We are looking for candidates with intense curiosity, self-discipline, and compassion. Applicants should show promise for the requirements of all physician-scientists: intellectual rigor and intuitive insight, intelligence, preparedness, motivation, aptitude, and experience are all taken into account. There is no age limit to apply, although the majority of first-year students are young college graduates. We look for excellence in course work at the college level. The letters of recommendation from your research mentors are very important because they reflect your potential and capabilities as judged by college teachers, instructors, premedical committees or other similar college bodies. The strength of our recent candidates has been such that in the last few years only about 10 percent of all applicants have been invited to visit for interviews.

Letters of recommendation from research mentors should be sent directly to AMCAS.

There is no limit to the letters you can submit, so all letters of recommendation are welcome. In order to apply for Medical School, however, applicants are required to submit a premedical committee appraisal or two letters, at least one of which written by a faculty member with a science background. Both letters must be from professors who taught you in a lecture course. Applicants to the MD/PhD Program must submit these letters in addition to the letters from their research mentors. The letters from your research mentors are very important in determining your potential as an MSTP student, so it is recommended that you select these carefully. A selection of three different letters from research mentors is advisable but not mandatory.

You will be able to check your status online once all materials from the secondary application have been submitted.

No. By all means, if you are interested in the program you should apply when you are ready to do so. MCAT scores are only one aspect of your profile and we take into account a range of factors when we review applications.

Yes. You can still be considered for the MD program if your application to the MD/PhD program is not accepted, since the MD committee reviews applications at a later date. However, should you be interested in any other NYU PhD programs, you will need to submit your own applications according to the specific program's guidelines if you are not accepted into the NYU MD/PhD program. 

In view of the large number of applications to the School of Medicine and the difficulties involved in the application procedures for students abroad, foreign candidates are not encouraged to apply unless they are permanent residents of the United States. The NYU MSTP is funded for US citizens and permanent residents. Canadian citizens are eligible to apply to the MD program but they are NOT eligible for the MD/PhD program.

Although students may elect to take a placement examination in one or more components of introductory courses and thereby qualify for an advanced graduate course, this happens very infrequently.

The NYU School of Medicine requires at least three years of college work but recommends completion of four years of undergraduate studies with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. The following courses must be included, with a minimum of six semester hours: English, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Physics, General Biology or Zoology. It is strongly encouraged that in all areas students take the more rigorous courses when there is a choice. Additional courses in the biological and quantitative sciences are also recommended.  

All MSTP students receive an annual stipend to defray living expenses. Starting September 2009, the student stipend will be $31,000 per year plus full tuition remission, and annual cost-of-living increases are planned. Graduate students are also eligible for campus housing, health insurance coverage, and other benefits.

Applicants arrive on the day before the interview, are welcomed by and have dinner with the current students, generally accompanied by the Director and a Co-Director. Several interview dates correspond to MSTP seminar dates; on those occasions, the interviewees attend the seminar and a dinner with current trainees. The actual interview day starts with a breakfast attended by the Director, the Co-Directors, MSTP staff, and the applicants. The Director gives a brief presentation about the program, followed by a question-and-answer period. You will then meet with your interviewers, all of whom are carefully selected and matched with your research experiences, your areas of interest, and any other preferences you have indicated to us. Current MSTP Students will conduct tours of the medical school research facilities in Bellevue Hospital with you and host a luncheon. These activities should provide you with an opportunity to meet and interact with a large number of our current trainees in relaxed (and, we hope, relaxing) settings. The day ends with a wrap-up session and dinner with the current students at a local restaurant. And, remember to enjoy yourself—you are there to find out about us as much as we want to get to know you.

All students who are returning to finish their clerkships take a general 2-week orientation course, the same one as rising third-year medical students. This orientation covers the general aspects of the clerkship, such as finding your way around, filing, paperwork, and so on. We have also designed an 8-week mini course developed specifically for MSTP students nearing the end of their thesis work. This course, "Introduction to Bedside Diagnostics," was developed by MSTP Co-Director Mark Philips in collaboration with Dr. Judith Brenner of the Department of Medicine in order to help place MSTP students on equal footing with medical students who do not have a gap in their exposure to patients. These highly focused and personal sessions are taught by chief medicine residents at Bellevue Hospital, an exceptionally broad source of patients from which our students can learn.   

There is an annual MSTP retreat. Students from all years in the Program present their work through posters and talks and participate in panel discussions to learn from more senior students and graduates. Additionally, throughout the year, social and academic events are organized by the students and a student-organized "Big Sib" program assigns all MSTP students to “families” with members in each phase of the program. Sib families meet at least once per quarter for lunch or dinner (paid for by the Program) to discuss issues of interest to students. Dinner receptions often follow the MSTP seminar series. An orientation barbecue is held to meet the incoming students. Potluck dinners, happy hours, holiday parties, and other social gatherings are held throughout the year. The MSTP wants to make sure that there a numerous opportunities for students to interact with one another and with physician-scientist role models. 

Science Careers has published a useful general overview called an FAQ for MD/PHD applicants.

Arlene Kohler is the program coordinator for the NYU MD/PhD Program and she will be happy to assist you with any specific or individual questions you may have. Here number is (212) 263 5649 or (888) 698 6787 and she can be reached at the following email address: .