BYU-Idaho students applying to professional health programs during the 2024–2025 cycle achieved high acceptance rates to various medical schools.
The College of Life and Health Sciences accessed applicant statistics using WebAdmit, a health professions admissions management platform, and resources from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Submitted applications are tracked in this system, as well as acceptance rates for individual institutions and national averages.
According to the collected data, BYU-Idaho graduates outperformed the national averages in seven out of eight categories.[CB1] [ML2] Some of those results include:
Pharmacy School: BYU-Idaho Graduates Acceptance Rate: 100% (national average: 83%)
Podiatry School: BYU-Idaho Graduates Acceptance Rate: 100% (national average: 80%)
Optometry School: BYU-Idaho Graduates Acceptance Rate: 82% (national average: 70%)
Physical Therapy School: BYU-Idaho Graduates Acceptance Rate: 79% (national average: 69%)
The application process for each of these health profession programs is rigorous. Students compiled personal statements and letters of recommendation, demonstrated financial literacy, and acquired extensive extracurricular hours. Interview preparation was a specific factor that contributed to student success.
“We have very strong efforts to prepare our students for admissions interviews so they don't walk into [it] casually," said Dan Felts, Health Professions Advisor for the College of Health and Life Sciences. “They understand the need to display confidence but also competence and subject matter expertise.”
Felts, who has worked for six years as an advisor for the health professions programs, also noted that class planning is equally important. Students are typically expected to accumulate 1,000 hours outside of the classroom through shadowing, volunteering, faculty-led research, and patient contact.
"Effective class planning is essential to success,” Felts said. “[It] is absolutely critical for their academic and future success as a practitioner of their choice.”
This structured approach, which combines interview prep, class planning, and experiential learning, serves as the foundation for these graduates’ results. It reflects the strength of the BYU-Idaho learning model and the diligence of its students.