MD/PhD Admissions

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Here to Help

General Information

The Zucker School of Medicine is located in Long Island, NY, just 25 miles from the excitement of New York City, and is easily accessible by car or Long Island Railroad. The University runs frequent shuttles to nearby Hempstead and Mineola train stations. Our location puts us in easy proximity to shopping, restaurants, parks, golf courses, sporting arenas and the world-famous Jones Beach and Long Beach. The renowned Hamptons of Long Island’s East End is little more than an hour’s drive from campus.

The MD/PhD Review Committee will review MD/PhD applications and interview selected applicants. Wait-listed applicants will be placed on both the MD, and MD/PhD waitlists. Applicants may elect to remove themselves from the MD/PhD application process at any point.

Enrollment in each entering class is limited to 100 students.

Due to the unique design of our curriculum, we cannot accept transfer students.

We offer several joint degree programs including the the MD/MPH, MD/MSeD, and MD/MBA. Additional time will be needed in order to pursue these professional degrees. Admission to these programs are for matriculated students only. You may find more information on these programs here. 

Yes. The Summer Pre-Matriculation program is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and is a 4-week course, beginning at the end of June, open to all students who will be matriculating at the ZSOM. Inquire with the office at SOMDiversity@hofstra.edu. 

Admitted candidates who have a disability and need accommodations should initiate discussions with the Office of Academic Success as soon as the offer of admission is received and accepted. For detailed information, please see our Policy on Equal Access to the Educational Program.

How to Apply

To apply you must:

  • be a US citizen, permanent resident, or hold DACA status
  • have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution. We cannot sponsor international student visas.

At this time, the Zucker School of Medicine offers an Early Decision option only for our MD program.

The primary application is available through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) site.

Applicants should have their college(s) submit transcripts to AMCAS as early into the application process as possible.

AMCAS Application Deadline:  November 1
Secondary Application Deadline:  December 1   

Applicants are notified via email within two weeks of the Zucker School of Medicine's receipt of a verified AMCAS application.  Applicants who meet the Zucker School of Medicine's minimum requirements will receive the secondary application to complete and submit. 

Application Requirements

Please visit our How to Apply page for:

  • The application process.
  • Requirements (If you have taken the MCAT multiple times, the highest composite MCAT score achieved in one sitting will be considered for admission).
  • Detailed information on how to receive our secondary application. 

*Your application will not be considered complete until both the AMCAS and secondary applications are complete. 

If you indicated on your AMCAS application that you are retaking the MCAT, we will delay review of your application until we receive the newest score report from AMCAS.

Please visit our Requirements page for specifics on:

  • Letters of recommendation.
  • Recommended coursework.
  • Deadlines.
  • All required materials needed for a complete application.

Additional letters not included in your AMCAS application should be emailed directly to the Office of Admissions at medicine.admissions[@]hofstra.edu

AP credits do not satisfy premedical course recommendations. If you have AP credits and place out of any of the beginner level college courses listed under the recommended coursework, it is highly recommended that you take additional advanced courses in that subject area. CLEP credits may not be used to fulfill any of the premedical course recommendations.

  • The Zucker School of Medicine will accept recommended coursework taken at a community college, but will not honor an online degree. 
  • We prefer that recommended coursework is completed in an in-residence classroom setting.  In certain circumstances, and on a case-by-case basis, a limited amount of online coursework may be honored.

As the vast majority of undergraduate institutions have moved all classwork to online teaching modules, including laboratory courses, the Zucker School of Medicne will recognize online teaching and coursework for the spring semester and summer session of 2020.

Application Process

Yes, the Zucker School of Medicine uses a rolling admissions process with the offers of admission usually extended in mid December and as late as mid-July.

When you receive the email from admissions with the secondary application, you will also receive login information for our Admissions Portal. By logging into the Admissions Portal you may:

  • Check the "status" tab for the status of your application, and to see that all components of your application were received.
  • Upload updates and any documents you determine as necessary to your application (including new grades, employment, publications, etc., or an explanation of mistakes in your application, if any) under "additional information".

* Please do not email the Office of Admissions directly with your updates. 

At any point in the application process, you can log into AMCAS and change your program type if you would like to be considered for the MD program only.  If you applied to the MD program only and would like to be considered for the MD/PhD program, call the Office of Admissions for counsel at 516-463-7519.

The Office of Admissions will email interview invitations to selected applicants via the address on file with AMCAS from July through February.  At that time the candidate will receive details of the virtual interview day.

The Zucker School of Medicine does allow students to defer enrollment provided the activity in which the student is engaging in will significantly enhance their medical career and their preparation for medical school. Requests for deferral must be received in writing by May 1 prior to matriculation. Deferrals are also granted in the case of medical circumstances with appropriate documentation submitted.

CASPer™

Please visit the CASPer™ website for information on the test including, fees, registering from test dates, and test prep recommendations. Any questions or troubleshooting issues should be directed to CASPer™.

To take the CASPer™ test you will need access to a computer with audio capabilities, a webcam, and a reliable internet connection on your selected test date.

The CASPer™ test takes approximately 90-110 minutes to complete and is divided into two sections. The first is the video response section. In this section, you will be presented with two word-based scenarios and four video-based scenarios. The second section is the typed response section. Here, you will be presented with three word-based scenarios and five video-based scenarios.

Each video response scenario has two open-ended questions, presented one at a time. Test takers have one minute to record each response. Each typed response scenario has three open-ended questions, presented altogether. Test takers have five minutes total to respond to all three questions. 

Casper raters are trained to disregard minor spelling mistakes when evaluating responses.

While you won’t receive your typed Casper test score, you will receive a quartile, indicating how you performed relative to your peers on the typed section for Casper. 

Please note that you will not receive feedback or results at this point in time for the video response section of the Casper test. 

Your Casper score will be made available to the programs on your distribution list approximately 2-3 weeks after taking your test.