State residence important for private med schools?

[solitude]

How important (if at all) is state of residence when applying to private medical schools in other states? I know that some private schools preferentially accept applicants from within that state. Do some private schools preferentially accept applicants from under-represented states? Some of them brag "we have students from 42 states and 15 territories", but I'm wondering if this is a result of "affirmative action" for applicants from alaska/iowa/wyoming/south dakota, etc., or just a result of chance?

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[BaylorGuy]

State of residence isn't so important for private schools...which is why those applicants from states with no medical school (or 1 or 2) usually apply to out of state private schools. Some private schools have a preference for those who are in-state, but others do not really have a preference. Either way, whether you are instate or out of state, you will most likely have to pay the same tuition (there are exceptions however).

 

[DrBowtie]

If you're from Alaska you're golden.

 

[SuzieQ3417]

The main advantage to applying to private school's in your state is that it will qualify you for certain scholarships (sometimes substantial full-ride scholarships if you are competitive). I'm sure this varies a lot from state to state, however.

 

[Law2Doc]

How important (if at all) is state of residence when applying to private medical schools in other states? I know that some private schools preferentially accept applicants from within that state. Do some private schools preferentially accept applicants from under-represented states? Some of them brag "we have students from 42 states and 15 territories", but I'm wondering if this is a result of "affirmative action" for applicants from alaska/iowa/wyoming/south dakota, etc., or just a result of chance?

While there's no residency or nonresidency benefit at a private school, per se, it does make it clearer to a school that you would actually come if accepted if you can point to ties to the location. So if you have stats that make schools concerned that you are going to a top school and using them as a safety, the fact that you have local contacts might help them take you seriously.

 

[solitude]

But what about top private schools? Obviously this would be a small portion of an application, but would an applicant from an under-represented state get a slight edge?