This research-focused accelerated medical program allows students to earn a B.S. and an M.D. in seven years. Students spend three years at Rensselaer (in our School of Science) followed by four years at Albany Medical College, with no MCAT requirement. Due to the nature of the program, students enrolled in the accelerated medical program are not able to dual or double major.
Specific questions about the Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program may be directed to physician-scientist@rpi.edu.
How to Apply
Apply through the admissions office by November 1 of your senior year in high school. This program is open to all U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents (international students, including Canadian citizens, may not apply to the Physician-Scientist program). This program is not open to transfer students.
Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program - Applicant Information
Testing Requirements
Applicants to the Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program should submit official scores from EITHER the SAT or the ACT.
- The writing portion is NOT required for either exam.
- Self-reported scores will not be accepted for accelerated program applicants.
- We cannot accept test scores later than the November test date for applicants to the Physician-Scientist Program. Students taking the November exam should indicate so on their application and have their scores rush sent to Rensselaer.
Application Frequently Asked Questions
The annual application deadline for this program is November 1. Please note that you cannot apply Early Decision/Early Action to the Physician-Scientist Program, and the application is non-binding. All applications must be made complete by November 10 in order to be considered.
There is no separate application for the program. You must use the Common App and select the "Regular Decision" option. You must select “Physician-Scientist Program-B.S./M.D.” as your major on your application. Students may not apply to the accelerated medical program using the Coalition Application or the Candidate’s Choice Application.
Please be advised that Albany Medical College will consider applicants to only ONE of their three combined degree programs. Dual applications will not be considered - applicants who apply to more than one of Albany Medical College's joint programs will be administratively withdrawn by AMC. AMC also offers program through Union College and Siena College.
You may apply to other schools, including other B.S./M.D. programs, with the exception of the Union and Siena combined programs.
Students applying for this program will be prompted for a program-specific essay (state your reasons for aspiring to a career in medicine) when they complete the Common App. The essay should be approximately 500-750 words. Please note that this is referred to as a writing supplement within the Common App system, and is a separate submission alongside the Common App.
No - as per Albany Medical College, applicants to the Physician-Scientist Program must submit official scores from either the SAT or the ACT.
All standardized tests must be taken by the November test date. It is recommended that students taking the November test have their scores rush sent to Rensselaer. Self-reported scores will not be accepted for applicants to this program.
Applicants should meet the basic requirements for admission to Rensselaer, which include three years of science (including biology, chemistry and lab-based physics) and four years of mathematics through pre-calculus (calculus recommended).
Since this accelerated program is research-focused, it is highly recommended that applicants have some sort of research experience in high school, which should be clearly articulated on the application. Clinical experience is also highly recommended.
As per AMC, this program is only open to all U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents, so international students, including Canadian citizens, may not apply to the Physician-Scientist (B.S./M.D.) Program.
However, we do accept international applicants to our general programs, and you can major in almost anything at Rensselaer while preparing yourself for medical school - most students who want to pursue medical school choose something in our School of Science (often biology or chemistry). Interested students may enlist the assistance of the Pre-Health Committee, a group of professors who will guide students interested in medical school (or other health professions) through their four years, making sure they are putting themselves in the best position possible when it comes time to apply to the professional school of their choice. Questions about the advising process may be addressed to prehealth@rpi.edu.
No, you may only apply to one of our programs. However, if your application meets our admission requirements but is not referred to Albany Medical College for further consideration (or if it is referred but you are not ultimately admitted to the B.S./M.D. program), we may give you an opportunity to be considered for another major. If this is the case, you'd be notified by email to complete a brief supplemental form and indicate which major you'd like to be considered for. Once that is complete, you'd receive a final decision notification at the same time as our Regular Decision applicants in early March.
Due to the nature of the program, students enrolled in the accelerated medical program are not able to dual or double major.
Rensselaer will review the applications and refer qualified students to Albany Medical College (AMC), who will prompt the referred students to submit a supplemental AMC application. Following the supplemental application review, AMC will select students for an interview (usually in January, February, or March). From that pool of interviewed students, AMC will make offers of admission to the program. The application review process is lengthy and notification typically begins by early April.
