Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

Mayo's MD runs in three phases: an 18-month pre-clerkship, an 18-month clerkship phase that begins midway through second year, and a final year of advanced work, with up to 17 weeks of enrichment each year. Every graduate also earns a certificate in the science of health care delivery.

Arya Shah describes being treated as an adult learner: taped lectures, syllabus documents, and attendance that isn't always mandatory, with the emphasis on synthesizing information rather than memorizing it.

Students train on Mayo Clinic campuses in Rochester, Minnesota, and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, each with a four-year MD program, and some finish their final years at the Jacksonville, Florida campus.

The 2026 first-year class split 55 students in Rochester and 50 in Arizona, with 12 headed to Florida for their clinical training.

Arya's class had 40–50 students, and Arya knows not only every classmate but every faculty member, administrator, mentor, and preceptor by name, "a tight knit community in a small town that revolves around its large academic medical center."

Mentors shaped Arya's path into psychiatry, not by persuasion but by example: physicians who were very different people yet all remarkable at connecting with patients.

Mayo reviews every accepted student for scholarships and reports that 94% of students receive one; the average award for the class entering in 2024 was about $40,000, and awards hold steady across four years with satisfactory progress.

Arya's best lesson from medical school: food, exercise, sleep, and hobbies matter as much for exams as studying does.