Applications to medical school have reached an all-time high, according to information released by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Applicants in the 2012-2013 cycle increased by 6.1 percent over the previous year t0 48,014.  This beats the record set in 1996, when 46,965 applied to medical school.

Which are the most popular medical schools and how is this measured?  One way to figure this out is to analyze the schools’ yield, which is the percent of applicants who choose to enroll after being offered admission. Bear in mind that there are many factors that affect yield:  the cost of the school, location, caliber, acceptances applicants have elsewhere, etc.

You’ll notice that most of the schools with the highest yield are public institutions. It’s possible that applicants chose them in greater numbers due to their relatively low cost compared to private schools. Here’s the list, from an article in US News & World Report, with the corresponding yield for each school:

1. University of Kansas    85.1%

2. University of Arkansas 83.4%

3. University of Oklahoma 82.9%

4. University of New Mexico 80.5%

5. University of Washington  79.4%

6. University of South Dakota  78.4%

7. University of Utah  77.9%

8. Ohio University  77.5%

9. Harvard University  76.3%

10. University of North Carolina  75%

Most applicants include their state school(s) at the top of their list; not only can these schools be easier to get into due to their preference for in-state applicants, most public schools are cheaper than private schools and also very high caliber. No wonder so many state schools have such high yields.

–Liza Thompson, Expert Medical Schools Admissions Consulting