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How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in SUNY Upstate Medical University! Please click on each item for step-by-step instructions.

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Required Courses

We require the following prerequisite courses:

  • General Biology I & II w/labs
  • General Chemistry I & II w/labs
  • Organic Chemistry I w/lab
  • Biochemistry*
  • General Physics I & II w/labs**
  • Writing/Composition
  • English elective
  • Statistics*** (3hrs)

- Applicants should avoid taking more than one or two prerequisite science courses during the summer and avoid taking them at community colleges.

- Applicants can apply without having completed all the prerequisites however, if accepted, it would be on the condition that any outstanding required courses be successfully completed prior to enrolling.

* Organic Chemistry II will not meet the Biochemistry prerequisite.

** While it is recommended, we do not require your Physics courses be calculus-based unlike other medical schools.

*** Calculus will not meet the statistics prerequisite.

Applying to Medical School

Upstate Medical University, like nearly all accredited medical schools in the United States, participates in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).

You must complete the AMCAS application online at www.amcas.org and submit it to AMCAS along with your official college transcripts and MCAT scores. AMCAS will forward your application to Upstate.

Deadline for submitting the AMCAS application is October 15th.

Submit a SUNY Upstate Medical University Secondary Application

Once your application is received from AMCAS, a link to the Secondary application will be sent you. The supplemental Application must be submitted to Upstate Medical University along with a $110.00 application fee by December 1. If you have received and FAP Fee Waiver through AMCAS, you will have an opportunity to upload it through your application, so that we may process your waiver. If you do not upload it through the application, it is your responsibility to ensure it is sent to apply@upstate.edu before the deadline. 

SUNY Upstate is proud to waive the Upstate application fee for US Veterans and/or Active Duty Military! Instructions on how to submit a waiver are provided within the application. If you have any questions regarding this waiver, please email apply@upstate.edu and indicate your program of interest.

Submit Letters of Recommendation

SUNY Upstate Medical University participates in the AMCAS Letter of Recommendation Service. Appropriate letters of recommendation must be submitted to AMCAS by December 1. All letters must be submitted directly to AMCAS.

For more information visit the Letters of Recommendation page. 

Incomplete Applications

Missing information emails will be sent every two weeks to let students know what is needed to complete their application.

Complete Applications

Once an application is complete students will receive an email letting them know that their application is complete and will be reviewed by the College of Medicine Admissions Committee. When the review is complete, applicants will be notified by email as to the status of their application.

Invitation to Interview

Every week an email will be sent to anyone who is being invited for an interview. The email will instruct you to go to a calendar and select an available interview date.

Interview Day

The format will be two traditional interviews, roughly 20-25 minutes each, with a faculty member or admissions committee member and a student.

Admissions Committee

Following the interview, applications are sent on to the College of Medicine Admissions Committee. The committee is made up of faculty, students, alumni, local physicians and SUNY Upstate administrators. The Admissions Committee is looking for well rounded students with strong academic records and MCAT scores, good clinical experiences, personal statements and extracurricular activities.

Decisions

Students will be notified of the Committee's Decision within four to six weeks of their interview date. One of the following decisions will be made for each interviewed applicant:

A. Accept:
Students will receive an email and/or a phone call that they have been accepted. Official acceptance letters and other relevant information will be mailed out. Once students have paid their deposit, they will receive an email with information on how to log onto MyUpstate.
B. High Priority Alternate:
Students placed on the high priority alternate list may be called at anytime, up to and including the day of registration. The admissions office does not release information regarding individual placement on the alternate list. This is an active list of applicants that are prioritized for receiving acceptances throughout the remainder of the application and acceptance cycle. Depending on the year, the number of applicants pulled from this list will vary so we may not be able to extend offers to any or all alternates.
C. Hold Alternate:
The Hold Alternate list is our 2nd Alternate list and is not an active alternate list. We have not pulled students off of this list in several years.
D. Reject:
Students who are not accepted by the admissions committee will receive an email.

You have been admitted

Once you have been admitted and paid a deposit, you will have access to your financial aid award, health clearance forms, orientation materials, registration and housing information through MyUpstate.

You will also be invited to attend the 2nd Visit Day offered at Upstate Medical University. On this day you will have mini-presentations about the curriculum, student affairs, campus activities, and even get a chance to see what it is like in our clinical skills and anatomy labs. There will also be a student panel to answer any questions that you may have. It will provide you with an opportunity to decide if SUNY Upstate Medical University is the right medical school for you!


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