Learn how to use MSAR to build a medical school list, compare GPA and MCAT data, and access 22 free AAMC reports on prerequisites, interviews, fees, and more.
MSAR for Premeds: How to Use It, Build Your School List, and Access 22 Free AAMC Reports
The AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements database, better known as MSAR, is one of the most useful resources for building a medical school list because it puts school-specific admissions information into one place. You can compare GPA and MCAT data, application policies, prerequisites, tuition, mission statements, class characteristics, and other information that would otherwise require opening dozens of individual medical school websites.
You can access the official MSAR page here:
What many premed students do not realize is that you do not necessarily have to pay for MSAR to access some of its most useful information. The AAMC currently publishes 22 free MSAR reports containing school-by-school information on prerequisites, mission statements, secondary applications, letters of recommendation, interview policies, waitlists, tuition, debt, and several other topics. These reports are based on information supplied by individual medical schools and are updated throughout the application year.
You can access all 22 free reports here:
Having gone through the medical school application process myself, one of the biggest lessons I took away from it is that building a good school list involves much more than comparing your MCAT score with a school’s median. Every additional school means another application decision, potentially another secondary fee, another essay set, another portal, and another deadline to keep track of. I think it is worth spending more time researching your list before submitting AMCAS rather than realizing later that you applied to schools where you were not a particularly good fit.
That is how I recommend thinking about MSAR. It is not a calculator that tells you whether you will get accepted. It is a research tool that helps you make better decisions before you spend your time and money applying.
What Is MSAR?
MSAR stands for Medical School Admission Requirements. It is an online database maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, that allows applicants to browse, search, sort, and compare information about medical schools in the United States and Canada.
The paid MSAR database contains profiles for MD-granting, LCME-accredited medical schools. The data are particularly useful because the AAMC has access to information from the MCAT and AMCAS systems, while medical schools also provide information directly for their individual profiles. The 2026 version has been updated for the current application environment.
One important clarification is that MSAR is primarily an MD-school resource. If you are also applying to DO schools, you should not assume that MSAR gives you the equivalent information for every osteopathic medical school.
AACOM maintains the Choose DO Explorer, which is a searchable database of U.S. osteopathic medical schools and includes information such as admissions requirements, tuition, deadlines, programs, and other school characteristics.
You can access the Choose DO Explorer here:
https://www.aacom.org/explore-med-schools/choose-do-explorer
If I were building a combined MD and DO school list today, I would use MSAR for my MD research and Choose DO Explorer plus each school’s website for the DO portion.
How Much Does MSAR Cost in 2026?
The current AAMC price for a one-year MSAR subscription is $33, while a two-year subscription costs $41.
You can purchase MSAR through the official AAMC store here:
https://store.aamc.org/students-residents/admissions-requirements-msarr.html
I think the two-year subscription is particularly worth considering if you are beginning your school research well before you plan to submit AMCAS. The difference between one year and two years is currently only $8, and medical school planning often begins well before the application actually opens.
MSAR access is measured from the date your subscription is purchased or activated. The AAMC typically publishes its new MSAR edition in the spring, generally around April, and applicants with an active subscription automatically receive access to the new edition when it becomes available.
Can You Get MSAR for Free?
Yes, in two different ways.
First, the AAMC makes a substantial amount of MSAR-derived information publicly available through its 22 free MSAR reports. You do not need a paid subscription to download these PDFs.
Second, applicants approved for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program receive a complimentary two-year MSAR subscription following activation. The AAMC currently values that benefit at $41.
If you think you may qualify for Fee Assistance, I would investigate that before purchasing MSAR because AAMC Fee Assistance benefits are not retroactive.
I have a complete guide to the current Fee Assistance Program here:
If you do not qualify for FAP, I would still start with the free reports before deciding whether you need the paid database. Depending on what you are researching, you may be surprised by how much information the AAMC already makes publicly available.
The 22 Free MSAR Reports Are One of the Best Premed Resources People Miss
This is the part of MSAR that I think deserves much more attention.
The AAMC currently publishes 22 free PDF reports for applicants and advisors. The reports are intended to help students applying to the 2027 entering class and are updated as medical schools provide new information.
The main page containing all of them is here:
I would bookmark that page rather than downloading every report once and assuming the information will never change. Several of the reports were updated as recently as July and August 2026, so the live AAMC page is the safest place to check for the newest version.
Some of these reports are useful enough that I think almost every applicant should know about them.
Free Premedical Course Requirements for Every MSAR Medical School
One of the most useful reports is the Premedical Coursework Chart.
The current AAMC version is here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7041/download
This is a very large report that lays out required and recommended coursework across schools. It includes information about subjects such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, English, and behavioral science, along with details about labs, AP credit, online coursework, community college courses, and Pass/Fail policies when schools provide that information.
This is much better than assuming every medical school follows the traditional “two semesters of Biology, two of Chemistry, two of Physics” formula exactly.
Schools differ.
Some require Biochemistry.
Some recommend it.
Some have specific Statistics requirements.
Some accept AP credit in particular subjects while others expect additional upper-level coursework.
The report is more than 200 pages because medical school prerequisite policies genuinely vary that much.
When I recommend that students research schools before finalizing their application list, this is exactly the type of issue I mean. You do not want to spend money submitting to a school and then discover that a prerequisite you assumed was optional is actually required.
I would still verify important requirements on the individual medical school’s admissions website before making a final decision because policies can change.
Free Medical School Mission Statement Report
The AAMC also publishes a report compiling medical school mission statements.
You can download it here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/6966/download
The current report includes U.S. and Canadian medical schools and was updated in May 2026.
I think mission statements are overlooked when students first build their school lists because GPA and MCAT numbers are easier to compare.
Those numbers matter, but mission matters too.
A school with a strong emphasis on rural medicine, primary care, research, health equity, serving a particular state, or caring for underserved communities may evaluate applicants through that lens.
When I went through the application process myself, I learned that there is a big difference between being academically competitive for a school and being a genuinely sensible applicant for that school.
You want both whenever possible.
This is also useful when you begin writing secondary essays. If a school asks why you want to attend, understanding what that institution actually prioritizes gives you a much better starting point than writing a generic paragraph about wanting excellent clinical training and research opportunities.
Free Report Showing Which Schools Accept Out-of-State Applicants
The AAMC’s Applications Accepted Information report is extremely useful when building a geographically broad school list.
You can access it here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/6996/download
The report identifies the types of applicants schools say they accept, including out-of-state applicants, Canadian applicants, international applicants, and applicants with DACA status. The current version was updated in July 2026.
This matters because “I am willing to move anywhere” does not automatically mean every public medical school is equally sensible for you.
Some schools have strong state or regional missions.
Even when a school technically accepts out-of-state applications, you should still look at the actual class composition and mission before deciding whether it belongs on your list.
This is one place where the paid MSAR subscription becomes more useful because you can dig deeper into the school-specific data rather than stopping at a simple yes-or-no policy.
Free Secondary Application Report
There is also an MSAR report dedicated to secondary applications.
The current AAMC link is:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7011/download
The report includes information such as secondary application deadlines, fees, and whether a school sends secondaries to all applicants or uses some form of screening. The AAMC reports that this information was updated in August 2026.
This may not seem important when you are initially building your school list, but it becomes very important once you realize how quickly secondary fees and essays accumulate.
If you apply to 25 schools and almost all of them send you a secondary, that is not simply 25 clicks after your AMCAS submission. It can become dozens of essays, thousands of dollars in combined application expenses, and a significant amount of work compressed into a fairly short period.
That is why I prefer building a thoughtful school list before AMCAS rather than taking the approach of applying everywhere and figuring it out later.
Free Medical School Letter of Recommendation Requirements Report
You can also download the AAMC’s Letter of Evaluation Preferences report here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7026/download
The report shows which types of letters individual medical schools prefer, accept, or do not accept. The current report was updated at the end of July 2026.
This is another requirement that students sometimes assume is standardized across every medical school.
It is not.
Committee letters, letter packets, individual faculty letters, science-faculty letters, non-science letters, and other requirements can differ between schools.
I would check this information while you are still planning your letters rather than after your recommenders have already submitted everything.
Free Report on Which MCAT Dates Medical Schools Accept
The AAMC also publishes a report showing the latest and oldest MCAT test administration dates considered by individual medical schools.
The current link is:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7036/download
The AAMC reports that this information was updated in August 2026.
This is particularly useful for applicants using an older MCAT score or deciding whether a planned test date will be accepted for the cycle in which they want to apply.
Do not assume that every school uses exactly the same MCAT expiration policy.
If your score is several years old, I would check every school on your final list before submitting.
Free Medical School Interview Policies Report
The AAMC provides an interview report containing information about each school’s interview format, when interview invitations are typically sent, what the interview day looks like, and whether schools offer regional or video interviews.
You can access it here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7051/download
The report was updated in July 2026.
I would not use interview timing as a reason to obsessively compare your application with someone else’s on Reddit.
Different schools interview on different timelines, and even applicants to the same school can receive invitations months apart.
However, once you actually receive an interview invitation, knowing whether a school uses traditional interviews, an MMI-style format, or another approach can help you prepare appropriately.
Free Medical School Waitlist Report
The AAMC also makes its medical school waitlist information publicly available.
You can download the report here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7056/download
It includes information such as typical waitlist size, the number of offers schools report making from their waitlist, and descriptions of their waitlist procedures.
This resource becomes much more valuable later in an application cycle.
If you are waitlisted, one of the most frustrating things is not knowing whether the list historically moves at all.
The report cannot tell you your personal probability of eventually receiving an acceptance, but it can provide context about how a school handles its waitlist.
I would still read the individual school’s current instructions carefully before sending letters of interest or updates because schools have different policies regarding additional communication.
Free Tuition, Debt, and Cost Information
Medical school selection is not only an admissions decision. It is also a financial decision.
The AAMC publishes free MSAR reports containing tuition, fees, insurance information, deposits, and medical student debt data.
The full free reports page is here:
The debt report is available directly here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7061/download
The debt report includes information such as the percentage of students receiving aid and average medical school indebtedness reported for graduates.
I think students understandably focus almost entirely on getting accepted when they are premeds, but cost becomes much more real once you actually have options to compare.
Two schools that both train excellent physicians can have substantially different tuition, cost of living, scholarship opportunities, and debt implications.
You do not need to make cost the only factor in your school list, but I would not ignore it either.
What Do You Get With the Paid MSAR Subscription?
The free reports are excellent, but they do not completely replace the paid MSAR database.
The paid version allows you to browse, sort, search, and compare detailed school profiles containing comprehensive data, deadlines, policies, and other school-specific information. The AAMC updates MSAR annually and incorporates information from medical schools as well as data associated with AMCAS and the MCAT.
One of the features students tend to care about most is the school-specific GPA and MCAT information.
This can help you understand where your academic metrics fall relative to previous applicants and matriculants.
However, I would be very careful about turning those numbers into artificial admissions cutoffs.
How I Recommend Using MSAR GPA and MCAT Data
This is where I think a lot of premed students unintentionally misuse MSAR.
Suppose a school’s median MCAT is 515 and you have a 512.
That does not mean you automatically should not apply.
Likewise, having a 518 does not mean that school is automatically a “safety.”
Medical schools evaluate much more than two numbers, and there really is no such thing as a guaranteed safety medical school.
The AAMC itself advises applicants not to evaluate programs only through GPA and MCAT statistics and instead encourages students to think about whether a medical school fits their goals, experiences, interests, and preferences.
I would use the numbers to create context.
If nearly every school on your list has academic metrics significantly above your own, your list may be too aggressive.
If you only apply to schools where your numbers are above the median but ignore mission, residency preference, prerequisites, and fit, your list can still be poorly constructed.
The goal is balance.
My Personal Approach to Building a Medical School List
Having gone through the application process myself, I think one of the easiest mistakes to make is beginning with a list of school names rather than beginning with the reasons those schools make sense for you.
It is tempting to hear about a prestigious program, see that it is in a city you like, and immediately add it to your spreadsheet.
I would approach the process more systematically.
I would first make sure the school actually accepts applicants like me geographically and that I meet its basic prerequisites.
Then I would look at GPA and MCAT data to understand whether the academic fit is reasonable.
After that, I would look much more closely at mission, curriculum, opportunities, location, cost, and anything particularly important to my own goals.
I would also verify letter requirements, MCAT timing rules, and other application policies before finalizing the list.
This is the part that I think MSAR does particularly well. It helps turn school-list building from a collection of names into an actual research process.
Do Not Use MSAR as an Acceptance Probability Calculator
I would be careful with any website or spreadsheet that tells you that your chance of admission to a particular school is exactly 23%, 47%, or 71%.
Medical school admissions do not work that cleanly.
MSAR gives you real historical and school-reported information, but those data describe groups of applicants. They do not capture every part of your individual application.
Your clinical experiences, research, service, letters, essays, state residency, mission fit, life experiences, interviewing ability, and the composition of that year’s applicant pool all matter.
Use MSAR to make your decisions more informed.
Do not ask it to predict the future.
How Many Reach, Target, and Lower-Metric Schools Should You Have?
I would avoid using rigid categories as though medical school admissions work exactly like undergraduate admissions.
You can still use general academic ranges to create balance, but I prefer thinking about whether the entire list is realistic.
Look at your GPA and MCAT distribution across the schools.
Look at state residency preferences.
Look at missions.
Look at whether you actually satisfy their course requirements.
Then ask yourself whether you can honestly explain why each school belongs on your application.
If you cannot find a reason beyond “I might get in,” I would research it more before paying to apply.
Why State Residency Matters More Than Students Think
One of the biggest reasons an apparently reasonable school list can become unrealistic is residency preference.
Many public medical schools have missions tied closely to training physicians for their own state or region.
A school can technically accept out-of-state applicants while still enrolling a class composed overwhelmingly of residents.
That is why I would look beyond a simple “yes, out-of-state applications are accepted.”
Use the free applications-accepted report as your initial screen, then use MSAR and the school’s website to understand how much geographic preference actually matters.
That distinction can save you from spending money on schools where your probability is much lower than the median GPA and MCAT numbers might suggest.
Why Mission Fit Matters
Mission statements sometimes sound generic until you compare several schools side by side.
Then the differences become much easier to see.
One school may emphasize serving rural communities.
Another may focus heavily on urban underserved populations.
Another may emphasize research and academic medicine.
Another may have a strong commitment to training physicians for a particular state.
Your experiences do not have to match every sentence of a mission statement, but your application should make sense in the context of what that school is trying to accomplish.
I would use the free AAMC mission report to identify those differences and then visit the individual school website for more depth.
Use MSAR Before You Submit AMCAS, Not After
This is probably the most practical recommendation I can give.
Do the research before you pay for the schools.
The current AMCAS application fee structure means every additional school adds another fee, and those fees are only the beginning because many schools also charge for secondary applications.
Having gone through an application cycle myself, I know how quickly the process becomes difficult to manage once secondaries, portals, deadlines, interviews, and decisions begin arriving.
There is much less time to thoughtfully research whether a school belongs on your list once you are trying to complete ten secondary essays.
Do that work earlier.
Pair MSAR With a Medical School Application Tracker
MSAR is excellent for researching schools, but I would not use it as my only organizational system.
Once you begin narrowing your list, put the information that matters to you into a spreadsheet.
I created a free Medical School Application Tracker for exactly this purpose:
The spreadsheet lets you keep school names, mission-fit notes, application services, secondary deadlines, fees, interview dates, decisions, deposits, and other application information in one place.
My recommendation is to use MSAR and official school websites for research, then move the information that actually affects your decisions into your own tracker.
That prevents you from having to repeatedly rediscover the same information throughout the year.
What Information I Would Put in My School List Spreadsheet
I would not copy every field in MSAR into your spreadsheet.
That creates a giant database that is difficult to use.
Instead, I would track the things that actually influence whether you apply.
For me, that would include the school name, state, public or private status, residency preference, approximate GPA and MCAT context, mission fit, major prerequisites, application deadline, secondary fee, and one or two sentences explaining why the school belongs on the list.
I would also add any personal considerations that matter to you, such as proximity to family, cost of living, curriculum structure, research opportunities, rural or urban setting, or a specific program that aligns with your interests.
That last column explaining why the school is on your list can be surprisingly valuable.
Several months later, when you are preparing for an interview or deciding between schools, you do not want to ask yourself why you applied there in the first place.
Should You Buy One Year or Two Years of MSAR?
If you are applying within the next year and expect your application cycle to be finished before your subscription expires, one year may be enough.
The current one-year price is $33.
If you are beginning school-list research earlier, are still preparing for the MCAT, or simply want access across a longer planning period, the two-year subscription costs $41.
For an $8 difference, I would personally lean toward two years when I know I am still fairly early in the process.
However, there is no reason to pay for extra time you will never use.
Should You Buy MSAR Before Taking the MCAT?
You do not necessarily need to.
If you are still several months away from the MCAT and have no idea what your eventual score range will look like, I would start with the free reports and broader school research.
Once you have an MCAT score or are close enough to have a reasonable estimate of your range, the detailed school-specific data becomes much more useful.
The exception would be if you have other reasons to begin researching schools early, such as geographic restrictions, prerequisite planning, combined-degree interests, or an unusual application timeline.
What If You Are Applying to DO Schools Too?
Remember that MSAR is not the complete school-search solution for an applicant pursuing both MD and DO programs.
For osteopathic schools, I would use AACOM’s Choose DO Explorer:
https://www.aacom.org/explore-med-schools/choose-do-explorer
AACOM describes it as a searchable database where students can compare osteopathic schools and review information such as location, tuition, admissions requirements, deadlines, facilities, and special programs.
I would then put both your MD and DO schools into the same personal tracker so you can see your entire application strategy in one place.
Are the Free MSAR Reports Enough Without Paying?
For some students, they may be.
If you mainly need prerequisites, mission statements, basic application policies, secondary information, letters, interview formats, MCAT date policies, waitlist information, or tuition information, the free reports cover a remarkable amount.
If you are trying to build a nuanced school list using detailed school-specific applicant and matriculant data, filtering tools, class profiles, and deeper comparisons, the paid MSAR subscription becomes much more useful.
I would therefore start free.
Look at the reports.
See what questions remain unanswered.
Then decide whether the additional MSAR access is worth $33 or $41 for your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions About MSAR
What does MSAR stand for?
MSAR stands for Medical School Admission Requirements. It is the AAMC’s online medical school information database.
Is MSAR free?
Some MSAR information is free, including 22 public reports. Full access to the detailed online database requires a subscription unless you receive complimentary access through the AAMC Fee Assistance Program.
How much does MSAR cost in 2026?
A one-year subscription currently costs $33, while a two-year subscription costs $41.
Does MSAR include DO medical schools?
MSAR focuses on MD-granting, LCME-accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada. For DO schools, use AACOM’s Choose DO Explorer and individual osteopathic medical school websites.
Can I see medical school prerequisites for free?
Yes. The AAMC publishes a free Premedical Coursework Chart here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/7041/download
Can I see medical school mission statements for free?
Yes. The AAMC’s free mission statement report is here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/6966/download
Can I see which medical schools accept out-of-state students for free?
The AAMC publishes an Applications Accepted Information report here:
https://students-residents.aamc.org/media/6996/download
Can I see secondary application fees without MSAR?
The AAMC currently provides a free secondary application report through its MSAR reports page:
Does MSAR show GPA and MCAT information?
Yes. Detailed MSAR profiles include school-specific academic data that applicants can use when researching programs. I would use these numbers as context rather than treating medians as admissions cutoffs.
Does MSAR tell me my chances of acceptance?
No. MSAR gives you information about schools and previous applicant or matriculant groups. It does not calculate your personal probability of admission.
Can I get MSAR through AAMC Fee Assistance?
Yes. Approved Fee Assistance Program recipients currently receive a complimentary two-year subscription after activation.
Should I use MSAR instead of medical school websites?
I would use both. MSAR is excellent for comparing schools efficiently, while individual medical school websites should be your final source for current school-specific instructions, policies, deadlines, and requirements. The AAMC itself recommends checking MSAR profiles and individual schools because information can change.
When is MSAR updated?
The AAMC typically publishes a new MSAR edition in the spring, generally around April, and many individual reports are updated throughout the year as schools provide new information.
Is a two-year MSAR subscription worth it?
If you are beginning research early, the current two-year subscription costs only $8 more than one year, so I think it can make sense. If you are applying immediately and only expect to need the database for one cycle, one year may be enough.
Final Thoughts: Is MSAR Worth It for Premeds?
I think MSAR is one of the most useful tools available when you reach the point where “I want to go to medical school” needs to become an actual list of programs where you are going to apply.
What I would not do is open MSAR, sort every school by median MCAT score, pick twenty programs that appear close to your numbers, and call that a school list.
The numbers are only one part of the decision.
Having gone through the medical school application process myself, I think the stronger approach is to use MSAR to eliminate avoidable mistakes before your application becomes expensive and hectic. Check whether schools accept applicants from your state, make sure you satisfy their prerequisites, understand their missions, look realistically at your academic profile, verify letter requirements, and think about whether you would actually want to attend.
Then put that information somewhere you can use it.
My free Medical School Application Tracker is here:
You can access the complete set of free AAMC MSAR reports here:
You can access the official MSAR page here:
If you qualify for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program, make sure you investigate that before purchasing MSAR because approved applicants receive complimentary MSAR access:
The biggest thing I want you to take away is that MSAR should help you build a thoughtful list, not simply a longer list.
Every school you remove before applying because you discover a prerequisite problem, major residency disadvantage, mission mismatch, or other clear reason it does not fit saves you money and gives you more time to focus on the applications that actually make sense.
At the same time, do not let a median MCAT or GPA convince you that you have no chance at a school where the rest of your application fits well. Medical school admissions are more complicated than one number.
Use the data to inform your decisions, use official school websites to verify them, and build a list where you can explain why every school deserves to be there.
That is where I think MSAR becomes genuinely valuable.