NJMS Accelerated BS/MD Program FAQs

Now in its 30th year, the Albert Dorman Honors College (ADHC) at NJIT has maintained the longest standing articulation agreement with Rutgers (formerly UMDNJ) New Jersey Medical School (NJMS).  Our program offers easy access to both NJMS and NYC, outstanding research and clinical opportunities, a student-centered faculty, and multiple levels of advising and support. Following three years at NJIT, students in this program spend four additional years at NJMS (7 years total) studying medicine. The NJIT bachelor’s degree is awarded following successful completion of the first year of medical school at NJMS, unless a student has completed all undergraduate credit requirements prior to enrolling at NJMS (which is often the case).

NJIT is one of the nation's leading public STEM research universities.  In the most recent edition of the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings, NJIT ranked # 86 in the “National Universities” category.  Additionally, we ranked #1 nationally in student economic upward mobility, as reported by Forbes. We offer the resources of a major public research university (our research expenditures are in excess of $160M/yr., along with small campus intimacy and a student-centered faculty. NJIT is a “R1 Research University,” the highest research classification for universities in the United States. Only two other universities in the state of New Jersey and only 131 nationally have this designation.   Recently, as part of the “NJ R1 Research University Partnership”, NJIT with Rutgers-New Brunswick, and Princeton,  received $29M in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://news.njit.edu/nj-r1-research-university-partnership-awarded-29-million-grant-translational-research-institute).

Each year, we receive hundreds of applications from students interested in this program. Below is information on the number of students in the various stages of the application process in 2022/2023:

Yes, if you fulfill all academic requirements, you will automatically be "promoted" to the medical school phase of the program following your third year at NJIT.

Following successful completion of the first year of medical school (at the latest), the bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts, depending upon the major) is conferred by NJIT. Following completion of the seventh total year in the program, the Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree is conferred by New Jersey Medical School.

While NJIT has become test-optional for admission to the university, the admissions requirements for the BS/MD program are dictated by the Admissions Committee at New Jersey Medical School(NJMS) and not NJIT Admissions.  NJMS requires reporting of at least one SAT or ACT score to be considered for admission to the program.

To be considered, an applicant must have a minimum SAT composite score of 1490, ACT composite score of 33. These scores MUST be from one test date, i.e. "super-scores" will not be considered. These are the minimum requirements and, on average, the students admitted to the program each have scores well above these minimums.  For example, the median SAT score was 1550 and the median ACT score was 35 among interviewed applicants for Fall 2022 enrollment.

1. If you are interested and possess the prerequisite academic credentials, apply to the NJIT/NJMS BS/MD program through the Common Application (link to: commonapp.org). There is no longer a paper application. NOTE: On the Common Application, you must first complete the application to the Albert Dorman Honors College in order apply to the accelerated programs.

2. Your completed Common Application, including application to the Albert Dorman Honors College (ADHC) and the accelerated BS/MD program, must be submitted by the November 1 application deadline. Both the ADHC and accelerated applications require a short essay.  The most competitive applicants realize that these essays are excellent opportunities to “speak” to our admissions committees and devote significant time and effort.  HINT for Accelerated Essay: This essay should not be viewed as an opportunity to simply summarize your resume in paragraph form.  We are less interested in how many hours you volunteered at this club or that organizations and more interested in how your involvement in these clubs and organizations have sowed and matured your passions and interests.  Our most competitive applicants are often able to articulate their motivation/passion for a career in healthcare without listing any healthcare-related extracurricular activities.

3. We holistically review all completed Common Applications received by the application deadline and invite the most competitive applicants to interview with representatives of our ADHC Accelerated Pre-Health Committee.  If you are invited to interview, which will take place in November-December, you should be proud because you have already distinguished yourself. Based on the results of your interview and the overall holistic review of your application, the Honors Accelerated Pre-Health committee meets to develop a list of students whom we believe warrant further consideration by NJMS Admissions Committee and we forward that list to them accordingly.  Regardless of whether we elect to forward your application, we will inform you of our decision in your application portal. NOTE: Your application to ADHC is linked to your application to the NJMS BS/MD program but your ADHC admissions decision is independent of your NJMS BS/MD program admissions decision. Therefore, you will likely receive a letter updating you of the status of your ADHC application sometime in November through January.  In order to be further considered for the NJMS BS/MD program, you must be admitted unconditionally to ADHC.

4. Once we forward our list of preferred applicants to NJMS for further consideration, all BS/MD admissions decisions are made exclusively by the NJMS Admissions Committee.  Once they receive yours application package from us, they perform their own evaluation process. As part of this process, they may invite you to the NJMS campus for an in-person interview with a member of the NJMS Admissions Committee.  If chosen for an interview at NJMS, they will schedule an interview time with you directly. If NJMS declines to interview you, your candidacy for admission to the NJMS 7-year combined BS/MD program has reached its conclusion.  

5. If, at any point, NJMS Admissions declines to further consider your application, you are no longer considered a candidate for the NJMS BS/MD program.  That information is communicated back to us and, unfortunately, must then notify you of this decision. However, we firmly believe that when one door closes another opens and we would welcome the opportunities to discuss other pathways with you.

6. Our observations from prior years suggest that the interviews with the NJMS Admissions Committee generally take place between mid-January and the end of March each year.  Our observations suggest that NJMS does not evaluate or interview applicants in any particular order. If invited for an interview, you will most-likely be interviewing with a tenured faculty member (either clinical or research) and the interview scheduling is probably dependent upon his/her clinical/laboratory schedules.  During this phase, no news is considered good news, so if you haven’t received notification from us to the contrary, you are still being considered. We keep a laser focus on all of the applicants that we referred to NJMS and we routinely advocate on their behalf. Rest assured, we are aware of many instances in which an applicant was interviewed at the end of March and learned of his/her acceptance to the program only days later!

7. Upon interviewing all selected applicants, the NJMS Admissions Committee meets to make their final admissions decisions. The list of acceptances is generally forwarded to NJIT by April 1 and we notify all applicants of their application status shortly thereafter.  You will only receive notification of your acceptance from the undergraduate institution.

No, not by any means!  While strong prior academic performance, as measured by standardized tests and GPA is a factor, it is only one factor considered.  Every application that we receive undergoes a holistic review process to determine potential suitability for admission to both the NJMS BS/MD program and the Albert Dorman Honors College.  Above all, we seek applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to serving their communities, as well as broader engagement with clubs, varsity sports, or other extracurricular activities.  Observations from prior years' admissions decisions at the NJMS-level also suggest that some form of clinical experience (physician shadowing, hospital volunteering, EMT, etc.) is an important component to the application.  However, exceptional applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of prior clinical experience.

In evaluating your application, we use a holistic approach that emphasizes fairness.  As our application requires two letters of recommendation, we will only consider two letters during the initial assessment of the application.  Accordingly, we strongly suggest that you limit the number of letters you initially submit with the Common Application to two.  If you initially choose to submit more than two letters of recommendation, we will only consider the first two letters of recommendation that we find in your application package.  It is important to note that our admissions CRM populates letters in the application package in a seemingly random manner.  We strongly recommend that one of your letters of recommendation come from your school counselor.  For the other letter, we recommend that it come from a teacher (regardless of subject) or other professional who can best articulate your preparedness to undertake a rigorous academic program.

Without exception, the deadline is November 1 of the year preceding entry into the program. In general, this deadline means that student will apply in the fall of their Senior year in high school. When applying via the Common Application, please select 'Early Action' under the preferred admission plan.

No. Because the BS/MD admissions decisions are made by the NJMS Admission Committee exclusively, there is not an appeals process. There is also no "wait list" for this program.

No. This program is ONLY open to high school seniors. There is no exception to this rule.  However, there are exciting opportunities available to NJIT students after a minimum of one year of enrollment.

Yes.  However, interested students are generally considered for these programs after their matriculation to NJIT.  We strongly encourage you to initially apply to the program that most-appropriately corresponds to the merits of your application. We currently have articulation agreements with four other medical schools, which students can apply to after matriculation at NJIT through our Honors Pre-Health Scholars Program:

1. Ponce Health Science University in Ponce, Puerto Rico is a domestic (U.S.) medical education program that has been accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) since the 1970's.

2. New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) College of Osteopathic Medicine offers an early-interview assurance program for our students.

3. Saint George's University in Grenada is one of the most well-known and successful offshore ("Caribbean") medical education programs.

4. American University of Antigua is also a well-known and successful offshore ("Caribbean") medical education programs.

Yes. While all Honors scholars receive a generous financial aid package, students in this program generally receive our most generous financial aid packages. Additionally, there are several opportunities on campus for students to earn a stipend for research and other activities. NOTE: we only provide financial aid for the undergraduate phase of this program. All questions regarding specific financial aid scenarios should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid Services (finaid@njit.edu).

Yes, but with certain restrictions and the applicability of those exams will vary by your chosen major. Final determination can only be made after the student matriculates and their transcript has been reviewed by their academic advisor. Upon matriculation, your academic advisor will explain which courses are applicable to your degree requirements. Policies for awarding AP or IB credit may be found at http://www.njit.edu/admissions/docs/NJIT_AP_CREDIT_POLICY.pdf.

• First and foremost, just be yourself!

• It’s okay and even encouraged to bring up topics of conversation that are unrelated to the field of medicine or healthcare.  We seek dynamic, engaging applicants who think creatively and want to break the mold.

• If your brain goes blank at some point in the interview, ask for a moment, compose yourself, and then go on to answer the question.  We appreciate the ability to adapt and overcome and not let that stumble disrupt your entire interview.

• We believe that it is important for you to immerse yourself in a variety of possible careers during high school.  Try to shadow other members of the healthcare team (dentists, physical therapists, physician’s assistant, audiologist, etc.) for a day or two.  Also, investigate other possible professions, such as teaching, engineering, management, etc. These diverse experiences will certainly help when asked the inevitable question of “why medicine”?

• Last, but perhaps most importantly, if you have questions about anything whatsoever, please feel free to share them with your interviewer.  We sincerely care about you future and want you to succeed.

NJMS Accelerated Program B.S./M.D interviews will be conducted in person at the Albert Dorman Honors College Building at 156 - 182 Warren Street, Newark NJ 07102.

Yes, we welcome applications from out-of-state students. This program is open to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents regardless of their state (or country) of residence at the time of application. As far as we are aware, there is no preference given to in-state students by the NJMS Admissions Committee.  We strongly encourage all applicants to visit http://njit.edu/visit. You may find this information about local airports and hotels helpful:

Airports:

EWR: Newark-Liberty International Airport- located (partially) within the city of Newark  

JFK: John F. Kennedy International Airport- located in Queens, NY, which is about 45-60 minutes to campus by car or bus.

LGA; La Guardia Airport- located in Queens, NY, which is about 45-60 minutes to campus by car or bus.

Hotels:

Please visit: http://www.njit.edu/about/local-accommodations

Yes, but please be aware that, without exception, you must be either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.

In order to be eligible for entry into the medical school phase of the program, students must take the MCAT, but there is no minimum score requirement.  Further, students must achieve a grade of B or better in all premedical courses and maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.5 each semester. Additionally, students in this program must fulfill all the requirements of the Albert Dorman Honors College prior to matriculation at NJMS.

Yes!  In fact, the faculty and staff of the Albert Dorman Honors College firmly believe that early involvement in high impact research is a vital component of an honors education. Research experiences and publications are an important consideration for some competitive residencies. Therefore, we encourage students to get involved with research as early as possible (as early as your first week on campus).

Our Honors Scholars are always in high demand as research assistants in labs around campus and it is not unusual for many of our students to begin research as freshmen. The NJIT Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) program (https://centers.njit.edu/uri/programs/index.php) was established to specifically support and promote undergraduate research through a variety of mechanisms; NJIT has devoted $3M+ supporting undergraduate research since 2015!

Within the Albert Dorman Honors College, we offer additional funding to support our scholars’ research throughout the year, and funded positions in our Honors Summer Research Institute.  You can read about the Honors Summer Research Institute here: http://honors.njit.edu/summer-research-institute/ and here: https://news.njit.edu/honors-college-debuts-program-promoting-undergraduate-research/

As of August 2019, NJIT faculty members are currently receiving approximately $4.4M in research funding from the National Institutes of Health.  As an ADHC Scholar, you will most certainly have the opportunity to participate in high-impact research projects from your first day on campus.  Our faculty members go to great lengths to include ADHC scholars in their labs, publications, and presentations.  For example, many of our undergraduate students choose to pursue research with the NJIT Center for Injury Biomechanics, Materials, and Medicine (CIBM3)  In fact, in the Spring 2019 semester, the CIBM3 faculty actively recruited ADHC Scholars and almost 20 student, including many BS/MD program participants, served as undergraduate research assistants in CIBM3 labs.  For more information about CIBM3 and their research, please visit their website at http://centers.njit.edu/cibm3/ ; be sure to also check out Honors alumnus Dr. Matt Kuriakose explaining his research with CIBM3 to the Discovery Channel: https://youtu.be/nLvLrKqLZio   

Finally, the close proximity of our campus to the NJMS campus (~5 min. walk) affords ADHC scholars the opportunity to join research projects on the NJMS campus, and our NJIT-NJMS accelerated BS/MD program students are invited to participate in the NJMS Summer Student Research Program (intended for first- and second-year medical students) while still an undergraduate at NJIT.

No, we actually encourage our students to think outside the boundaries of the “traditional pre-med majors”. With a few exceptions (such as architecture) students in the NJMS program can choose a major interests them the most and allows them to transition to the medical school phase of the program in three year. In fact, we do not necessarily endorse one major over another for this program. The most common majors for accelerated pre-medical students have been Biology; Biochemistry; Biophysics; Science, Technology, and Society; and Biomedical Engineering.

The decision to require the MCAT is made by NJMS and not the undergraduate institution. As NJMS states on their website: “Although not used to determine admission, the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) must be taken by the end of the spring semester prior to matriculation. Promotion to the medical school is contingent upon achieving grades of B or better in all premedical courses and maintaining an overall grade point average of at least 3.5 each semester.”  http://njms.rutgers.edu/admissions/programs_7_8_year.cfm 

The MCAT requirement helps students by providing a structured approach to studying and strong encouragement to score as high as possible, even though there is no minimum MCAT score required by NJMS.  Long, standardized exams are an integral part of modern medical education and this preparation will reap future rewards.

Students MUST complete the requisite undergraduate coursework and be eligible to move on to the NJMS phase of the program following three years. If a student requires more time to complete the undergraduate requirements, NJMS may remove that student from the program.  We have never had a student miss their matriculation date at NJMS due to academics. You will have at least three academic advisors while at NJIT and their jobs will be to ensure your preparation to matriculate at NJMS on time. Our students have many interests: pursuing a double major, studying abroad, etc. While we certainly encourage students to pursue their dreams and passions while at NJIT, we cannot endorse any activity that may require the student to be at NJIT for more than three years. As a Dorman scholar, you will work with advisors to complete an Honors Education Plan (HEP) in your first weeks at NJIT. The HEP will serve as a "roadmap" to your promotion to medical school and will help students realize where there may be an opportunity to take part in a learning experience while still staying on track for entry into NJMS.

In your first weeks at NJIT, you will work with your major and Honors advisors to develop a Honors Education Plan (HEP) that will serve as your “roadmap" to medical school and lay out which courses should be taken in which semester. The answer to this question is very student-specific as a variety of factors (major, AP credits, etc.) must be considered. While most majors’ accelerated curricula often include a few summer courses, these curricula all assume that a student has no AP, IB or college credits prior to enrolling at NJIT. Many of our students in this program have earned significant credit prior to enrolling at NJIT and, thus, are not required to take summer courses.

While several of our students have completed their undergraduate studies in two years and then gone on to NJMS early, that is not the norm by any means.  In fact, those students all received special permission from the NJMS Admissions Committee to matriculate early. We have been told that the committee is extremely selective in granting these permissions, so it is not an option for every student in the program.  However, that is not to say that some of our students don’t routinely complete their undergraduate education in 2-2.5 years and spend that third year doing things like co-ops in industry, studying abroad, prestigious fellowships, graduate degrees, etc. The ability for a program student to complete their degree requirements early and partake in any of these exciting experiential learning opportunities is largely dependent on major, AP/IB credits awarded, willingness to take summer courses, etc.  These factors can only be assessed with the assistance of one of our advisors upon admission to the program.

The experiences of our alumni suggest that there are no limitations imposed on graduates of our BS/MD program with regards to specialization.  The top three most popular medical specialties among practicing alumni are 1. Radiology; 2. Cardiology; 3. Anesthesiology (tie); 3. Emergency Medicine (tie).  In terms of practice location and type, most of our alumni choose to go into private practice, but we do have alumni serving as faculty members at NJMS, Harvard Medical School, Columbia University Medical Center, Ichan School of Medicine, Mt. Sinai; Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine; Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University; University of South Carolina; University of Texas Health-Houston, among others.

While we have tried to make these FAQ’s as comprehensive as possible, we do realize that it isn’t possible to provide answers for every possible question.  If you have a question that isn’t answered by this FAQ section, you can contact one of three locations on campus for additional information:

1. (Preferred) Albert Dorman Honors College: honors@njit.edu OR 973-596-3057

2. NJIT Office of Admissions: admissions@njit.edu OR1-800-925-NJIT

3. NJIT Pre-Health Advising: prehealth@njit.edu OR 973-642-7084