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College of Medicine: Requirements for Admission

You must have completed at least 90 semester credits of study from a Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) regional accreditation association (e.g., Middle States) college or university. Admissions preference is given to applicants who have earned, or will have earned, a bachelor's degree in a regionally accredited college or university. Admissions preference is also given to applicants who have completed prerequisite courses in four year colleges/universities in the United States (not in study abroad programs).

If you were educated abroad, a minimum of two full time semesters (one academic year) of college study at an accredited college/university in the United States or Canada prior to application is required. In addition, you must demonstrate English proficiency, both verbally and in writing, if your prior medium of instruction was in another language. If a substantial amount of your education has been completed abroad, or if you have completed science prerequisites abroad, you are required to submit a course by course educational credentials evaluation from an approved agency, such as World Educational Services, to enable the Committee on Admissions to assess prior academic performance. A list of approved agencies is available from the Office of Admissions from National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.

Prerequisite courses required for entrance into SUNY Downstate Medical Center include:

Courses Semester credits
English* 6
General Biology or Zoology including labs 8
General Physics including labs 8
General or Inorganic Chemistry including labs 8
Organic Chemistry including labs 8
* In general, the Committee does not accept English courses taken abroad to fulfill the English admission requirement. Courses which have the English department prefix are accepted to fulfill the English requirement. If you have an interdisciplinary course or if your college or university accepts other courses to fulfill writing or English requirements, please include a letter from your college stating this information attached to your Supplemental Application form.

 

The Committee on Admissions looks favorably on a program of study that includes at least one year of college mathematics and advanced science subjects. A course in biochemistry is strongly recommended. Other desirable courses include anatomy, physiology, histology, cell biology or neuroscience. The Admissions Committee also seeks individuals who have a demonstrated commitment to community/social service outreach activities.

Do we accept AP credits for our prerequisites?

If your undergraduate college accepted AP credits and have posted them on your transcript, we will also accept your AP credits to fulfill our prerequisites. However, in order to be considered competitive for admission, the Admissions Committee will want to see advanced level science course work equivalent to the number of credit hours which have been accepted for AP prerequisites.

New York State Residency

You do not have to be a New York State Resident to apply for admission or to be considered for acceptance.

Once you are accepted for admission, you may be required to submit an application and documentation for New York State Residency for Tuition rates. If you are required to submit such documentation or should you wish to apply for New York State Residency status for tuition, click here.