Program Overview

BA/MD New Jersey Medical School

The BA/MD New Jersey Medical School program is a highly competitive and selective program for SAS or SEBS students at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. This 3 + 4 Baccalaureate/MD Early Assurance Program, in partnership with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, is tailored for highly motivated individuals.

Program Overview

• 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 have earned at least 60 undergraduate credits are eligible to apply for an accelerated path to medical school through early acceptance the summer following their sophomore year.
• 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.

Benefits for Students

• Students will have a conditional, early-acceptance to NJMS.
• Students will pay only for three years of undergraduate tuition at Rutgers + 4 years tuition at NJMS, 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 BA degrees.

Credit Exchange

• The NJMS BA/MD program is a collaborative initiative between the medical school and undergraduate units, designed to allow credits from the first year of medical school to be transferred toward completion of the student’s undergraduate degree requirements.
• Admitted students will be able to apply some of the credits earned during their first year of medical school toward specific major requirements as well as elective credits, contributing to the 120 credits required for their undergraduate degree.

Eligibility Criteria

• Students must have completed 4 semesters of college, completing a minimum of 60 credits.
• Note that 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, students must be enrolled for one year at Rutgers-New Brunswick earning 30 credits.
• Students must have earned and maintain a minimum cumulative and science GPA of 3.6 at Rutgers.
• Students must have completed at least 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.
• 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 to be eligible to apply.

Application Requirements

• A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation must be submitted on behalf of the applicant to the HPO office.
• These must include a minimum of two letters from Rutgers faculty members in science courses and a minimum of one letter from Rutgers faculty in a non-science course.
• Recommendations from teaching assistants are acceptable.
• Matriculation into NJMS will require accepted BA/MD students to complete the MCAT exam by the end of May of their third year at Rutgers.
• The MCAT will be required to be in the competitive range of other accepted NJMS students.
• In addition, NJMS has specific requirements for matriculation which will be shared by NJMS.
• Matriculation in the medical school is conditional upon meeting additional requirements in the junior year (Orgo lab, General Physics, and Biochemistry will be required).

Application Process

• 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 no later than Friday, May 23 @ 5pm (no exceptions).
• In addition to the application, a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation must be submitted on behalf of the applicant to the HPO office.