Cornell Medical School: How to Get In

Mission Statement

Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care, and the advancement of the art and science of medicine. To this end, our mission is to provide the finest education possible for medical students, to provide superior continuing medical education for the lifelong education of physicians throughout their careers, to conduct research at the leading edge of knowledge, to improve the health care of the nation and world both now and for further generations, and to provide the highest level of clinical care for the communities we serve.

Admissions Statistics and Eligibility

Total number of matriculants per year: 106

Success rate (overall): 1.34%

Success rate (in-state): 2.72%

Success rate (out-of-state): 1.12%

Success rate (international): 0.24%

Average Accepted GPA: 3.90

Average Accepted MCAT score: 519

Eligibility

Cornell medical school accepts applications from US citizens, US permanent residents, Canadian citizens as well as other international students. However, it is strongly recommended that those students who have completed their education abroad should complete at least one year of education, including the recommended medical school prerequisites, in the US. There is no preference given to in-state students. 

All applicants must submit their MCAT scores, which should not be more than three years old.

Selection Factors

With an overall medical school acceptance rate of just 1.34 %, it’s no surprise that Cornell Medical School has an extremely competitive admissions process. Cornell evaluates applications on a need-blind basis and accepts students from varying educational backgrounds, but all prospective students must have an excellent well-rounded application to get into this school.

MCAT and GPA

The median GPA of matriculants for this program is 3.90, so if you hope to get in, you need to focus on maintaining a high GPA throughout your undergraduate years. However, the medical school GPA requirements will not assure acceptance, they also have a set of mandatory coursework requirements that include both science and humanities courses. Given the selective nature of Cornell’s admissions process, it is important to not just meet minimum GPA and coursework requirements, but to go above and beyond and display excellence in grades and in the scope of your coursework.

The median score of matriculants in the M.D. program at Cornell medical school is 519, although you may get in with a lower MCAT score as Cornell medical school doesn’t have an official cut-off. Nevertheless, your MCAT score is an extremely important component of your med school application and may be used in early stages of the application process to narrow down the applicant pool.

Required and Recommended Courses

Cornell Medical School looks for a diversity in educational experience and meaningful life experiences from its applicants. While many applicants may be science majors, they also accept social science and liberal arts majors as well as returning students, as long as they have completed the required coursework, listed below

Besides these requirements, Cornell also recommends that applicants should have a variety of courses such as statistics, anthropology, calculus, second languages etc. along with at least one in-depth, advanced study in an applicable area of specialization. 

This coursework should have been completed within the last 10 years of applying and students must have received a minimum grade of “C” for these courses.

AMCAS Work and Activities and Extracurricular Activities for Medical School

Cornell has laid out what are the most important experiences to highlight in your application:

1. Research: You should demonstrate your skills as a researcher, not just a student. For example, volunteering in a laboratory or working with a professor on a research project. 99% of incoming students accepted at Cornell had research experience.
2. Clinical or work experience: You should display to the admissions committee your experience exploring the field of medicine, whether it be volunteering or working in a position adjacent to the medical field. 91% of incoming students accepted at Cornell had clinical or work experience.
3. Volunteer work: Cornell’s admissions board looks for impactful volunteer work in a student’s resume as an indicator of their character and integrity. This does not need to be related to medicine necessarily, but it helps if you can tie it to medicine in your application. For example, volunteering reading to kids at a library could help you become a better pediatrician. 91% of incoming students accepted at Cornell had volunteer experience.
4. Hobbies and other skills: This could include any number of non-medical specialties that demonstrate your well-rounded personality and useful skills. For example, fluency in a second language can be a useful skill to help communicate with patients especially given Cornell’s global focus. Reviewing AMCAS hobbies examples can help show you what works best.

Remember that this section of your application is not just about ticking off a list of requirements. Build up your medical school resume with activities that truly interest you and can lay the ground for your future career in medicine.

Personal Statement

When writing a personal statement for Weill Cornell Medical School, focus on illustrating your unique journey and commitment to medicine through specific experiences. Start with a compelling narrative that promotes you as a promising future physician but make sure to tailor your statement to Cornell’s areas of interest. For example, when listing your research experiences, highlight projects related to global health, an area in which Weill Cornell excels. You can also emphasize your commitment to serving diverse communities, reflecting on any work you've done with underserved populations, which aligns with Cornell's mission to promote health equity. Reflect on how these experiences have prepared you for a career in medicine and how Weill Cornell's unique curriculum will help you achieve your goals. Be genuine, concise, and ensure your statement is well-organized and free of errors.

Secondary Essays

After you submit your primary application at AMCAS, Cornell medical school will request a supplemental application including three specific 200-word essay prompts to learn more about you and your suitability for their program: these are your Cornell essays. These medical school secondary essay prompts may change from year to year, but you can typically expect the following:

• If you are not attending college during the coming academic year, what are your plans?
• Please write a brief statement giving your reasons for applying to Cornell’s medical school.
• Please describe a challenge you faced and how you addressed it.

These short essays are the time to showcase what makes you unique as a promising medical student. Remember Cornell’s mission statement and specialties. This is your time to showcase why you are the perfect fit for this school.

Letters of Recommendation

Cornell medical school requires a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 medical school recommendation letters from their applicants. They accept both individual letters and latter packets but prefer that at least one letter should be a committee letter, i.e., a composite letter of recommendation from the applicant's university pre-health advising office. When picking your letter writers, make sure they can highlight the strengths you have put forward in your application. Think about what Cornell is looking for in well-rounded, globally-minded physicians and make this known to your letter writers. It is also important for the letter writer to be familiar with you, pick someone you’ve built a professional relationship with, for example a professor you volunteered with.

Want to know more about the common questions asked in a medical school interview and how to answer them? Check out the video below:

Interview Formats

Weill Cornell Medical College starts sending out interview invitations in late August, via an email that includes available dates and times.. The interviews take place as a part of a full day of activities. 

The schedule on “interview day” includes the following:

• An information meeting with the Associate Dean or Director of Admissions
• A meeting with representatives from the Office of Diversity and Student Life
• A student tour of the med school campus
• Meetings and lunch with medical students
• Two 30-minute interviews with members of the Committee on Admissions – these are the key interviews that will determine the next steps on your application

Cornell has a very in-depth interview so make sure you thoroughly prepare for your medical school interview. Start by researching the common med school interview questions. Next, think through your answers and identify the key points you would like to hit in your interview. Remember, every part of you interview day could potentially help your admission to Cornell. Don’t focus only on the final interviews and think you shouldn’t prepare for the information meeting or the more informal lunches, this could be where you set yourself apart from others!  

Acceptance and Waitlist Information

Applicants start receiving their acceptance letters from Cornell medical school from March onwards. Some applicants may also be waitlisted, and the number of waitlisted applications varies from year to year. Cornell’s medical school waitlist is not ranked and acceptances are issued to waitlisted applicants on an individual basis.

Application Timeline

Medical school applications are highly competitive, especially at an Ivy League medical school such as Weill Cornell Medical College. That’s why it's important to keep track of your medical school application timelines and stay on top of the deadlines.

Note that Cornell’s medical school does not have rolling admissions or an Early Decision program.

Tuition and Debt

Since Cornell medical school is a private institution, there is no difference between the tuition of in-state and out-of-state students. All students pay the same amount.

Tuition and fees: $64,500

Other costs: $26,270

Estimated total cost of attendance: $90,770

Students receiving financial aid: 79%

Average graduating indebtedness: $124,379

Check out how to pay back your medical school loans:

Funding Opportunities

Cornell medical school offers need-based institutional aid as well as federal aid to all US citizens and permanent residents. Additionally, housing (priced below market value) is guaranteed for all students and they offer financial support for community service, summer research, and international electives.

Debt-free need-based financial aid

Cornell medical school offers a generous debt-free, need-based financial aid program, which contributes to their lower than national average graduating indebtedness amongst medical students To receive this grant, students must be qualified for need-based aid by the Office of Financial Aid. Students must submit proof of their family income to qualify for financial aid.

External Scholarships and Grants

Cornell medical school does not offer any merit-based scholarships but if you do not qualify for financial aid or want to supplement your financial aid, you can seek out private medical school scholarships. These can be need- or merit-based and you can find specific scholarships that provide support to students from a particular region, community, gender etc.

Learn more about how to pay for medical school in our blog.

Available Programs

Besides their traditional four-year MD degree program, Cornell Medical College offers a number of specialized/joint programs in conjunction with other Schools at Cornell. For more information check out the official websites for the MD program, the MD/PhD programs and the MD/MBA program.

Academic Curriculum

The updated curriculum at Cornell medical school combines a strong scientific foundation with training on the most up to date technological innovations and medical discoveries. They emphasize a self-directed, problem-based education, offering a variety of learning experiences including seminars, lectures, sessions, lab hours, clinical experience, simulator sessions and more.

Clinical experiences start in the first year, along with classes and labs aimed at imparting a solid foundational education in medical science subjects such as health, illness, fundamental disease processes, patient care and physicianship. In the second year, students continue with their foundational education until January, which is when they begin their clinical clerkships across multiple medical disciplines.

Global health is a major priority at Cornell medical school, which is why they provide their upper-year medical students with both financial and logistical support to perform research and clinical care in countries across the world.

Looking to apply to an Ivy League medical school? Check out our tips:

Campus and Faculty

If you are someone who likes living and working in the middle of one of the most vibrant cities in the world, Weill Cornell Medicine is for you! Cornell Medicine is based out of a hub building at 1300 York Ave on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. Classes and clinical rotations may take place at a number of locations across Manhattan and international satellite campuses like Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar.

Affiliated Teaching Hospitals

Cornell is affiliated with a number of teaching hospitals and medical research centers including New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City as well as numerous institutions in the USA and abroad. You may choose to work at one or more of these institutions so check out the official website for more information on all the different options

Research Fields

Cornell Medicine has some of the most important research programs in many different fields of human health. In particular, Cornell focuses on “Diseases of the 21^st Century” which includes cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and emerging infection diseases. Cornell also has a global scope with an aim to provide cutting edge research to underdeveloped nations with poorer access to health care advances.

Notable Faculty and Alumni

Cornell Medicine has many distinguished faculty and alumni. Current faculty includes Nobel-prize winner Dr. Harold E. Varmus, who specializes in oncology and viral genomics. The list of alumni of note is long but includes household names like public health expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison.

Contact Information

Weill Cornell Medical College admissions website  

Admissions Email: [email protected]

FAQs

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Your friends at BeMo 

BeMo Academic Consulting 

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