Introduction – How to get into NYU Medical School
With free tuition, NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City has become one of the most competitive medical schools in the United States with an acceptance rate of 2.1%. In fact, only 8.7% of applicants even receive interview invitations at NYU. In our experience, only top applicants receive interviews and those who are accepted excel in every way with regards to academics, scholarly and extracurricular experiences, and interpersonal skills and attributes. What are NYU Langone medical school’s admissions requirements? NYU has always been a very competitive and popular medical school and that popularity increased when the school started offering full tuition scholarships in 2018 as announced by the board of trustees. In this comprehensive guide we will outline how to increase your chances of getting in to NYU medical school by explaining the different aspects of your background, candidacy, and application that will factor in to NYU’s interview and admissions decision. Keep in mind that NYU also has a medical school on Long Island (NYU Long Island School of Medicine) that is focused on educating primary care physicians. We will not be discussing NYU Long Island in this article. There are many pieces that contribute to a successful NYU medical school application, but, you want to focus on five items to evaluate your competitiveness:
- GPA Requirements
- MCAT Requirements
- Experience Requirements
- Application and Secondary Essay Requirements
Let’s discuss each of these items in greater detail.
We’re proud that our medical students are well-rounded and versed in topics beyond the humanities and sciences.
NYU Medical School Average GPA
NYU is one of the most competitive medical schools in the country, and is ranked number 2 in the country by U.S. News for research. So, as you can imagine, the GPA required to be seriously considered for medical school admission is quite high.
- Average GPAs for students accepted to NYU:
- NYU Medical School GPA: 3.96 (range 3.62 – 4.0)
- NYU Medical School BCPM GPA: 3.96
NYU will also expect you to demonstrate academic excellence through your coursework showing that you have tackled a challenging curriculum in college.
What are NYU medical school requirements?
NYU has moved towards competency-based admissions requirements which means applicants are expected to demonstrate mastery across certain disciplines.
Here are the courses NYU that NYU “recommends” to be competitive for admission:
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- English
- Math – college level
- Genetics
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physics
- Psychology
- Social Science
In addition to the courses listed, you should enroll in upper level science classes and show mastery of whatever discipline you major in. You do not need to major in a science. In fact, schools as prestigious as NYU hope to enroll a diverse group of students with a variety of intellectual interests and pursuits.
Related: Best Medical School Major
Related: Medical School Requirements
Related Article: Medical Schools in New York
NYU Medical School Average MCAT Score
NYU students have also earned very high MCAT scores. The median MCAT for NYU medical school accepted students is 523 with a range of 516 – 527.
In our experience, students who have MCAT score less than 517-518 have a tough time earning interviews from NYU unless there is something exceptional about their background, experiences, and/or circumstances.
So how are you going to hit your target NYU MCAT score? Prepare with the links below:
Range of MCAT Scores for NYU School of Medicine Matriculants
518-525
2021-2022 Admissions Cycle
NYU Medical School Experience Requirements
By reviewing what the vast majority of accepted students have participated in as premedical students, you can see what NYU values in an applicant’s experience profile.
Community Service/Volunteer Work
Since 92% of students accepted to NYU have community service experience, NYU clearly likes to see applicants who have committed their time to other communities and people. Ideally you want to pursue community service activities that are related to your established interests. We are seeing that medical schools, in general, are placing more value in social justice and advocacy efforts.
Physician Shadowing/Observation
To demonstrate an understanding of what it means to practice medicine, NYU likes applicants to have shadowing or observational clinical exposure. 89% of students have this experience.
Medical/Clinical Community Service/Volunteer
In combining the two categories above, 87% of students have community service experience that is medical or clinical in nature. This means that students have volunteered in a clinical setting such as hospice or a free clinic.
Research
A research-heavy school, it is not surprise that. A whopping 98% of NY medical students have some research experience. No one expects you to be an “expert” in every category above. In fact, a trend we are noticing is that medical schools, including NYU, are seeking applicants who have diverse experiences but show a “spike” of interest, or a particular passion in one specific area. What that area is doesn’t really matter, but, just as the field of medicine has a variety of specialists all who contribute something different, NYU is hoping to create a class of specialists who might have a niche in a certain area therefore being able to contribute to the overall diversity of the medical school class and community.
Medical/Clinical Paid Employment
Across the board, we are seeing that medical schools value applicants who have worked in a clinical setting. While we expect the percentage of students who have paid clinical work experience to increase every year, most recently 34% of medical school applicants accepted to NYU had this experience.
Summer Undergraduate Research Programs for Pre Med Students
Since research is so important to your medical school candidacy, start putting together a list of opportunities as soon as possible. The AAMC has a great list of summer research programs to get your search started. Visit their summer research page to find a local program.
NYU Medical School Personal Statement
You will not write a medical school personal statement for NYU, specifically. Instead, you will apply to NYU through a centralized application service called AMCAS. The personal statement you write for AMCAS will be sent to NYU and all other AMCAS medical schools you apply to. Here are some basics about the AMCAS personal statement:
- The character limit for the AMCAS personal statement is 5,300 characters with spaces.
- The AMCAS personal statement instructions are as follows:
“Use the Personal Comments Essay as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other applicants. Consider and write your Personal Comments Essay carefully; many admissions committees place significant weight on the essay.”
Click here to read more about some questions that you may want to consider while writing the essay.
NYU Medical School Work and Activities
NYU Grossman School of Medicine does not ask you to submit a CV or resume. Instead, NYU requires you to submit a centralized AMCAS application which requires you to write about your accomplishments in detail. These “work and activities entries” as they are called, are sent to NYU medical school as well as any other medical schools to which you apply through AMCAS.
Below are a few things you should know about the AMCAS work and activities.
AMCAS work & activities entries give you the chance to let medical schools know how much you’ve accomplished during your premed years.
- This section of the AMCAS application offers the opportunity to write about up to 15 activity descriptions that are up to 700 characters in length
- You can then select three of those activities as most meaningful activities which gives you an additional 1325 characters to elaborate on the activity.
We encourage you to use this space to your advantage, elaborating as much as possible about your roles, responsibilities, the insights you gained, as well as what you have learned from the experience. You should also write in detail about the impact or “difference” you have made through the experience.
Click here to read more about AMCAS Work & Activities Section (With Examples): The Ultimate Guide.
NYU Medical School Application and Secondary Essay Requirements
With regards to letters of reference the NYU requirements are a minimum of two letters and maximum of eight with a committee preferred if your school offers one. We find that most successful NYU applicants have six letters of reference. NYU Medical School secondary application fee is $100 and the decline is November 15th. Below are the 2023/2024 NYU secondary essay prompts:
1. If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application. (no limited provided)
2. If you have taken any time off from your studies, either during or after college, please describe what you have done during this time and your reasons for doing so. (no limit provided)
3. The Admissions Committee holistically evaluates a range of student qualities and life experiences that complement demonstrated academic excellence. What unique qualities do you possess that make you uniquely suited to become a physician or physician-scientist? How have your individual lived experiences shaped your core values and desire to be a future leader in our profession? (2500 characters)
4. Answer one of the three of the following (limit 2500 characters):
1. The most meaningful achievements are often non-academic in nature. Describe the personal accomplishment that makes you most proud. Why is this important to you?
2. Conflicts arise daily from differences in perspectives, priorities, worldviews and traditions. How do you define respect? Describe a situation in which you found it challenging to remain respectful while facing differences?
3. Describe a situation in which working with a colleague, family member or friend has been challenging. How did you resolve, if at all, the situation as a team and what did you gain from the experience that will benefit you as a future health care provider?
NYU Medical School Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics
For the 2022-2023 entering medical school class, NYU received 8316 Applications and interviewed 12.5% of applicants. A total of 105 students enrolled 13 of whom were MD/PhD students.
What is the NYU Medical School Acceptance Rate for 2022?
The NYU Medical School acceptance rate is 2.1% making it one of the most competitive medical schools in the country.
What is the NYU Medical School Ranking for 2023?
In 2023, NYU is ranked #2 in Best Medical Schools: Research and #48 (tie) in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care by U.S. News and World Report.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine Acceptance Rate
NYU Medical School Interview
NYU holds Multiple Mini Interviews with eight different stations that lasts about one hour in total. The MMI interview is a situational interview where you will be evaluated on “your decision-making, critical-thinking, and communication skills as they relate to healthcare and social issues.” Like many medical schools in the U.S., NYU’s MMI is a hybrid model and includes one traditional interview station that lasts 12 minutes. During this interview you will be asked typical one one one interview questions. NYU conducts a 360 degree interview meaning that faculty, medical students and staff who are trained in the MMI will assess and interview you.
NYU Residency Placement
As you can imagine, NYU graduates do quite well with many matches in very competitive specialties such as dermatology, neurological surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology and plastic surgery. . NYU’s most popular residency placements were in the following specialties and medical professions:
- Anesthesiology
- Dermatology
- Emergency medicine
- Internal medicine
- Neurology
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Orthopaedic surgery
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Surgery – general
NYU Medical School Admissions Timeline
In order create an effective NYU medical school admissions plan, use the following medical school timeline to set goals.
It is important to remember that due to the competitiveness of the medical school application process you must submit your documents far in advance of deadlines. For example, we recommend that your primary application be submitted no later than mid July and your secondary application be completed by the end of August. Of course, depending the applicants profile, there may be exceptions to these “rules,” so please contact our office if you have any questions.
NYU Medical School Admissions Timeline Tips
- To Learn more about CASPer, click here.
- We recommend you complete secondary applications within 3 weeks of receiving the prompts. Click here to learn more about NYU medical school secondary essays.
- NYU utilizes the MMI interview format. Click here to learn more.
Final Thoughts
Although New York University School of Medicine is a very competitive medical college, it makes sense to apply if you are competitive. However, even tuition-free, keep in mind that living in Manhattan and the surrounding borough of New York City can be expensive. At NYU future students should expect to receive a top-notch medical education and access to a great clinical education and Langone Medical Center. You will also be positioned to match in to the speciality of your choosing and to have a fulfilling career in medicine.
