPT and machine learning algorithms are going to change the world of work, education, and society in general, we’re in the middle of a paradigm shift right now, and it’s not clear what effect AI will have in the long run.
For those applying to medical school, it means that your application is likely to be reviewed by AI agents. According to a systematic review of AI in applicant screening, educational programs tend to use these tools to do the following:
- Rank candidates
- Verify letters of recommendation
- Evaluate admissions essays
The optimistic view is that these tools will make the application process more egalitarian because it allows schools to treat every application equally. Even when the number of applications is in the thousands, schools will still keep people in charge of making the final call, but AI-based software will often act as a first-pass filter that reduces the number of candidates to a short list.
What the Changes Mean for Medical School Applicants
During the medical school application process, digital tools help streamline the work and make it feasible for schools to screen huge numbers of applicants. While the application process uses AI tools, humans are still at the center of the decision.
Applicants should take a similar approach, only using chatbots and similar apps to assist them in their application. While the application process is getting more convenient and accessible, the actual work of studying to be a doctor will certainly be challenging.
If you’re interested in reading more about similar topics, see our other blog posts.
