nyu medical acceptance rate

NYU Medical School: Requirements and Strategies

How hard is it to get into NYU Medical School? Learn NYU’s requirements, acceptance rate, and strategies for getting in, and all about NYU’s free tuition for medical students

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: NYU Medical School programs

Part 3: How hard is it to get into NYU Medical School?

Part 4: NYU Medical School secondary application essays (examples included)

Part 5: NYU Medical School interview

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Part 1: Introduction

Let’s get this straight. You’re not only going to one of the best medical schools in the country… but also, it’s free?

That’s the response more and more medical school applicants dream of, and it’s probably why NYU Medical School, long a top program, has suddenly grown even more enticing for the ambitious pre-med.

NYU was always a reach school for nearly every applicant who applies, with low admissions rates and an expectation of top undergraduate performance and MCAT scores. But since NYU changed its tuition policy to offer all matriculants a tuition-free ride in 2018, applications went up nearly 50%.

So in this increasingly competitive environment, how can you get into NYU Medical School? Here, we’ll demystify the components of the NYU Medical School application process and provide input on how to tackle NYU’s secondary prompts. 

Part 2: NYU Medical School programs

NYU MD Programs

NYU Langone offers its students several ways to get the MD:

• Accelerated three year MD with residency match
• Four year MD 
• MD/PhD
• MD/Master’s degrees, including in Bioethics, management, and more

You can also apply to:

• Three year MD at NYU Long Island School of Medicine (LISOM). This is a new school; the first class matriculated in July 2019.

What’s the difference between NYU and NYU LISOM? 

NYU LISOM was created with the goal of getting more primary care physicians working in New York. Like Kaiser Medical School, NYU LISOM’s interest in funding students’ schooling is to encourage people to choose traditionally lower paying specialties like family medicine or pediatrics. This will come up in essays and interviews, so you should not plan to apply to NYU LISOM if you don’t have this genuine interest.

Is NYU really free?

Yes. NYU is now covering its students’ tuition. But living in Manhattan (or on Long Island) is extremely expensive, and with paying for room and board, you might still be out nearly $30,000 a year (according to CNBC). 

Plan around those costs when you consider an NYU medical education. If cost is your major concern when considering medical school, your in-state school might actually be cheaper than NYU, even with the free ride built in. 

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Part 3: How hard is it to get into NYU Medical School?

NYU Medical School acceptance rate

NYU Langone Medical School received 8,932 applications for about 120 slots in 2018-2019 — that’s a 1.3% admissions rate. (Before the tuition announcement, NYU’s admissions rate sat at 1.6%.)

NYU LISOM acceptance rate

For its first class of 24 students, NYU LISOM received 2,400 applications, a 1% acceptance rate.

The class matriculating in July 2020 will be 32 students, and in July 2021 will be 40 students, and will remain 40 students thereafter. We can expect the acceptance rate to hover at a very low rate.

NYU Medical School requirements

If the admissions rates weren’t enough, it might be helpful to look at the statistics surrounding admitted students at NYU.

• Median undergraduate GPA: 3.93/4.0
• Average undergraduate GPA: 3.89/4.0
• Range: 3.47-4.0
• Median MCAT: 522
• Average MCAT: 520
• Range: 510-527

Part 4: NYU Medical School secondary application essays (examples included)

After you’ve submitted your AMCAS, you’ll have a chance to write your secondary application to NYU and NYU LISOM. Below you’ll find prompts from recent years. 

(Suggested reading: Medical school secondary essay prompts)

NYU Medical School secondary prompts

Here are the prompts applicants faced last year, and here are a few strategies about how to approach them, including sample essays written in response to the major questions, based on composites of our successful students from 15+ years of advising.

Question 1: If applicable, please comment on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere on your application. (Optional)

If you’re answering this, you’ll want to take a non-defensive approach, and spin your fluctuations into a positive, if possible. 

For instance: 

In my second semester of my freshman year, I was enrolled in six credits, including organic chemistry and advanced Russian. Knowing that I wanted to spend my summer researching public health outside of Moscow, I withdrew from the organic chemistry course so I could spend the following summer completely immersed in the subject matter. I earned top marks in the summer program and my time in Russia led me directly to the Master’s in Public Health I’m completing this year.

Question 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. (2500 characters)

This sort of question requires applicants to be straightforward. You should answer the question: what have you been up to since graduating? 

However, many applicants assume that “straightforward” means linear, or even boring. Here, you need to write what we’ll call an “informational essay.” You need:

• A thesis statement: what have you been doing, and why? What holds your experiences together? What caused you to take a gap year or gap years? What goals did you set, and have you been meeting them? 
• Specifics just shy of anecdotes. If you had more space, you’d want an anecdote or two about each experience. Lacking that, though, you can still provide specifics like characters, images, and nods to particular parts of the job that will help you lodge your answer in your interviewers’ memories. Remember that this kind of question is likely to serve as the basis for both small talk and large conversation should you be invited to interview. 

Do not write anything that could be construed as resumé summary. 

Here’s a good example:

My goal in taking a gap year was to get more exposure to pediatrics and women’s health.

Once a week, I scribe for an obstetrician in my hometown of Iowa City. Seeing her care for her patients intensely over a concentrated period of time has reinforced my interest in specialties that allow for protracted and meaningful patient contact.

I also shadow my pediatrician three mornings a week. I’ve watched her handle everything from standard coughs and colds to difficult conversations with concerned parents and delicate talks with teenagers dealing with eating disorders. Watching her treat the entire network of people surrounding a patient, in addition to the child, has been meaningful.

I volunteer as an escort at the Emma Goldman Clinic once a week.

Lastly, I have recently trained as a volunteer for a sexual violence support hotline, continuing my work as a consent educator from college. 

Question 3: The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate a wide range of student qualities and life experiences that are complementary to demonstrated academic excellence, strong interpersonal skills and leadership potential. What unique qualities or experiences do you possess that would contribute specifically to the NYU School of Medicine community (2500 characters max)?

This is a version of the standard “diversity” question, which we offer advice on tackling here. 

The only trick to this is to try adding a line or two that contextualizes the standard diversity essay to NYU’s particular offerings. 

Do mention it if there’s a specific student organization or component of the curriculum that could help you build on your unique contribution — for instance, your fluent Spanish makes you particularly excited to enroll in the Family Medicine elective, which NYU says allows students a chance to practice medical Spanish.

Question 4: The ultimate goal of our institution is to produce a population of physicians with a collective desire to improve health of all segments of our society through the outstanding patient care, research and education. In this context, where do you see your future medical career (academic medicine, research, public health, primary care, business/law, etc.) and why? Your answer need not be restricted to one category. If your plans require that you complete a dual degree program, please elaborate here (2500 characters max).

Here is a version of the “describe your future career” question, another standard medical school supplementary essay. 

It’s a clear question. Now, answer it with a clear thesis statement and offer particulars about how your experience so far has prepared you for this path. As always, try to contextualize it to NYU, and make a case for why NYU is the best place for you to pursue this path.

An example:

I see myself working as a physician-scientist. Attending NYU to pursue an MD and the MS in Biomedical Informatics would allow me to build on my experience in computational chemistry (my undergraduate work) and in computer programming (in which I worked for three years after college).

Spending three years in Silicon Valley taught me how wide the gulf is between medical professionals and technologists. In the “move fast and break things” culture of the tech boom, many lack the diligence required by careful research. But I also admired my colleagues’ insistence on creating tangible solutions in personalized medicine. 

I hope to practice as a geriatrician while also pursuing research that can help us create more individualized treatments for older people. I hope to be a part of a generation that does not take for granted the existing medical technologies. I want to improve drug efficiency and bring crucial drugs to patients who need them more quickly. 

But that all comes in addition to my core goal, which is patient care. I know from my years of volunteering with Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons-afflicted patients how rare it can feel for these elders to be met with the energy that many young doctors spare for other specialties. By sitting across from my patients regularly, and taking that energy into the lab, I will achieve a balanced and exciting career as a physician-scientist.

Question 5: Please answer only one of the following three questions (2500 characters max):

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?

Take seriously the non-academic component of the question! This is a chance to get a little more personal. Please, please do not use the word “humbling.” Take good care to avoid clichés in this type of question. 

An example:

I had never been athletic in high school, and in fact avoided the gym at all costs. Sports scared me. They seemed like they belonged to someone else. 

But the year after I graduated from college, I found that I needed something to keep me healthy as I studied for the MCAT and held down a full-time research job for the first time. A friend persuaded me to come jogging with her. At first, I could barely run a mile. But a few days a week of persistent work brought me up to two miles, then three. At the end of the year, I ran a 10k race—slowly, bringing up the rear, but I ran it nonetheless. 

As an intense person who’s used to doing only what she is good at, learning to run was a crucial accomplishment. I learned to think about accomplishment itself differently. Now, running is a part of my weekly routine, and I rely on the endorphins to keep me sane and healthy. Most of all, I feel powerful because I know I am prepared to weather the difficulties of medical school and residency and all the other components of life that come with it. A single run can flush anxiety and stress out of me. I am so grateful to have discovered this feeling, and I wish a younger me had gotten here sooner.

You’re probably going to be able to use your pre-written “adversity” essay to answer one of the following two questions.

If your adversity essay doesn’t work here—perhaps you tackled a larger topic than workplace challenges—now is a good chance to write out what we sometimes call the “professional adversity essay.” (As opposed to the “personal adversity essay.”) You can also think of it as the “challenge” essay, since sometimes prompts ask for something softer than “adversity.” Save this essay! You’ll re-use it.

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?

An example of an essay that answers both prompts:

Growing up south of the Mason-Dixon line and attending college in the northeast has made me an outsider twice-over. At home, I’m seen as liberal and out of touch with my religious, working class relatives. In college, people sometimes dropped into hushed tones when talking about religion, class, or politics around me, assuming that as a white man from the south, I’d automatically disagree.

Everything seemed to be come more intensely divided after the 2016 election, even in fields that one wouldn’t think about as particularly political. When I was organizing a public health symposium to discuss the intersection of disenfranchisement and poor health, a group of other students became frustrated that I was at the head of the conversation. They asked me to step aside and let a person of color run the show. 

I listened, and I understood that their critiques came from a sense of accumulated frustration over the years. People who look like me—white men—had a history of controlling conversations about structural inequality, and that had sometimes resulted in people becoming even more disenfranchised. 

In this case, though, I disagreed that I ought to step aside and hand the symposium over. There was a lot of organizing to be done that I’d spent a year preparing for, and the other student of color who might have taken over wasn’t as bothered by me being in charge as some other people were. In the end, the people frustrated with me made their objections clear, but we all agreed that the substantive conversation about inequality was most important, and we were able to make the symposium happen. I think I learned something by listening to my peers’ concerns, and I hope they would say the same.

NYU LISOM secondary prompts

If you’re also applying to NYU LISOM, here are the prompts you’ll have to answer. 

Question 1: Please indicate which specialty you are interested in applying for (Please choose one):

Internal Medicine — Pediatrics — OB/Gyn — Surgery

Simple enough—but worth noting that NYU LISOM expects you to have a focus in one of those fields!

Question 2: Please indicate your reasons for choosing this particular field. Please demonstrate for our admission committee how your previous health-related and non-health-related experiences and your personal attributes helped inform your decision. 2500 Words

This is a fairly typical “why this specialty” and “how did you get here” question, combined. In this response, you should:

• Have a clear thesis statement about what makes this specialty exactly right for you.
• Have a clear thesis statement about what makes you exactly right for this specialty.
• Be prepared with at least one small anecdote to serve as proof of each of those mini-thesis statements, and draw on the three territories they’ve asked you to consider: health-related experiences, non-health-related experiences, and personal attributes. Even if you don’t explicitly label each component of your answer as such, you should have a private, invisible checklist running to make sure you’ve covered everything.

For example:

I remember the day I learned the word ‘pediatrician.’ It was a mouthful, but I still insisted on saying it, even as a six-year-old. Because of my little brother, who was born prematurely, my family spent a lot of time around pediatricians. I knew I wanted to be one. 

Even as a (bossy) child myself, I was always interested in caring for younger children. I got a babysitting license early, and from when I was 15 to last year, I worked as a camp counselor for elementary-school-aged kids. 

Knowing how much I loved to see children at play, having a chance to be happy, I was nervous to start volunteering at Camp Kesem and in a pediatric oncology ward last summer. In both contexts, I’d be spending time with kids whose childhoods didn’t look quite as free and easy as my own had been. But I found that helping to make space for joy and play apart from a terminally ill parent or a devastating diagnosis was, very clearly, my calling. 

I don’t only want to be there emotionally for children when they’re suffering tough times, though. I want to be a part of the veritable army of people they need fighting on their behalf. That’s why I’ve pursued research in pediatric hematological oncology, and it’s why I hope to be a physician who works to bring the newest and bravest solutions to children confronting the kinds of diagnoses no one should ever have to face. 

I am deeply drawn to NYU LISOM’s commitment to cultivating a generation of physicians who will work in fields like pediatrics. I know that my colleagues at NYU LISOM would share my passion for the difficulties and joys of this specialty, and would keep me motivated even when the going gets tough.

(Optional) Applicants have occasionally had to overcome significant adversities in their lives. Our admission committee would be most interested not only in hearing about how you overcame such an adversity, but also how doing so helped you succeed. 2500 Words

This is your standard adversity essay! Use your pre-write.

(Optional) Please comment on any significant fluctuations in your academic record, or other application irregularities, not already addressed elsewhere. 2500 Words

Another standard question. The answer we’ve given above applies here as well.

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Part 5: NYU Medical School interview

Have you received an interview invitation from either or both NYU program? Congratulations!

NYU uses the Multiple Mini Interview format. You should prepare both for the traditional station-driven MMI model and for a brief “out-of-character” interview where you can ask your interlocutor questions. Come prepared with a specific, non-throwaway question, perhaps something particular to your field or specialty of interest. You might ask if your interviewer has any advice about how best to pursue this specialty at NYU. 

NYU LISOM also uses MMIs as well as team-based interview strategies. Asking questions on your interview day here will also be a great way to show that you’re engaged with the school’s mission, and that you are prepared to be a part manifesting that mission over the next few years, as an early student.

Final Thoughts

Applying to NYU Medical School may be intimidating, but it’s a fantastic opportunity to attend a school that’s invested–both figuratively and financially—in your future. In addition to earning top grades and test scores, focus on writing fantastic essays to round out your application, and to get you one step closer to an NYU MD.