Admission Requirements

The application cycle for Fall 2026 is now closed. 

Application fee: $80, nonrefundable. A fee waiver is available for qualifying applicants, contact us to learn more.

Application to the MS program in Genetic Counseling is made through the Slate application at https://wcgsconnect.weill.cornell.edu/apply/. The application will be made available as early as April 30.  

Applicants must have completed and electronically submitted (“e-submitted” or an “e-submission”) online through Slate application no later than December 1 of the application submission year for admission to the class entering in fall of the following year.  

For your application to be considered, you must first be registered for the match process through National Matching Services (NMS), by December 1 of the application submission year. Please review information about the Genetic Counseling Match at https://natmatch.com/gcadmissions/. Only applicants who enroll in the match process can be considered for admission. The GC Admissions Match has been established to enhance the process of placing applicants into positions in masters-level genetic counseling programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC). 

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.  

Please describe your interest in the field of genetic counseling, who you are as a person and why you think you would be a good fit at Weill Cornell Medical College. The personal statement should be between 300-700 words and describe what cannot be gleaned from your CV.

In a document separate from the personal statement, describe experience you have had shadowing a genetic counselor in a clinical setting.  This is highly recommended as an indicator of the student’s understanding of and commitment to interaction with the public. 

At least three (3) references/letters of recommendation are required as part of the initial application of which, one letter must be from a counseling setting (ex: supervisor at mental health crisis line) and one letter must be of an academic type (i.e. from a prior instructor).

Graduate Record Examination

The GRE is not required but will be considered if submitted. Applicants who take the General GRE Aptitude Test (which must include: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing components) may choose to submit scores toward consideration of their application. Applicants must request Educational Testing Service (www.ETS.org) to send official score reports to BioMedCAS. These official scores must arrive at BioMedCAS no later than December 1 of the application cycle. Applications that post a GRE testing date after their BioMedCAS-reported e-submission date will not have this information included in the admissions committee review. 

Domestic Transcripts

College transcripts should be submitted for all previous colleges attended (undergraduate, graduate, and professional). Unofficial transcripts from U.S. institutions may be submitted with the initial application.

Official transcripts will be required from accepted students prior to matriculation.  

Foreign Transcripts  

Transcripts from Canadian Institutions must be transcribed and evaluated by World Education Services (WES), The Evaluation Company (TEC), 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 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. 

To learn more about tuition and fees for the Genetic Counseling program, please visit the Student Accounting website.

At this time, the program is only open to American and Canadian citizens.

Any Canadian student who is accepted into the program must take the WCM provided coverage and are not permitted to waive. Please visit Student Health Plan Information for further details.