All applicants must apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The deadline to submit the application is October 15, 2025.

Visit our How to Apply page for more information.

Yes. We will accept most materials that you send in support of your application. However, please limit the documents only to those that will give us extra insight about you as an individual. Do not send us reprints of published articles or copies of your senior thesis and/or research papers.

No. We receive your official grades through AMCAS and there is no need to send us your transcripts directly. However, be sure that your official transcripts are sent to AMCAS within their deadline. Transcripts are required only if you are accepted to the entering class.

The evaluation process starts soon after an application is complete. All materials must be received before the application is considered, including the supplemental application, application fee or waiver, MCAT scores, and letters of recommendation. Because we screen each applicant individually, the process may take up to several months. We work in order of completion date, and receive a large number of applications.

No. Most acceptances are announced in March, after all interviews have been completed. At that time we also establish a wait list. As spring progresses, offers of admission are extended periodically to students on the wait list.

Weill Cornell receives over 9,000 applications for 106 positions in the entering class. Each year, we interview 700-750 applicants for the M.D. program, and around 70 for the M.D.-Ph.D. program.

No. WCMC does not participate in the Early Decision program.

The review process can take a long time, so please be patient. While your application is in review, remember to:

• Keep your contact information current within your AMCAS application. Email is our primary means of communication, but also be sure to keep your address and phone current in AMCAS.
• Send updates if something significant changes in your application (e.g. major award or publication). We are open to receiving substantive and occasional updates. Check your emails from us for other update instructions.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we do not provide individual counseling. However, we will try to answer your questions. For individual counseling, we recommend that you meet with your health professions advisor at your college.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are not able to provide individual information of this sort.

We require two semesters or their equivalent in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, as well as two semesters of writing-intensive courses. In the sciences, these will typically be comprehensive introductory courses with laboratory components. In biology, coursework will typically include molecular biology, cell biology and genetics. In some instances, actual laboratory work experience may be substituted for laboratory courses. We believe that a rigorous laboratory experience is essential to a thorough basic training in scientific concepts and methods.

We accept AP credits for physics only. Requirements for other courses must be met by taking advanced science coursework.

Yes, but all prerequisites must be completed by January 31 of the year for which admission is sought. 

We accept pre-requisite courses completed at the community college level but also recommend applicants complete additional higher-level coursework in related subjects. Our Committee on Admissions is committed to an equitable and holistic process that considers each applicant’s unique journey to the field of medicine.

An undergraduate bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for matriculation.

No. We place a premium on diversity among fields of study, and many of our students are liberal arts majors. We do recommend that non-science majors take at least two terms of a basic science beyond the introductory level.

We require either a composite letter of recommendation from your university pre-health careers advising office, or a minimum of two letters from others such as teachers and supervisors in work, service or research. Applicants should request letters from persons who know them well and can discuss their capabilities, accomplishments and character. A teacher, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level, should be one who has worked with the applicant personally. If the applicant has had a substantial research, work, clinical or service experience, WCMC requests a letter from the supervisor in that experience. Letters should be submitted through AMCAS.

You may submit letters from other persons who know you and can appraise your qualifications for the practice of medicine, but these do not obviate the required letters of recommendation. We prefer letters from people who know you well.

Scores should not be older than three years at time of application. For 2026 matriculation, we will consider MCAT scores from January 2022 through September 13, 2025. Your application is not complete until we receive MCAT scores. The latest date you can take the test and still be considered for admission is September of the calendar year in which you are applying.

If your scores are over three years old, please send us a letter or email explaining why you waited to apply to medical school, and why you have not retaken the test. 

We do not give admissions preference to residents of any state. Furthermore, tuition and fees are equal for all students. 

We welcome applications to the first year class from international students. There are, however, two separate issues that international students need to consider: 

• Cost: Financial aid is offered only to those applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. Persons who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must pay for four years of tuition in advance (current figures can be found on the Student Services website).
• Prior educational experience: We welcome applications to the first-year class from international students and students who have taken their undergraduate degrees abroad. Citizenship and/or residency are not factors considered in the admission process. Courses taken outside of the U.S. and Canada may be used to fulfill WCMC admissions requirements. We would require that you submit a World Education Services (WES) Transcript at the time you submit your AMCAS application. Applications are incomplete without MCAT scores. You need to have completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree and taken courses in chemistry (general and organic), physics, biology and English. If you have not completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree, we strongly encourage you to complete a minimum of one year of full-time coursework at an American college, and take the courses mentioned above. This provides us, and yourself, with a perspective regarding how well you could do at an American medical college, and thus a basis of comparison with other applicants.

Yes, we welcome applications from Canadian citizens. Citizenship and/or residency are not factors considered in the admission process. However, if accepted, Canadian citizens who are not permanent residents of the U.S. are not eligible for any financial aid. Financial aid is offered only to those applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Those who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must pay for four years of tuition (current figures can be found in the Student Services Cost of Attendance breakdown) in advance.

• An applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a naturalized citizen of the United States, permanent resident, or an eligible non-citizen to qualify for institutional or federal financial aid.
• International students are required to pay four years of tuition in advance.

On your AMCAS application, you must designate "Combined M.D.-Ph.D. Program". Further information may be obtained from the M.D.-Ph.D. Program. Please note that the Tri-Institutional M.D.-Ph.D. Program has different deadlines. You may contact them at (212) 746-6023 or mdphd@med.cornell.edu

If you are not accepted to the M.D.-Ph.D. program, the program will forward your application and supplemental materials to the Medical College Office of Admissions. Applicants who remain seriously interested in the regular M.D. program should confirm their interest by notifying the Office of Admissions. 

Letters must be submitted through AMCAS. AMCAS then transmits them electronically to us (both M.D. and M.D.-Ph.D. offices).

No, we don't.

Yes. Weill Cornell is a leader in international study opportunities. Such programs typically involve clinical care and/or research in developing nations. Each year, between a third and a half of our students participate in clinical care and research in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia and East Asia. Increasing numbers of students have also received funding for international electives during the summer between their first and second year of medical school. For further information, please refer to WCM International Medical Student Education.

PBL (problem-based learning) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively seeking out information to solve problems. In contrast to lectures, in which the teacher delivers information to the student, PBL emphasizes active learning.

We do not accept applications for transfer.

First-year tuition and fee information can be found in the Student Services Cost of Attendance breakdown.

All students are guaranteed housing. First-year students who are not married typically live in individual dormitory type rooms. Students in subsequent years, as well as first-year students who qualify for family housing (married students, domestic partners), are eligible for housing in studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments in two WCMC-owned buildings in the neighborhood. To learn more about our housing, please visit the housing website.

When we receive your verified application from AMCAS, we will send you an email with instructions for accessing our Supplementary Application Form (SAF) on the web. The application fee is $100. Access is only given to applicants whose verified application was transmitted to us by AMCAS. Fee waivers are automatically granted to applicants who have an AMCAS waiver (obtained through the AAMC Fee Assistance Program). This information is forwarded to us by AMCAS. Weill Cornell does not grant fee waivers for the SAF to any applicant who was not granted an AMCAS waiver.