We want to ensure that the application process at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is seamless and that you can learn everything you need to know to make an informed decision. We encourage you to contact us at admissions@mssm.edu with any questions you may have about ISMMS.
We attract students with academic excellence who have also shown a sense of self-awareness and personal humility in their medical pursuit.
— David Muller, MD, Dean for Medical Education
Application Requirements*
To enroll in our MD Program, you must have completed several key subjects at an accredited university or college in the United States or Canada, including:
One academic year credit and appropriate laboratory work in:
- Biology
- General Chemistry (which can be satisfied with a minimum score of 4 on the AP Chemistry test only if a semester, or equivalent, of Organic Chemistry and a semester, or equivalent, of Biochemistry are completed)
One academic semester, or equivalent, with appropriate lab work (where applicable) in:
- Organic Chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Physics (which can be satisfied with a minimum score of 4 on the AP Physics test)
- Statistics (Biostatistics is preferred)
One academic year of credit in:
- English (One academic year of intensive writing courses)
We encourage applicants to develop skills and, if possible, proficiency in a second language other than English. We also suggest knowledge in the following areas:
- Integral Social Sciences such as:
- Political Science, Global Health, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, and Biochemistry
*Currently, the Icahn School of Medicine does not accept transfer students who have matriculated at another medical school.
Exams
ISMMS requires you to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to be admitted into our MD Program. You must take the MCAT within three years of your matriculation start date.
Letters of Recommendation
We require letters of recommendation, submitted through your AMCAS account. Suitable letters of recommendation include:
- A letter of recommendation from your college’s premedical advisory committee
If no premedical advisory committee exists at your college, we will require the following instead:
- A letter of recommendation from a science faculty member at your university
- A letter of recommendation from a non-science faculty member
AMCAS Application
You must submit your application to ISMMS through AMCAS, which opens in May. Please submit your application no later than October 15.
Application Review—Policies and Procedures
The Office of Admissions interviews approximately 700 students each year from a pool of nearly 6,000 applicants for the traditional track. The Medical School Admissions Committee, a team of ISMMS faculty and senior medical students, evaluates each application holistically and thoroughly. The Medical School Admissions Committee selects applicants for interview by evaluating their undergraduate accomplishments, commitment to medicine, dedication to advocacy, and engagement in scholarly endeavors.
As part of the application review and decision-making, we consider factors such as undergraduate performance and activities, work experience, MCAT scores, and recommendations from your university’s premedical advisory committee and/or university faculty. We make admission offers and waitlist decisions on a rolling basis, starting as early as November.
Interviews—Policies and Procedures
Applicants who are offered an interview will spend a day at the School meeting students and faculty. Each applicant will have two 30-minute one-on-one interviews with members of the Medical School Admissions Committee—either two faculty members or a faculty member and senior medical student. We send interview invitations from August to February; we conduct interviews from September to February.
What are we looking for in Applicants?
The Icahn School of Medicine is looking for applicants who are poised to be the next generation of expert clinicians, physician advocates, physician-scientists, and medical educators.
We review applications holistically and are looking for applicants who demonstrate academic excellence, can articulate a passion for clinical medicine, a commitment to communities and an engagement in advocacy and scholarly endeavors.
Attributes and Criteria of the Successful Candidate
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is looking for medical school applicants who have excelled academically, are collaborative leaders on their undergraduate campuses, and are passionate about medicine, science, and health care. We are leaders in holistic review, committed to diversity in all realms as the driver for excellence in medicine and research. We are looking for applicants who are:
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| Adaptable |
Motivated |
| Collaborative |
Passionate |
| Committed |
Resourceful |
| Curious |
Resilient |
| Disciplined |
Tolerant |
| Empathic |
Self-aware |
| Innovative |
Socially Conscious |
| Mindful |
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Academic and Evaluation Standards
The Icahn School of Medicine Admissions Committee assesses applicants’ course work, major, standardized testing, scholarly pursuits, and letters of recommendation.
We holistically evaluate each applicant during the process of screening, interviewing and ranking, looking for applicants who have demonstrated commitment to the following:
- Cultural competence and tolerance
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Ethical responsibility to self and others
- Resilience and adaptability and resourcefulness
- Capacity for improvement and humility
- Leadership
- Decision-making
- Asking for help
Applicant Acceptance Decision Protocols
The Icahn School of Medicine expects accepted applicants to follow the AAMC Application and Acceptance Protocols and ISMMS Acceptance Decision Protocols.
Technical Standards
The Icahn School of Medicine’s MD Program prepares students to be skilled physicians, in accordance with the Technical Standards as outlined by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the U.S. accrediting agency for medical schools.