Guide to Get into Columbia Medical School: Requirements | Acceptance Rate

Columbia University is, alongside Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, one of the most famous institutes in the United States. And the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is considered by many as one of the country’s top medical schools too.

So, how hard is it to get into Columbia Medical School?

Because Columbia Medical School is one of the best medical schools, it might seem an impossible task to apply and be accepted into the program of Columbia medical school.

However, we’ve put together a complete guide for how to get into Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

The history of the Columbia medical school dates back more than 250 years, and it was the first medical school to grant the M.D degree in the American colonies. Columbia University medical school located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in Washington Heights, Manhattan.

The college was renamed Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2017. Before that, it was known as the Medical Department of Columbia College.

Columbia medical school is guided by the principle that medical education is university education. To this day, Vagelos College has three Nobel Prizes, twenty-one alumni as members of the National Academy of Sciences, and forty-nine as members of the National Academy of Medicine.

Columbia Medical School provides international leadership in training physicians, physician-scientists, and research scientists; caring for patients, from those who can choose any physician in the world to the most vulnerable residents of our neighborhoods; and conducting basic, translational, and population-based research to improve human health.

Fast Facts

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the most research-intensive medical schools in the nation and is consistently ranked as one of the best medical schools in the country.

Columbia Medical School attracts students with idealistic values and the highest aspirations for excellence. The average MCAT scores and GPA of students are among the highest in the US.

Columbia Medical School ranking

According to the Best Universities ranking list issued by the US news, Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #3 in the best Universities in the U.S.

Columbia Medical School ranks #4 in Research-oriented medical schools and #66 in Patient Care oriented medical schools.

Columbia Medical School also ranks high in the following fields:

VP&S is also considered one of the best Medical colleges in Pediatrics and Radiology.

Faculty-student ratio

The Columbia Medical college has an enrollment of 585 and has 2,247 full-time staff, which gives Columbia University Vagelos College a faculty-student ratio of 3.8:1.

Application deadline

The Application deadline to apply for Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is Oct. 15.

• READ: When is It Too Late to Apply to Medical Schools?

Columbia Medical School Admission requirements and acceptance rate

Although Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the best medical schools in the United States, hundreds of students entered this Medical School to begin their medical journey every year.

So, no matter how hard it is to get into Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, you still have a chance to get into this top medical school to begin your medical journey.

Tuition and admission statistics of Columbia Medical School

The important thing is to know more exactly the admission requirements and acceptance rate of the medical school you are applying for.

MCAT score required to get into Columbia Medical school

Learn from the Columbia University Medical School class profile, the average MCAT score of students matriculated into Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is 521.

This means you need to get an MCAT score of around 130 in each section. It’s a very hard task for most applicants. (To learn more about MCAT test)

The average MCAT score just below the average MCAT score of Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and equal to the average MCAT score of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

These high-ranking scores mean that Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the most competitive medical schools in the United States, you need to get a higher MCAT score.

Note: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons accepts the MCAT score got within four years prior to applying for the 2021 application cycle.

GPA required to get into Columbia Medical School

The college has accepted the new Pass/Fail system and will evaluate each student individually to see if they meet their requirements.

This means that you will need to have had at least A’s and B’s in all your science courses through your bachelor’s degree. Anything below a C will mean that you have not met the required grades to apply.

According to the Columbia Medical School class profile, the average GPA of the applicants accepted by Columbia medical school is 3.9. It’s also a rather high GPA, which means a highly competitive.

• READ: The average MCAT and GPA of NYU School of Medicine

What is the Columbia medical school acceptance rate?

Although most sources put the acceptance rate of Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at 3.5%, it’s out of date. The real acceptance rate of Columbia medical school is lower than that.

When it comes to the acceptance rate of Columbia medical school, we can know the approximate acceptance rate from the MD Applications for the Class of 2024 released by Columbia medical school.

MD Applications Statistic Data for Class of 2024

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons received 7,297 applications for the class of 2024, of that number only 870 were interviewed, and only 140 were accepted into Columbia medical school.

This means the recent acceptance rate of Columbia medical school is about 1.9%. It’s a rather low acceptance rate of medical school compared to the top 10 medical schools in the United States.

• READ: More Admission Statistical Data of Medical Schools

Columbia Medical School tuition

The tuition of Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University for each academic year is $64,868, without taking into consideration student fees and other expenses.

• READ: How much is the tuition of Harvard Medical School?

Additional requirements

At the time of application, a minimum of three full academic years must have been completed at a regionally accredited university in the United States or Canada.

All applicants must have completed the following courses:

All prerequisite courses must have been completed within 10 years of your application.

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons recommends the following courses:

Additionally, all applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and three academic years at an accredited school in the United States or Canada.

Degrees and Programs Available at Columbia medical school

MD Program

The M.D program combines basic science and clinical medicine with humanism and professionalism. This combination creates a solid and flexible curriculum that will help you to achieve your career goals.

It is a four-year program that will allow you to explore every medical field and expose you to the most advanced research technologies in the world.

It is divided into three phases:

M.D Dual Degrees and Especial Programs

Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons offers you the opportunity to apply for different dual degree programs:

This is just a sample of the many dual degrees that you can pursue at the college.

Program in Genetic Counseling

The Columbia medical school Genetic Counseling Graduate Program is designed to help students become leaders in genetic and genomic health care.

It consists of 21 months where you will be exposed to the ethical and scientific considerations of working with genes with an innovative and challenging curriculum. 

Programs in Human Nutrition

The Institute of Human Nutrition provides outstanding academic and professional education on human nutrition with the goal of increasing understanding of the role of nutrition in health and disease.

Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons offers the possibility of achieving two different degrees in the field of Human Nutrition through a competitive program.

The degrees are the following:

There are many other degrees and programs, such as PhDs in Biomedical Sciences, Programs in Occupational Therapy, Programs in Physical Therapy, Additional Master’s Degree Programs, available on Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Choice one is suitable for you to work for it.

Website: ps.columbia.edu

Columbia University in the City of New York

Columbia University was founded in New York City in 1754 as King’s College. It is one of the oldest private universities. The university is divided into 21 colleges and is located between 112th and 113th Streets on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

The most noteworthy features of the school are its top five US news rankings for several years in a row and its excellent location.

Columbia’s student-professor ratio has been stable over the years, remaining at 6:1 since 2010, with a strong faculty.

Because in New York, all dreams can come true. Not only does New York have great transportation, convenient living, and job opportunities, but Columbia is an unbeatable university in every way compared to other Ivy League schools that are slightly less well-located. Students can adjust their majors according to their preferences and can develop their life possibilities according to their interests.

Columbia’s graduate program in financial engineering is known as the magic seven of gold engineering, and its business school and MBA program are coveted by many. Columbia is also known for its School of International Public Relations and its journalism program.

However, Columbia is not an engineering-based institution, but the pressure to study is not small, so students must be determined to study hard.

Many articles describe Columbia’s sleep schedule as sensational, but if you want to be the best of the best, it’s not enough to sacrifice sleep.

If you want to master as many majors of interest as possible during your time at school, you may want to talk to your student teachers. Columbia will allow you to take as many classes as you want as long as they are related to your major.

Final thoughts

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons is one of the most competitive and prestigious medical schools in the United States.

So, if your dream is to be part of a medical school that is focused on developing professionals in all medical fields, then Columbia medical school is the right choice for you. There you will learn the human and the scientific side of medicine, making you one of tomorrow’s most prepared doctors.

However, the one thing you should know is to apply for better medical schools, the competition is stronger. So, you need to work harder.