Admissions Requirements

The application cycle for Fall 2026 is now closed.

Official transcripts and test scores must be sent electronically to phs-admissions@med.cornell.edu. We do not accept hard copy materials. 

Application fee: $80

We will not review incomplete applications. Please ensure that you provide all the required materials listed below.

Please describe your background and specific interest in the MS-BDS program. Personal statements are usually 2-3 pages in length and explain skills or experiences relevant to this field of study, your career goals, and any other aspect of your history that would make you a good candidate for graduate work in Health Policy and Economics. 

Either a resume or a curriculum vitae (C.V.) can be submitted. These documents have different formats and serve different purposes in professional life, but we will accept either for the purposes of your application. 

These letters can be from current or former academic mentors, supervisors, or any other individuals who can speak to your capability to succeed in a program like ours. They should comment on your academic, research, communication, and other skills.

Once you designate your recommenders in the online application, the system will automatically contact them and provide instructions on how they can submit their letters.

All letters must be on official school or company letterhead.

Domestic Transcripts

College transcripts should be submitted for all previous colleges attended (undergraduate, graduate, and professional).

Official transcripts will be required upon acceptance, but students may submit unofficial transcripts with their initial application.

Graduate Exams

Results of the GRE are optional. The Institution Code Number is 2119.

Foreign Transcripts 

Transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S., including Canada, must be transcribed and evaluated by World Education Services (WES), SpanTran, IEE or a similar evaluation service.

Please note that we require official transcripts. Please request your transcript early so that it arrives before the application deadline.

• If using WES, please select the WES Basic Course-by-Course evaluation and choose:
  - Recipient: "Cornell University - Manhattan NY" 
  - School/Division:  “Weill Cornell Medicine” [sure it’s not "Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences"?} 
  - Department/Office Name: POPULATION HEALTH SCIENCES 
• Evaluations are accepted only from current members of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES). Official course-by-course evaluations are required for application review.

English Language Proficiency Exams & Exemptions

Citizens or permanent residents of the following countries are exempt from our English proficiency exam requirement:

• Australia
• South Africa
• Canada 
• United States or its territories (e.g., Puerto Rico)
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom

Applicants who are citizens of any other country must submit English language proficiency exam scores unless, at the time of enrollment, they have studied full-time for at least two academic years within the last five years in one or more of the above countries. 

Such applicants must submit a transcript that shows they studied in one of the approved locations, and that the academic program was at least two years in length.

We will consider results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or Duolingo English Test (DUO). Test scores are valid for two years after the test date. 

• To submit your official TOEFL scores, please go to http://www.ets.org/toefl and request your scores to be sent to Weill Cornell Graduate School using code 2119. Please monitor your application to ensure that your scores are populated by ETS.  Note:  If you have taken the TOEFL iBT test more than once within the last 2 years, ETS will automatically include your MyBest scores along with the traditional scores from your selected test date.  
• IELTS results must be submitted directly via e-delivery to “Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.”
• Results for the Duolingo English Test must be submitted directly through Duolingo to “Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences."