Program FAQ

Generally, it takes students 8 years to finish the Program. If you earned each degree separately it would take you about 9-10 years to finish (4 years for medical school and 5-6 years for the PhD).

Students complete two full years of medical school, followed by 3.5-4.5 years of graduate school. After students receive their PhD, they return to medical school for 1.5 years to complete their training.

 Please see our Program At-A-Glance for more details.

MD-PhD students receive graduate level credit for the courses they've taken during their first two years of medical school. In addition, MD-PhD students take special courses designed specifically for them during their pre-clinical years.

The Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program is one of the oldest and largest programs in the country. In addition, it is the only program in the country where three institutions combine to form one MD-PhD Program.

All students receive their MD training at the Weill Cornell Medical College. Their PhD research may be conducted at the Weill Cornell Graduate School, The Rockefeller University, or Gerstner Sloan Kettering. All of the institutions are located across the street from one another on the Upper East Side of New York City . Having access to all three institutions means the students have access to over 250 laboratories and a large network of hospitals and specialty care centers, including NewYork Presbyterian, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

All MD-PhD students receive a stipend (as of July 1, 2024, $46,440 - $52,500 depending on the year in the program), a full tuition waiver, health & dental insurance, and a $1,000-$1,500 research supplement (depending on phase).

Any student who is awarded an external indendent fellowship that covers at least 50% of their stipend will receive an annual $5,000 stipend supplement for the life of the award.

No, you cannot. Tri-I MD-PhD students need to select a PI whose primary appointment is at Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. While students can collaborate with PIs at Cornell Ithaca, they cannot conduct their PhD in a lab there.

You can view the list of Tri-I faculty here.

There are many transitions along the physician-scientist pathway, and this is just one! We strive to support our students at each.

We start to prepare students for their transition back to clinic in terms of timing/logistics well in advance of their return (>1 year). All returning students meet with our Clinical Associate Director to discuss their intended specialty—or if not known, how best to plan their clerkships to help them make that decision. The current graduating students host a workshop in the spring for the students about to return to clinic (as well as those entering Match that year). And finally, there is a two-day Clinical Refresher specifically designed for MD-PhD students.

Students are also encouraged to remain active clinically while in the PhD phase. This can take the form of participation in Case Discussion Rounds, shadowing, working in the Weill Cornell Community Clinic, or other clinical activities.