How to Get Into Albert Einstein College of Medicine: The Definitive Guide (2026-2027 Cycle)

Located in the Bronx, New York, Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a private, research-intensive medical school known for pairing laboratory science with a deep commitment to the community around it. Einstein grants the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree on its Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the northeast Bronx, about 10 miles from midtown Manhattan. Its clinical partner is Montefiore Health System, and together the two institutions operate as Montefiore Einstein, an academic health system with 13 member hospitals and more than 300 ambulatory sites.

Two facts shape almost every Einstein application today. First, tuition is free. Since March 2024, the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Scholarship Fund has covered tuition and the educational and technology fee for every M.D. student, regardless of income or state of residence. Second, the M.D. program accepts only U.S. citizens and permanent residents: international students are not eligible, and an applicant who has applied twice without being admitted cannot apply a third time.

This guide covers the 2026-2027 application cycle, which is for students who plan to start medical school in August 2027. It explains who can apply, what Einstein’s competency-based admissions process looks for, what the newest class data show, what it costs to attend once tuition is covered, how the curriculum and clinical training work, who leads the school, and how to answer every current secondary application question, with an illustrative example and analysis for each. Facts were checked on October 18, 2026.

Why Albert Einstein College of Medicine?

Einstein’s history dates to 1945, when Yeshiva University President Dr. Samuel Belkin envisioned creating a new medical school. Within five years he had secured state approval, and planning began for the first U.S. medical school within a Jewish university. On March 15, 1953, the day after his 74th birthday, physicist Albert Einstein formally agreed to let his name be used for the first medical school built in New York City since 1897. In a 1951 letter supporting the project, he wrote that the new school “will welcome students of all creeds and races.” It is the only institution in the world to which Einstein agreed to lend his name.

The first class of 53 men and 3 women arrived on September 12, 1955. Today the school enrolls 749 M.D. students and 127 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, with more than 2,000 full-time faculty. Einstein remains affiliated with Yeshiva University, and its academic medical center is Montefiore, whose Bronx campuses include Moses, Weiler, Wakefield and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein. NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, which opened across the street from the medical school in 1955, is a second major training site. Many Einstein graduates stay in this network for residency, and the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and other Montefiore Einstein programs give students access to specialty care that serves the whole borough.

Be an Informed Applicant

If becoming a physician is your calling, choosing a school whose values match your own is one of the most important decisions you will make. Einstein looks for applicants who combine scientific curiosity with a record of service and a genuine interest in patients from many backgrounds. Its admissions committee reads the whole application against four competencies rather than a list of required courses, so the way you describe your experiences matters as much as the experiences themselves.

The process can be stressful, which is why we publish our Medical School Guides for programs across the country. Use them to compare your options side by side.

Personalized Help

Many students want an expert who can work through the process with them one on one. Our medical school admissions consulting services help candidates plan their school lists, revise secondary essays and prepare for interviews. Contact us here for more information.

Key Takeaways

• Eligibility: you need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university by matriculation, and an MCAT score. International students are ineligible, transfer students are not accepted, and you may not apply a third time after two unsuccessful applications.
• No fixed prerequisites: Einstein reviews four competencies (clinical experience, communication, personal and professional development, and knowledge). It recommends chemistry through biochemistry, biology, physics, math and statistics, and humanities and social sciences.
• MCAT window: take the MCAT by September of the year you apply. The oldest score Einstein will consider is three years before your expected matriculation date. No minimum score is published.
• Recent class: for the 2024 entering class, Einstein received 8,897 applications, granted 966 interviews and enrolled 165 first-year M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students. Forty-four percent were New York residents and 27 percent held a non-science degree. For the 2025 entering class, Einstein had 14,035 verified applications, interviewed 1,121 applicants and enrolled 148 students.
• Academic profile: accepted applicants for the 2025 entering class had a median MCAT of 519 and a median overall GPA of 3.93 (science GPA median 3.91). These are medians, not minimums; Einstein sets no minimum MCAT or GPA.
• Deadlines: the AMCAS deadline is October 15, 2026, and every supporting document, including the $125 secondary, is due December 1, 2026. Early Decision applicants needed AMCAS by August 1 and all materials by August 15, 2026.
• Cost: 2026-2027 tuition is $74,261 and the educational and technology fee is $5,597, and both are covered by the Gottesman Scholarship for every M.D. student. You still pay for health insurance (waivable), a $500 health fee, books and living costs.
• Distinctive training: pass/fail preclerkship courses, four learning-community houses, a four-year service-learning course with Bronx community organizations, a required scholarly capstone, and clinical training in public, private and VA hospitals.
• Next step: if you have not submitted your secondary yet, return it well before December 1, then prepare for a virtual one-on-one interview with a member of Einstein’s 80-member admissions committee.

Key Statistics About Albert Einstein College of Medicine

The snapshot below collects the figures applicants ask about first. Median MCAT and GPA, applications, interviews and matriculants describe the 2025 entering class. Tuition is for the 2026-2027 academic year. The table that follows gives the cohort and source for each number, including the 2024 entering class figures on Einstein’s own statistics page.

A few cautions help you read these numbers. The counts cover how many students applied, how many were interviewed and how many enrolled, but not how many were admitted, so no true acceptance rate can be calculated. Dividing enrolled students by applicants (165 of 8,897, about 1.9 percent, for 2024) gives a matriculation ratio, not an acceptance rate, because some admitted applicants choose other schools. The more useful figure is the interview ratio: roughly one in nine applicants was interviewed for the 2024 entering class, and about one in 12.5 for the 2025 entering class, when verified applications rose to 14,035. An interview is required before admission. The 2025 medians (MCAT 519, GPA 3.93) describe accepted applicants, so half of those admitted scored below them. Einstein sets no minimum score, so build a school list that includes Einstein if your record is strong and your experiences match its mission.

Mission and Educational Priorities

Einstein describes its purpose on its About page under the heading “Einstein’s Vision. Our Mission.” There the school says that “As a premiere academic center for medical education, biomedical research, and clinical investigation, we prepare students to become knowledgeable, compassionate physicians, and pioneering scientific investigators.” The M.D. program states its own goal as “to train M.D. students to become compassionate physicians and future leaders in medicine who change the practice of healthcare.” And the school says it continues “to pursue our mission to meet the healthcare needs of all individuals,” a commitment it traces to Albert Einstein’s own humanism.

Those statements translate into four practical priorities that show up throughout the M.D. program:

• Science at the heart of medicine. Einstein receives more than $264 million a year in grants and contracts, over $189 million of it from the National Institutes of Health. Every M.D. student completes a mentor-guided scholarly capstone, and many add a dedicated research year.
• Service to the Bronx. All students take a four-year service-learning course with community-based organizations, and clinical training happens in hospitals that care for patients across a wide socioeconomic range.
• Humanism and ethics. Einstein led the way in developing bioethics as an academic discipline in medical school curricula, and bioethics runs through the preclerkship years. Students can also earn an M.S. in Bioethics.
• Removing financial barriers. The Gottesman Scholarship was created so graduates can “choose a specialty based on passion and aptitude rather than financial obligations,” and so students who never thought medicine was affordable will apply.

Einstein also expects every graduate to demonstrate competency in “the seven roles of a doctor: healer, scientist, advocate, educator, colleague, role model, and lifelong learner.” That list is a useful lens for your application. When you describe a research project, a clinical job or a service commitment, ask which of those roles it shows.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has a long record of firsts that reflect this mix of science and service. Einstein researchers identified the protein tau in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, helped develop the HbA1c test for diabetes, identified pediatric AIDS as a distinct disease and established the first daycare center in the world for children with AIDS, and founded the field of neuroendocrinology. The school founded the first institute in the nation devoted to the study of liver disease, was the only New York City medical school selected for the Women’s Health Initiative, and serves as a site for the Study of Latinos, the largest research study of Hispanic health. In 2025, research led by Einstein’s Dr. Meredith Hawkins resulted in the designation of “type 5 diabetes,” a malnutrition-related form of the disease.

How International Medical Aid’s Initiatives Align with Albert Einstein College of Medicine

International Medical Aid (IMA) offers global health initiatives, clinical internships abroad and medical school admissions consulting. These programs fit the kind of preparation Einstein’s mission rewards, although IMA is not affiliated with Einstein and participation does not affect admission decisions.

Einstein asks applicants to show “meaningful experiences, at home or abroad, that provide you with exposure to clinical settings that involve patient care.” IMA’s internships for pre-med students place participants in hospitals and clinics in Kenya and other sites, where interns take vitals, help with intake and triage and assist with direct patient care under the supervision of local clinicians. That kind of supervised, hands-on work builds the patient-care understanding Einstein’s first competency describes, and it gives applicants concrete material for secondary essays about perspectives and challenges.

Einstein’s own global health program sends about 70 first-year students abroad each summer, so applicants who already understand how health systems and resources differ across countries will find a familiar framework in the curriculum. Students who want to strengthen their applications in this area can explore IMA’s healthcare internships abroad alongside the admissions advising described in the final section of this guide.

Accreditation and Institutional Identity

Einstein’s M.D. program is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for M.D. programs in the United States and Canada. As of June 2026, Einstein’s LCME status is full accreditation. Graduates of an LCME-accredited program meet the educational requirement for medical licensure in every U.S. state.

At the institutional level, Einstein holds full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), whose most recent action granted full accreditation on June 24, 2021. That 2021 decision gave Einstein independent accreditation for all of its doctoral, master’s and certificate programs. Einstein also holds an absolute charter from New York State to grant the M.D., Ph.D. and M.S. degrees.

A few identity details help applicants avoid confusion:

• Name and affiliation. The school’s full name is Albert Einstein College of Medicine. It is often shortened to Einstein or AECOM. It is affiliated with Yeshiva University, and its academic health system is Montefiore Einstein.
• No connection to similarly named hospitals elsewhere. Einstein in the Bronx is not related to Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia or other hospitals that use the name.
• The physicist. Albert Einstein did not found or teach at the school. He lent his name and served as an honorary chairman of the fundraising campaign, alongside Eleanor Roosevelt.
• One campus for the M.D. program. All M.D. students begin on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus at 1300 Morris Park Avenue. Clinical training takes place in the Bronx, Queens, Westchester County and the Hudson Valley.

Accreditation tells you the program meets national standards. It does not rank the school or guarantee outcomes, so use it as a baseline and compare programs on curriculum, cost, clinical sites and fit.

Medical Programs and Affiliations

Albert Einstein College of Medicine is committed to training future leaders in medicine, and it offers several paths that build on the M.D. Some require a separate application, and some are open only after you enroll.

Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Program

The M.D. is a four-year program that integrates basic, clinical and health systems science from the first semester. Students meet patients early through the Becoming a Physician course, take pass/fail preclerkship courses, complete clerkships across Einstein’s clinical network, and finish with 16 months of independent professional development that includes acting internships, electives and scholarship. Every M.D. student receives a Gottesman Scholarship covering tuition and fees. You apply through AMCAS (school code 120). The Einstein M.D. program pages describe each step.

Early Decision Program

If Einstein is clearly your first choice and your qualifications are strong, you can apply through Early Decision. You may apply only to Einstein. Your AMCAS application is due August 1, and all supporting documents and letters by August 15. An interview is required, and Einstein notifies Early Decision applicants by October 1. If you are admitted, you must accept. If you are not, your file moves to the regular pool and you may apply elsewhere. For the 2026-2027 cycle, these deadlines have passed.

M.D./Ph.D. Program (Medical Scientist Training Program)

Einstein’s Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is one of the oldest in the country and has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1964. It trains physician-scientists for careers in academic medicine. Students can do thesis research in more than 200 NIH-supported labs, attend a weekly MSTP-run Continuity Clinic during their Ph.D. years, and receive an annual stipend ($50,000 this year), health insurance, subsidized on-campus housing, and tuition and fee remission for both degrees. Through the Ph.D. in Clinical Investigation track, MSTP students can complete their thesis in clinical and translational research with the Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. The program enrolled 15 new students in 2024 and has 127 students in total.

MSTP applicants indicate their interest on AMCAS and follow the program’s own requirements. In past cycles those have included at least one year of laboratory, clinical or theoretical research experience, one year each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry (or one semester each of organic chemistry and biochemistry) and physics, plus college math and English, with all materials due December 1. Check the Einstein MSTP site for the 2026-2027 requirements and dates. The program is directed by Dr. Myles Akabas.

Einstein-CUNY M.D./M.P.H.

Einstein’s Global Health Center and the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) run a five-year partnership in which students earn an M.D. from Einstein and a Master of Public Health from CUNY SPH. Einstein notes that it is not a dual degree in the strict sense: each school confers its own degree, and credits do not transfer between them. The M.P.H. year fits into a research or “gap” year in the M.D. program, with online and in-person CUNY coursework and a summer fieldwork placement that can be an Einstein global health or research fellowship. Four CUNY concentrations are available to Einstein students: health policy and management, environmental and occupational health sciences, epidemiology and biostatistics, and public health nutrition. Students apply after they enroll at Einstein (CUNY’s deadline is April 1). Einstein estimates the M.P.H. costs under $25,000 for New York State residents. See the Einstein-CUNY M.D./M.P.H. page for the sequence.

M.D./M.S. in Bioethics and the Advanced Certificate

The Montefiore Einstein Master of Science in Bioethics focuses on practical issues in patient care, research ethics and health policy. Einstein medical students can complete it in one year, usually between the third and fourth years, and all coursework is online. As an alternative, the Advanced Certificate in Bioethics and Medical Humanities takes nine months, with weekly evening classes, and can be completed during a research year or, with permission, in the fourth year.

M.D./M.S. in Clinical Research

The Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) offers a master’s degree for students who want a foundation for a career as a physician-scientist in clinical research. Students take a year between the clerkship year and the fourth year to study epidemiology, biostatistics and research ethics, and they complete two first-author original research papers, one of which is the thesis. They graduate with the M.D. and M.S. after five years.

Graduate Programs in Biomedical Sciences

Separate from the M.D., Einstein’s Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences enroll 279 Ph.D. students, and the Belfer Institute for Advanced Biomedical Studies supports about 250 postdoctoral research fellows. If you are a current or former Einstein Ph.D. student, the secondary application asks you to explain where you are in your program and why you are applying to medical school.

Pathway programs

Einstein’s office of community engagement and outreach coordinates a consortium of about 25 pathway programs from departments across the health system. They include the award-winning Einstein Enrichment Program, now in its 38th year, for Bronx students in grades 7 through 12 who are economically disadvantaged or first-generation Americans; programs for college students and postbaccalaureates; and the Rising Doctors Program, a 10-month hybrid program for medical school reapplicants that runs from October through June, with applications accepted July 15 to 31. Incoming students may also attend the Pre-Matriculation Science Enrichment Program in July. High school students who are curious about medicine can pair programs like these with medical internships for high school students.

Clinical affiliations

Montefiore Health System is the University Hospital for Einstein. Its clinical campuses include Moses, Weiler (formerly the Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine), Wakefield and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein (CHAM). Other training sites on Einstein’s current list are NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, the VA Bronx Healthcare System, Burke Rehabilitation, Bronx Psychiatric Center, Crystal Run Healthcare, Four Winds Hospitals, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Rest Medical Care. The 2026-2027 Applicant Guide also names Montefiore’s New Rochelle, Nyack and White Plains hospitals. The full picture of rotations appears in the clinical section below.

Community and research partnerships

Einstein was home to one of the first urban, practice-based research networks, linking community primary care practices with academic researchers. Today its service-learning course partners with about 40 community-based organizations in 13 focus areas, and the Einstein Community Health Outreach (ECHO) Free Clinic gives students another way to care for uninsured patients. Einstein’s research centers include the NIH-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY-Mount Sinai Center for AIDS Research, the Harold and Muriel Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, the New York Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research, the New York Regional Diabetes Research Center and the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.

Curriculum Overview

The M.D. curriculum at Albert Einstein College of Medicine blends modern active-learning methods with traditional teaching. It interweaves basic, clinical and health systems science across four years and builds in early patient contact, service learning and research. The structure below follows Einstein’s 2026-2027 Applicant Guide. Einstein notes that the curriculum may change over the course of the program.

Curriculum oversight

Einstein’s Office of Medical Education implements and evaluates the M.D. curriculum together with the M.D. Curriculum Committee, the school’s central oversight body. Dr. Amanda C. Raff serves as Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education.

Preclerkship: the first 17 months

The preclerkship period is organized into three blocks of interdisciplinary, organ-system courses:

Running alongside the blocks are longitudinal courses: Becoming a Physician, Bioethics, Health Systems, Service-Learning, Impact, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Teaching combines lectures with problem-based learning, team-based learning, case-based learning, flipped classrooms, laboratory sessions, small groups and clinical encounters.

Preclerkship courses are graded pass/fail to encourage collaboration. Every course includes low-stakes formative quizzes, exams are scheduled on Fridays so weekends are free for rest and review, and Thursday afternoons are left unscheduled for exam preparation.

Electives in the preclerkship years include the Medical Spanish Program (beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, offered for more than 25 years), Medical Mandarin (a 19-session elective for students with conversational Mandarin), Current Topics in Biomedicine, and Nutrition and Health: Patients and Populations. The summer between the first and second years is open for research, global health, community engagement or other development.

Becoming a Physician and the learning communities

Becoming a Physician (BAP) is Einstein’s longitudinal clinical-skills course. Taught mostly in small groups by faculty from the Einstein Learning Communities Program (ELCP), it covers communication, history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, presentations and documentation, and professional identity. Students practice in the Ruth L. Gottesman Clinical Skills Center, which has 28 clinical examination rooms and a recording system for feedback.

When you enroll, you are assigned to one of four ELCP houses. Each house has six or seven faculty advisors, one of whom serves as house leader, plus students from every class year. Within your house you join a small group of six or seven classmates led by one faculty member, who works with you from orientation through graduation and helps you select a specialty and prepare residency applications. Near-peer students in your house add another layer of support.

USMLE Step 1 and Transition to Clerkship

After the preclerkship blocks, students have a six-week period to study for and take USMLE Step 1. The clerkship year then begins with a five-week Transition to Clerkship course that builds clinical reasoning, note writing, laboratory medicine and integration skills.

Clerkships

The clerkship year is organized in six-week blocks:

Clerkship students work on multidisciplinary teams with residents, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and other staff, and they care for patients under the supervision of attending physicians. Grading in clerkships shifts to Honors, High Pass, Pass, Low Pass or Fail, with written performance summaries. BAP continues during the clerkship year: one afternoon in every six-week block, learning-community groups meet for case discussions on ethics, preventive medicine and professionalism. One Friday afternoon per block is kept free for wellness.

Independent Professional Development: the final 16 months

The last phase is organized into sixteen four-week blocks. Every student completes two one-month acting internships. One must be in medicine, pediatrics or family medicine; the second can be in those fields or in obstetrics, surgery, emergency medicine or psychiatry. As acting interns, students take on many responsibilities of a first-year resident under supervision. Students also complete a four-week Transition to Residency course with training specific to their chosen field, and they use the remaining blocks for clinical electives, service learning and research. Students may take “away” electives at other institutions, research electives, and electives abroad. Passing USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge is required for graduation.

Longitudinal themes: Health Systems, Service-Learning and Impact

Health Systems runs through the preclerkship blocks and teaches how health systems function and how psychosocial, cultural and structural factors influence outcomes. This continues the population health theme that has long been part of Einstein’s curriculum.

Service-Learning is a four-year course for all M.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students. In the first year, students enter a lottery and are matched with one of about 40 community-based organizations in 13 focus areas. Teams complete 40 hours of service over the year, then hand off their projects to the next class. In the clerkship year, every student helps plan and run a community health fair and completes 20 more hours of independent service. In all, students complete at least 60 hours of service, and the course logs more than 10,000 service hours a year across 38 longitudinal sites. Dr. Lauren T. Roth directs the program. Einstein Buddies, a partnership with the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center, is one example of the partnerships students sustain.

Impact is a four-year course in critical thinking, professional identity, discovery and service that ends with a required capstone project. In year 1 (IMPACT I) students explore areas of scholarship, meet mentors and draft a proposal. In year 2 (IMPACT II) they learn survey design, study methods, data analysis and the use of AI in research, and formally choose a mentor. Students develop their projects during clerkships and submit a capstone product in the format of their choice, such as an original research paper, a systematic review, a case report, a bioethics paper, an app, a curriculum, a book or a podcast. Seniors present at the annual Einstein Impact Day.

Technology and AI literacy

Einstein uses the Canvas learning-management system and the one45 curriculum system for materials, recordings, interactive cases and evaluations. All medical students have access to ChatGPT Edu, and the curriculum discusses both its uses for learning and research and its limits, including the importance of human judgment.

Admissions Requirements and Application Process

Albert Einstein College of Medicine uses a holistic, mission-aligned and competency-based admissions process. The school says it believes “the art of practicing medicine requires skills and abilities that are acquired through experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.” The committee reviews your AMCAS application, academic record, personal comments, experiences, letters, secondary application, communications with the office of admissions and, if invited, your interview.

Basic eligibility

To be eligible for the M.D. program, you must:

• hold, by matriculation, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or Canada;
• complete the MCAT;
• if your bachelor’s degree is from outside the U.S. or Canada, complete at least 30 credit hours of graded (not pass/fail) science coursework at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution before applying.

Einstein also lists three firm restrictions: applicants who have completed two prior applications may not apply a third time, international students are ineligible, and transfer students are not accepted. All accepted students must meet Einstein’s technical standards, with or without accommodation, and admitted students complete a criminal background check at no cost.

Competency-based admissions

Einstein’s competency-based approach gives applicants more flexibility in showing readiness. You might, for example, substitute laboratory work experience for a classroom course. The committee looks for four core competencies:

• Co-curricular activities and relevant experience. You must show an understanding of the clinical side of medicine through “meaningful experiences, at home or abroad,” in settings that involve patient care and opportunities to learn from people living with illness or disability. The committee considers all activities holistically, recognizing that time is limited.
• Communication skills. Excellent spoken and written language, the ability to read and use scientific and public health literature, strong interpersonal skills including empathic listening, and computer skills.
• Personal and professional development. Teamwork, cultural awareness and advocacy, resilience under the stress of medical training, and commitment to leadership, teaching and lifelong learning. If you are interested in academic medicine or public health, hypothesis-driven research and an understanding of chronic disease or global health strengthen your candidacy.
• Knowledge. A solid foundation in the biological, chemical and physical sciences. Any major is welcome.

For the first competency, look for roles where you do more than watch. Paid and volunteer roles as an EMT, scribe, medical assistant, patient care technician or clinic volunteer all count, and so do structured clinical internships for pre-med students in which you work with patients under supervision. Thirty-one students in a recent Einstein first-year class held EMT or wilderness certifications, a sign of how much the committee values hands-on care.

Recommended coursework or equivalent experience

Einstein does not have prerequisites. It recommends the following coursework or equivalent experience, including laboratory work that teaches you to collect and analyze data:

Computer science, programming and calculus are not required but may help applicants interested in research.

In Einstein’s experience, the knowledge competency is most often met by applicants with at least three years of study at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college, about 40 credit hours of science and math (including advanced biology with letter grades), about 40 credit hours of humanities and social sciences, and substantial clinical, community or research experience. You may meet a component through an alternate route, such as lab experience, Advanced Placement credit, a community college course, a semester abroad (if your U.S. degree-granting school gives credit or AMCAS verifies the grade), or an online course, with online courses including labs accepted only for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you received AP credit in biology, Einstein strongly recommends taking advanced biology such as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology or physiology.

Pass/fail grades are not accepted unless pass/fail was your school’s policy or grades were suspended during the pandemic; in that case your advisor must confirm it through the AMCAS Letter Service. Science coursework completed in a post-baccalaureate program must total at least 30 credit hours at a U.S.-chartered college or university whose grades AMCAS can verify.

Coursework more than five years old

If your premedical coursework was completed more than five years before you apply, you must show recent academic or work experience in the biological sciences. Academic experience should include at least one course in a field such as cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, immunology or neuroscience. Work experience can include research in the biological or physical sciences or clinical investigation. The secondary application asks about this directly.

MCAT

Take the MCAT no later than September of the year you apply. The oldest score Einstein will consider is three years before your expected matriculation date, so for an August 2027 start, plan around tests from 2024 onward and confirm the exact cutoff with the office of admissions. Einstein publishes no minimum score, and the committee sees all of your MCAT scores. For the 2025 entering class, accepted applicants had a median total of 519 (mean 517.9), with section medians of 130 in Chemical and Physical Foundations, 128 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning, 130 in Biological and Biochemical Foundations and 131 in Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations. If your score is older than the window or you have not taken the exam, check the upcoming test dates.

Letters of evaluation

Einstein requires either a premedical committee appraisal letter (preferred) or three individual letters. Individual letters must include two from professors who taught you, at least one in science and one in your major, and a third from a faculty member, employer, research mentor or volunteer director. Nontraditional applicants are encouraged to submit two letters from colleagues they have worked with closely. Einstein accepts three to five letters, and a committee letter, a letter packet or individual letters all qualify. All letters go through the AMCAS Letter Service by December 1; do not send letters to Einstein directly. If your school has a committee and you did not request its letter, the secondary asks you to explain.

CASPer, PREview and other tests

Einstein does not list Casper or the AAMC PREview exam among its requirements. It does not use PREview scores in admissions and requires no additional assessment such as a situational judgment test. Focus your preparation on the MCAT and your written application.

AMCAS and the Einstein secondary

Einstein participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Register with the AAMC to receive your AAMC ID, and keep your contact information current in AMCAS so time-sensitive messages reach you. Einstein’s AMCAS school code is 120. Our AMCAS application guide walks through each section of the primary.

After AMCAS verifies your application and sends it to Einstein, you receive instructions for Einstein’s secondary application through WebAdmit, the school’s secure applicant gateway. The secondary fee is $125, nonrefundable and payable by credit or debit card, or waived with an AAMC Fee Assistance Program approval. You also upload a passport-style photo (2×2 inch .jpg, at least 600×600 pixels) and select “I’m Done Uploading Documents” so the system marks your application complete. For help, contact WebAdmit support at 617-612-2881 or AMCAS at [email protected] or 202-828-0600. Einstein communicates by email, so add [email protected] and donotreply@webadmit to your safe-sender list. Acceptance and payment messages go to the email address on file with AMCAS.

Your application is complete only when Einstein has your MCAT scores, letters and secondary fee. You are notified by email when your file is complete, and the office then releases it to the M.D. admissions committee for preliminary review.

Timing of communication

AMCAS verification can take up to six weeks. After Einstein receives your primary and secondary, it can take up to another six weeks to finish processing your file, depending on when your materials arrive. Einstein notes that about half of each year’s applications are uploaded by July 15, so applying early matters. Interview invitations go out about once a month from August through April, and you choose an interview date with an online scheduling tool.

2026-2027 timeline

Einstein’s schedule lists annual dates without years. The years above apply that schedule to the 2026-2027 cycle; confirm dates in your portal.

Decisions, waitlist and deferral

Einstein sends a letter of disposition after your interview. Accepted applicants can hold multiple offers and remain on other waitlists until April, when they may hold no more than three acceptances, and they must select “Commit to Enroll” in the AMCAS Choose Your Medical School tool by June 30.

You have two weeks to respond to an offer until April 30, then five days until July 1, after which the window is two days. Accepted M.D. applicants pay a $100 deposit, due April 30, 2027; it is not refundable and is not applied to tuition. Einstein typically holds about 275 applicants on its waitlist in a cycle and makes about 75 offers from it. Waitlisted applicants are asked to accept or decline a place and may send updates that strengthen their application. Only interviewed applicants may send letters of intent, letters of interest or significant updates, through an Applicant Portal link emailed on the Friday after the interview.

If you are accepted and want to defer for a year, you may petition the admissions committee in writing. Einstein typically considers deferrals only for degree coursework, a specified research project or a clinical activity that deepens your understanding of healthcare delivery, and the request must include a letter from the director of that program, addressed to Noreen Kerrigan, Associate Dean of Admissions. A granted deferral requires a $100 nonrefundable deposit, and you must give up any other places you hold, including other deferrals. Your acceptance is guaranteed for the next year, but you must apply as an early-decision candidate that summer, no later than July 15, and you may not apply elsewhere. Requests are not considered after April 30.

Applying to the M.D./Ph.D. and M.D./M.P.H. programs

To pursue the M.D./Ph.D., indicate your interest on AMCAS and follow the MSTP’s separate requirements on its Medical Scientist Training Program website. For the Einstein-CUNY M.D./M.P.H., you must first be accepted to and enroll in the M.D. program, then apply; Einstein asks you to notify the office of admissions and the program office in writing.

Tuition, Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid

Einstein is tuition-free for every M.D. student. That is a major advantage, but it does not make medical school free. You still need to plan for health insurance, a small health fee, books and four years of living costs in New York City.

The Gottesman Scholarship

In March 2024, Dr. Ruth L. Gottesman, chair of Einstein’s Board of Trustees and a Montefiore board member, made a transformational gift that created the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Scholarship Fund. Einstein describes it as the largest gift made to any medical school in the country, and it “ensures that no M.D. student at Einstein will pay tuition again.” You can read more about the gift in our article on Ruth Gottesman’s $1 billion legacy at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The terms are straightforward:

• Who receives it: every M.D. student. Admitted students are awarded the scholarship automatically, and there is no separate application. Einstein reports that 100 percent of its M.D. students receive it.
• What it covers: tuition and the educational and technology fee.
• What it does not cover: living expenses, room and board, or any other cost of attendance.
• Conditions: the only ongoing requirement is good academic standing.
• Interaction with other aid: outside scholarships earmarked for tuition may be reallocated to other educational expenses, depending on their terms, and service-related scholarships are billed directly by the school. Einstein still recommends filing the FAFSA every year to qualify for federal loans and other aid for living costs.

Applicants comparing tuition-free options can see how Einstein’s coverage compares with other programs in our guide to tuition-free medical schools in the U.S. and what each one covers.

2026-2027 tuition and fees

For the 2026-2027 academic year, M.D. tuition is $74,261 and the educational and technology fee is $5,597. Both are fully covered by scholarship funding for admitted M.D. students. A student health fee of $500, billed at $250 per semester, is not covered and is the student’s responsibility. Tuition is the same for New York residents and nonresidents.

Student budget by year

Einstein’s office of student finance assigns each student a budget based on program and class year. The current posted M.D. budget, whose tuition line matches the 2026-2027 rate, includes the following line items:

Student health insurance can be waived with proof of comparable coverage that includes New York State. If your educational expenses exceed the budget, talk with the office of student finance, which can review adjustments. For a realistic personal estimate, add up the lines you will actually pay: the health fee, insurance unless you waive it, books, exam fees and your own housing, food, personal and travel costs.

Housing costs

Housing at Einstein is unusually affordable for New York City. Every M.D. and Ph.D. student is guaranteed an apartment, usually shared with one or two other students. The Eastchester Road residence on campus has three 28-story towers with 636 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Monthly rent includes all utilities and ranges from $920.70 to $1,988.97 depending on the number of people sharing.

Loans, aid and other support

Because tuition is covered, any borrowing at Einstein goes toward living and educational costs. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in 2025, changed how graduate and professional students borrow federal loans, so ask the office of student finance how the current rules apply to your class. Einstein also offers:

• A childcare grant of $300 per child per month for M.D. students using licensed childcare, plus 20 days of Bright Horizons emergency backup care.
• A group disability plan sponsored by the American Medical Association.
• Financial wellness resources, including AAMC budgeting tools and loan calculators, and a campus food pantry in Albert’s Den.

Einstein estimates the average cost of its M.D. degree after institutional scholarships at about $138,000, compared with about $240,000 for the average private U.S. medical school. In 2024-2025, 98 percent of Einstein students received financial aid, and graduates who borrowed left with an average medical school debt of $175,137. Most of those graduates began school before the Gottesman Scholarship started covering tuition in 2024, so expect borrowing for later classes to center on living costs. Assistant Dean for Student Finance Damien Jackson leads the office, which you can reach at [email protected]. Details are on Einstein’s cost of attendance page.

Campus Facilities and Student Life

The campus and student life at Albert Einstein College of Medicine combine a quiet residential setting with easy access to New York City. Einstein’s 34-acre main campus sits in the northeast Bronx, surrounded by the neighborhoods of Morris Park, Eastchester, Pelham Parkway and Indian Village. The Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, Yankee Stadium, Orchard Beach, City Island and Westchester County are all within about 15 minutes by car.

Study and clinical facilities

• Michael F. Price Center for Genetic and Translational Medicine and the Harold and Muriel Block Research Pavilion, opened in 2008, at 1301 Morris Park Avenue.
• Belfer Educational Center for Health Sciences, with primary classrooms and Riklis Auditorium, the main first-year lecture hall.
• Leo Forchheimer Medical Science Building, home to research laboratories, lecture halls, the Education Center, Albert’s Den student lounge, Einstein Kitchen and Einstein Café, the D. Samuel Gottesman Library and Robbins Auditorium.
• Ruth L. Gottesman Clinical Skills Center and the Montefiore Einstein Center for Innovation in Simulation, both in the Van Etten Building, with a simulated operating room, a four-bed emergency department and high-fidelity manikins.
• Harry H. Gordon Anatomy Lab and Surgical Skills Center, opened in August 2025, with technology-supported dissection stations.
• Gruss Magnetic Resonance Research Center and other shared research facilities and cores.
• Jack D. Weiler Hospital of Montefiore, on the Einstein campus at 1825 Eastchester Road, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, across the street.

The D. Samuel Gottesman Library offers a 24/7 reading room, nine bookable group study rooms, a quiet room, the 24/7 Beren Study Center, loaner laptops, 3D printing and research consultations with expert librarians. Additional 24/7 study space is available in the Education Center and the Forchheimer Building.

Housing and getting around

Students live in the on-campus Eastchester Road residence complex described above, with free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, full kitchens and laundry. Outdoor amenities include a courtyard, a community garden, barbecue grills, a running track, tennis and basketball courts and a small soccer field. A parking garage is on campus.

The BxM10 express bus to Manhattan stops on campus, and the Bx21 and Bx31 local buses connect to the 2, 4, 5 and 6 subway lines. Einstein runs a free shuttle to the 180th Street subway station on a schedule and free shuttles to clerkship sites in the Bronx, and car service connects students to sites elsewhere in the city. Seven Zipcars are on campus at a discounted group rate.

Recreation and wellness

The Falk Recreation Center, next to student housing, has a 75-foot pool, a gymnasium, an indoor track, racquetball and squash courts, weights, cardio equipment, a whirlpool, a steam room and a sauna, plus intramurals and fitness classes. Membership is free for students. The WellMed program covers physical fitness, nutrition, mindfulness and financial wellness, and the Quality of Life Committee handles concerns from study space to food service.

Student support

Einstein’s office of student affairs, specialty advisors, learning-community mentors and department chairs provide career guidance from the first day, supported by a four-year online careers curriculum and the Career Advisory Program. The office of academic support and counseling offers confidential academic, wellness and mental health coaching, a peer support team, and workshops such as Step Prep Success and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome. The Einstein Student Mental Health Center provides confidential assessment and treatment in person and by telehealth, and its providers do not take part in academic evaluations. The Student Health Center, run with Montefiore, is students’ main source of primary care. The office of community engagement and outreach offers every student a mentor at matriculation and runs the Alcena Community Lounge.

Student life and traditions

The office of student life organizes Orientation Week, the On Becoming a Physician Ceremony (where first-year students receive their white coats), the Stethoscope and Scrubs Ceremony, Weeks of Welcome, Skit Night, the Einstein Spring Gala, a ski retreat weekend, apple and pumpkin picking each October, Match Day, the Student Awards Ceremony and Commencement. Albert’s Den, the student lounge, has billiards and foosball tables, private study booths, a new outdoor area and lockers for students who live off campus.

Student organizations at Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Einstein hosts more than 90 student clubs and interest groups for M.D. students, Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows, funded through the student governing board. The full, current list and contact details are on Canvas, Einstein’s internal learning system, and the office of student life ([email protected], 718-430-2101) helps students start new groups. Groups the school highlights include Ad Libitum, which celebrates the intersection of art, medicine and science; the Interactive Media Club; the Dermatology Interest Group; the Einstein Run Club; the Einstein Garden Club; the Innovation Group; Musicians of Einstein; the Dance Club; the Biotech Club; and the Outdoor Climbing Club.

The range of groups at Einstein covers nearly every specialty and interest. Groups that have been part of student life include:

• Specialty interest groups: Aerospace Medicine, Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dermatology, Diagnostic Radiology, Emergency Medicine, ENT, Family and Social Medicine, Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine, Interventional Radiology, Medical Genetics, Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Ob/Gyn, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedic Surgery, Pathology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Psychiatry, Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Women in Anesthesiology and the Association of Women Surgeons.
• Service and advocacy: Achilles (sports for people with disabilities), Buddies (with the Rose F. Kennedy Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center), the Homeless Outreach Program at Einstein, the Blood Drive, the Bronx Community Garden, the NICU Club, Physicians for Human Rights (asylum evaluations), Space in Prisons for Health Education for Re-Entry, Harm Reduction and Addiction Medicine, Giving a Boost (free peer support for medical school applicants), Future Advocates in Medicine, Students for a National Health Program, Socially Responsible Surgery, the Sustainability Club, White Coats for Black Lives, Repro Justice/Medical Students for Choice and Advocates for LGBTQ+ Health.
• Professional and identity organizations: the American Medical Association, American Medical Women’s Association, American Physician Scientist Association, American Geriatrics Society, American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, Student National Medical Association, Latino Medical Student Association, Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association, South Asian Medical Student Association, Carol E. Burnett Black Student Union, Middle East/North Africa Student Association, Armenian Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Christian Fellowship, PRIDE, First-Gen @ Einstein, the Minority Scientist Association, SACNAS and the Women’s Networking Group.
• Governance: the MD Student Council, the MSTP Student Council and the Graduate Student Council.
• Research, innovation and careers: AI in Medicine, the Bioethics Interest Group, the Biotechnology and Pharma Club, the Consulting Club, the Innovation Group, the Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group, the Montefiore Omics Club and Health At Every Size.
• Arts, sports and recreation: Ad Libitum, the Literary Arts Club, Musicians of Einstein, Vocal Performance, Einstein’s Got Moves, Purls of Wisdom (knitting and crafts), Board Game Club, Tabletop Gaming, Interactive Media Club, Brewers, Fellow Foodies, Plant Based, Animal and ESA Welfare, Beach Volleyball, Cricket, Cycling, Fencing, Fishing, Outdoors and Climbing, Running, Squash and Tae Kwon Do.

For applicants, this list is more than trivia. Einstein’s secondary asks what you will bring to the incoming class, and naming a specific group that matches a real interest, such as the Homeless Outreach Program for someone with street-medicine experience, is a concrete way to show fit. If you are still building that kind of record, look for service roles and medical internships for undergraduates that let you work directly with patients.

Clinical Rotations and Research Opportunities

Einstein maintains one of the largest clinical training networks in the country. Its hospitals serve patients across a wide socioeconomic spectrum, from academic tertiary care to public safety-net and VA settings.

Where clinical training happens

Clinical training takes place in the Bronx, Queens, Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. Montefiore Health System and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi are the major sites:

• Montefiore Einstein: the Moses campus (Montefiore Medical Center at East 210th Street), the Weiler campus on Eastchester Road, the Wakefield campus and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein. Other Montefiore training hospitals include New Rochelle, Nyack, White Plains and Burke Rehabilitation.
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and North Central Bronx: public hospitals in the Bronx.
• VA Bronx Healthcare System.
• Behavioral health sites: Bronx Psychiatric Center and Four Winds Hospitals.
• Other sites: Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens, Crystal Run Healthcare and Rest Medical Care.

Clerkship order is set by lottery, and Einstein’s shuttle and car service connect students to sites. Mental health and long-term care settings are part of the network, which gives students exposure to psychiatric, rehabilitation and chronic care.

Key aspects of Einstein’s clinical experience

• Teams: clerkship students work alongside residents, fellows, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurses, social workers, pharmacists and therapists, and they care for patients under attending supervision.
• Primary care inside internal medicine: the 12-week Internal Medicine and Primary Care clerkship includes three weeks of primary care, which includes family medicine.
• Acting internships: two required one-month acting internships in the final phase, where students carry many intern responsibilities.
• Electives everywhere: clinical electives from nearly every Einstein department, away rotations at other U.S. schools and electives abroad, with funding available for some exchange programs.

Example: the senior critical care elective

Einstein’s division of critical care offers a four-week senior elective in critical care medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. Students rotate through the Critical Care Consult Service, part of Montefiore’s “ICU without walls” model of providing critical care outside the ICU, as well as the Medical ICU, Surgical ICU and Cardiac Surgical ICU. They learn how critical care triage decisions are made, attend daily rounds and follow one or two patients closely each week. Goals include a systematic approach to evaluating ICU patients, interpreting critical patient data, and understanding mechanical ventilation, sepsis and ARDS. The rotation is a good example of the depth available in the final 16 months. Details are on the critical care medical student rotation page.

Residency match

The office of student affairs guides third- and fourth-year students through residency planning. In the 2026 Match, internal medicine was the most common specialty, at about 24 percent of matches, and graduates matched into 26 specialties. Graduates matched at programs including Johns Hopkins, Mass General Brigham, UCSF, Stanford, Yale-New Haven, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, Mount Sinai and NYU Grossman. Many stay in the Einstein network: Einstein’s 2026 results list 36 placements at Montefiore Medical Center/Einstein alone. Einstein reports that its students pass USMLE exams at rates at or above the national average.

Research and innovation at Einstein

Research is central to Einstein’s identity. The school has 24 academic departments, more than 20 research institutes and centers, several NIH-designated research centers, more than 40 shared facilities and cores, and 36 global initiatives. Einstein faculty published 3,168 papers in 2025. Areas of strength include cancer, diabetes, aging and the aging brain, neuroscience, infectious diseases, genetics and stem cell biology.

Research opportunities for M.D. students

Every M.D. student completes a mentor-guided scholarly capstone through the M.D. Scholarly Impact and Research Program (SIRP), directed by Dr. Jessica Rieder. Students can work in basic and clinical translational research, community engagement, global health, health technology and biodesign, informatics and artificial intelligence, quality improvement or medical education. SIRP provides fellowship stipends and conference funding and helps students find mentors through Impact Track Leaders and a faculty mentor database.

Current fellowship options include:

• Summer Scholarly Fellowship: a six-week, stipend-supported fellowship for full-time research or scholarship with a mentor, usually in the summer after the first year.
• M.D. Student Research Year Fellowship: a one-year, non-funded fellowship that lets students do mentor-guided research while keeping eligibility for student loans, typically after clerkships.
• Global Health Fellowships: research and scholarship abroad through Einstein’s Global Health Center.
• Up to five months of full-time scholarship during the Independent Professional Development phase.

With program-director approval, students can also pursue scholarship at student-run community clinics, through a dual master’s degree or through an individualized program.

Global health

The Einstein Global Health Fellowship Program is one of the oldest and largest in the country. About 70 students who finish their first year receive travel awards each year for summer projects in countries such as India, Peru, Rwanda and Chile, and about 30 seniors receive awards for projects of at least two months, in countries including Uganda, Ethiopia, Colombia, Chile, India and Brazil. Fellows have also worked in Kenya, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Middle East and Australia. Einstein emphasizes equitable, sustainable partnerships rather than short-term medical tourism. Applicants who want global clinical exposure before medical school can look for pre-med internships abroad that involve supervised patient care, and Spanish speakers may find a medical internship in Peru useful preparation for the Spanish-speaking patients they will meet in the Bronx.

Notable Alumni, Faculty, Leadership and Admissions Staff

Einstein has more than 10,000 alumni, many of them leading clinicians, scientists and educators. The profiles below were checked against current official pages in October 2026. They describe public roles only and do not imply any role in individual admissions decisions.

School leadership

Yaron Tomer, M.D., has served as the Marilyn and Stanley M. Katz Dean of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and chief academic officer of Montefiore Einstein since October 2, 2023. Before becoming dean he chaired Einstein and Montefiore’s department of medicine, leading more than 700 full-time faculty through the COVID-19 pandemic. An endocrinologist with an NIH-funded laboratory, he studies the immunogenetic, epigenetic and environmental mechanisms of thyroid autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes. As dean he rebuilt the office of medical education, led a new strategic plan and launched the Institute for Immunotherapy and the Institute for Data Science. For applicants, his priorities explain the current emphasis on research growth and on a reimagined education mission.

Marla J. Keller, M.D., became Einstein’s executive dean in July 2024. She leads the school’s clinical, translational and basic research and its educational and academic operations, and she helped develop Einstein’s new strategic plan and establish its Data Science Institute. An infectious diseases physician, she previously served as vice chair of research in the department of medicine and directed the Block Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. She has served on federal HIV treatment and NIH COVID-19 treatment guideline panels.

Amanda C. Raff, M.D., is Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education. Her office runs the M.D. curriculum with the M.D. Curriculum Committee, so the structure described in this guide falls under its oversight.

Lynne M. Holden, M.D., is Senior Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Outreach. Her area includes the office of community engagement and outreach, which runs Einstein’s pre-health pathway programs, mentoring for every student and recruitment initiatives.

Philip O. Ozuah, M.D., Ph.D., is president and CEO of Montefiore Einstein, the academic health system that includes Einstein and Montefiore Health System. A pediatrician who completed his residency at Einstein/Montefiore, he previously served as university chair of pediatrics at Einstein and physician-in-chief of the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein.

Other senior deans listed by the school include Jennifer Garner, M.S.W. (finance and operations), Harris Goldstein, M.D. (scientific affairs), Jessica A. Kahn, M.D., M.P.H. (clinical and translational research), Elizabeth A. Kitsis, M.D. (faculty affairs and strategic planning), Catherine C. Skae, M.D. (graduate medical education) and William N. Southern, M.D., M.S.

Admissions and student-facing staff

Noreen Kerrigan is Associate Dean of Admissions. She leads the office that processes applications, schedules interviews and communicates decisions, and deferral petitions are addressed to her. Mary Pace, an administrator in the office of admissions, handles second-interview requests and late interview cancellations.

Other deans who work closely with M.D. students include Mimoza Meholli, M.D., Interim Associate Dean for Students; William S. Fuller, M.D., Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs; Daniel J. Correa, M.D., M.S., Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Outreach; Sandra K. Oza, M.D., M.A., Assistant Dean for Learning Communities; Devon M. Rupley, M.D., Assistant Dean for Pre-clerkship Curriculum; Melissa A. Laudano, M.D., Assistant Dean for Clinical Science Education; Felise B. Milan, M.D., Assistant Dean for Learner Assessment and Simulation; Damien Jackson, M.Ed., Assistant Dean for Student Finance; Rachel J. Katz, M.D., Assistant Dean at Jacobi Medical Center; and Anurag Shrivastava, M.D., Assistant Dean for Montefiore Medical Center.

Faculty and program directors

Myles Akabas, M.D., Ph.D., directs the Medical Scientist Training Program. MSTP applicants and admitted students deal with his office on revisit dates, deposits and enrollment commitments.

Jessica Rieder, M.D., M.S., directs the M.D. Scholarly Impact and Research Program, which supports every student’s capstone and manages scholarly fellowships. Applicants who describe a research interest in their secondary are describing the kind of project SIRP supports.

Lauren T. Roth, M.D., directs Service Learning, the four-year course that pairs every first-year student with a Bronx community-based organization. Applicants with sustained community service will find that experience directly relevant here.

Meredith Hawkins, M.D., led the research behind the 2025 designation of “type 5 diabetes,” a malnutrition-related form of diabetes affecting an estimated 20 to 25 million lean people, mainly in Asia and Africa. Her work is a clear example of Einstein’s global and translational research.

Notable alumni

Andrea B. Apolo, M.D., earned her M.D. at Einstein after graduating from Lehman College in the Bronx. She trained in internal medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and in medical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and she now heads the Bladder Cancer Section and serves as acting deputy chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research. Her path from a Bronx public college to national cancer research leadership is a useful model for local applicants.

Rudolph L. Leibel, M.D., an Einstein-trained physician, is the Christopher J. Murphy Professor of Diabetes Research and a professor of pediatrics and medicine at Columbia University. His research on the genetics of obesity helped identify leptin and its receptor, a landmark in metabolic science.

Howard Dean, M.D., received his M.D. from Einstein in 1978 and practiced internal medicine in Vermont before serving as the state’s governor from 1991 to 2003. He later ran for president and chaired the Democratic National Committee, an example of an Einstein graduate whose career moved into public policy.

Raymond V. Damadian, M.D., a 1960 Einstein graduate who died in 2022, was a pioneer of magnetic resonance imaging and founded the Fonar Corporation, which built early commercial MRI scanners.

Admissions Statistics and Class Profile

Einstein publishes a short set of admissions figures on its M.D. Admissions Statistics page, labeled “All data is from 2024.” The first tables below come from that page and from the M.D. program page. The 2025 entering class figures that follow add academic medians and a full application funnel by residency.

Applications, interviews and enrollment, 2024 entering class

Who enrolled

Applications, interviews and matriculants, 2025 entering class

The 148 matriculants include 10 M.D./Ph.D. students, 12 who entered through an Early Assurance program and 2 Early Decision admits. In-state applicants were interviewed at a higher rate (about 17 percent) than out-of-state applicants (about 7 percent), and New York residents made up 47 percent of the class. International applications are not considered, so none of the 640 international applicants was interviewed.

Academic profile of accepted applicants, 2025 entering class

These figures cover all accepted applicants and use each applicant’s most recent MCAT score.

Experiences and background of the 2025 entering class

In the 2025 Graduation Questionnaire, 21 percent of Einstein’s graduating seniors reported a global health experience during medical school.

How to read these numbers

Einstein does not publish the number of offers it makes, so its true acceptance rate is not available. You may see figures online that divide enrolled students by applicants. For the 2024 entering class that would be 165 of 8,897, or about 1.9 percent, but that is a matriculation ratio, not an acceptance rate. The clearest measure of selectivity is the interview ratio: 966 of 8,897 for 2024 and 1,121 of 14,035 for 2025. About 275 applicants sit on the waitlist in a typical cycle, and about 75 of them receive offers.

Einstein sets no minimum MCAT or GPA. The 2025 medians of 519 and 3.93 are high, and they are medians for accepted applicants, not cutoffs. Strong academic metrics help, but the class profile shows what else matters: more than a quarter of students came from non-science majors, nearly one in five held an EMT or wilderness certification, and more than half speak some Spanish. Those numbers reflect the competency-based review described earlier.

Enrollment across the program

In 2026-2027, Einstein enrolls 749 M.D. students across all class years, plus 127 students in the M.D./Ph.D. program. Einstein updates its statistics page periodically, so check it during the cycle for newer class figures.

Tips and Strategies for Admission

The application process, from the AMCAS primary to secondary essays and interviews, can feel overwhelming. These strategies are built on what Einstein says it values.

1. Apply early, and file a complete application

About half of Einstein’s applications for the year arrive by July 15, and interview invitations start in August. Submit your AMCAS early in the summer, return the secondary within about two weeks of receiving it, and make sure your letters are uploaded well before December 1. Your file does not go to the committee until Einstein has your MCAT, letters and secondary fee.

2. Map your record to the four competencies

Before you write anything, list your experiences under Einstein’s four headings: clinical experience, communication, personal and professional development, and knowledge. Gaps become obvious. If the clinical column is thin, a year of hands-on work as a scribe, EMT, medical assistant or patient care technician, or pre-med internships that put you in direct contact with patients, will matter more than another observation-heavy activity.

3. Show sustained service, ideally local

Einstein’s four-year service-learning course and its Bronx clinical sites mean the committee notices long-term community commitment. Depth beats volume: two years at one free clinic says more than ten one-day events. If you know the Bronx or another underserved community well, say so specifically.

4. Use your non-science background

More than a quarter of a recent class held non-science degrees. If you studied the humanities, social sciences or public health, show how it shapes the way you think about patients and health systems. Einstein’s recommended humanities coursework and its bioethics tradition make this a strength, not a weakness.

5. Build language skills where you can

More than half of a recent class reported speaking some Spanish, and Einstein offers Medical Spanish and Medical Mandarin. Report languages honestly on the secondary, and if you are learning one, keep going.

6. Plan your gap year with purpose

Many applicants take time between college and medical school. If you do, use it for full-time clinical work, research or service that you can describe in concrete terms. Structured pre-med gap year programs can add supervised patient care, especially if you combine them with longer-term work at home.

7. Use summers well

For students still in college, pre-med summer internships, research programs and clinical jobs are the most efficient way to build experience without hurting your grades during the semester.

8. Reapply strategically

Einstein allows only two applications. If you are reapplying, identify exactly what held your first application back and fix it before you apply again. Einstein’s Rising Doctors Program offers coaching to reapplicants, and the secondary asks you directly why you think you were not accepted.

9. Prepare letters that match the requirements

Request a committee letter if your school offers one. Otherwise, make sure your three letters include two professors who taught you, at least one in science and one in your major. A letter from an Einstein faculty member is useful only if that person knows your work well.

10. Get expert feedback

Many applicants benefit from an outside reader. International Medical Aid’s medical school admissions consulting offers feedback on primaries and secondaries, strategic advice and interview preparation. Learn more about how we can assist you or consult with us.

Customized support for your medical school journey

Our approach covers each stage of the process, from feedback on your primary and secondary applications to strategy and interview preparation, so your application shows your strengths clearly. Keep in mind that most medical schools accept MCAT scores no more than about three years old. If your score is older or you have not tested yet, plan your exam date early.

Enhancing your application through healthcare internships

A standout application reflects academic strength and a real commitment to clinical and volunteer work. International Medical Aid’s programs in East Africa and South America place participants in clinical settings where they work with local healthcare teams and engage with underserved communities. Interns take vitals, do intake and triage and help with direct patient care under supervision, which gives you hands-on experience and specific stories for your secondary essays. The IMA section at the end of this guide explains how the programs work.

Secondary Application Questions, Example Responses and Analysis

Einstein sends its secondary application to applicants after AMCAS verifies their primary, through the WebAdmit portal. The fee is $125 (or an AAMC Fee Assistance Program waiver), and the secondary and all other materials are due December 1, 2026. Because about half of Einstein’s applications arrive by July 15 and interview invitations begin in August, aim to return the secondary within about two weeks of receiving it.

Einstein’s 2026-2027 secondary has six parts. Sections A through D are mostly yes-or-no history questions with an explanation box, and each explanation allows up to 3,000 characters unless a different limit is shown. Sections F and G are the two open-ended essays, each 3,000 characters, and you may write “NA” if you do not wish to answer. (The application has no Section E.) The prompts below are quoted word for word for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Character limits count letters, spaces and punctuation. Draft in a word processor, check the count, and paste into the portal to confirm it fits. For the yes-or-no questions, answer every item truthfully and keep explanations short and factual; consistency with your AMCAS application matters more than polish. Spend most of your time on Sections F and G.

Every example in this section is an illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay. Use them to see how a response can be built, then write your own from your real experiences. For prompts from other schools, see our medical school secondary essay prompts database.

Here are a few general tips that apply to every Einstein answer:

• Read each question fully and answer every part of it.
• Use concrete evidence from your work, research, clinical and academic experiences.
• Do not simply repeat your primary application. Add context or new information.
• Proofread, and write clearly and concisely.
• Consider asking an experienced reader, such as a medical school admissions consultant, to review your essays.

Section A: History

Section A asks about gaps, prior applications, online coursework, degree status and grades. Each statement is a yes-or-no question, and you explain only the ones that apply to you, within 3,000 characters each.

History: time off between high school and college

I have taken time off from school between high school and college. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; explanation only if yes.

What it asks: Whether you took time off between high school and college, and if so, what you did and why.

Approach: Answer yes or no truthfully. If yes, give dates, the reason and what you did with the time in two to four sentences. A factual, calm explanation is all the committee needs.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (496 characters).

Yes. I graduated from high school in June 2019 and started college in August 2020. My father was recovering from a stroke, and my mother worked nights, so I stayed home that year to drive him to physical therapy three days a week and to manage his medication schedule. I also worked 25 hours a week as a cashier at a pharmacy. The year gave me my first close look at outpatient rehabilitation and confirmed that I wanted a career in medicine. I enrolled full time once he could manage on his own.

Analysis: It states the dates, the reason and what the year produced, and it stays well under the 3,000-character limit. The applicant does not apologize or dramatize. The last two sentences connect the year to motivation for medicine without turning a history question into a second personal statement.

Mistakes to avoid: Leaving the box blank after answering yes, inventing a more impressive reason, or writing several paragraphs. Short and accurate is the goal.

History: time off during undergraduate years

I have taken time off from school during my undergraduate years. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; explanation only if yes.

What it asks: Whether you stepped away from school during college, for example a leave of absence or a semester off, and why.

Approach: Give the term, the reason and how you returned. If the leave connects to a grade pattern on your transcript, say so here so the committee can read your record in context.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (414 characters).

Yes. I took a medical leave in spring 2022 after surgery for a torn ACL and a slow recovery. I returned in fall 2022 with a full course load and completed my remaining science courses on schedule. During the leave I completed physical therapy and read for my neuroscience minor, and I returned with a clear study plan and better time management. My grades for the three semesters after the leave reflect that plan.

Analysis: The response identifies the term, the reason and the return, then points the reader to the evidence that the applicant recovered academically. It anticipates the obvious follow-up question (did the leave hurt your record?) and answers it in one sentence.

Mistakes to avoid: Being vague (“personal reasons” with no context), sharing more medical detail than you are comfortable with, or failing to explain how you came back.

History: a year or more off since graduation

I have taken at least a year off from school since college graduation, including this year that I am applying. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; explanation only if yes.

What it asks: Whether you have taken at least a year off since graduating, including the year you are applying, and what you are doing with that time.

Approach: Most Einstein applicants answer yes here, so treat it as a short summary of your gap years. List the roles, hours and dates, and say what you are doing now. Keep the reflection brief.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (545 characters).

Yes. Since graduating in May 2025, I have worked full time as a clinical research coordinator in a pediatric asthma study at a Bronx hospital, where I consent families in English and Spanish, collect spirometry data and schedule follow-up visits. I also volunteer four hours a week at a free clinic, taking vitals and doing intake. I will continue both roles until I matriculate in August 2027. Two years of following the same families has shown me how housing and air quality shape asthma control, and it has made me want to train in the Bronx.

Analysis: It covers the full gap period, gives concrete duties and weekly hours, and states the plan through matriculation. The final sentence ties the experience to Einstein’s community without overselling it.

Mistakes to avoid: Listing job titles without duties, leaving out what you will do between now and matriculation, or repeating your activities section word for word.

History: online science core courses

I have taken and received credit for online science core courses (e.g., chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics and mathematics) that were taken prior to the Covid Pandemic (earlier than Spring 2020) and/or after June 2023. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; explanation only if yes.

What it asks: Whether any online science core courses you took for credit fall outside the COVID-19 window, that is, before spring 2020 or after June 2023.

Approach: Check your transcripts course by course. Einstein’s admissions page accepts online courses, including labs, only for the duration of the pandemic. If you took an online science course outside that window, name it, the school, the term and why you took it online, and point to any in-person coursework in the same area.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (396 characters).

Yes. I took Organic Chemistry II online through my state university’s summer session in July 2024 while working full time in a research lab. The lecture and lab were both online. To strengthen my preparation, I completed Biochemistry in person in fall 2024 at the same university and earned an A. I understand Einstein’s policy on online coursework and am glad to provide the syllabus if helpful.

Analysis: The response names the course, institution, term and format, gives a practical reason, and shows a later in-person science course in the same area. It acknowledges the school’s policy directly.

Mistakes to avoid: Answering no without checking, or omitting a course because it was a summer session. A disclosed course can be weighed; an undisclosed one becomes a credibility problem when transcripts arrive.

History: prior medical school application

I have applied previously to medical school. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain why you think you were not accepted.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; reapplicants explain.

What it asks: If you have applied to medical school before, why you think you were not accepted.

Approach: This is the reapplicant question. Name the specific weaknesses in your prior application honestly and show exactly what you changed. Einstein wants evidence of insight and growth, not a list of new hours.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (791 characters).

Yes. I applied in the 2024-2025 cycle to 22 schools and received two interviews but no acceptance. Looking back, my application had three weaknesses. My MCAT was 505, below most of my schools. I applied in late August, after most secondaries were already being reviewed. And my clinical experience was mostly observational, so my activities did not show that I understood patient care from the inside. Since then I retook the MCAT and scored 514. I have worked for 15 months as an emergency department technician, doing EKGs, phlebotomy and vitals on overnight shifts. I also completed the Rising Doctors Program at Einstein, which helped me rebuild my personal statement and plan an earlier submission. This year I submitted my primary on June 3 and returned each secondary within ten days.

Analysis: The response identifies concrete, credible reasons (score, timing, depth of clinical work) and matches each one with a measurable change. Mentioning Einstein’s Rising Doctors Program is appropriate only because the applicant actually completed it. The tone is accountable without being self-critical.

Mistakes to avoid: Blaming the process, guessing at reasons you cannot support, or listing new activities without linking them to the earlier weakness. Remember that Einstein will not consider an applicant who has already applied twice without admission.

History: prior AMCAS application to Einstein

I have submitted an AMCAS application to Einstein previously. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us the year you applied, and whether or not you were interviewed, as well as the outcome.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants answer yes/no; Einstein reapplicants explain. Applicants who applied twice and were not admitted are ineligible..

What it asks: If you applied to Einstein before, the year, whether you interviewed and the result.

Approach: This is factual. State the cycle, interview status and outcome. If you interviewed, one sentence on what has changed since then is useful.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (253 characters).

Yes. I applied to Einstein in the 2024-2025 cycle. I was not invited to interview, and my application was not accepted. Since then I have raised my MCAT from 505 to 514 and added 15 months of hands-on clinical work as an emergency department technician.

Analysis: Every element the prompt asks for (year, interview, outcome) appears in the first two sentences. The final sentence points to the reapplicant answer above without repeating it.

Mistakes to avoid: Leaving out the outcome or misstating the year. The office of admissions can see your earlier file, so accuracy matters more than wording.

History: Einstein graduate student

I am/was a graduate student in the Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences of Albert Einstein College of Medicine. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain where you are in your graduate education, your intentions for completing, and your reasons for applying to medical school.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no; current/former Einstein Ph.D. students explain.

What it asks: If you are or were a Ph.D. student in Einstein’s Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences, where you are in the program, your plan to finish and why you now want medical school.

Approach: Answer all three parts. Be specific about your stage (coursework, qualifying exam, thesis), give a realistic completion plan, and explain the shift toward clinical medicine with a concrete experience.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (533 characters).

Yes. I am a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. I passed my qualifying exam in 2024 and expect to defend my thesis on T-cell exhaustion in chronic infection in May 2027, before M.D. matriculation. My mentor supports this timeline. I am applying to medical school because two years of volunteering at a student-run free clinic showed me that the patients my research is meant to help often never reach a specialist. I want to treat patients directly and keep a translational research program.

Analysis: It gives the department, milestone, defense date and mentor support, which answers the question about intentions to complete. The motivation is grounded in real clinical exposure. Applicants still deciding about a Ph.D. should also consider whether the Medical Scientist Training Program fits better.

Mistakes to avoid: Implying you will leave the Ph.D. unfinished without explaining why, or giving no timeline.

History: accepted previously, did not attend

I was accepted to medical school previously but did not attend. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us where, and why you did not attend.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: If you were accepted to a medical school before but did not attend, where and why.

Approach: Name the school and give a clear, mature reason. Committees want to know that you will follow through this time.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (342 characters).

Yes. I was accepted to a medical school in 2024 and declined the offer in May 2024 when my mother was diagnosed with cancer and I became her primary caregiver. I withdrew in writing before the AAMC commitment deadline. Her treatment is complete, my family has stable support in place, and I am now able to begin medical school in August 2027.

Analysis: The response names the year, the reason and the timing of the decision, and it confirms the obstacle is resolved. In your real answer, name the school, as the prompt asks.

Mistakes to avoid: Hiding a prior acceptance, which is verifiable, or giving a reason that suggests you might decline again.

History: previously enrolled in medical school

I was previously enrolled in medical school. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us where, and why you did not complete the degree.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: If you enrolled in medical school before, where, and why you did not finish.

Approach: Einstein does not accept transfer students, so a yes answer means you are applying as a new first-year student. Be direct about what happened and what has changed.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (51 characters).

No. I have not been enrolled in any medical school.

Analysis: Most applicants answer no, and the best answer is exactly that short. Applicants who answer yes should name the school and dates, explain the reason factually, and show why they are now ready to complete four years, for example a resolved health or family issue documented by a letter.

Mistakes to avoid: Adding unnecessary commentary to a no answer, or minimizing a prior enrollment that will appear in your records.

History: competencies attestation

I can attest that I have fulfilled the Albert Einstein College of Medicine COMPETENCIES (Course Requirements | Office of Admissions | Albert Einstein College of Medicine) for admission. If you answered, “no” to the above question, please explain. For example, if you plan to take pre-medical course work in the coming summer, fall, or spring, please list the courses and tell us when and where you will be taking them.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no; explain if no.

What it asks: Whether you meet Einstein’s competencies for admission, and if not, which coursework you will complete, when and where.

Approach: Einstein has no fixed prerequisites. Instead it describes four competencies: co-curricular clinical experience, communication skills, personal and professional development, and knowledge. Read the admissions requirements page before you answer. If you answer no, list each planned course with the term and institution.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (342 characters).

No. I meet the clinical, communication and professional competencies, and I have completed general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, physics and statistics. I have not yet taken biochemistry. I am enrolled in Biochemistry (CHEM 361, with lab) at Hunter College for spring 2027, and I will complete it before matriculation in August 2027.

Analysis: The response separates what is complete from what is not, names the course, number, institution and term, and gives a completion date before matriculation. That is everything the prompt requests.

Mistakes to avoid: Answering yes when a recommended area is missing, or answering no without a specific plan.

History: baccalaureate by matriculation

I will have a Baccalaureate Degree by the time I matriculate into medical school. If you answered, “no” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you will hold a bachelor’s degree by matriculation.

Approach: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university is an eligibility requirement. Answer yes if your degree will be conferred before August of the entering year. If not, explain your situation carefully.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (86 characters).

Yes. I will receive my B.A. in Sociology from the University of Rochester in May 2027.

Analysis: It gives the degree, institution and conferral date in one sentence, which makes eligibility easy to confirm.

Mistakes to avoid: Writing an essay for a yes answer, or answering yes when your degree date is uncertain.

History: holding a deferral

I am presently holding a deferral from another medical / graduate / professional school. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us where and explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you currently hold a deferral from another medical, graduate or professional school.

Approach: If yes, name the school and explain why you are applying elsewhere. Remember that Einstein’s own deferral policy requires a deferred applicant to give up all other places, so committees take this question seriously.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (82 characters).

No. I am not holding a deferral from any medical, graduate or professional school.

Analysis: A clean no is the right answer for most applicants. Anyone answering yes should name the program, explain the circumstances and confirm awareness of the other school’s deferral terms.

Mistakes to avoid: Holding a deferral and applying elsewhere without disclosing it. Most deferral agreements forbid that.

History: F, D, I or W grades

I have received a grade of “F,” “D,” “I” and/or “W” during my college/graduate school years. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you received any F, D, Incomplete or Withdrawal grades in college or graduate school, and why.

Approach: Answer yes if any of the four appear on any transcript. For each grade, give the course and term, a short reason and how you resolved it, such as a retake. Group them if there are several.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (235 characters).

Yes. I withdrew from Physics I in fall 2022 after a family emergency took me home for three weeks in October. I retook Physics I in spring 2023 and earned an A-, then completed Physics II with a B+. I have no other F, D, I or W grades.

Analysis: It names the grade type, course and term, gives a brief reason, and shows the retake result. The final sentence confirms the full picture, which saves the reader a transcript search.

Mistakes to avoid: Answering only for an F and forgetting a W, or giving excuses without evidence of recovery.

Section B: History continued

Section B covers transfers, conduct, professional discipline, academic-year employment and languages. Again, explanations allow 3,000 characters each, except the languages question (1,000 characters).

History continued: transfer

As an undergraduate, I transferred from one college to another. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you transferred between colleges as an undergraduate, and why.

Approach: Transfers are common. Give the schools, dates and reason. If you started at a community college, say so plainly; it is a normal path.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (243 characters).

Yes. I completed my first two years at LaGuardia Community College while working to support my family, earning an A.S. in Biology in 2023. I transferred to Lehman College in fall 2023 to complete a B.S. in Biology, and I graduated in May 2025.

Analysis: Schools, degree, dates and reason fit in three sentences. The response presents the community college start as a fact, not a defense.

Mistakes to avoid: Over-explaining a routine transfer, or failing to mention a transfer that shows up on your AMCAS record.

History continued: non-academic warning

I have been the recipient of a warning notice for a non-academic issue that did NOT result in a disciplinary action. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you received a non-academic warning that did not lead to disciplinary action.

Approach: If yes, describe what happened, what the warning said and what you changed. Accept responsibility in one sentence.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (335 characters).

Yes. In my sophomore year, my residence hall issued a written warning after a fire alarm was triggered by a candle in my room, which was against housing rules. I paid the fine, completed the required fire safety session and had no further violations. I have since served as a resident assistant for two years, enforcing the same rules.

Analysis: It states the event, takes responsibility, shows the consequence was completed and gives evidence of trustworthiness afterward.

Mistakes to avoid: Minimizing the incident, blaming a roommate, or failing to disclose because no formal discipline followed. The prompt specifically asks about warnings without discipline.

History continued: disciplinary or administrative action

I have been subject to a disciplinary action and/or administrative action, expunged or not, while an undergraduate or graduate student. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you were ever subject to disciplinary or administrative action as a student, even if it was later expunged.

Approach: The prompt includes expunged actions, so check carefully. If yes, give the facts, the outcome and what you learned, and make sure your answer matches your AMCAS institutional action response.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (113 characters).

No. I have not been subject to any disciplinary or administrative action as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Analysis: A plain no is correct for most applicants. If your answer is yes, write a short factual account: the date, the finding, the sanction, the completion of that sanction and the change in your behavior. Consistency with your AMCAS answer matters most.

Mistakes to avoid: Answering no because a record was expunged, or telling a different story than your AMCAS application or your school’s dean’s certification.

History continued: pending charges

I currently have disciplinary charges pending. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you have disciplinary charges pending now.

Approach: Answer accurately as of the date you submit, and update the office of admissions if anything changes.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (51 characters).

No. I do not have any disciplinary charges pending.

Analysis: Short and accurate. Applicants with a pending matter should describe the charge and its status factually and commit to reporting the outcome.

Mistakes to avoid: Assuming a pending matter does not count until it is resolved.

History continued: professional suspension

I have been prohibited or suspended from practicing in a professional capacity because of alleged misconduct. If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please explain.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you have ever been barred or suspended from professional practice because of alleged misconduct.

Approach: This applies mainly to applicants with prior licenses or certifications, such as EMTs, nurses or pharmacists. Answer accurately and give dates and outcomes if yes.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (167 characters).

No. I have never been prohibited or suspended from practicing in any professional capacity. I have held New York State EMT-B certification since 2023 in good standing.

Analysis: It answers the question and adds one helpful fact, the certification in good standing, which is relevant because 31 students in a recent Einstein first-year class held EMT or wilderness certifications.

Mistakes to avoid: Leaving out a suspension that a licensing board record would show.

Employment during the academic year

If you were employed during the academic year, other than during winter and summer breaks, please write the number of hours you worked per week, and tell us what you did and why you were employed.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: Applicants who worked during the academic year.

What it asks: If you worked during the academic year, your weekly hours, what you did and why you worked.

Approach: Give each job, the weekly hours and semesters, and the reason, whether financial, career-related or both. This answer gives context for your grades and activity hours, so be precise.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (453 characters).

Throughout college I worked 20 hours a week during the academic year. From fall 2021 through spring 2023 I was a cashier at a neighborhood pharmacy in the Bronx, and from fall 2023 through spring 2025 I was a patient care technician at a community hospital, taking vitals, doing EKGs and helping patients with mobility on weekend shifts. I worked to cover tuition and help support my family, and the technician job also gave me paid clinical experience.

Analysis: Hours, dates, duties and reasons are all present. The answer gives the committee context for a full course load carried alongside 20 hours of work, which matters in holistic review.

Mistakes to avoid: Leaving out a job because it was not medical, or listing hours that do not match your AMCAS work entries.

Languages

Please provide the names of languages you speak (other than English) and indicate the fluency with which you speak them (beginner, moderate, advanced).

Limit: 1,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants (write NA if none, per prior-cycle wording).

What it asks: Languages other than English that you speak, with a fluency level for each.

Approach: Use Einstein’s three levels exactly: beginner, moderate or advanced. Be honest; interviewers may switch languages. One line per language is enough, with optional context.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (201 characters).

Spanish: advanced (heritage speaker; I interpret for patients at a free clinic). Haitian Creole: moderate (spoken at home with my grandmother). Mandarin: beginner (two semesters of college coursework).

Analysis: Each language has one of the three requested levels and a short note that supports the rating. That is useful at Einstein, where a recent first-year class reported that 53 percent speak some Spanish and the school offers Medical Spanish and Medical Mandarin electives.

Mistakes to avoid: Overstating fluency, or using a different scale than the one the prompt gives. If you speak no other language, enter NA.

Section C: Letters of recommendation

Section C covers older coursework and committee letters. Einstein requires a committee letter (preferred) or three individual letters, submitted through the AMCAS Letter Service by December 1.

Letters: last science course more than 5 years ago

Did you take your last science course more than 5 years ago? If you answered “yes” to the above question, and have been away from course work for more than 5 years, please explain your activities, as well as any course work you may have completed during this time. If your answer was, “no,” please write “NA” in the box below.

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants; explanation if yes, otherwise NA.

What it asks: Whether your last science course was more than five years ago, and if so, what you have done since, including any coursework.

Approach: Einstein’s admissions page asks applicants whose premedical coursework is more than five years old to show recent academic or work experience in the biological sciences, such as a course in cell biology, genetics, immunology or neuroscience, or research. If that applies to you, give that evidence here.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (383 characters).

Yes. My last science course was General Physics II in spring 2019. From 2019 to 2024 I worked as a high school chemistry teacher in Queens. In 2025 I completed Cell Biology and Genetics at Brooklyn College through continuing education, earning an A in each, and since January 2026 I have worked 20 hours a week as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab studying sleep and memory.

Analysis: It gives the date of the last course, accounts for the years since, and lists recent biological science coursework and research, which is exactly the evidence Einstein’s policy describes.

Mistakes to avoid: Writing NA when the five-year rule applies to you, or listing teaching experience without recent biology coursework or research.

Letters: no committee letter

If you have an Undergraduate Pre-Professional Advisory Committee at your college or university, and have chosen NOT to request a letter from that Committee, please tell us why not.

Limit: 9,000 characters. Who answers: Applicants whose school has a committee but who did not request a committee letter.

What it asks: If your college has a pre-professional advisory committee and you did not request its letter, why not.

Approach: Einstein prefers a committee letter but accepts three individual letters. Give a simple, factual reason, for example that you graduated years ago or that the committee does not serve alumni, and confirm that your individual letters meet the school’s requirements.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (456 characters).

My undergraduate institution’s pre-health committee writes letters only for students who apply within two years of graduating. I graduated in 2022 and am applying in 2026, so I was not eligible for a committee letter. Instead I have submitted three individual letters through the AMCAS Letter Service: one from my organic chemistry professor, one from my major advisor in public health, and one from the principal investigator I have worked for since 2023.

Analysis: The reason is specific and verifiable, and the response shows the letters still meet Einstein’s stated structure: two professors who taught the applicant, at least one in science and one in the major, plus a third writer. It uses only a small part of the 9,000-character limit, which is appropriate.

Mistakes to avoid: Implying the committee would not support you without explaining why, or submitting letters that do not match Einstein’s requirements.

Section D: Einstein or affiliated hospital work experience

Section D asks whether you already have a connection to Einstein or its affiliated hospitals. No character limit is shown for these items; answer each in a sentence or two with the facts requested. A “no” on all four does not count against you.

Einstein research experience

Have you worked in basic or clinical research at an Einstein affiliated hospital? If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us WHERE and WHEN.

Limit: no limit shown; answer in a few sentences. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you have done basic or clinical research at an Einstein affiliated hospital, and where and when.

Approach: Affiliated sites include Montefiore Einstein and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, among others on Einstein’s training locations list. Give the site, department or lab, and dates. Keep it factual.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (186 characters).

Yes. From June 2024 to the present I have worked as a research assistant in a pediatric pulmonology study at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein in the Bronx, 15 hours a week.

Analysis: Site, unit, dates and hours, all in one sentence. The prompt asks only where and when, so there is no need for an essay.

Mistakes to avoid: Claiming an affiliation for a site that is not part of Einstein’s network, or vague dates.

Einstein Pathway Program

Have you participated in an Einstein Pathway Program during high school, college or after? If you answered “yes” to the above question, please name the program(s) and YEAR.

Limit: no limit shown; answer in a few sentences. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you took part in an Einstein pathway program in high school, college or later, and which one and when.

Approach: Einstein’s pathway programs include the Einstein Enrichment Program for Bronx students in grades 7 to 12 and the Rising Doctors Program for medical school reapplicants. Give the exact program name and years.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (97 characters).

Yes. I participated in the Einstein Enrichment Program from 2016 to 2020, in grades 9 through 12.

Analysis: Program name and years are exactly what the prompt asks for. Five students in a recent Einstein first-year class had taken part in an Einstein pathway program as undergraduates, so this is a real and recognized link.

Mistakes to avoid: Naming a program that was not run by Einstein, or guessing at years. Check your records.

Einstein clinical volunteering

Have you ever volunteered at an Einstein affiliated hospital, in one of our clinical areas, other than research or a Pathway Program? If you answered, “yes” to the above question, please tell us WHERE and WHEN.

Limit: no limit shown; answer in a few sentences. Who answers: All answer yes/no.

What it asks: Whether you have volunteered in a clinical area at an Einstein affiliated hospital, apart from research or a pathway program.

Approach: Give the hospital, unit and dates. If the volunteering was substantial, the number of hours helps.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (160 characters).

Yes. I volunteered in the emergency department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi on Saturday mornings from September 2023 to June 2025, about 160 hours in total.

Analysis: It names the site, unit, schedule, dates and total hours, which lets the committee match the entry to your AMCAS activities.

Mistakes to avoid: Double-counting research or pathway work here, which the prompt excludes.

Einstein faculty letter

If you answered “yes” that you have worked with us at an Einstein affiliated hospital, will a letter from an Einstein faculty member be included in your evaluations? If a letter from an Einstein faculty member will be included in your evaluations, please tell us the name, title and department of the letter writer.

Limit: no limit shown; answer in a few sentences. Who answers: Applicants who answered yes to D1 or D3.

What it asks: If you worked at an Einstein affiliated hospital, whether an Einstein faculty member is writing a letter for you, and that writer’s name, title and department.

Approach: Give the writer’s full name, academic title and department exactly as they appear on the letter. Only list a letter that has actually been requested and confirmed.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (195 characters).

Yes. Dr. Maria Lopez, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, will submit a letter through the AMCAS Letter Service. (Fictional name for illustration.)

Analysis: Name, title and department appear in the requested order, and the delivery route is stated. In a real application you would use your actual writer’s details.

Mistakes to avoid: Listing a faculty member who has not agreed to write, or getting the title wrong. Einstein will look for the letter.

Section F: Unique life experiences

Unique life experiences essay

What unique life experiences, personal attributes and/or perspectives will you bring as part of the incoming class? Are there particular challenges or successes that you have encountered? If you do not wish to write anything, please write “NA.”

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants; optional (write NA to skip).

What it asks: Two linked questions: what unique life experiences, personal attributes or perspectives you would bring to the incoming class, and what particular challenges or successes you have encountered. You may write NA.

Approach: Treat this as required in practice. It is one of only two open-ended essays in Einstein’s secondary, so it carries most of the weight of your fit. Choose one or two experiences that shaped a perspective, explain what you learned, and show how that perspective would add to classmates’ learning in Einstein’s small groups, service-learning teams and Bronx clinical sites. Address both a challenge or success and what you will bring.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (2,316 characters).

I grew up translating. At nine I was the person who explained my grandmother’s blood pressure medications to her in Bengali, read the pharmacy labels aloud and told the doctor, in English, that she was skipping doses because the pills made her dizzy. I did not know the words for orthostatic hypotension. I only knew that the doctor had a plan and my grandmother had a different one, and I was the bridge.

That job taught me something I still think about: most failures of care I have seen were failures of understanding, not of medicine. As a patient care technician at a community hospital in the Bronx for the past two years, I have watched it happen in both directions. A patient nods at discharge instructions he cannot read. A resident assumes a family is refusing a test when they are really afraid of the bill. I now carry a habit from childhood into every shift: I ask patients to tell the plan back to me in their own words, and I flag the gaps to the nurse.

My hardest challenge came in college, when my father lost his job and I worked 20 hours a week while taking organic chemistry. My grades that year were the lowest on my transcript. I learned to study in short, scheduled blocks, to ask for office hours before I fell behind, and to tell my professors early when I needed help. My science grades rose every semester after that.

I would bring three things to Einstein’s incoming class. First, a working knowledge of what it takes to care for families who speak little English, which matters in a borough where many patients do not. I want to keep building that skill through the Medical Spanish Program, since Spanish is the language I hear most at work. Second, the perspective of a student who has had to earn money while studying. I can be the classmate who knows which community resources actually answer the phone, and I would like to put that to use in the service-learning course with a Bronx organization. Third, patience with confusion. In a small-group Becoming a Physician session, I am comfortable saying, “I don’t understand,” and I have seen how often that question helps the whole room.

Einstein asks its graduates to be healers, advocates and lifelong learners. I learned the advocate part first, at nine, in a pharmacy line. I want to spend the next four years learning the rest.

Analysis: The response answers both parts of the prompt. It opens with a specific scene that shows a perspective (a child interpreter caught between a physician and a patient), then carries that perspective into current clinical work, which proves it is lasting. The challenge paragraph is honest about a weak semester and shows concrete changes and results. The final section answers “what will you bring” with three distinct contributions, each tied to a verified Einstein feature: the Medical Spanish Program, the four-year service-learning course and the small-group Becoming a Physician course. The closing line returns to the seven roles of a doctor that Einstein names, without quoting a mission statement at length. It stays under 3,000 characters.

Mistakes to avoid: Writing NA when you have something to add, listing identity labels without showing how they shaped your thinking, writing only about a challenge and never saying what you will contribute, or repeating your personal statement. Avoid a generic “diversity” essay that could be sent to any school.

Section G: Anything else you would like to share with us?

Anything else essay

Please use this space to tell us anything about yourself that you would like us to know. If you do not wish to write anything, please write “NA.”

Limit: 3,000 characters. Who answers: All applicants; optional (write NA to skip).

What it asks: Anything you want the committee to know that your application does not already show. You may write NA.

Approach: Use this space for something new: an experience left out of AMCAS, context for part of your record, an update, or a specific and informed reason you want to train at Einstein. Do not paste a generic “why us” essay or repeat Section F. If you truly have nothing new, NA is acceptable, but most applicants can use this space well.

Illustrative example, not an actual applicant essay (1,856 characters).

One thing my application does not show is how much of my clinical education has happened on the 6 train.

For three years I have commuted from Parkchester to my job at a Manhattan hospital, about 70 minutes each way. I started using the ride to study, and then to listen. The Bronx gets on that train every morning: home health aides finishing night shifts, a man carrying a portable oxygen tank, mothers with children headed to specialty appointments downtown because they believe the best care is somewhere else. I began asking, carefully and only when invited, where people go for care. The answers became a notebook, and the notebook became a question I want to study: why do Bronx families travel past excellent nearby hospitals for routine specialty visits?

That question is a large part of why I am applying to Einstein. I would like to answer it through the Scholarly Impact and Research Program, possibly with a community engagement capstone, working with a faculty mentor and a Bronx partner organization. The service-learning course, where first-year students are matched by lottery with community-based organizations, would let me learn from people who already know the answer better than I do. And training at Montefiore and Jacobi would put me inside the same hospitals my fellow riders are traveling past.

I also want to share a practical fact. I am the oldest of four, and my youngest brother has autism. I handle his medical appointments when my parents cannot leave work. That responsibility will not end when I start medical school, and I want to train close enough to keep it. Einstein’s on-campus housing and its location ten miles from midtown would make that possible.

None of this fits neatly in an activities list. It is how I learned to notice who is not in the exam room, and it is the kind of physician I hope to become here.

Analysis: The essay adds information that the rest of the application likely lacks: an informal habit of listening that became a research question, and a family caregiving responsibility that explains a geographic preference. Its “why Einstein” content is specific and verified: the Scholarly Impact and Research Program and community engagement capstones, the service-learning lottery match with community-based organizations, and clinical training at Montefiore and Jacobi. It is candid about a personal constraint without asking for special treatment. The closing ties the pieces into a clear identity. It stays under 3,000 characters.

Mistakes to avoid: Repeating Section F or your personal statement, listing every Einstein program you have read about, explaining away a weakness at length without evidence of change, or using this box to restate your activities.

Albert Einstein MSTP secondary essay prompts

Applicants to the M.D./Ph.D. program complete additional MSTP questions. In recent cycles these have asked applicants to check the fields of their prior research, describe the broad field of their planned future research, list scientific presentations, abstracts and publications in a set citation format, and explain their favorite college course. The MSTP questions for the 2026-2027 cycle have not been published, so they are not quoted here. Check the portal for the exact wording and limits, and keep your research descriptions clear enough for a non-specialist reader.

Interview Format and Preparation

An interview is required for admission to Einstein’s M.D. program, including for Early Decision applicants under serious consideration. Here is how it works, based on Einstein’s admissions interview page.

Format and logistics

• Virtual and one-on-one. All admissions interviews take place virtually. You meet with one clinician or scientist from Einstein’s 80-member admissions committee, all of whom are trained in holistic evaluation.
• Length. Interviews usually last 30 to 60 minutes.
• Days. Interviews are held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Weekend dates are not offered.
• Scheduling. Invitations go out about once a month from August through April. You must schedule within two weeks of the invitation, or it will be rescinded. You choose a date through an online scheduling tool, based on committee availability.
• Cancellations. Cancel through the scheduling tool at least 48 hours ahead. If you cancel with less notice, also contact Mary Pace in the office of admissions (718-430-3014, [email protected]). Einstein will notify your pre-professional advisor if you miss an interview without the required notice.
• Second interviews. If you feel you and your interviewer did not connect, you may request a second interview, but you must do so right away, on the day of the interview and before you receive your letter of disposition. The committee also occasionally invites applicants back if it needs more information.
• Meeting students. On your interview day you can join a virtual meet-and-greet with current students. Between September and April, every applicant is also invited to “Real Talk,” an hour-long, student-led online discussion about life at Einstein.

What to expect

Einstein encourages applicants to use the interview “to openly share experiences and future goals that you think make you a good fit for our M.D. program,” and to raise anything important that was not covered before the interview ends. Because you meet one interviewer for up to an hour, expect a conversation rather than a series of timed stations. Interviewers usually have your application, so be ready to talk about anything in it, including your secondary answers.

The school does not publish a question list. In practice, one-on-one medical school interviews commonly cover:

• why medicine, and why Einstein in particular;
• a clinical or service experience that changed how you think;
• what you learned from research, and what you would study at Einstein;
• teamwork, conflict and a time you made a mistake;
• how you would contribute to a class that cares for patients across the Bronx;
• an ethical question, which fits Einstein’s bioethics tradition.

Our guide to the most common medical school interview questions has sample questions and practice strategies.

How to prepare

1. Know your file. Reread your AMCAS activities, personal statement and every Einstein secondary answer. Interviewers often start from what you wrote.
2. Prepare an Einstein-specific “why us.” Tie your goals to verified features: the four-year service-learning course, the Scholarly Impact and Research Program and capstone, the learning communities and Becoming a Physician, clinical training at Montefiore and Jacobi, global health fellowships, or dual degrees.
3. Prepare for research questions. If you mention a research interest, be ready to explain your project in plain terms: the question, your role, the result and what you would do next. If you are interested in a specific department, review Einstein’s departments and centers before the interview, as the school suggests.
4. Practice on video. Test your camera, lighting, sound and internet connection. Use a quiet space and a neutral background, and look at the camera when you speak.
5. Have questions ready. Ask about something you cannot learn from the website, such as how students choose a service-learning partner or how the learning-community houses work in practice.
6. Join Real Talk. Students answer candidly in an informal setting, which helps you decide whether Einstein fits and gives you material for your own questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Albert Einstein College of Medicine affiliated with Albert Einstein?

Albert Einstein the physicist did not found, run or teach at the school, but he was directly involved in its naming. On March 15, 1953, he formally agreed to let the new medical school use his name, the only institution in the world to which he gave that permission, and he served as an honorary chairman of its fundraising campaign. In a 1951 letter supporting the project, he praised a school that would welcome students of all creeds and races. Einstein says it continues to be guided by his humanist values. The school is affiliated with Yeshiva University and partners with Montefiore Health System.

What are the admissions requirements for the M.D. program?

You need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university by matriculation, an MCAT score taken by September of the year you apply, and either a committee letter or three individual letters. Einstein has no fixed prerequisites. Instead it evaluates four competencies: clinical experience, communication skills, personal and professional development, and knowledge, with recommended coursework in chemistry through biochemistry, biology, physics, math and statistics, and humanities. International students and transfer students are not eligible, and you cannot apply a third time after two unsuccessful applications. Review the competencies before you submit, since the secondary asks you to confirm you meet them.

Does the college offer financial aid?

Yes. Every M.D. student automatically receives a Gottesman Scholarship covering tuition ($74,261 in 2026-2027) and the educational and technology fee ($5,597). The scholarship does not cover living costs, health insurance or the $500 health fee. For those, students use federal aid, which requires the FAFSA each year, plus Einstein’s childcare grant and other support. Einstein estimates the average cost of its M.D. degree after institutional scholarships at about $138,000. Meet with the office of student finance early to build a realistic budget.

Is Einstein really tuition-free?

Yes, for tuition and the educational and technology fee, and for every M.D. student, regardless of income or residency. The only ongoing requirement is good academic standing. It is not cost-free: the school’s posted first-year budget includes health insurance (waivable with comparable coverage), books, room, board, personal costs and transportation. On-campus apartments rent for about $920 to $1,990 a month including utilities, which keeps living costs lower than in most of New York City.

What is the curriculum like for the M.D. program?

The first 17 months are preclerkship, organized into three blocks of interdisciplinary organ-system courses graded pass/fail, with longitudinal courses in Becoming a Physician, Bioethics, Health Systems, Service-Learning, Impact, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics. After a six-week Step 1 period and a five-week Transition to Clerkship, students complete clerkships in internal medicine and primary care, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, neurology and service-learning, and electives. The final 16 months include two acting internships, a Transition to Residency course, electives and up to five months of scholarship. Every student completes a scholarly capstone.

Does the college have a strong research focus?

Yes. Einstein receives more than $264 million a year in grants and contracts, more than $189 million of it from the National Institutes of Health, and its faculty published 3,168 papers in 2025. Every M.D. student completes a mentor-guided capstone through the Scholarly Impact and Research Program, with summer and year-long fellowships available, and many students add a dedicated research year. Physician-scientist candidates can apply to the Medical Scientist Training Program, which has been NIH-funded since 1964.

What are the clinical training opportunities available?

Students train in one of the largest clinical networks in the country. The main sites are Montefiore Einstein’s Bronx campuses (Moses, Weiler, Wakefield and the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Einstein) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. Other sites include North Central Bronx Hospital, the VA Bronx Healthcare System, Burke Rehabilitation, Bronx Psychiatric Center, Four Winds Hospitals, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Crystal Run Healthcare and Montefiore’s New Rochelle, Nyack and White Plains hospitals. Patients span public, private and VA systems and a wide socioeconomic range.

What resources are available to support student well-being?

Einstein offers the confidential Student Mental Health Center (in person and by telehealth), a Student Health Center run with Montefiore, the office of academic support and counseling with a peer support team, the WellMed wellness program, learning-community advisors who stay with you for four years, and a mentor for every student through the office of community engagement and outreach. Exams are scheduled on Fridays, Thursday afternoons are left open for preparation, and one Friday afternoon per clerkship block is free. Students also have free membership at the Falk Recreation Center.

What career opportunities are available for graduates?

Einstein graduates enter every major field. In the 2026 Match, about 24 percent matched in internal medicine, and graduates matched into 26 specialties at programs across the country, from Johns Hopkins and Mass General Brigham to UCSF and Stanford. Many stay in the Einstein and Montefiore network. Career guidance runs all four years through a careers curriculum, the Career Advisory Program, specialty advisors and learning-community faculty, who help students choose a specialty and prepare residency applications.

Does the college accept international students?

No. Einstein’s admissions requirements state that international students are ineligible for consideration for the M.D. program. Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but earned a bachelor’s degree outside the U.S. or Canada must complete at least 30 credit hours of graded science coursework at an accredited U.S. or Canadian institution before applying. If you are an international student, look at schools that publish an international admissions policy.

What makes Albert Einstein College of Medicine unique?

Several features stand out together: tuition is covered for every M.D. student; the curriculum combines pass/fail preclerkship courses, four learning-community houses and a required capstone; every student completes a four-year service-learning course with Bronx community organizations; and clinical training spans public, private and VA hospitals in one of the most diverse places in the country. Einstein also has a long research record, from identifying tau in Alzheimer’s disease to the 2025 type 5 diabetes designation.

What was the acceptance rate for Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s class of 2027?

Einstein does not publish the number of offers it makes, so a true acceptance rate is not available. For the 2024 entering class, 8,897 applicants applied, 966 were interviewed and 165 enrolled, so about 10.9 percent of applicants were interviewed. For the 2025 entering class, Einstein had 14,035 verified applications, interviewed 1,121 (about 8.0 percent) and enrolled 148. Dividing enrolled students by applicants gives a matriculation ratio, not an acceptance rate, because some admitted students enroll elsewhere.

What MCAT score do I need for Einstein?

Einstein does not set a minimum MCAT score. For the 2025 entering class, accepted applicants had a median MCAT of 519 and a mean of 517.9, so a score near or above 519 puts you in the middle of the admitted group. Your score must come from a test taken no later than September of the year you apply, and the oldest score Einstein accepts is three years before your expected matriculation. Because Einstein received more than 14,000 verified applications for the 2025 entering class, a competitive score helps, but the committee weighs it alongside your clinical experience, communication and service.

What GPA do I need for Einstein?

There is no minimum GPA. Accepted applicants for the 2025 entering class had a median overall GPA of 3.93 and a median science GPA of 3.91. When an undergraduate GPA is lower, Einstein considers postbaccalaureate or graduate GPAs, with 3.0 as a suggested undergraduate GPA and at least 30 credit hours of that later coursework. The whole application is reviewed, with attention to challenges an applicant has overcome.

Does Einstein have a waitlist, and how many people get in from it?

Yes. Einstein typically places about 275 applicants on its waitlist in a cycle and extends about 75 offers from it. Waitlisted applicants are asked to accept or decline a place and may send updates that strengthen their application.

What is the acceptance deposit at Einstein?

Accepted M.D. applicants pay a $100 deposit, due April 30, 2027 for this cycle. It is not refundable and is not applied to tuition. You have two weeks to respond to an offer until April 30, five days until July 1 and two days after that.

When are the Einstein deadlines for 2026-2027?

Submit AMCAS by October 15, 2026. All supporting materials, including letters, the $125 secondary and your MCAT score, must reach Einstein by December 1, 2026. Early Decision deadlines (August 1 for AMCAS and August 15 for materials) have passed for this cycle. Einstein begins notifying accepted applicants on March 1, 2027.

Does Einstein have Early Decision?

Yes. Early Decision applicants submit AMCAS by August 1 and all materials by August 15, apply only to Einstein, and hear by October 1. If admitted, you must accept. If not, your application moves to the regular pool and you may apply to other schools. It suits applicants whose first choice is clearly Einstein and whose record is already strong by early summer.

What is the Einstein interview like?

It is a virtual, one-on-one interview with a clinician or scientist from the 80-member admissions committee, usually 30 to 60 minutes, held on Mondays, Tuesdays or Fridays. You must schedule within two weeks of the invitation. You may request a second interview on the day of your interview if you feel it went poorly, and you can join a virtual meet-and-greet with students and the student-led “Real Talk” session.

Can I reapply to Einstein?

Yes, once. Einstein does not consider applicants who have applied twice without being admitted. Reapplicants answer secondary questions about their prior applications, including why they think they were not accepted. Einstein’s Rising Doctors Program, a 10-month hybrid program for medical school reapplicants, offers coaching on building a more competitive application; applications open July 15 to 31.

Does Einstein accept online or pass/fail coursework?

With limits. Online courses, including labs, are accepted for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the secondary asks you to explain any online science core courses taken before spring 2020 or after June 2023. Pass/fail grades are accepted only if pass/fail was your school’s policy or grading was suspended during the pandemic, confirmed by your advisor through the AMCAS Letter Service.

How much clinical experience do I need for Einstein?

Einstein does not set an hour minimum. Its first admissions competency asks for meaningful clinical experiences, at home or abroad, that involve patient care and contact with people living with illness or disability. Hands-on roles count most. In a recent first-year class, 31 students held EMT or wilderness certifications. Supervised clinical internships can add direct patient contact, especially when combined with longer-term work or volunteering near home.

Does Einstein require Casper or PREview?

No. Neither Casper nor the AAMC PREview exam appears among Einstein’s admissions requirements. Put that preparation time into the MCAT, your secondary and your interview.

Where do Einstein students live?

Every M.D. student is guaranteed an apartment in the on-campus Eastchester Road residence complex, three 28-story towers with 636 studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Rent includes utilities and ranges from $920.70 to $1,988.97 a month depending on how many people share. Free shuttles connect campus to the subway and to Bronx clerkship sites.

Related Medical School Guides

If Einstein is on your list, these guides cover schools that applicants often consider alongside it. They are related by geography, degree or applicant profile, not by equal selectivity.

• NYU Long Island School of Medicine: another tuition-free New York M.D. option, with a three-year, primary care-focused curriculum that contrasts with Einstein’s four-year program.
• NYU Grossman School of Medicine: the Manhattan school that also covers tuition for all M.D. students, useful for comparing research-intensive, tuition-free programs in the same city.
• University of Rochester Medical School: an upstate New York research school known for its biopsychosocial approach, a good comparison for applicants who value Einstein’s humanism.
• Norton College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate: a public New York M.D. school, worth adding for in-state applicants who want a lower-cost option outside New York City.
• Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons: a Manhattan research school with a large need-based aid program, often on the same lists as Einstein.
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai: a New York City academic medical center with strong research and community health programs, a frequent comparison for applicants interested in urban medicine.

To compare every M.D. and D.O. program in the state, see our guide to how to get into New York medical colleges. For essay prompts from other schools, use our medical school secondary essay prompts database, and for score benchmarks see the average GPA and MCAT score for every medical school.

More medical school guides

We also publish guides to medical schools across the country. Searching for “medical schools near me” can help you find programs in your area, and then you can check whether we have a guide for each one. Here is a partial list:

• Howard University College of Medicine
• University of Kansas School of Medicine (KUMC)
• Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine
• Loma Linda University School of Medicine
• John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
• Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KansasCOM)
• UC Irvine School of Medicine
• Nova Southeastern University College of Allopathic Medicine
• Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM)
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
• Tulane University School of Medicine
• LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine
• LSU Shreveport Medical School
• Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV
• University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine
• University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson
• University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix
• Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM)
• The University of New Mexico School of Medicine
• Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM)
• University of South Alabama College of Medicine
• University of Alabama School of Medicine
• FIU College of Medicine
• UCF College of Medicine
• USF Morsani College of Medicine
• Florida State University College of Medicine
• Morehouse School of Medicine
• Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
• Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM)
• Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM)
• ECU Brody School of Medicine
• Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)
• University of South Carolina Medical School
• Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)
• Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM)
• Penn State Medical School
• CUNY School of Medicine
• SUNY Downstate Medical School
• NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine
• NYU Long Island School of Medicine
• Albany Medical College
• TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Norton College of Medicine at Upstate Medical University
• Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo
• Hofstra Zucker School of Medicine
• Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• University of Rochester Medical School
• Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
• Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)
• University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
• University of Toledo College of Medicine
• Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
• Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine (HMSOM
• Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS)
• Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU)
• A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Saint Louis University School of Medicine
• University of Missouri Medical School
• Kansas City University (KCU)
• UMKC School of Medicine
• New York Medical College
• University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• University of Wisconsin Medical School
• VCU School of Medicine
• University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Case Western Medical School
• University of North Carolina Medical School
• University of Florida Medical School
• Emory University School of Medicine
• Boston University College of Medicine
• California University of Science and Medicine
• UC San Diego Medical School
• California Northstate University College of Medicine
• Touro University of California
• CHSU College of Osteopathic Medicine
• UC Davis School of Medicine
• Harvard Medical School
• UC Riverside School of Medicine
• USC Keck School of Medicine
• UT Southwestern Medical School
• Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio
• University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
• UT Austin’s Dell Medical School
• UTMB School of Medicine
• McGovern Medical School at UT Health
• Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
• UNT Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
• University of Houston College of Medicine
• Texas A&M College of Medicine
• Baylor College of Medicine
• George Washington University School of Medicine
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• St. George’s University School of Medicine
• Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (in Pennsylvania)
• Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
• Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Western University of Health Sciences (in California)
• Drexel University College of Medicine
• Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago
• Georgetown University School of Medicine
• Yale School of Medicine
• Perelman School of Medicine
• UCLA Medical School
• NYU Medical School
• Washington University School of Medicine
• Brown Medical School

How International Medical Aid Can Help

International Medical Aid (IMA) helps pre-health students build the kind of hands-on clinical experience and reflection that Einstein’s competency-based review rewards. IMA is not affiliated with Einstein, and taking part in an IMA program does not guarantee admission anywhere.

Clinical internships. IMA’s pre-health internships place students in hospitals and clinics in Kenya and other sites. Interns work with local doctors and nurses, take vitals, do patient intake and triage, and help with direct patient care under supervision. That experience speaks directly to Einstein’s first competency, which asks for patient-care experience “at home or abroad,” and it gives you concrete stories for the secondary questions about unique perspectives and challenges. IMA’s medical internships abroad run in several countries and at different times of year, so they can fit around a semester, a summer or a gap year.

Global health. IMA’s global health initiatives support community health projects in underserved regions. For applicants drawn to Einstein’s Global Health Fellowships, this kind of work offers early exposure to how resources, culture and health systems shape care.

Admissions advising. IMA’s medical school admissions consulting services help applicants plan their school lists, write and revise AMCAS and secondary essays (including Einstein’s two open-ended essays), and prepare for one-on-one interviews.

Next step: if you are applying this cycle, finish your Einstein secondary and start interview practice now. If you are planning for a future cycle, map your experiences to Einstein’s four competencies and fill the clinical gap first.

Final Thoughts and Sources

From all of us at International Medical Aid, good luck as you work toward becoming a physician. Einstein offers a rare combination: a research-intensive medical school in the Bronx, a curriculum built around service and collaboration, and tuition covered for every M.D. student. It is also highly competitive, with more than 14,000 verified applications for 148 first-year places in the 2025 entering class. Take your time, build an honest application around Einstein’s four competencies, apply early and ask for help when you need it. If you are still asking which medical schools are right for you, browse our articles on medical schools across the country, including the other New York medical colleges listed above.

Sources

All sources were checked on October 18, 2026.

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, M.D. Program 2026-2027 Applicant Guide (accreditation, enrollment, curriculum, global health, degree programs, housing, 2026-2027 tuition and fees).
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, M.D. Admissions Requirements.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Application Timeline, How to Apply and Applicant Checklist pages.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Admissions Interviews.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, M.D. Admissions Statistics (“All data is from 2024”) and Match Day Results (2026).
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Cost of Attendance for M.D. Students and Gottesman Scholarship Fund.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, M.D. Curriculum, Preclerkship Phase, Clinical Phase, Scholarly Impact and Research Program, Service Learning, Learning Communities and Training Locations pages.
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine, About, Our Story, Deans, Executives and Directors, Einstein-CUNY M.D./M.P.H., Pathway Programs and MSTP pages.
• Einstein Division of Critical Care, Medical Student Rotation page.
• Secondary prompt wording for 2026-2027: Med School Insiders and Accepted current-cycle prompt lists, checked October 18, 2026.
• Alumni: National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research profile (Andrea B. Apolo); Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons profile (Rudolph L. Leibel); published biographies (Howard Dean, Raymond V. Damadian).
• AAMC, Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students.
• AAMC, Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), Albert Einstein College of Medicine profile, 2026 edition (2025 entering class applications, interviews, matriculants, MCAT and GPA medians, premedical experiences and demographics; deposit, waitlist and letter policies; LCME Part I-B 2024-2025 aid and debt; 2025 Graduation Questionnaire).

Class figures are labeled with their cohort throughout: the school’s admissions counts and class profile are for the 2024 entering class, MCAT and GPA medians and the application funnel by residency are for the 2025 entering class, and tuition and fees are for the 2026-2027 academic year. Facts in this guide were verified on October 18, 2026.