Are you considering applying to medical school in North Carolina? The Tar State is known for its diverse natural beauty, Southern hospitality, low cost of living, and medical schools focused on serving the underserved. With a mix of research-driven programs and primary care, North Carolina offers a wealth of opportunities for aspiring doctors.
But what’s it like to attend medical school in North Carolina, and how do you get accepted?
In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about going to medical school in North Carolina, including where the medical schools are located, what it’s like to live in North Carolina, how to apply, and tips for gaining acceptance to medical schools in North Carolina.
Here’s what to expect below.
- How Many Medical Schools Are in North Carolina?
- List of Medical Schools in North Carolina
- Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
- Duke University School of Medicine
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
- List of Osteopathic Medical Schools in North Carolina
- Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
- North Carolina Medical School Locations
- How Much Is Medical School Tuition in North Carolina?
- What It’s Like to Go to Medical School in North Carolina
- How to Apply to North Carolina Medical Schools (MD)
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- Application Requirements
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- Application Deadlines
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- How to Apply to Osteopathic Medical Schools in North Carolina
- Tips to Gain Acceptance at North Carolina Medical Schools (MD and DO)
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- Understand the Culture and Patient Population
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- Understand the Different Options of Each School
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- Be Aware of Community-Focused Programs
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- Bottom Line: Is Going to Medical School in North Carolina Right for You?
How Many Medical Schools Are in North Carolina?
There are five medical schools in North Carolina, four of which are MD (allopathic) and one of which is DO (osteopathic).
List of Medical Schools in North Carolina
Allopathic Medical Schools in North Carolina (MD)
- Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
- Duke University School of Medicine
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM)
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) was established in 1974 with the express purpose of training primary care physicians who will stay in North Carolina to meet the healthcare needs of the state and improve the overall health and wellbeing of the region.
True to their mission, Brody ranks in the top 10% of US medical schools for graduating physicians who practice primary care, practice in underserved areas, and practice in the state. They also produce the most family medicine physicians in North Carolina and second-most in the entire country.
One of the most essential things to understand about the BSOM is the school only accepts applicants who are residents of North Carolina.
All out-of-state applicants need not apply, as your application will be automatically disqualified.
BSOM’s curriculum is broken down into three phases:
- The Foundational Phase involves integrated coursework in foundational sciences and organ systems through classroom, small-group, laboratory, simulation, and clinical experiences.
- The Clinical Phase involves immersive clinical experiences in several core clerkships that span a range of disciplines.
- The Differentiation Phase consists of an Advanced Core Clerkship and electives that help prepare students for residency.
There are also Para-curricular Distinction Tracks, where students can pursue a scholarly concentration program beginning in the Foundational Phase and culminating with a capstone experience in the fourth year.
Median Academic Scores of Matriculants:
- Median GPA: 3.73
- Median MCAT: 507
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University Secondary Questions.
In-State vs. Out-of-State Preference:
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 1089 | N/A |
| Matriculants | 90 | N/A |
BSOM does not accept applicants who are not residents of North Carolina.
Duke University School of Medicine
Founded in 1930, Duke University School of Medicine’s mission is to train a diverse student body to pursue a range of medical careers and become physician leaders who can advance biomedical research for the good of local, national, and global health.
To better fulfill this mission, Duke has an accelerated curriculum designed to enable students to pursue their own independent interests. Students learn the core basic sciences in the first year, complete their core clerkships in the second year, dedicate their entire third year to a research project, and complete elective rotations and extracurriculars in the fourth.
As opposed to the other medical schools in North Carolina, Duke is not focused on primary care but is instead focused on more specialized niche specialties like surgical specialties or more competitive lifestyle specialties like dermatology or radiology. Duke wants researchers, and they want you to do research when you are there.
Median Academic Scores of Matriculants:
- Median GPA: 3.92
- Median MCAT: 520
Duke University School of Medicine Secondary Questions.
In-State vs. Out-of-State Preference:
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 645 | 7328 |
| Matriculants | 16 | 98 |
Of all the medical schools in North Carolina, Duke University is the most favorable to out-of-state applicants.
University of North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC)
The University of North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC) was established in 1879. UNC’s mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians as well as anyone they serve through excellence in patient care, education, and research.
In 2023, UNC launched its new curriculum, called Translational Education at Carolina 2.0 (TEC 2.0), to reflect the ever-changing practice of medicine.
The TEC 2.0 curriculum is broken down into three phases:
- The Foundation Phase integrates the basic, clinical, and social sciences through lecture, small-group learning, seminars, workshops, and clinical week experiences.
- The Application Phase involves the completion of the core clerkships, which students can pursue in one of four campus programs: Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, and Central.
- The Individualization Phase has students develop individual core clinical interests and skills with a focus on their own future career plans.
Median Academic Scores of Matriculants:
- Median GPA: 3.82
- Median MCAT: 516
University of North Carolina School of Medicine Secondary Questions.
In-State vs. Out-of-State Preference:
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 1070 | 4443 |
| Matriculants | 179 | 24 |
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine was founded in 1902, establishing a tradition of educating highly skilled and empathetic physicians committed to serving their community.
In 2017, Wake Forest launched the “Wake Ready!” curriculum to better reflect the rapidly changing health environment and advance their students’ skills in population health, team interactions, humanism, and biomedicine. Students will experience patient care from their first week of medical school and follow a more individualized curriculum that emphasizes team-based interprofessional learning, flexibility, and customization.
The “Wake Ready!” curriculum includes a preclinical Foundations Phase, a clinical Immersion phase, and an Individualization phase. A unique factor about attending Wake Forest is the fact that students will be organized into “Houses” or Learning Communities and have the opportunity to interact regularly with specialty mentors and clinical preceptors.
While Wake Forest prefers to accept students who will meet the underserved primary care needs of North Carolina, this does not preclude students who are interested in subspecialties or non-primary care areas. However, it’s important to understand that if you want to do a niche specialty, you are also there to serve the community because that’s where the need is.
Wake Forest also has an additional campus in Charlotte, where students experience greater exposure to urban medicine.
Median Academic Scores of Matriculants:
- Median GPA: 3.85
- Median MCAT: 512
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Secondary Questions.
In-State vs. Out-of-State Preference:
| In-State | Out-of-State | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 917 | 11,143 |
| Matriculants | 56 | 89 |
List of Osteopathic Medical Schools in North Carolina (DO)
- Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM)
Established in 2011, the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine’s mission “is to educate and prepare community–based osteopathic physicians in a Christian environment to care for the rural and underserved populations in North Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and the nation.”
The traditional curriculum consists of two preclinical years and two clinical years. Lessons in osteopathic principles, professionalism, global health, and medical ethics will be woven throughout all four years. During the clinical years, students will rotate throughout North Carolina and South Carolina at regional clinical sites that provide primary care to underserved areas.
While being a private institution, CUSOM’s goal is still to educate primary care physicians who plan to stay on and practice in North Carolina after their education is complete.
Average Academic Scores of Matriculants:
- Average GPA: 3.66
- Average MCAT: 507
North Carolina Medical School Locations
North Carolina is a state in the southeast of the United States bordered by Virginia to the north, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, Tennessee to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
- Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University: Greenville
- Duke University School of Medicine: Durham
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine: Chapel Hill
- Wake Forest University School of Medicine: Winston-Salem
- Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine: Lillington
The state capital is Raleigh, which has a population of 482,295, but the most populous city is Charlotte, and they’re located about two and a half hours away from each other. With a population of over 900,000, Charlotte is now the third fastest-growing major city in the United States.
While Wake Forest’s primary campus is in the small city of Winston-Salem, which has a population of 252,975, they have another campus in Charlotte. Wake Forest’s Winston-Salem campus sees a large number of rural patients, and the campus in Charlotte has more urban patient population exposure.
Duke is located in Durham, a city of 296,186 located in the Research Triangle Region, known for its scholarly institutions and tech companies. Durham is a half hour away from Raliegh. The University of North Carolina (UNC) is located in Chapel Hill, which is also in the Triangle Region and has a population of just over 62,000.
Since both schools are located in the Triangle Region, Duke and UNC see more urban influences and a greater range of diverse patient populations.
The state’s only osteopathic school, the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, is located in Lillington, a very small town with a population of just over 4500. Lillington is 45 minutes away from Raliegh and 2.5 hours away from Charlotte.
It’s important to note that if you don’t live close to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport or the Raleigh-Durham airport, flights will be difficult. For example, to get to Wake Forest, you’ll need to fly into Greensboro airport, which offers fewer routes and is more expensive.
North Carolina is very rural, so unless you’re spending most of your time in the city, you’ll need a vehicle to get around.
How Much Is Medical School Tuition in North Carolina?
So, how much does medical school cost in North Carolina?
North Carolina Tuition Costs (2024 Data From MSAR)
| North Carolina Medical School | Yearly Tuition In-State | Yearly Tuition Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University | $25,295 | N/A |
| Duke University School of Medicine | $70,347 | $70,347 |
| University of North Carolina School of Medicine | $34,706 | $62,666 |
| Wake Forest University School of Medicine | $63,674 | $63,674 |
| Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine | $59,080 | $59,080 |
View the most recent AAMC tuition data.
*Additional fees not included.
Note that Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University only accepts applicants who are legal residents of North Carolina.
There is also the cost of medical school applications to consider, which can compound across primary fees, secondary fees, exam fees, study resources, and interview travel costs. Learn more: How Much Do Med School Applications Cost? The Full Price Analyzed.
Plus, there are many other financial factors to consider, including housing, transportation, food, exercise, and events. Fortunately, the cost of living in North Carolina is low.
What It’s Like to Go to Medical School in North Carolina
The Tar State is known for its diverse natural beauty, from the Appalachian Mountains in the west to the central Piedmont region to the Atlantic coastal plain in the east.
North Carolina has a diverse climate, with cooler temperatures in the mountains year-round, mild winters and warm summers in the central Piedmont area, and fairly warm winters and hot summers along the coast.
If you love the outdoors, you’ll find plenty to do, from hiking scenic trails in the mountains to kayaking or fishing in the state’s many rivers and lakes to hitting the beaches on the Atlantic coast. The Northern Carolina shores are particularly beautiful, and the Atlantic is breathtaking. (Perfect for a weekend trip off from studying!)
Our Insider contributor for this guide shared:
“On the day I moved to North Carolina and drove my rental car to my apartment, I saw two large deer along my drive—it was a magnificent sight. I grew up in the Los Angeles urban jungle, so this was shocking to me.”
Unfortunately, North Carolina is prone to extreme weather, with hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods being common occurrences. In 2024, North Carolina ranked fourth for most number of hurricanes in the US, behind Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. Hurricane season in North Carolina peaks from mid-August to late October.
If you’re a sports fan, North Carolina has you covered with the NHL Hurricanes, NBA Hornets, and NFL Panthers all calling the state home. North Carolina is also the home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
While major cities in North Carolina have public transportation options, more rural areas do not; without a vehicle of your own, it will be difficult to get around. Traffic congestion can be an issue, but only in the state’s major urban areas.
The crime rates in North Carolina vary by region; however, the violent crime rate in the state is above the national average.
If you’re a foodie, North Carolina has a rich culture of pork barbecue, with regional differences and rivalries between the eastern and western parts of the state. It’s home to the Lexington Barbecue Festival, which is held in October of every year and can attract up to 200,000 visitors to the city. North Carolina is also the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola and Krispy Kreme.
In 2023, the population of North Carolina was over 10,000,000, which is nearly double the population of South Carolina. Of that population, over 69% is white. Although it’s been by slim margins, North Carolina has swung for the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 2008.
How to Apply to North Carolina Medical Schools (MD)
You’ll use the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), the AAMC’s centralized medical school application processing service, to apply to allopathic medical schools in North Carolina. AMCAS is the primary application method for first-year entering classes for most US medical schools, which means no matter how many schools you want to apply to, you only need to submit one set of application materials to AMCAS, and the system handles the rest.
Here’s what you need to know about applying to med schools in North Carolina.
1 | Application Requirements
Your primary application is made up of several different components, including your college transcripts, a high GPA and MCAT score, a narrative-driven personal statement, strong letters of recommendation, and a diverse Work and Activities section.
Depending on which schools you’re applying to, you may also have to complete a situational judgment test, either the AAMC PREview exam or Acuity Insights.
At the latest publish date of this article, Wake Forest University School of Medicine requires its applicants to take the Acuity Insights Casper test but not Duet, the other piece of Acuity Insights. No medical school in North Carolina currently requires PREview.
Casper is a computer-based situational judgment test administered by Acuity Insights. It was created to evaluate who applicants are beyond their grades and hard skills. Instead, the test assesses your soft skills, such as your professionalism, communication, empathy, ethical decision-making, and bedside manner.
Our Casper Test Guide and AAMC PREview Guide have everything you need to know about these unique tests. When it comes time to prepare, utilize our Casper and PREview AI courses, which generate instant feedback, including immediate personalized evaluation and emotion detection analysis. These courses include unlimited practice problems, so you’ll have endless opportunities to refine your skills, adapt to various scenarios, and deeply understand the nuances of both exams.
After submitting your primary application, you’ll likely receive a secondary application two to four weeks later. Unlike the primary application, you will submit your secondaries directly to each school from which you received them.
If admissions committees are interested, you could receive an interview invitation between the end of August and the spring of the following year.
Learn more about the complete application process: How to Get Into Medical School: AMCAS Application Process.
2 | Application Deadlines
The AMCAS application opens during the first week of May, and submissions occur at the end of May or early June. This means that if you hope to start medical school in the fall of 2026, you must begin the application process in the spring of 2025.
While each medical school has its own technical application deadlines, it’s vital to understand that these are in no way an accurate representation of when you should submit your application.
This is because applications are reviewed on a rolling (continuous) basis, meaning they are evaluated as they are received. The first people to submit receive the first secondaries, and the first to submit their secondaries receive the first interview invites. Schools only have so many spots in their class, so the longer you procrastinate on submitting your application, the worse your chances of acceptance.
For your best chances of acceptance, apply as soon as submissions open. And this also goes for submitting your secondaries and booking your interviews. For most medical schools throughout North Carolina and the country, interviews begin in September and can run through March of the following year.
Here’s what you should work on month-by-month: Medical School Application Timeline and Monthly Schedule. (Updated every application cycle.)
How to Apply to Osteopathic Medical Schools in North Carolina
Applying to North Carolina’s only osteopathic (DO) medical school, CUSOM, is largely the same as applying to the state’s MD schools. Just like the MD application, the DO primary application requires your transcripts, MCAT score, personal statement, letters of recommendation (evaluation), and an experiences and achievements section.
But instead of applying through AMCAS, you’ll apply through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS).
The other main difference is that applying to osteopathic schools requires experience and familiarity with osteopathy. Your DO personal statement asks you directly why you want to pursue osteopathic medicine, and you must include at least one letter of evaluation from a DO.
Learn more about the DO application process with our AACOMAS Application Guide for DO Schools.
Tips for Acceptance at North Carolina Medical Schools (MD and DO)
1 | Understand the Culture and Patient Population
While Charlotte and the Research Triangle Region offer pockets of progressiveness and diversity in a largely red state, you may work with patients and colleagues who hold very different political and religious beliefs than you.
God and religion are very present in the culture, and it’s not uncommon for a prayer to be said in the context of clinical care. You may interact with controversial parts of US history, such as people who still believe in the confederacy. You may also be surprised by the amount of people, especially in rural areas, who are illiterate.
Studying medicine in North Carolina means you will see plenty of out-of-state patients and likely serve impoverished rural parts of the US, such as eastern Tennesee, parts of Appalachia, south Virginia, west Virginia, and possibly even people from Kentucky. There are also a fair number of food deserts in NC, and there is a southern cardiology/heart disease, HIV, and opioid belt, so you will be exposed to some of the most pressing major public health challenges.
Despite these health challenges, the people you interact with will, by and large, be incredibly kind and warm. Be sure to get used to using Ma’am and Sir and Y’alls!
2 | Understand the Different Offerings of Each School
Of the five medical schools in North Carolina, three are private, and two are public, which means Duke, Wake Forest, and CUSOM do not show a preference between in-state and out-of-state applicants, but UNC and Brody do. In fact, Brody does not even consider applicants who are not residents of North Carolina.
The majority of NC schools serve a rural population, so the emphasis is generally on primary care, with the exception being Duke, which is focused on research and specialty care.
This emphasis on serving the community means NC schools can be more friendly towards applicants who don’t have as much research and are more clinically oriented, as in, those who have a lot of volunteer and community service and plan to enter primary care.
Duke, of course, remains the exception; the school wants researchers and wants you to do research when you are there. Duke typically caters to more competitive niche specialties like surgical specialties or more competitive lifestyle specialties like dermatology or radiology.
Learn more: These are the Top 10 Most Competitive Specialties in Medicine.
3 | Be Aware of Community-Focused Programs
Since North Carolina schools are so community-oriented, this also means that they live out this value by building out the community of the med schools themselves, such as creating spaces for students to connect, wellness resources to access, and emphasizing alumni networks and connections between classes as well as within classes. You will feel cared for and not so lost or anonymous since the faculty will actually take the time to get to know you.
For example, our Insider contributor for this article, who attended Wake Forest, had a financial aid advisor who met with them twice a year every year to help them navigate student aid and loans.
This focus on community building also means that students take the time to get to know and support each other. Being amongst a class that also cares deeply about patient care and the community means that there are fewer “gunners” who are going to throw you under the bus. North Carolina is more of a collegial environment rather than a competitive rat race.
At Wake Forest and Duke, there are many, many out-of-state people, so you will not feel alone if you are coming from out-of-state or living away from home for the first time in your life. However, note that this is not the case for UNC, which is heavily in-state, and Brody, which is exclusively in-state.
Bottom Line: Is Going to Medical School in North Carolina Right for You?
Whether you are an out-of-state applicant eager to expand your research experience and further subspecialize or an in-state applicant hoping to one day practice primary care in North Carolina, the Tar State has something for you.
But beyond the medical program and school resources, it matters whether or not you enjoy the community and environment you’ll call home for the next four or more years.
Pros of Medical School in North Carolina
- Many of the medical schools have a community focus that encourages cooperation rather than competition
- NC schools prioritize student wellness, with many programs offering free resources and therapy sessions included with tuition that do not even bill insurance
- Southern hospitality
- Cheap cost of living
- Beautiful landscapes
- Coastal state means excellent access to beaches like Wilmington, Nags Head, and even Myrtle Beach.
- Plenty of outdoor activities
- Mild winters
- Excellent BBQ scene
- Amazing Korean food and hot pot in Cary, NC
Cons of Medical School in North Carolina
- Natural disasters
- Not much AAPI representation outside of the immediate triangle area
- Food deserts
- Hot and humid summers
- If you’re far away from CLT or RDU airport, you are kind of out of luck
North Carolina offers a unique blend of serving the underserved’s primary care needs as well as leading the way in biomedical research. Whether you’re drawn to research, primary care, or both, the Tar State is a great spot to pursue your medical education.
Learn more: How to Decide Which Medical Schools to Apply to (12 Important Factors).
What Adcoms Are Looking For
No matter where you apply, admission committees are looking for well-rounded, community-minded, and dedicated students who will enrich the student body at their school. Leave any cookie-cutter mindset at the door. Passion and resilience are essential.
Med School Insiders can help you craft a stand-out application that will get you noticed by North Carolina medical schools, as well as any schools at the top of your list. We have a range of services to suit your specific needs, from one-on-one guidance to application editing to mock interviews.
Our services are tailored to meet the needs of each student because we understand that every applicant is unique. Learn more about our comprehensive medical school application packages.
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Thank you to Pamela Guo, MD, from Wake Forest University, for being our Insider contributor for this guide.
