BS/MD Programs: 2027 List and How to Get In

Last updated: October 28, 2026

BS/MD programs let high school seniors apply to college and medical school at the same time. If you are admitted, you get a place at the college and a conditional seat at a partner medical school, as long as you meet the program's requirements during college. Programs take six, seven or eight years. This guide explains how they work, lists 13 programs with requirements checked on each official site in October 2026, and shows what admissions committees look for and how to prepare from 9th grade.

Planning to apply to BS/MD programs? Show real interest in medicine with a research project. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

What is a BS/MD program?

A BS/MD program (also called a BA/MD or combined baccalaureate-MD program) is an agreement between a college and a medical school. Students apply in their senior year of high school. If admitted, they start college the next fall and move on to medical school after they finish college and meet the program's conditions.

The medical school seat is almost never unconditional. Each program sets its own rules, which can include:

a minimum college GPA, often 3.5 or higher, and a minimum science GPA
no grades below C in science courses
a minimum MCAT score, or no MCAT at all
medical, research or service experience during college
a promise not to apply to other medical schools

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) publishes the full list of medical schools offering combined baccalaureate-MD programs, sorted by state and program length.

How long is a BS/MD program?

Eight years (4+4): four years of college and four years of medical school. The program does not save time. It saves you the medical school application. Examples: Brown PLME, Rochester REMS, Siena–Albany Med, GW, Drexel.
Seven years (3+4): three years of college and four of medical school. Examples: Penn State–Sidney Kimmel, TCNJ–NJMS and CUNY.
Six years: an accelerated curriculum that mixes college and medical courses. Examples: UMKC and Howard.

Shorter programs save time but leave very little room for anything else in college. Eight-year programs give you a full college experience.

Are BS/MD programs worth it?

The case for BS/MD programs is simple: the regular path to medical school is hard. Northeast Ohio Medical University notes that only about 40% of national applicants receive one acceptance to an allopathic (MD) medical school each year. A BS/MD seat removes most of that risk.

The strongest arguments against them:

You decide at 17. You commit to medicine before you have taken a college science course. Students who change their minds can usually stay at the college, but they give up the medical school seat.
You often commit to one medical school. Drexel, for example, requires students who want to apply to other medical schools to give up their provisional seat.
The conditions are real. Penn State's program says grades of D or lower "are simply unacceptable" and usually lead to dismissal from the program. GW requires a 3.60 GPA and an MCAT score that meets the program's cutoff.
Admission is very hard. Programs take a small number of students. Rochester limits REMS to ten students a year, Siena–Albany Med accepts 15, and a 2026 Stony Brook news story described a class of 10.

For a student who is certain about medicine and strong enough to get a place, a BS/MD program removes a lot of stress. For everyone else, a strong college with good pre-med advising is still a good path.

Test your interest in medicine before you commit to it, with a research project and a PhD mentor. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

BS/MD programs list: 13 programs checked on official sites

The facts below come from each program's own website in October 2026. Requirements change every year, so confirm them before you apply.

Brown University: Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)

Length: 8 years. Brown calls it the only combined baccalaureate-MD program in the Ivy League.
How to apply: Only first-year applicants may apply. You indicate interest on the Common App and answer additional PLME essay questions.
Note: If you apply Early Decision, you can be admitted to Brown but not to PLME, and you are still bound to attend Brown. Students who do not want that risk should apply Regular Decision.

University of Rochester: Rochester Early Medical Scholars (REMS)

Length: 8 years (BA/BS + MD). Established in 1991.
Size: Enrollment is limited to ten students a year.
Deadlines: November 1 for Early Decision, November 15 for Regular Decision. Early Decision admits get their college decision in mid-December, but their REMS decision follows the regular timeline.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens, permanent residents and asylees only.
Testing: Submit test scores if they strengthen your application.
Process: Selected applicants are invited to a finalist interview.

Case Western Reserve University: Pre-Professional Scholars Program (PPSP) in Medicine

How it works: PPSP grants undergraduate admission and conditional admission to Case Western's School of Medicine.
How to apply: Choose Regular Decision or Early Decision I and indicate interest in PPSP later in the application.
Note: Early Decision I applicants are bound to attend if admitted to the college, even if they are not selected as PPSP finalists.

Stony Brook University: Scholars for Medicine

Length: 8 years.
How it works: High school seniors are accepted through the Honors College, WISE or University Scholars, with no separate medical school application required.

Siena University and Albany Medical College

Length: 8 years. Students earn a biology B.A. from Siena and an M.D. from Albany Medical College.
Size: 15 high school seniors are accepted each year.
Requirements: Common App (select Albany Med as admit type), a counselor recommendation, two academic teacher recommendations, and SAT or ACT scores with a minimum of 1360 SAT or 30 ACT.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Students who apply to more than one Albany Medical College joint program are withdrawn.
Distinctive feature: a summer of service between the junior and senior years of college.

George Washington University: BA/BS-MD

Length: 8 years (4+4).
How to apply: Seniors apply through GW Undergraduate Admissions. SAT or ACT scores are required.
Conditions: a 3.60 overall GPA, no grades of C or below in science courses, an MCAT score that meets the program cutoff, and medical and service experience.

Drexel University: BA/BS + MD Early Assurance Program

Length: 8 years (4+4).
Majors: Biological Sciences, Chemistry (BA) or Biomedical Engineering.
Deadline: November 15 for both the Common or Coalition Application and the College of Medicine supplemental application. Early Decision applicants are not eligible.
Requirements: U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Official SAT or ACT scores are required; test-optional applicants are not eligible. Four years of lab science, including biology, chemistry and physics.
Conditions: a 3.6 cumulative GPA without repeating courses and no grade below C. Selected applicants have a virtual interview.

University of Cincinnati: Connections Dual Admissions

Length: 8 years. Admitted students get a reserved seat at the UC College of Medicine four years after admission if they meet the academic requirements.
Requirements: a minimum 27 ACT or 1270 SAT. There is no minimum high school GPA.
How to apply: two applications, the Common App and the Connections Application, with separate letters of recommendation.
Eligibility: U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

BS/MD interviewers ask why you want medicine. A real research project gives you a specific answer. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Penn State and Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Thomas Jefferson University)

Length: 7 years: three at Penn State and four at Sidney Kimmel Medical College.
How to apply: You must apply as a high school senior and start the fall right after graduation.
Conditions: a grade of C or better in all major courses. Grades of D or lower usually lead to dismissal from the program.

The College of New Jersey and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (TCNJ–NJMS)

Length: 7 years (3+4).
How it works: First-year applicants are directly admitted to the accelerated program. Students spend three years at TCNJ in an approved major, which can include biology, chemistry, computer science, English, philosophy, physics and economics.

CUNY School of Medicine: BS/MD Program

Length: 7 years, accelerated. The program grew out of the Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program.
Mission: students committed to strengthening healthcare delivery and providing high-quality care in communities.

University of Missouri–Kansas City: BA/MD

Length: as little as 6 years.
Distinctive feature: clinical experience early in the program. From the third year, students spend a half day a week in an outpatient continuing care clinic.

Howard University: BS/MD

Length: 6 years.
How to apply: Apply to Howard's College of Arts and Sciences as a biology or chemistry major through the Common App. Early Action or Early Decision is not required.
Conditions: Advancement to the medical phase is not guaranteed. Students need at least a 3.25 science GPA and a 3.5 overall GPA.
Eligibility: no citizenship requirement, but you must be admitted to Howard. Transfer students and students who already have a degree are not eligible. Physics must be completed before you can be invited to apply.

What about early assurance programs?

Some programs that appear on BS/MD lists are not open to high school seniors. UC Riverside's Thomas Haider Program and Northeast Ohio Medical University's early assurance pathway, for example, select students who are already in college. They are good options to know about once you start college.

What BS/MD programs look for

Programs ask for the same things as selective colleges, plus clear evidence that you understand what medicine involves:

Top grades in a hard science curriculum. Drexel requires four years of lab science, including biology, chemistry and physics. Howard requires physics before it will invite you to apply.
Test scores. Many programs require them even when the college is test-optional. Siena–Albany Med requires at least 1360 SAT or 30 ACT, Cincinnati requires 1270 SAT or 27 ACT, and Drexel and GW require official scores.
Clinical exposure. Shadowing, hospital volunteering, EMT training or work as a medical scribe or assistant.
Service. Siena–Albany Med builds a summer of service into the program. Most programs look for sustained community service.
Research. A real research project shows that you can work on an open question, which is what medicine asks of doctors. See does research help college admissions.
A convincing "why medicine" answer. This comes up in essays and interviews. Specific experiences beat general statements about wanting to help people.
Maturity in the interview. Rochester, Drexel, Cincinnati, Howard and others interview finalists, often in the winter of senior year.

How to prepare from 9th to 12th grade

9th and 10th grade: Take the hardest science and math sequence your school offers. Start one service activity you will keep for years. Read about different medical careers.
10th and 11th grade: Add clinical exposure through volunteering or shadowing. Start a research project in biology, medicine or public health. Our guide to medical research internships for high school students lists programs, and research topics for high school students has medical and biology topics.
Summer before 12th grade: Finish the research and write it up. Draft your "why medicine" essay. Make your list of programs and note each one's deadline and testing rules.
12th grade fall: Submit early. Rochester and Drexel, for example, close on November 15, and Rochester's Early Decision deadline is November 1. Prepare for interviews with specific examples from your clinical, service and research work.

How to apply to a BS/MD program

Check each program's application route. Some use a box on the Common App (Brown, Siena), some use a separate application (Cincinnati, Drexel), and some require a specific major (Howard, Drexel).
Watch the Early Decision rules. At Brown and Case Western, an Early Decision application binds you to the college even if you are not admitted to the medical program. Drexel does not accept Early Decision applicants for its program.
Confirm citizenship rules. Rochester, Siena–Albany Med, Cincinnati and Drexel require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Howard does not.
Send official test scores where required. Drexel does not accept self-reported scores for its program.
Apply to more than one path. Because programs are so small, most applicants also apply to regular colleges with strong pre-med advising.

How to strengthen a BS/MD application with research

BS/MD committees are deciding whether a 17-year-old will make a good doctor, so they look for proof that you have tested your interest. Research does that in a way that grades cannot. A finished project shows that you can work through uncertainty, handle data, read scientific papers and explain your work to experts. A mentor who saw you do the work can also write a letter about it. For the next steps after you finish, see how to write a research paper in high school and journals for high school students.

A research paper and a PhD mentor's evaluation give BS/MD committees specific evidence. See if you qualify for the STEM Research Program →

Frequently asked questions

What is the best BS/MD program? There is no single best. Brown PLME and Rochester REMS offer eight years with broad academic freedom, Penn State–Sidney Kimmel and TCNJ save a year, and UMKC and Howard save two. The best program for you depends on the length you want, where you want to train and whether you qualify (several programs require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency).

Is BS/MD better than pre-med? It is safer, not better. A BS/MD seat removes most of the risk of applying to medical school, but you commit to medicine and often to one medical school before you start college. The regular pre-med path keeps your options open.

How long does a BS/MD take? Six, seven or eight years, depending on the program.

Do BS/MD students take the MCAT? It depends on the program. GW requires an MCAT score that meets its cutoff, while a REMS student quoted on Rochester's site counts avoiding the MCAT as a plus. Check each program's conditions.

Can international students apply to BS/MD programs? Rarely. Most programs on this list require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Howard is an exception: it has no citizenship requirement for its program.

Is there a list of all BS/MD programs? Yes. The AAMC publishes the official list of combined baccalaureate-MD programs by state and program length.

Sources

About the STEM Research Program

We look for students who are curious, self-motivated and ready for independent work. Prior research experience is not required. Each admitted student works one-on-one with a PhD mentor from a top-20 university, online, for 12 weeks, and sets a research question with their mentor by week four. Students finish with a completed research paper, a written evaluation from their mentor and a one-on-one college counseling session.

Start your application to the STEM Research Program → · Questions about eligibility? Contact us →