There are more than 150 medical schools in the U.S., giving aspiring doctors lots of choices when deciding where to get an education.

Selecting which schools to apply to can be a tough choice, though.

Unlike most colleges, M.D. programs usually don’t host open houses, says Jennifer Kimble, director of admissions at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Applicants must instead rely on school websites and brochures.

[Know when and how to apply to medical school.]

Plus, with college there is often somewhere applicants can go, even if it’s not their top choice, she says. Medical school admissions, however, can be more competitive, making it harder to figure out which schools to target.

Premeds usually apply to more than a dozen schools, experts say.

“The average applicant applies to about 15 schools nationwide,” says Kimble.

There are a number of factors applicants can weigh when creating a short list of schools where they’d like to apply. Admissions experts recommend they strongly consider these five.

1. Cost: Getting an M.D. is expensive. The average cost of tuition, fees and health insurance at private medical schools for first-year students who weren’t state residents was $53,691 during 2014-2015, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. It was more than $30,000 for in-state students at public schools.

Joel Shallit, founder of the admissions consulting organization Admission to Medical School, says applicants concerned about cost should consider state schools.

“It’s much, much cheaper,” says Shallit, a graduate of the Geffen School of Medicine at University of California–Los Angeles.

Pre-meds should think about how much debt they’re willing to take on, but not let price be the deciding factor on where to go — even if they have a limited income.

“You’ll never be rejected from medical school because you can’t afford it,” Shallit says. Students can sometimes use loans or scholarships to subsidize their education, he says.

[Understand the top three reasons medical school applications are rejected.]

2. Competitiveness: How applicants perform on the MCAT and in undergraduate classes can help them decide which schools to reach for, says Tania Heller, a physician and medical school admissions consultant.

“Take a look at the MCAT scores or GPA range of accepted students at various schools,” says Heller, who completed a medical residency through the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Applicants should put reach schools, which may be harder to get into because of the high grades and MCAT scores of students attending the school, as well as safety schools on their list, she says.

3. Learning style: “Take a look at the school curriculum and academic focus,” says Heller.

Some medical schools might have a more traditional, lecture-based curriculum while others foster learning in a group format or incorporate early clinical exposure.

Applicants should think about which learning environment they prefer when deciding where to go, experts say.

4. School mission: Medical schools also vary on which aspects of health care they like to narrow their focus.

Many schools are research oriented, but some focus on primary care, Heller says.

Applicants should consider their career goals and what type of medicine they’d like to practice, and then see if the schools they like also have programs or partnerships that are a match.

[Learn the factors behind medical school admissions.]

For example, if applicants are interested in pediatric oncology, it doesn’t hurt to find out if schools they’re considering have partnerships with hospitals that focus on this area of medicine, says Shallit.

“It never hurts to be aligned with their particular interests and philosophy,” he says.

5. Extracurricular activities: Applicants should examine what kind of opportunities are available to students, such as dual degree programs, travel abroad options or chances to do medical research, says Kimble.

If prospective students want to start medical school immediately after college, they should make a list of schools to apply to by the middle of their junior year, experts say. And even with a blueprint of what to weigh when it comes to making that list, it’s still not an easy one to create.

“It’s a hard decision,” says Kimble.

Searching for a medical school? Get our complete rankings of Best Medical Schools.

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5 Factors to Build a Medical School Application List originally appeared on usnews.com