Admissions

The Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program takes students from all North American universities and colleges as long as they meet our qualifications. 

Each year, we receive over 600 applications and interview between 80 and 90 applicants. Over half of applicants who are interviewed receive an offer of acceptance.

Applicants should:

• Complete an AMCAS application by our deadline posted here. 
   
• Complete Tri-I's Secondary Application (instructions are sent to the applicant once their AMCAS application is verified).
   
• Anticipate an interview on one of our interview days (check our Admissions page for the dates). You are encouraged to hold all of these dates on your calendar until you hear back from us with a final decision. Early applications are STRONGLY encouraged.

The Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program does NOT participate in the NIH-GPP (Graduate Partnership Program).

No, publications are not required. However, significant research experience is. This includes, but is not limited to, undergraduate research, senior/honors research, post-bacc research, Masters research, and/or multiple summer projects. 

We require four letters: at least two should address your potential for a career in medicine, and at least two should address your potential for a career in science. Individual letters can address both of these potentials. Your letters should be submitted via AMCAS. We do not require that they be submitted as a packet, and we do not require a committee letter. A combination of individual letters and a committee letter is also acceptable.

There is no maximum number of letters we will accept, though we offer a word of caution against including too many. While you do want to give the admissions committee a complete picture, you do not want to burden them with an overabundance of letters to read. We encourage you to include only those letters that will add something substantial to your application, addressing your accomplishments and potential. Increasing the number of letters does not necessarily improve your application.

If an applicant is rejected by Tri-I, they are offered the option to transfer their application to Weill Cornell Medical College's MD-only program. The notice of final decision from the MD-PhD Program, delivered via AMCAS, provides instructions for how to do so. Note that applicants cannot concurrently apply to our MD-PhD and MD-only programs.

For 2026 matriculation, we will consider MCAT scores from January 1, 2022. An application is not complete until we receive MCAT scores. To find more information about WCMC Admissions, please see WCMC Admissions FAQs. 

As per Weill Cornell Medical College policy, applicants are expected to have completed a minimum of one year of full-time coursework at a college or university in North America.

No, only the MCAT is required.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program will accept Pass/Fail grades to fulfill prerequisites for courses taken in the spring and summer terms of 2020 and during the academic year 2020-2021.

While a meaningful research experience is a requirement for admission, taking a gap year(s) is not required. We do not value research done after earning a baccalaureate any more than that done while an undergraduate. National surveys (and our own experience) have demonstrated that doing post-bacc research does not reduce the time taken to earn a PhD. Further, applicants who have taken a gap year(s) have fared no better than their peers at being offered an interview or being accepted into our program.