BA/MD Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

This is a highly competitive and selective program for SAS or SEBS students at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Students apply at the end of the sophomore year and must have completed the required prerequisites and demonstrated strong academic achievement, a passion for medicine, and for helping others. Students who are not enrolled in SAS or SEBS must initiate a school-to-school transfer to one of those units in the spring semester of the sophomore year and be prepared, if accepted to the joint program, to complete a major in Biological Sciences and all of the requirements of their undergraduate school. In some cases, accepted students may major in Cell Biology and Neuroscience or Genetics but no other majors are compatible with the credit exchange that is integral to the program. If not accepted, students may cancel the school-to-school transfer.
Accepted students will be expected to complete all SAS or SEBS core requirements by the end of their junior year. In their senior year, admitted students will take the complete first-year curriculum at RWJ Medical School and may use some of these credits in exchange to complete the elective course work for their school and the majors listed above. No other majors are compatible with the credit exchange. The program is not appropriate for students who intend to graduate in 3 years because of the credit exchange and the requirement that students in the program be simultaneously registered with the undergraduate unit and the medical school in the senior year/first year of medical school.  

• Students will have a conditional, early-acceptance to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
• Students will pay only for three years of undergraduate tuition at Rutgers + 4 years tuition at RWJMS, thus saving one year of undergraduate tuition and fees.
• Credits for some classes taken during the first year at the medical school will count toward both the MD and the BA degree. (Click the question below for an explanation how the credit exchange works.)

The RWJMS BA/MD program is structured to include an exchange of credit from the medical school toward fulfillment of participants’ undergraduate degree requirements. Admitted students will be able to use a portion of the completed credit from the first year of medical school toward certain specific major requirements as well as elective credit toward the 120 credits needed for the undergraduate degree.

Students with less than 60 credits completed at time of application (at end of second year)

Students are not eligible to apply if they will have fewer than 60 credits by the end of their second year.

Students with between 60-90 credits completed at time of application (at end of the second year)

Students are eligible to apply, provided they have fulfilled the necessary program prerequisites (see program information for details). If admitted, students must have their SAS or SEBS core requirements completed by the end of the junior year, along with any minor requirements (if applicable) and have completed a minimum of 96-degree credits. Students majoring in Biological Sciences, Cell Biology & Neuroscience, or Genetics (department approval required for joint program participation) would be able to utilize the exchange of credits from the medical school coursework to fulfill specific major requirements. Prior to applying, students should meet with their respective school and major advisors to understand the exchange of credit and confirm what required coursework they would be responsible for completing by the end of junior year.

Students with greater than 90 credits complete at time of application (at end of second year)

Applicants who will have 90 or more credits completed at the time of application could potentially graduate in 3 years. Applicants will need to provide a detailed explanation of what coursework they plan to complete during their junior year, since they will have reduced major requirements due to the credit exchange. Accepted students may not enroll part-time during their junior year. Students may choose to complete a minor or certificate, take additional coursework in an area of interest, fulfill departmental honors, or study abroad. There are no specific recommendations or requirements and applicants should choose based on their own individual situations, interests and personal goals. Students may want to reflect upon courses or activities that will enrich their undergraduate degree and that will help develop resources/skills that will prepare them for medical school and beyond.  Accepted students who decide to graduate in three years will no longer be eligible to remain in the program and will need to reapply to RWJMS through the traditional application process. 

• They must have completed 4 semesters of college, with a minimum of 60 credits. Note, applicants with an Associate’s Degree, regardless of whether it was earned as a dual degree in high school or as a traditional degree after high school, are ineligible to apply for the program.
• As a minimum, they must be enrolled for one year at RU-NB, earning 30 credits.
• They must have earned and maintain a minimum cumulative and science GPA of 3.5 at Rutgers.
• Requires two semesters of General Biology with lab, two semesters of General Chemistry with lab, two semesters of Organic Chemistry (lab may be taken in the Junior year), one semester of college-level Mathematics, and one semester of English. (Recommended classes include: Basic Stats for Research (or equivalent) and Spanish)
• If AP or transfer credit was granted for General Biology, two additional (3 credits or more)  approved biology courses (200-level courses or higher)  must be taken at Rutgers University by the end of the sophomore year in order to be eligible to apply. 
• RWJMS will require a standardized test score of either the SAT, ACT or MCAT. 
  • For students with an SAT or ACT score:
  • If an applicant has a SAT or ACT score on record, it must be submitted with the application.  The test must have been taken before admission to RU.  It is the student's responsibility to obtain and submit test score reports with the completed application.  If admitted to the accelerated program, no MCAT is required.
  • For students without SAT or ACT scores:
  • If admitted to the accelerated program, students are required to complete the MCAT by April 16, 2025, and score competitively with a total score of at least 508 (minimum single sub-score of 123).  Students may take the exam two times prior to April 16, 2026.   
    
• Three letters of recommendation from Rutgers University must be submitted on behalf of the applicant to the HPO office. It is strongly recommended at least one of these letters be from a science course and one from a non-science course. Letters can come from professors, research supervisors, or TAs and should address your competency for medical school and, in particular, for an accelerated program.
• Matriculation in the medical school is conditional upon meeting additional requirements in the junior year. (Orgo lab, General Physics and Biochemistry will be required.)

The application will be available after spring break 2025.  Instructions on how to request a BA/MD application will be sent out via the HPO listserv.  Completed applications must be emailed to the HPO office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) no later than Friday, May 23 @ 5pm.(no exceptions).  In addition to the application, 3 letters of recommendation from Rutgers University must be submitted on behalf of the applicant to the HPO office. It is strongly recommended at least one of these letters be from a science course and one from a non-science course. Letters can come from professors, research supervisors, or TAs and should address your competency for medical school and, in particular, for an accelerated program.