NYU Medical School – Acceptance Rate, Tuition, Requirements, and More

Over the past year, the world learned a lot about what we need. In particular, we’ve seen anew the importance of highly qualified and research-focused healthcare professionals. Without question, the medical field is challenging and rewarding, but it also must continue improving and innovating to meet the challenges of the future. For many, the year has been inspiring, and people all over the nation are looking for the best schools to study medicine.

According to nearly every list, the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University is one of the best medical schools in the country. Since its founding in 1831, New York University has established itself as one of the top schools not only in its state, but also in the entire United States. 

Throughout its storied history, NYU Grossman and its predecessor the NYU School of Medicine have advanced the medical field. The school was the home of the Carnegie Laboratory, the first facility in the U.S. devoted to teaching and research in bacteriology and pathology, which opened in 1883. The school hosted the nation’s first department of forensic medicine, the first department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and the first outpatient clinic. NYU has been the site of key discoveries, such as the first vaccine against hepatitis B.

Today, NYU Grossman continues this proud tradition. In addition to its first-class faculty of experienced medical professionals, the school boasts impressive facilities such as its new emergency simulation center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, created in partnership with the City University of New York. The New York Simulation Center for the Health Sciences provides training for emergency personnel, with lifelike mannequins and practice materials. 

Without question, NYU Grossman is one of the best medical schools in the country. But is it the right school for you? Read on and find out more about NYU’s Medical School.


NYU Medical School Acceptance Rate

New York University
Ajay Suresh, NYU Langone Medical Center, CC BY 2.0

As one of the best medical schools in the world, it’s no surprise that many people want to study at the Grossman School of Medicine. Future doctors from all over the world flock to New York to learn from the school’s excellent faculty and to take advantage of the cutting-edge resources the school offers. 

However, like all high-end universities, NYU Grossman does not take everybody. In fact, they tend to be highly selective when it comes to applicants. 

In the past year, 9,243 would-be students applied. Out of that group, NYU Grossman invited 10.8% to interview (999 applicants). Only 102 of the applicants received offers of admission, for an extremely narrow acceptance rate of 2.5%. That’s much lower than the rates for elite Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale. 

That’s a tough rate, but it isn’t impossible. Smart students can do several things to make themselves as attractive a candidate as possible. In particular, students can specialize to make themselves stand out. 

Specialization refers to a scholar’s areas of expertise, where they know not only the most important elements of their field but also the lesser-known and foundational parts. In the medical field, this means that applicants will not only know the fundamentals of biology and neurology, but they focus on a specialty, like pediatrics. For this kind of specialty, a student would learn about developmental stages, childhood health, and the economic struggles facing young families. 

As this description demonstrates, a strong focus means that you’re an expert. The knowledge demonstrates to people that you know what you’re talking about and have something to offer the community. With this knowledge, your application will show recruiters that you belong at NYU Grossman and will have a greater chance of being accepted. 


NYU Medical School Tuition

NYU’s Medical School tuition is free – it does not cost anything.

In 2018 the University began offering full-tuition scholarships to anyone who attends NYU Grossman. Students will still receive a bill every year, listing $58,226 owed for tuition. But the bill will also indicate a $58,266 credit, which means that students will owe zero dollars in tuition each year. 

That is a huge boon for students who get accepted into Grossman. Nearly every student, no matter which school they attend, graduates with significant educational debt, and they spend years working to pay off the money they owe to study their major. Doctors graduating from NYU go into their careers with not only exemplary experience and training but also little debt encumbering them, making them incredibly effective physicians. 

Now, just to be clear, this credit does not cover every single expense students incur to study at NYU Grossman. Because the credit applies only to tuition, students must still pay for room and board, books and supplies, and other fees.

The school estimates that students will pay $3,950 each year in fees, which can add up over the four years that most spend in the program. First-year students will pay $12,000 in housing, but they will need to pay $13,200 for housing in years two through three. Likewise, food costs are lower for first-year students, estimated at $4,000 for the year, but they go up to $4,400 for the remaining four years. 

The school estimates $2,800 in miscellaneous fees for first-year students and $3,080 a year from there on out. Finally, students can plan to pay $400 for additional educational expenses in their first and fourth years, with spikes to $860 in year two and $2,070 in year three. 

All in all, an education at NYU Grossman is not cheap. But it is not impossible either, thanks to the support the school gives its students. 


NYU Medical School Requirements

As we’ve already seen, NYU Grossman is highly selective when it comes to offering admission to prospective students. It makes these decisions based on its requirements, choosing the applicants who best meet the school’s ideal of a great Grossman student. 

At the very base level, applicants to Grossman must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or they must have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. They must also hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and have passed the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). 

Because medical students must have a firm understanding of scientific and medical concepts, as well as the ability to communicate clearly and think critically, NYU Grossman expects their applicants to have passed relevant courses. Not only should their GPA be between 3.89 and 3.93, but they must have passed courses such as inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, general physics, statistics, genetics, and English. Applicants to specific schools, such as nursing or dentistry, may have additional requirements. 

Furthermore, NYU Grossman tends to offer submission to those who do well on the MCAT. The MCAT must be taken no earlier than 2018 for students entering in Fall 2021. On average, NYU Grossman students score between 520 and 522 on the MCAT. 

However, NYU Grossman requires additional material, including letters of recommendation. While these requirements might seem to some like an unnecessary redundancy, the supplementary material does in fact work in favor of most students. With these materials, an applicant has even more chances to stand out and show the school the well-rounded student they could be.

Most know that a strong letter of recommendation should come from a professor who is respected in their field, but that’s not all of it. The recommender should not only be able to speak to your strengths and abilities (in other words, don’t ask for a letter from a professor who gave you a B in their class) but also should be someone who knows you well. 

To secure a good letter of recommendation, one should start early. Figure out which professors have strong reputations in the field into which you plan to enter and take steps to work with them. Take several classes with them and volunteer with them to establish a working relationship. And of course, be sure to earn good grades in their classes. 


NYU Medical School Notable Alumni

As one might expect, a school as old and respected as NYU Grossman has built an impressive list of alumni. Some of the best doctors in the world have learned their trade at NYU Grossman, leaving the school to make monumental accomplishments in healthcare. 

Some of these alumni include researchers who discovered cures to some of the deadliest diseases of their day. Before lending his name to the famed government hospital, Major Walter Reed earned an M.D. from NYU in 1870. Thirty-one years later, he would discover the cure for yellow fever and become the country’s first bacteriologist. Jonas Salk matriculated from NYU Grossman in 1939, gaining the knowledge and experience he would need to discover the cure for polio in 1955. In 1973, Linda Laubenstein graduated from NYU and began work on epidemics, becoming one of the first physicians in the United States to identify the connection between AIDS and Kaposi’s sarcoma. 

Over the years, NYU Grossman has continued to produce equally impressive medical professionals. 1955 NYU graduate Eric Kandel won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2000 and currently serves as Senior Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. After graduating in 1968, neurologist Aaron Miller became the first chairman of the Multiple Sclerosis section of the American Academy of Neurology. 

Not all of NYU’s most famous alumni went on to careers in medicine. For example, 1958 graduate Norman Orentriechmay have become the first president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, but he’s better known for creating the Clinique line for beauty company Estee Lauder. 

As you might expect, this list represents only a small sample of the outstanding medical professionals who graduated from NYU Grossman. For every single person identified here, there are hundreds who went on to improve the lives of people in their community, without getting famous. 


NYU Medical School Ranking

As you might expect, NYU Grossman sits among the best and most respected schools in the world. The highly respected U.S. News & World Report places Grossman at number two in the nation for its research, behind only the School of Medicine at Harvard University. The magazine ranks Grossman at number nine in anesthesiology and number ten in internal medicine (tied with Geffen School of Medicine at University of California – Los Angeles). 

These numbers fall in line with NYU’s overall rankings. According to U.S. News, NYU is tied with fine schools such as Tufts University, University of Florida, and the University of California – Santa Barbara for the 30th spot in best universities in the nation. 

According to Washington Monthly, NYU is the 40th best school in the nation for its research agenda, a ranking earned in no small part due to the work of Grossman’s staff. Niche.com gives NYU an A+ grade, citing its excellent academics, value, and diversity. Niche also gives the school high marks for other factors, including placing at #3 on a list of Best College Locations in America, #7 in Most Diverse Colleges in America, and #8 for Best Big Colleges in America. 

Grossman directly contributes to two of the school’s highest rankings from Niche.com, namely #7 in Best Colleges for Nursing in America and #9 for Best Colleges for Public Health in America. 

NYU Grossman earns these accolades thanks to its excellent history and resources. Every one of these lists praises the school as a home for first-class research, in which some of the brightest minds in the medical field find an innovative new way to improve wellness. Additionally, these lists give NYU Grossman high rankings because of its tuition credit system and its support staff. Both of these elements give students their best chance to succeed in their careers by avoiding student debt and establishing networking connections. 


Should You Attend NYU Grossman School of Medicine?

As this article has shown, NYU Grossman is one of the best medical schools in the nation. Anyone who studies medicine at Grossman will have all of the skills and connections they need to have a fruitful career. 

But is it the school for you? To figure that out, you’ll need to ask yourself a few questions. 

Do you have a drive for excellence? Do you want to work with state-of-the-art resources? Do you want to advance in the medical field? 

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then NYU Grossman would probably be a great choice for you. But there’s one more question that you need to ask, one that’s just as important but a little scarier. 

Are you one of the best pre-med students in your undergrad program? 

Because of its generous tuition credit program, NYU Grossman accepts very few people into its medical program. Unsurprisingly, it chooses that group only among the best and the brightest. 

The ideal Grossman student enters the university with a proven record of excellence in their undergrad studies, complete with evidence of specialized expertise. They can be prepared for a rigorous educational experience, but one that’s supported by first-rate resources and an outstanding student body.