How to Get Into Icahn School of Medicine (+Stats)

In this guide, we’ll learn how to get into the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), including acceptance rates, admissions statistics, GPA and MCAT benchmarks, application requirements, and what the admissions committee values most.

If you only want the quick requirements, click here.

The Icahn School of Medicine Acceptance Rate: 1.34%

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has an acceptance rate of approximately 1.34%. According to AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) database data, ISMMS received 8,890 verified applications and welcomed 119 matriculants into its 2024 class.

Here’s a breakdown of the ISMMS acceptance rate over the last five years:

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has a highly competitive admissions landscape, with an average acceptance rate of just 1.45% over the past five admissions cycles. According to AAMC data, annual applicant numbers have ranged from just over 7,100 to nearly 8,900 over the past give years, while the number of matriculated students has held steady at around 120 seats per year.

How Hard Is It to Get Into the Icahn School of Medicine?

Getting into the Icahn School of Medicine is exceptionally difficult. For the 2024 admissions cycle, only 119 students were admitted out of 8,890 applicants, resulting in an acceptance rate of 1.34%. With nearly 9,000 applicants vying for fewer than 120 seats, Icahn could have filled its incoming class more than 74 times over.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Admissions Difficulty Scale was created by comparing acceptance rates and overall selectivity across all accredited US medical schools.

What is Icahn’s Acceptance Rate for Out-of-State Applicants?

Icahn’s out-of-state acceptance rate for 2024 was 1.23%. The MSAR reports that out-of-state applicants made up 77.9% of the pool (6,926 of 8,890 verified applications). Of these, 85 students matriculated.

What is Icahn’s Acceptance Rate for In-State Applicants?

Icahn’s in-state acceptance rate in 2024 was 2.25%. The MSAR states that in-state applicants represented 16.02% of the total applicant pool (1,424 of 8,890 applications). Of these applicants, 32 matriculated.

What is Icahn’s Acceptance Rate for International Applicants?

Icahn’s international acceptance rate for 2024 was 0.37%. International applicants represented 6.1% of the pool (540 of 8,890), with 2 students matriculating, according to the MSAR.

How Many People Apply to the Icahn School of Medicine Every Year?

About 8,300 people apply to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai annually. According to AAMC data, the number of applicants over the past five years has ranged from 7,153 to 8,890.

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Into the Icahn School of Medicine

Here are some tips to get into the Icahn School of Medicine.

1. Embrace Sinai’s Culture of Innovation

Unlike many medical schools that are tied to rigid traditions, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai emphasizes innovation, flexibility, and responsiveness in shaping its curriculum.

Dr. Rainier Soriano, Senior Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains in a video titled “73 Questions With a Dean”:

“Most medical schools here have a very long tradition and we’re not challenged by that tradition. So we don’t have to follow a tradition that’s been there for many, many years. I think being at Mount Sinai Medical School we’re able to start anything that we think is important for the good of the community, for the good of the health system, but also for the good of Mount Sinai in general.”

Applicants can use this to their advantage by showing how they thrive in innovative spaces and are motivated to be part of a medical school that pushes boundaries to better serve students and the community.

Show in your application that you value forward-thinking environments and are eager to contribute to a continuously evolving school. Highlight experiences where you’ve adapted to new challenges, embraced change, or participated in innovative projects. 

For example, launching a new public health initiative in your community, integrating telehealth tools into a clinical or volunteer setting, or collaborating with engineers and policy students on a health-tech prototype. Sharing examples like these demonstrates alignment with Mount Sinai’s culture of progress. 

2. Be Authentic and Community-Minded

In the ISMMS Mission Minutes: Admissions video, Dr. Valerie Parkas, Senior Associate Dean for Recruitment and Admissions at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, makes it clear that what the Icahn School of Medicine is looking for goes beyond GPA and MCAT scores. She explains that the admissions committee values authenticity and genuine service, not applicants who simply try to look impressive on paper:

“We’re looking for authentic people who aren’t as much thinking about how to show themselves to be impressive for the committee but are just people who are committed to medicine, are committed to science, have worked hard, have had academic success, have taken rigorous coursework, but more importantly have been productive members of the community that they are in and will come to Sinai and be productive members of our community.”

Icahn’s admissions approach is clear: grades and test scores are necessary but not sufficient. The MSAR 2024 data reinforces this, as 89% of matriculants had community service/volunteer experience and 90% had medical/clinical volunteer experience, showing that nearly all successful applicants had proven their commitment beyond the classroom.

Here’s a look at the percentage of matriculants who had community service/volunteer and medical/clinical volunteer experience over the past 3 years:

When presenting these experiences on your application, go beyond listing hours or titles. Frame your community contributions as stories of impact. Did you take on a leadership role in a student organization? Did you help implement a new process in a clinic? Did you build trust with patients from underserved backgrounds? 

Icahn is drawn to applicants who can demonstrate they’ve been “productive members” of their communities and who will bring that same ethos to Sinai’s collaborative, service-driven environment.

3. Connect Your Passion to Sinai’s Opportunities

Dr. Parkas also emphasizes that Sinai seeks students who will engage deeply in research, clinical service, and collaborative projects within the school’s unique environment:

“We’re looking for kids who are going to work in our labs, are gonna work in our community, are gonna work at the free clinic, are going to be committed to global health — whatever it is that they’re passionate about, we want to see that passion, we want it to be authentic, and we want people who are going to come and be collaborative members of really a very change-oriented academic environment.”

Icahn’s culture focuses on action, passion, and collaboration. This culture is supported by the MSAR 2024 profile, which indicates that 98% of matriculants had research/lab experience, and 89% had physician shadowing/clinical observation. In other words, almost every admitted student had already demonstrated they could thrive in hands-on medical or scientific environments before coming to Sinai.

When applying, link your authentic interests to specific opportunities at Sinai. For instance:

• If you’re research-oriented, describe how you would contribute to cutting-edge projects in Sinai’s labs.
• If your passion is clinical service, explain how you’d participate in programs like the East Harlem Health Outreach Partnership (EHHOP), Sinai’s free clinic.
• If you care about global health, connect past experiences (e.g., global volunteering, coursework, advocacy) to Sinai’s global health initiatives.

Sinai is not looking for students who simply say they are passionate; they want evidence that you’ve already acted on your passions and are ready to scale them in a collaborative, change-oriented environment.

The Icahn School of Medicine MD Programs Offered

ISMMS offers the following MD programs to students:

The Icahn School of Medicine Tuition and Scholarships

The Icahn School of Medicine tuition for the 2025–2026 academic year is $74,208. The required fees for the year, including general, student activity, and technology fees, total $1,745, bringing tuition and fees to $75,953.

The estimated total cost of attendance for a first-year medical student, including tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation, and living expenses, is $99,803 (not including optional health, dental, or vision insurance).

How Much Is the Icahn School of Medicine for 4 Years?

The total estimated cost of attendance over four years at the Icahn School of Medicine is approximately $411,000 (before optional health, dental, or vision insurance).

Here’s a complete year-by-year breakdown of how much each year will cost at Icahn:

Scholarships

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers financial support through its Enhanced Scholarship Initiative (ESI), a program designed to significantly reduce the debt burden for students with demonstrated financial need. Under the ESI, students with no expected family contribution (EFC) can graduate with no more than $75,000 in medical school debt over four years—well below the national median of nearly $200,000.

Icahn follows a need-blind admissions process, meaning applicants are admitted based solely on merit, and financial aid is awarded after admission based on each student’s demonstrated need. Aid packages typically combine a small base loan with institutional scholarships that cover the remainder of a student’s financial need.

In addition to institutional aid, Icahn encourages students to apply for external scholarships, which can be applied to offset loans or expected family contributions.

The Icahn School of Medicine Application Timeline

Here is a full breakdown of the Icahn School of Medicine application timeline:

FAQs

1. Does ISMMS Accept Transfer Students?

No, the Icahn School of Medicine does not accept transfer applications. All students must apply directly through the standard admissions process.

2. How Does the Icahn School of Medicine Determine Financial Aid Eligibility?

Icahn awards financial aid based on demonstrated financial need. Need is calculated by subtracting your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the school’s official Cost of Attendance (COA), which includes tuition, fees, housing, food, transportation, and other living expenses. 

Admissions are need-blind, so your financial situation is only reviewed after admission.

3. What Is the FlexMed Program at ISMMS?

The FlexMed Program is Icahn’s early assurance pathway that lets college sophomores secure a spot in medical school without taking the MCAT. Students admitted through FlexMed can pursue any major—in the sciences, humanities, or arts—while still preparing for a medical career. 

The program is designed to attract students with diverse academic interests and encourages applicants who want to combine medicine with fields like public policy, ethics, or technology.

Final Thoughts

With an acceptance rate of just 1.34%, every part of your application to the Icahn School of Medicine must be strategically crafted to meet the school’s high standards. Our ISMMS admissions counselors provide expert guidance to improve your chances of med school acceptance. 

From emphasizing your academic excellence to aligning your research, service, and leadership experiences with Icahn’s mission of advancing health equity and medical innovation, we can help you maximize your chances of admission.