What 138 medical schools actually require.

Every prerequisite below is counted across the 138 medical schools whose own published list we have read for the 2026-27 cycle, out of 238 in the catalog. Each school has its own page with the list and the page it came from.

Lists read: 138 of 238; from each school's own admissions page
Cycle: 2026-27; check each school's page before you rely on a line

98% of medical schools require biology with lab, the most of any subject. Shares are of the 138 lists read. “Required” means the school states it as a prerequisite; “recommended” means it is named but not a gate.

Coursework

Subject	Required by	Share	Recommended by
Biology with lab	135	98%	3
General chemistry with lab	134	97%	3
Organic chemistry with lab	134	97%	4
Physics with lab	133	96%	5
English or writing-intensive	127	92%	6
Biochemistry	125	91%	12
Statistics	109	79%	17
Social sciences and humanities	12	9%	23
College mathematics	6	4%	2
Advanced biology	4	3%	22
Psychology	1	1%	137
Physiology	1	1%	0
Calculus	0	0%	138
Sociology	0	0%	138
Genetics	0	0%	138

Experience hours

Subject	Required by	Share	Recommended by	Median minimum
Clinical experience	23	17%	115	150 hours
Physician shadowing	15	11%	123	50 hours
Non-clinical volunteering	11	8%	127	150 hours
Research	3	2%	135	100 hours

Letters

Subject	Required by	Share	Recommended by
Science faculty letter	47	34%	14
Physician letter	28	20%	23
Supervisor letter	11	8%	23
Faculty letter (any discipline)	5	4%	0
Non-science faculty letter	3	2%	2
Committee letter	1	1%	84
Osteopathic physician letter	0	0%	36
Research mentor letter	0	0%	19

How this was counted: each school’s list is recorded as its difference from the path’s standard set, read from the school’s own page and quoted verbatim. A school that publishes nothing about a subject inherits the standard line for it. You are responsible for checking any figure you act on against the school’s own admissions page; each school’s page here links to it. Nothing here is a substitute for the admissions office.