Columbia VP&S MD Admissions (Fall 2027)

Quick facts

• School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York (MD application requirements).
• Program: Doctor of Medicine (MD).
• Cycle: Fall 2027 entry; the current official pages identify the 2027 application cycle and 2027 entry timeline (process and timeline).
• Application: AMCAS primary, VP&S secondary, MCAT, and three to seven letters.
• Interview: invitation-only; current public sources do not specify modality or structure.
• Verification: official Columbia VP&S sources checked 2026-08-08.

Admission requirements

Columbia requires the AMCAS primary application and VP&S secondary application, a non-refundable $110 secondary fee, MCAT, and three letters of recommendation with at least one science faculty, teacher, or research mentor letter; up to seven letters are accepted (application requirements). Applicants should complete premedical training at a U.S. institution; applicants with foreign university preparation generally need additional U.S. study, while Canadian preparation is evaluated under Columbia’s published policy. Required coursework includes biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and related laboratory work; Columbia says requirements can change and courses must generally be completed within 10 years of application. For the 2027 application cycle, the MCAT may be taken up to three years before applying. A course below C- in a required subject is considered unsatisfactory unless retaken or replaced under the stated policy.

Important dates

• July–October 2026: secondary invitations are sent and submitted applications are processed.
• September 2026: last month for the MCAT for the 2027 application cycle.
• October 15, 2026: Columbia VP&S AMCAS primary deadline.
• October 22, 2026: secondary application deadline.
• October 29, 2026: supporting documents deadline, including fee, MCAT score, and letters.
• Mid-August 2026–January 2027: interview invitations are sent.
• Early March 2027: admission offers and waitlist begin.
• April 30, 2027: Plan to Enroll; June 15, 2027: Commit to Enroll; early August 2027: orientation and classes (process and timeline). Recheck the live portal before applying.

How selection works

Columbia screens the AMCAS application and sends a VP&S secondary to applicants who select the school. Completed applications include the secondary, fee, MCAT, and required letters. The Admissions Committee reviews academic preparation, experiences, personal qualities, and the evidence provided in the application before sending invitation-only interview decisions. Columbia says admission offers are sent in early March and the waitlist opens then; the public pages do not publish a detailed scoring or weighting formula (process and timeline).

Interview details

Confirmed

Columbia’s current process page confirms that interview invitations are sent from mid-August through January. Only applicants invited through the admissions process should treat an interview as part of their file (process and timeline).

Not published

The current official MD sources do not publish interview modality, duration, number of interviews, interviewer assignment, station count, scoring rubric, or a current question list. Do not label the interview MMI, panel, or virtual without a current Columbia source.

Who this program may suit

Columbia’s published requirements may suit applicants who want a rigorous science foundation, broad academic preparation, and a process that considers both letters and wider experiences. Applicants should also be comfortable tracking a tight sequence of AMCAS, secondary, MCAT, letters, and supporting-document deadlines. These are preparation considerations, not an admission prediction (application requirements).

Practice and next step

Original Videoath practice: Use the linked general ethics prompt about fair access to a clinic appointment to practise a concise response for an invitation-only interview. Record a timed answer, review feedback tied to clarity, empathy, and trade-off reasoning, choose one weakness, adjust the answer, record it again, and compare both attempts. Use the comparison to choose what to practise next; this is general Videoath practice, not a Columbia question.

Frequently asked questions

What are Columbia VP&S’s 2027 deadlines?

The current timeline lists October 15, 2026 for AMCAS, October 22 for the secondary, and October 29 for supporting documents including fee, MCAT, and letters.

How many letters are required?

Columbia requires three letters and accepts up to seven; at least one must come from a science faculty member, teacher, or research mentor (application requirements).

What MCAT window applies?

For the 2027 application cycle, Columbia says the MCAT may be taken up to three years before applying; September is the last month shown on the current timeline.

Is Columbia’s interview an MMI or virtual?

The public source confirms invitation timing but does not publish modality or structure.

When are offers released?

The current timeline says offers are sent in early March, with the waitlist opening then.

Sources

• Columbia VP&S application requirements — prerequisites, MCAT, letters, secondary, fee, and eligibility; checked 2026-08-08.
• Columbia VP&S process and timeline — 2027 dates, interview invitations, offers, and enrollment milestones; checked 2026-08-08.
• Columbia VP&S FAQs — current applicant context; checked 2026-08-08.
• Method: current first-party Columbia VP&S sources only; unpublished interview details remain explicit.