Transfer Students

Admission to advanced standing at this College of Medicine is limited to United States citizens or permanent residents who are currently registered, matriculated, in good standing and in attendance as second year medical students in an LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) accredited College of Medicine in the United States. Individuals who have earned the M.D. degree are not considered for transfer. Applications are accepted to the third year class only. Only applicants who could qualify for admission to the first year class, in terms of premedical education, will be considered for admission to the third year class. In addition to meeting all premedical requirements, applicants for admission to the third year class must have satisfactorily completed all first and second year courses in their LCME medical school curriculum.

Applicants do NOT apply through AMCAS but are required to complete our online application. The Admissions Committee uses the same holistic review criteria used to evaluate a first time applicant to medical school. In addition to the academic metrics, the Admissions Committee also considers applicants who have demonstrated abilities in the AAMC’s enumerated pre-professional competencies with special emphasis on personal attributes. These personal attributes include but are not limited to: service orientation, social skills, cultural competence, ability to work collaboratively, communication skills, ethical responsibility, reliability and dependability, resilience and adaptability, as well as capacity for improvement.

In addition to above, admissions decisions are based on a number of factors including prior academic performance, particularly in medical school; letters of recommendation; Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores; score on Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE); communication skills, character, personal skills and motivation for medicine, as demonstrated through letters of recommendation and the personal interview.

The application process is outlined below:

Application Procedure

A complete application consists of:

1. Transfer application, and all required application materials no later than January 15 of your planned year of matriculation.
2. A non-refundable application fee of $100
3. Official transcripts from all undergraduate, graduate and medical schools/colleges attended.
4. MCATs & USMLE
   • Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT): must be taken and the scores submitted to the Admissions Committee. Admission preference will be given to applicants who have scores within five years of the date of the transfer application.
   • United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1: applicants applying for transfer to our College of Medicine must submit passing scores from the Step 1 USMLE no later than March 1.
5. Letters of Recommendation
   • A letter of recommendation from the applicants premedical college's Health Professions Advisory Committee must be forwarded to us. If the premedical college does not have a pre-health committee, then letters from faculty members in two different departments under whom courses have been taken will be acceptable (one of them must be from a science faculty).
   • A letter of recommendation from the Dean of Student Affairs at the medical school you are attending is required and must include certification that you are in good standing and eligible for promotion.
   • If you have completed a clinical experience in the United States, the person who supervised your work should forward a letter of recommendation to our Admissions Committee.
6. If you have completed a clinical experience in the United States, the person who supervised your work should forward a letter of recommendation to our College of Medicine.

Admissions Requirements

Only applicants who qualify for admission to the first-year class, in terms of premedical education, will be considered for admission to the third-year class. Applicants must have the following prerequisite courses:

• In addition to meeting all premedical requirements, transfer applicants to the third-year class must have satisfactorily completed all courses, or the equivalent, which comprise the first two years of the curriculum at SUNY Downstate.
• Accepted applicants are required to submit official score reports from USMLE Step 1. Acceptance to the third year is conditional upon receipt of a passing score by March 1.

Transfer Position Availability

Transfer Applications are made available only in January of each year on a space available basis. At that time, we project what we anticipate will be the number of available openings in the summer. However, the final determination of available openings (if any) is not made until January. The website is updated to reflect current information, so this is your source for the most current information.

Additional transfer information is available from the Association of American Medical Colleges’ website

Transfers are accepted on a spaces available basis.