Admissions Cycle

Since Columbia does not offer rolling admissions, the MD-PhD admissions committee decides the status of all applicants only after all interviews have been completed, which typically occurs in mid-January. Accepted applicants are notified of their acceptance by mid-February. Furthermore, since the MD-PhD admissions process is independent of the medical school admissions process, the status of an MD-PhD application does not affect the status of a medical school application. After filling out the AMCAS application, the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons admissions office will send you an invitation with instructions to access and complete the secondary application. This secondary includes all applicable MD-PhD specific sections. The MD-PhD Admissions Committee will then review the completed application packet.

Once applications are complete, highly qualified applicants are invited to Columbia for a series of medical school and MD/PhD program interviews. All other applications are sent to the Medical School for MD-only consideration.

Invited applicants begin their visit to Columbia University Medical Center at 8:45am with a light breakfast, and an introduction to the program by its directors and administrators, followed by individual meetings with MD-PhD Advisory Committee members, a medical school interviewer, faculty members, and student interviewers. All interviews will take place in one day, unless otherwise arranged. Applicants can meet with current medical and MD-PhD students over lunch and a campus tour, as well as informal dinners the evening before the interview day and the evening following the interviews.