Application Requirements

Applicants to the PhD in Clinical Research program must have earned a master’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university prior to matriculation.

To apply to the program, please submit the following:

• Completed online application
• Official transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended
• Two letters of recommendation
• Personal statement
• Resume or CV
• MCAT test scores are not required for admission; however, you are welcome to submit your scores if you have already taken the exams(s)
• TOEFL scores and USMLE if applicable (see instructions for international students)

If we are seriously considering your application to the PhD in Clinical Research program, we may invite you for an interview. A Zoom interview is possible if geographical considerations are challenging.

Application Deadlines and Decisions

We consider all data we receive from each applicant before making our decisions. We review PhD in Clinical Research applications and supporting documentation throughout the year for admission to the upcoming Fall term. Apply by the following deadlines to be considered for admission to the Fall 2025 term:

• July 1, 2025, for domestic students
• June 1, 2025, for international students

International Students

We encourage applications from qualified individuals, regardless of country of origin or where you received your academic and research training.

Transcripts from institutions outside the United States should be translated into English and accompanied by a course-by-course evaluation from a certified credential translation service.  A course-by-course evaluation will provide your grade for each course translated into the U.S. grading system equivalent. You may submit a course-by-course evaluation from any NACES-member organization. We cannot evaluate transcripts from institutions outside the United States without a course-by-course evaluation.

SpanTran is our recommended international transcript evaluation service. They have created a custom application for the Icahn School of Medicine that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. You can access their application here: SpanTran Application - Icahn School of Medicine

If you choose to use SpanTran for your Clinical Research application, please be sure to request a Course Analysis.

If the credential translation service you select provides an electronic transmission option, we recommend you choose that option when you request your document be sent to the Icahn School. If the credential translation service does not offer an electronic transmission option, the documents should be mailed to:

Office of Admissions
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1002
New York, NY 10029

International medical graduates who have taken part or all United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) steps are required to submit their test scores as part of their application.

If you are from a non-English-speaking country and did not earn a degree from an English-speaking university or curriculum, we require the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). We look for a score of 100 or higher. If you received a university degree in an English-speaking country, you are exempted from the TOEFL requirement. If you have not taken the TOEFL, we will also accept scores from the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). IELTS scores of 7.5 or higher are desirable.

Official TOEFL or IELTS test scores should be sent to the address below. The TOEFL institution code for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is 2464.

Office of Admissions
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1002
New York, NY 10029

If you are an accepted international student, you are required to obtain the appropriate visa in order to enter the United States. Our International Personnel Office is able to help and can be reached at (212) 241-8300.