MD/PhD Admissions

Requirements

MD/PhD Admissions: Application Requirements

All applicants must complete a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university prior to matriculation into the MD program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Application materials for the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell include:

  • A completed primary application submitted through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) (How to Apply), including Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores (not older than 3 years) and official transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended.
  • A Premedical Committee Letter. If your school does not have a Premedical Committee, or a considerable amount of time has passed since graduation, you may submit three individual letters of recommendation – two letters from individual professors (at least one in science), and one letter from a non-academic professional (included with AMCAS application). Applicants may submit more than three letters of recommendation through AMCAS, though we do not guarantee that all letters beyond the minimum requirement will be read.
  • A completed secondary application (How to Apply), including the $125.00 application fee. If the applicant is eligible for fee assistance through the Association of American Medical Colleges Fee Assistance Program (AAMC FAP), the secondary application fee will be waived.
  • Complete the CASPer™ exam.  We do not require and will not be reviewing Duet. CASPer™ test results are only valid for one admissions cycle. Applicants who have taken the test in previous years will need to re-take the exam. Check the CASPer™ website to register for available test dates.

 

For the 2024-2025 cycle:

  • The final exam date for the Zucker School Of Medicine is November 14 and the final date to distribute your CASPer™ score is December 1.

The Zucker School of Medicine believes the study of medicine is enriched by contact with other intellectual disciplines; therefore, it seeks students with a diverse blend of educational credentials. A liberal arts background in classes such as anthropology, history, literature, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and/or sociology, which require students to read broadly, write extensively, and present oral arguments are highly recommended.

 

While there are no prerequisites in the natural sciences needed to apply, the Zucker School of Medicine strongly recommends successful completion of the following courses:

  • One year of college biology with lab
  • Chemistry, to the level of organic and biochemistry
  • One year of college mathematics, preferably including statistics
  • One year of college physics
  • English literature or equivalent, including writing

Additional coursework in cell biology, embryology, ethics, genetics and molecular biology is helpful, but not required for admission.

Given that a majority of undergraduate schools had changed their grading system for the spring and summer semesters of 2020, pass/fail grades will be accepted for that time period. If you were given the option to take courses for a letter grade and opted to do so, that will be considered in the review of your application.

Premedical course recommendations are reviewed and determined annually by the Dean and the Dean's Cabinet, and based on national trends and recommendations from the Admissions and Curriculum Committees at Zucker School of Medicine.

 Deadlines

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

*Applications will not be reviewed until the MCAT score, CASPer™ score, a Premedical Committee Letter or three letters of recommendation, and a secondary application has been received.