Apply to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program
At Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), our team is committed to the education of physicians for the 21st century and the ever-changing healthcare environment.
Our MD Program is unique, and our curriculum arises from our mission. We believe that medical education should be a seamless continuum over four years, integrating knowledge of basic scientific concepts, early clinical experience and patient care, self-directed learning, teamwork, and medical and non-medical activities for the greater community’s benefit.
We believe that the design and continued evaluation of our curriculum will foster physicians who will commit to lifelong learning and provide care that is compassionate, evidenced-based, and improves not only the health of the individual, but of the community.
The application process for our MD Program is outlined below.
Application Process
Step One: AMCAS Application, MCAT and the AAMC Professional Readiness Exam (AAMC PREview™)
Applicants to CMSRU are required to apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). To submit an application, visit AMCAS at www.aamc.org/students/amcas. CMSRU will not review incomplete or unverified AMCAS applications. A Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score must be submitted for most applicants (an exception to this is the no MCAT option of the PULSE Pathway). For matriculation to CMSRU in the fall semester of 2023, the MCAT must have been taken between January, 2019 and September, 2022. Applicants can register for the MCAT by visiting the AMCAS website.
Beginning with the 2023 application cycle, applicants to CMSRU are highly recommended to take the Association of American Medical Colleges Professional Readiness Exam (AAMC PREviewTM). It is believed that this examination will further enhance our holistic review process and assess the pre-professional competencies that our admissions committee believes are essential for success in medical school and for meeting the needs of patients.
Early Decision Program: CMSRU participates in the AAMC Early Decision Program (EDP). This program is ideal for students who have decided that CMSRU is their school of choice for obtaining their medical education. Candidates applying for early decision must submit their AMCAS application by August 1 of the application year. To be considered eligible for early decision, candidates must meet the following academic requirements: 1) undergraduate overall grade point average ≥ 3.5, 2) undergraduate science GPA ≥ 3.6, and 3) MCAT total score ≥ 507. In accordance with AMCAS guidelines, all early decision candidates will be notified of their acceptance status by September 30 of the application year. This will allow candidates, who are not admitted, the opportunity to submit their application to other medical schools.
Step Two: Secondary Application
All completed and verified AMCAS applications to CMSRU (including transcripts, MCAT scores and letters of recommendation*) undergo initial screening for evidence of academic readiness and match to the CMSRU mission. Based on this screening and, in an effort to decrease the financial burden associated with the medical school application process, secondary applications** are selectively sent to applicants who meet initial screening criteria. Unverified and partial applications will not be screened.
*Please Note: All letters of recommendation should be submitted through AMCAS Letters. CMSRU will not accept letters submitted outside of this system. CMSRU prefers, when possible, to receive a letter authored by a pre-health committee or advisor intended to represent your institution’s evaluation (many institutions extend this service to its graduates as well). This letter may include additional letters of support. If there is no pre-health committee or advisor at your school, you may submit individual letters of evaluation and recommendation through AMCAS Letter Service. We require a minimum of three letters, and we do not impose a maximum number. At least two of the letters must be from academic faculty, and applicants should always request letters from professors or supervisors who know them well.
**Please note: We do not send secondary applications to every applicant. Applications are screened on a rolling basis once they have been verified and marked complete through AMCAS. The verification process can be lengthy, and we do not forward secondary applications to anyone before we evaluate the AMCAS documents. Selected AMCAS applicants will be contacted with an invitation to complete our secondary application electronically. We will accept no paper applications. The secondary application contains questions relating to our institutional mission, requiring short written responses, as well as entry of some biographical data. Applicants will be able to access their electronic file at all times to view the application status and to see which (if any) materials are missing from the file. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that applications are complete and submitted. CMSRU will not extend deadlines for applications for any reason. All completed applications will be screened, and selected applicants will be invited to schedule an interview.
Fee/Waiver
The fee for our secondary application is $100, payable at the time of submission. Applicants who qualify for the Fee Assistance Program (FAP) through AMCAS will automatically have the secondary application fee waived.
Step Three: Interview Selection Screening
CMSRU will conduct a more in-depth holistic review of all candidates who have submitted a completed secondary application, in order to determine which candidates will be invited for an interview. Because of the number of applications received and the manual nature of this process, secondary screening may take multiple weeks to complete. Completed secondary applications are generally screened in the chronological order in which they are received.
Step Four: Interview
Select applicants will be invited to attend a virtual interview day.
Step Five: Admission Decision
During the week following their interview, each candidate will be presented to the full Admissions Committee for consideration. All decisions regarding acceptance of students rest entirely in the hands of the CMSRU faculty, under the auspices of the Admissions Committee. CMSRU utilizes a process of rolling admissions and continues to offer acceptances throughout the admissions cycle. In accordance with AMCAS guidelines, early decision applicants will be notified of their admissions decision by September 30 and regular applicants will begin to be notified of their admissions decision beginning on October 15. After October 15, candidates will generally be notified of their admissions decision within one week of their interview date.
Step Six: Acceptance and Deposit
Accepted students are required to submit a deposit within two weeks of receiving their acceptance offer, in order to secure their seat in the incoming class. This deposit is non-binding and fully refundable until April 30 of the current application year.