Columbia Medical School Requirements GPA

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a computerized standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States, Australia and Caribbean. The MCAT is accepted by all American medical schools as part of the admission requirements.

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columbia medical school requirements gPA

Average GPAs for students accepted to Columbia:

• Columbia Medical School GPA: 3.89 
• Columbia Medical School BCPM GPA: 3.89 

Columbia, founded in 1807, is a fairly traditional medical school and their requirements reflect that. The good news is that these less rigid requirements leaves students a lot of “room” to enroll in courses that interest them during college.

• Biology
• Biochemistry, Statistics, Biostatistics (recommended)
• English
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry
• Physics

columbia medical school admissions

The Admissions Committee at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons has voted to accept Pass/Fail grades for prerequisite courses taken at schools that decided to go Pass/Fail for the 2020 academic calendar and, Spring/Summer 2021 semesters.  We understand some concerns about the impact on GPAs and will take this fully into consideration for future applicants. For students in schools for which Pass/Fail is optional during these semesters, we will consider each student’s situation individually.

We also understand the tremendous stress that many of you feel during this unprecedented time.  As we look at our current students, graduates, and colleagues, we could not be prouder to be part of the healthcare workforce.  Keep up the strong work as you study to be part of this community going forward. 

From academic coursework to letters of recommendation, our application requirements are noted by topic in this section.

Academics

Applicants must have:

At the time of application, at least three full academic years at a regionally accredited college in the United States or Canada.

• Baccalaureate degree prior to matriculation
• English- One year of English or other writing-intensive courses.
• Biology- One year of Biology with labs. For applicants whose undergraduate college accepted Advanced Placement (AP) credit to satisfy the requirement, we require one year of advanced study. This additional year must include at least one semester of lab, and two semesters are recommended.
• Physics- One year of Physics with one semester of lab. For applicants whose undergraduate college accepted Advanced Placement (AP) credit to satisfy the requirement in introductory-level Physics, no further Physics coursework is required.
• Chemistry- Two years of chemistry, one of which must be Organic Chemistry, both with labs. For applicants whose undergraduate college accepted Advanced Placement (AP) credit to satisfy the requirement in introductory-level Chemistry, no additional upper-level Chemistry is required beyond Organic Chemistry.
• Biochemistry- One semester of Biochemistry, lab recommended but not required
• Applicants for the 3-Year PhD-to-MD Program must have successfully defended their thesis by April 30th of the year of matriculation.

Prospective students may apply if they lack one or two of the above prerequisites, but completion of these courses is a requirement for enrollment. Applications from students in all majors are considered. Kindly note that we do not accept online courses for our prerequisite classes except for the exceptions noted above due to COVID.

We rarely admit individuals from foreign universities because our Admissions Committee does not have satisfactory means of evaluating premedical education at universities outside of the United States and Canada. We, therefore, require at least one year of premedical training at a U.S. institution, in addition to the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Please note: Non-residents of the United States are ineligible for federal financial aid programs.

Please note: All prerequisite courses must have been completed within 10 years of application. We prefer that prerequisite courses in biology be taken within five years of application.

Columbia Medical School MCAT Requirements

As you might expect, students accepted to Columbia earn very high MCAT scores.

Columbia Medical School Average MCAT

The average MCAT for accepted students is 520 with a range of 512 – 528. In our experience, students should have an MCAT of 516 or higher to be competitive for an interview invitation. Of course there are circumstances that might influence an applicant’s chances of earning an interview with a lower score.

Grades

Our Admissions Committee looks for applicants who have received As and Bs in scientific courses (more As than Bs) but recognizes that such grades are not possible under all circumstances. A final grade lower than C- in any required courses is regarded by the Committee as an unsatisfactory completion of our requirements. For consideration, these required courses must be retaken (or have acceptable substitutes) with higher grades. Applicants may take a few courses not required for admissions on a pass/fail basis, but if they have failed a course, the Committee will wonder why. If relevant, please include an explanation of such a grade in the application.

Letters of Recommendation

We welcome letters of recommendation from individuals and premedical advisory groups (Committee Letters) with genuine knowledge of applicants and their capabilities, who can provide more than routine praise. Our Admissions Committee requires three letters of recommendation and accepts up to seven. One must come from a science faculty member, teacher, or research mentor. Letters from people who do not personally know the applicants cannot be given serious consideration.

Application 

Applicants must submit the AMCAS and VP&S secondary application to be considered for the entering class. A non-refundable secondary application fee of $110 is required at the time of submission. Students who are granted fee waivers by AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program (AAMC FAP(link is external and opens in a new window)) will receive a fee waiver for Columbia VP&S’ Secondary Application. We will not waive the fee for any other request.

columbia medical school tuition

In addition to the courses listed, we recommend you enroll in upper level science classes regardless of your undergraduate major or minor. Columbia is a medical school that places high value on creativity and intellectual curiosity so majors in other disciplines are welcome and respected. In fact, Columbia boasts one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation.

The Columbia curriculum is unique in that is divided up in to three phases and the preclinical coursework phase is 18 months (as opposed to the traditional two year preclinical years). Students then spend 12 months in a major clinical year and, finally, 14 months pursuing electives and a scholarly project.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition Item	Resident Cost Per Semester	Non-Resident * Cost Per Semester
Tuition	$7,545	$13,128
Health Professions Grad Fee	$800	$1,100
Tech Fee	$300	$300
Enrichment Fee	$685	$685
Books	$350	$350
Room	$3,492	$3,492
Board	$828	$828
Personal	$825	$825
Transportation	$576	$576
Total	$15,401	$21,284

 Total Cost 

Tuition Item	Resident	Non-Resident
Application Fee-Graduate School	$50	$50
Tuition	$52,815	$91,896
Health Professions Grad Fee	$5,600	$7,700
Background Check	$99	$99
Laptop Computer	$1,750	$1,750
Short Lab Coat	$20	$20
Gross Anatomy Fee	$1,000	$1,000
Medical Equipment	$700	$700
Tech Fee	$2,100	$2,100
Enrichment Fee	$4,795	$4,795
Graduation/Matriculation Fee	$80	$80
Carolina Card (photo ID)	$10	$10
Books	$2,450	$2,450
Room	$24,444	$24,444
Board	$5,796	$5,796
Personal	$5,775	$5,775
Transportation	$4,032	$4,032
Total	$111,516	$152,697

All costs of the program are estimated based on current projections, except for tuition and fees, which are also subject to change with approval of the USC Board of Trustees.