Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is one of the oldest and most prestigious medical schools in the United States. Founded in 1767 as the first institution in the Thirteen Colonies to award the Doctor of Medicine degree, VP&S has a history of innovation, scholarship, and clinical excellence that spans more than 250 years. Located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, VP&S is part of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center — a 20-acre campus that integrates medical education, research, and patient care in one of the world's greatest cities.
VP&S is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the country, and trains students across a clinical network that spans the complexity and diversity of New York City. The school is also the birthplace of narrative medicine, a field that emphasizes the role of storytelling and reflective practice in patient care — a distinctive intellectual tradition that continues to shape the culture of the school today.
Getting into Columbia requires outstanding academics and a profile that reflects VP&S's commitment to humanism, integrity, equity, and service. The admissions committee is looking for future physicians and scientists who will shape the future of medicine through innovation, compassionate care, and a deep sense of responsibility to patients, communities, and the broader world.
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Traditional MD Program
Columbia's primary MD program enrolls approximately 138 to 140 students per entering class. Students train at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and across Columbia's broad clinical network, gaining exposure to some of the most complex and diverse patient populations in the country.
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Columbia's combined MD/PhD program trains physician-scientists committed to careers in academic medicine and research. MSTP students complete both their MD and PhD at Columbia, supported by one of the strongest biomedical research environments in the world.
PhD-to-MD Program
A three-year accelerated MD track for students who have already completed a PhD in a biological or related science. This program recognizes the research foundation these applicants bring and moves them efficiently into clinical training.
Columbia-Bassett Track
The Columbia-Bassett program is one of the most distinctive offerings at VP&S. It pairs the resources of an Ivy League institution with clinical training in a rural healthcare setting in Cooperstown, New York, at Bassett Medical Center. Only ten students are selected for this program each year. Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in rural medicine and an understanding of the healthcare challenges facing underserved rural communities. Despite its small size, the program has a remarkable residency match record.
Admission to VP&S is highly competitive. For the most recent admissions cycle, Columbia received 7,677 verified applications, invited 10.38% of applicants to interview, and enrolled 138 students. The overall acceptance rate is 1.80%.
Unlike many public universities, Columbia has no meaningful preference for in-state applicants. Approximately 88% of matriculants are from out of state, making VP&S one of the most geographically diverse medical schools in the country. Strong applicants from any state are competitive.
The average GPA for Columbia VP&S matriculants is 3.95, with a median accepted applicant GPA of 3.90. The GPA range for matriculants spans 3.39 to 4.0. Columbia does not publish a minimum GPA requirement, but near-perfect academic performance is the norm among admitted students. Applicants with a GPA below 3.7 face a significant challenge unless other aspects of the profile are truly exceptional.
The median MCAT for Columbia VP&S matriculants is 522, with a range of 508 to 528. The average MCAT for accepted applicants is 521.6. In our experience, applicants should have an MCAT of 517 or higher to be competitive for a Columbia interview invitation. Columbia does not publish a minimum MCAT requirement.
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Columbia has specific prerequisite requirements for the MD program. All courses must be taken at accredited U.S. or Canadian institutions. AP credit is generally not accepted for prerequisite fulfillment. The following courses are required:
All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or above. Columbia strongly recommends completing all prerequisites before submitting your application. Online lab courses are not accepted.
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Columbia's curriculum has undergone significant evolution in recent years. Key features include early clinical exposure, integration of non-medical curricular threads throughout the four years, and a Differentiation and Integration block in the later years of medical school where students take electives, pursue research, and explore subspecialties.
Narrative Medicine
Columbia is the birthplace of narrative medicine, a field that trains physicians to recognize, absorb, interpret, and be moved by the stories of illness. The program was founded at VP&S by Dr. Rita Charon in 2000 and has since spread to medical schools around the world. At Columbia, narrative medicine is woven into the curriculum throughout all four years, developing physicians who can engage with the human dimensions of illness in ways that improve patient care and reduce burnout.
Integrated Curricular Threads
Columbia integrates non-medical disciplines throughout the curriculum, including public health, biomedical informatics, medical ethics, and health policy. The goal is to produce graduates who understand the broader context of medicine beyond clinical practice and who are equipped to lead in the evolving healthcare landscape.
Differentiation and Integration Block
In the later years of medical school, students enter a flexible period where they pursue electives, engage in clinical and research opportunities, and deepen their preparation for residency. This block is designed to allow for a highly individualized educational path tailored to each student's specialty interests and career goals.
Clinical Training in New York City
Columbia students train primarily at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and across a broad network of clinical sites throughout New York City. This gives students exposure to extraordinarily diverse patient populations and a wide range of clinical conditions, including complex cases that are referred from across the region and around the world.
In 2017, a $250 million gift from Roy and Diana Vagelos enabled Columbia to replace student loans with scholarships for all students who qualify for financial aid. This made Columbia one of the first medical schools in the country to eliminate loans from financial aid packages for eligible students. Current tuition at VP&S is $75,689 per year for the 2025–2026 academic year.
Columbia's financial aid policy is one of the most generous in academic medicine and should be factored into your school list decisions. For students with demonstrated financial need, a Columbia education may cost significantly less than it appears at first glance.
Columbia uses a holistic review process that evaluates the full context of each applicant's background and experiences. The following experience areas are particularly important at VP&S.
Research
Research experience is highly valued at Columbia. VP&S is one of the world's leading biomedical research institutions, and applicants with substantive, sustained research involvement — particularly those with publications, presentations, or other tangible contributions — are at a meaningful advantage. The depth and originality of your research matters more than the number of labs you have worked in.
Clinical Experience
Meaningful clinical experience is essential. Columbia trains students across one of the most complex and diverse clinical environments in the world, and the admissions committee expects applicants to demonstrate genuine patient contact and a clear understanding of what clinical medicine involves. Paid clinical work, scribing, EMT experience, and sustained clinical volunteering all contribute to a competitive profile.
Leadership
Columbia's secondary essays specifically ask about meaningful leadership positions. Demonstrated leadership in organizations, research teams, community initiatives, or other settings is an important component of a competitive VP&S application.
Community Service and Commitment to Equity
VP&S values diversity in all its forms and actively seeks applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, justice, and service in healthcare and in their communities. Applicants who have engaged with underserved communities, worked to address health disparities, or pursued advocacy related to healthcare equity align closely with Columbia's mission.
Columbia requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation and accepts up to seven. A committee letter from your undergraduate institution is preferred if available. Columbia strongly values letters that speak with specificity and genuine enthusiasm about your intellectual contributions, character, and potential as a physician and scientist. At a school that prizes humanism and narrative, letters that convey the kind of person you are — not just your academic performance — carry particular weight.
Click here to read more about medical school letters of recommendation.
Columbia participates in the centralized AMCAS application and does not require a separate personal statement. The personal statement you write for AMCAS will be sent to Columbia and all other AMCAS schools to which you apply.
For Columbia specifically, given the school's tradition of narrative medicine and its emphasis on humanism, your personal statement has an opportunity to go beyond a standard motivation narrative. The best personal statements for VP&S demonstrate not just why you want to be a doctor, but how you think about patients and illness, what kind of physician-citizen you intend to become, and what experiences have shaped your capacity for empathy, reflection, and leadership.
Click here to read more about writing a compelling medical school personal statement.
Columbia does not ask you to submit a CV or resume separately. Instead, Columbia receives your AMCAS work and activities section along with the rest of your primary application.
At Columbia, use the most meaningful activities section to demonstrate depth of impact rather than breadth of involvement. Show what you contributed, what you led, what changed as a result of your work, and how your experiences connect to the kind of physician you intend to become.
Click here to read our complete guide to the AMCAS Work and Activities Section with examples.
Columbia screens applications before sending secondaries, so not every applicant who submits a primary will receive a secondary invitation. The secondary application deadline is October 22. The secondary fee is $110, with a fee assistance waiver available.
The 2025–2026 Columbia VP&S secondary essay prompts are as follows. All essays have a 300-word limit unless noted.
Prompt 1 (Conditional)
Did you work for compensation during college, either during the school year or summers? If so, what did you do? How many hours a week did you work? (300 words)
Prompt 2 (Conditional)
If you have graduated from college, please briefly summarize what you have done in the interim. (300 words)
Prompt 3 (Required)
Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. (300 words)
Prompt 4 (Required)
Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons values diversity in all its forms. How will your experiences contribute to this important focus of our institution and inform your future role as a physician? (300 words)
Prompt 5 (Optional)
Is there anything else you would like us to know? (400 words)
Columbia-Bassett Additional Prompt (Bassett applicants only)
What aspect of the Columbia-Bassett track has the most appeal to you? (300 words)
Note: Columbia prompts change from cycle to cycle. Always verify current prompts on the official VP&S admissions website before writing your essays.
May/June 2026
Submit your AMCAS application as early as possible. Columbia reviews applications on a rolling basis and screens before sending secondaries. Earlier submission improves your chances of an earlier secondary invitation and interview.
July–September 2026
Columbia sends secondary invitations to screened applicants on a rolling basis. Complete your secondary as promptly as possible after receiving it.
Mid-August 2026
Interview invitations begin going out. Columbia conducts virtual interviews for the 2026 application cycle.
October 15, 2026
AMCAS primary application deadline.
October 22, 2026
Secondary application deadline.
October–February 2027
Interviews continue on a rolling basis through February.
March–April 2027
Admissions decisions released on a rolling basis.
April 30, 2027
Students holding multiple acceptances must select one medical school to attend.
Columbia conducts virtual interviews for the 2025–2026 application cycle. Interview invitations begin going out in mid-August, making Columbia one of the earlier schools to begin interviewing. Columbia-Bassett applicants interview with faculty from both Cooperstown and New York City. Based on our students' experiences, Columbia interviews are conversational and focused on your background, experiences, motivations, and how you will contribute to the VP&S community. Given Columbia's emphasis on humanism and narrative medicine, interviewers may explore how you think about the human dimensions of illness and patient care, not just your academic and research credentials.
Columbia VP&S is consistently ranked among the top 10 to 15 medical schools in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. It is one of a small number of schools that consistently ranks highly for both research and primary care. Columbia's affiliation with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, one of the top-ranked hospitals in the country, and its location in New York City give it access to clinical resources and patient diversity that few institutions can match.
The average GPA for Columbia VP&S matriculants is 3.95, with a median accepted applicant GPA of 3.90. The GPA range for matriculants is 3.39 to 4.0. Columbia does not publish a minimum GPA requirement. Applicants with a GPA below 3.7 face a significant challenge unless other aspects of the profile are truly exceptional.
The median MCAT for Columbia VP&S matriculants is 522, with an average accepted applicant MCAT of 521.6. The range for matriculants is 508 to 528. In our experience, applicants should have a 517 or higher to be competitive for a Columbia interview invitation. Columbia does not publish a minimum MCAT requirement.
No. Unlike public universities, Columbia has no preference for in-state applicants. Approximately 88% of VP&S matriculants are from out of state, making it one of the most geographically diverse medical schools in the country. Strong applicants from any state are equally competitive.
The Columbia-Bassett track is a distinctive program that pairs VP&S training with clinical education at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, New York. It is designed for students with a demonstrated interest in rural medicine and healthcare for underserved rural communities. Only ten students are selected per year. Despite its small size, the program has an exceptional residency match record. Bassett applicants complete an additional secondary essay and interview with faculty from both Cooperstown and New York City.
Columbia VP&S is the birthplace of narrative medicine, a field founded at Columbia by Dr. Rita Charon in 2000. Narrative medicine trains physicians to recognize, absorb, interpret, and be moved by the stories of illness. It emphasizes reflective writing and close reading as tools for developing the empathy, self-awareness, and communicative skill that define excellent physicians. Narrative medicine is woven throughout the VP&S curriculum across all four years.
Yes. Columbia screens applications before sending secondary invitations. Not every applicant who submits a primary will receive a secondary. The secondary deadline is October 22 and the fee is $110.
Columbia conducts virtual interviews. Interview invitations begin going out in mid-August, making Columbia one of the earlier schools to interview. Columbia-Bassett applicants have a separate interview process with faculty from both Cooperstown and New York City.
The Vagelos Scholarship replaces student loans with scholarships for all students who qualify for financial aid. It does not necessarily cover 100% of tuition for all students — it covers the loan component of a financial aid package for eligible students, which can significantly reduce overall debt. Columbia's current tuition is $75,689 per year. Students should consult VP&S financial aid directly for a personalized estimate.
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the most prestigious and distinctive medical schools in the country. With an acceptance rate of 1.8%, an average MCAT of 522, and an average GPA of 3.95, getting in requires exceptional academics combined with a profile that reflects VP&S's commitment to humanism, leadership, equity, and service. Columbia's location in New York City, its affiliation with NewYork-Presbyterian, its tradition of narrative medicine, and the Vagelos Scholarship make it one of the most compelling choices for applicants who are drawn to both research excellence and the human dimensions of medicine. If your GPA is 3.7 or above and your MCAT is 517 or higher, Columbia belongs on your list. Apply early, write your secondary essays with genuine reflection on your leadership and commitment to diversity, and take seriously the opportunity the application gives you to demonstrate the kind of physician you intend to become.