MD/PhD Admissions

We participate in the American Medical College Application Services (AMCAS) of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

COVID-19 UPDATE – The MD-PhD Admissions Committee recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic may have disrupted coursework, research, or other activities as you prepare to apply to MD-PhD programs. Therefore, the Admissions Committee will give each application a holistic review, as has been its policy, and will take into consideration special circumstances that might have affected the application.

The MD-PhD admissions process begins with the submission of your primary materials to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). You should file your AMCAS application no later than October 1 of the year preceding the one for which you wish to be admitted. We will require additional information from all applicants. Once your AMCAS application has been submitted and verified, we will contact you by email and direct you to complete our online secondary application. This supplemental application will allow you to fully describe your reasons for applying to the School, as well as indicate your specific areas of interest. We use this information to select the most appropriate faculty members to meet with you, should you be invited to ISMMS for an interview.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the AMCAS application as early as possible.

You may submit the secondary application from early July through November 1. The earliest date of notification of acceptance to the MD-PhD program is generally January of the year of matriculation. 

Important Dates for MD-PhD Entry:

When submitting to AMCAS, make sure to designate the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as the recipient, and indicate that you are interested in our MD-PhD program––this will then lead to additional essay prompts. Upon selecting our MD-PhD program, you will be asked to choose potential fields for your PhD (these choices are purely informational and not binding).

Please send all admissions materials, with the exception of the supplementary application, to AMCAS. All letters of recommendation should be submitted to AMCAS via their letter reception services. There is no need to send duplicate copies to our Admissions Office.

PhD Training Areas

You may choose your PhD program from one of eight different multidisciplinary training areas (MTAs) offered by the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

• Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Medicine
• Cancer Biology
• Development, Regeneration and Stem Cells
• Genetics and Genomic Sciences
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology and Therapeutics Discovery

Your final choice of MTA is made after you have matriculated. PhD research is often performed in collaboration with one of the Health System’s Research Institutes. Completion of the program leads to the conferral of a PhD degree in Neuroscience or Biomedical Sciences.

Eligibility

In addition to meeting the minimum subject requirements for admission to the MD program, you must have significant research experience. You should also have taken advanced courses in the sciences. Completion of the MD program also requires adherence to the technical standards for admission. Preference will be given to applicants who will join the program during the first year of MD-PhD training. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Application Review Policy and Procedure

Each completed application is evaluated by members of the MSTP Admissions Committee. After screening, the Committee, a team of ISMMS faculty and senior MSTP students, conducts admission interviews and is charged with identifying those applicants who have a strong motivation to become physician-scientists in diverse areas of biomedical sciences research conducted at ISMMS.

In the screening of approximately 400 applications annually, evidence of significant research experience, with strong recommendations from mentor(s), is weighed as highly as strong evidence of intellectual ability and academic strength in sciences. We also consider the depth and duration of prior research experience.

Interviews

We conduct virtual interviews throughout the admissions season, which typically begins in September and concludes in January. The interview session typically begins late Monday morning and concludes Tuesday afternoon.  We interview approximately 100 students per season, out of a pool of approximately 400 applicants. 

You will have the opportunity to meet with the program leadership, members of the admissions committee, ISMMS faculty members, and current students. Formal interviews will be conducted by four or five faculty members from the Graduate School and the School of Medicine, as well as one advanced MD-PhD student. Interviewers will be selected based on the research interests you specified in your supplementary application. If invited to interview, you should be prepared to discuss past scientific and clinical experiences, your reasons for applying, and notable aspects of your application.

Attributes of a Successful Candidate

 The characteristics of an ideal MSTP candidate include:

• Intellectual curiosity
• Problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Collaborative
• Empathetic
• Drive to help others    
• Willingness to challenge paradigms
• Effective communication skills
• A love of science
• Sustained research experience
• Commitment to medicine
• Commitment to a career as a physician-scientist

MSTP Five Year Average Admissions Statistics, 2017-2021

• Number of applications: 376
• Number of interviews: 109
• Number of matriculants: 12
• Applicant to matriculant ratio: 21
• Percent of Women in entering class: 47%
• Percent of URMs in entering class: 27%
• Mean GPA: 3.77 (range 3.13 - 4.0)
• Mean MCAT: 517 (range 507 - 525)

What if I am not invited to interview?

Applicants that are not selected for interviews will automatically be routed to the Medical School Admissions Department for consideration; therefore, no further action is required. MD admissions decisions are made independently of the MD-PhD review process.

Admissions Decisions

We holistically evaluate all applications. As part of our decision-making, we consider factors such as undergraduate performance, courses taken, MCAT scores, and recommendations from research mentors and other undergraduate faculty. We look for a commitment and serious exposure to research. The Admission Committee will begin releasing admissions decisions in late January or February and will continue until we have filled the class. 

All admission offers include a guaranteed stipend for the entirety of the program, coverage of all medical school tuition, an excellent medical insurance package, and access to subsidized on-campus housing. An approximate admissions timetable will be discussed at the conclusion of your interviews.

We aim to matriculate approximately 12 students each year. Offers are made on the expectation that you will regularly update our office as to your consideration of our offer. 

Revisit

Accepted applicants will be invited to visit Mount Sinai for an admitted student event for both the MD-PhD and MD programs. This event is usually a two to three-day event in March or April. Revisit is an opportunity for you to explore the Mount Sinai campus, and meet your future classmates and our research faculty, some of whom you may wish to work with during the summer of your first year in the program.

Funding

The MSTP, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health, offers matriculating students a fellowship package, which consists of a $47,000 stipend, the full cost of tuition, and a comprehensive medical insurance package.