Medical Schools in New Jersey: How to Get In (2024)
/Which are the best medical schools in New Jersey? Learn the New Jersey medical school rankings, plus strategies to get into your top-choice programs
Learn how to get into the five medical schools in new jersey
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in New Jersey: 2023 rankings and admissions statistics
Part 3: New Jersey medical school profiles
Part 4: New Jersey medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: New Jersey medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: New Jersey medical schools by institution type
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Part 1: Introduction
Despite its small footprint, New Jersey has the highest density population of any state in the U.S., making it a place where plenty of medical students choose to study. Given the drivability of the state, New Jersey medical students can venture to the urban hub, Hoboken, or the entertainment mecca, Atlantic City, or they can take a beach day along the Jersey Shore. Additionally, the New Jersey Transit train system connects residents to cities along the East Coast, making New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. just a quick trip away.
The five New Jersey medical schools are diverse in their location, offerings, and class profiles. Whether you aim to attend a medical school with a strong emphasis on research and scholarly inquiry, such as the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, or you hope to graduate with a degree in osteopathic medicine from the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, it is likely that at least one New Jersey medical school will dovetail with your professional interests.
The goal of this guide is to provide you with a summary of the strengths and differentiating qualities of each of the New Jersey medical schools. This information can help you select the best schools to apply to and hone your focus when writing secondary essays and preparing for interviews. By taking an informed approach, you can optimize the likelihood that you will end the application season with an admissions offer from a New Jersey medical school that you’d be excited to attend.
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Part 2: List of medical schools in New Jersey: 2024 rankings and admissions statistics
Below you will find statistics on New Jersey medical schools’ rankings, locations, average GPAs, average MCAT scores, and other statistics so you can compare and contrast each program. While putting together this information, we observed a few main takeaways:
Four out of five New Jersey medical schools are public.
All five New Jersey medical schools have a first-year class comprised of over 50% in-state residents.
All five New Jersey medical schools appear in the 2023-2024 U.S. News Research ranking.
In the table below, we’ve listed each New Jersey medical school’s national ranking inside parentheses, whereas the schools’ relative ranks are shown by the numbers outside of parentheses. Relative rankings help us answer the question, “Which are the ‘best’ medicals school in New Jersey?”
(Note: We strongly recommend that you sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date information on MD programs and that you sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
| New Jersey Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School* | $76,334 OOS |
3.1% OOS |
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| Rutgers New Jersey Medical School* | $77,090 OOS |
6.4% OOS |
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| Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | $80,203 OOS |
4.7% OOS |
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| Cooper Medical School of Rowan University* | $73,196 OOS |
3.6% OOS |
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| Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine* | $64,254 OOS |
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Part 3: New Jersey medical school profiles
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMRSU)
CMRSU has an integrated two-year preclinical (Phase I: The Foundation and Integration Phase) and two-year clinical curriculum (Phase II: The Application, Exploration, and Advancement Phase) that integrate teachings in medical humanism, service, and professionalism. The curriculum is designed to ensure CMRSU graduates achieve several general competencies including medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning and improvement, systems-based practice, scholarly inquiry, health partnership, and learning and working with teams.
CMRSU also offers an accelerated three-year track for students who are interested in pursuing a career in primary care or pediatrics. Once accepted to CMSRU, one can apply to the three-year track. There are also many opportunities for students to participate in formal research projects, such as the Summer Research Program and the Annual Camden Scholars’ Forum.
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine is a newly established medical school that has a unique 3+1 curriculum, or a three-year core curriculum with an “Individualization” phase during the fourth year of medical school. The three-year core curriculum is split into two phases: Phase 1 (Fundamentals) and Phase 2 (Immersion). Phase 1 is sixteen months and it focuses on foundational knowledge and skills from the biomedical, behavioral, social, and health system sciences. It also includes early exposure to patients and community-based learning experiences. Phase 2 is the subsequent 20 months and it includes core clerkship rotations, electives, and dedicated study time for the USMLE Step 1 and 2 exams.
Throughout the first three years, students will participate in a longitudinal course called Human Dimension. Here, students will provide care for the same individual and/or family over the course of three years. Phase 3 (Individualization) is a self-directed year in which students can select to spend more time in the wards, in the community, pursuing research, or obtaining a second graduate degree.
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
The Rutgers New Jersey Medical School curriculum focuses on four key themes: an organ-systems-based curriculum, early integrated clinical practice of medicine skills, service learning, and individual professional identity development with a healthcare team focus. In addition to traditional preclinical and clinical coursework, various additional classes are integrated throughout the four-year curriculum including a patients-as-teachers curriculum, training students to understand and address the opioid epidemic, and leadership and healthcare systems. Moreover, students are exposed to various teaching methodologies including team-based learning, podcasts, and flipped classrooms.
The Rutgers New Jersey Medical School also places a strong emphasis on community service; many medical students volunteer at the student-run Student Family Health Care Center. This free, student-run clinic was established after the 1967 riots to meet the needs of the medically underserved and to provide quality health care to the Newark community. Through this opportunity, students also provide clinical care at homeless shelters in Newark.
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School revamped its curriculum in 2021 to focus on five core themes: curiosity, critical thinking, clinical skills, competence, and compassion. These themes are intertwined throughout the first two preclinical years and subsequent two years of clinical rotations. In addition, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson students will take an 18-month Physicianship Development and Practice course; here, they will gain early clinical exposure through caring for patients in clinics and in their homes.
The medical school also provides several community health opportunities. Students may participate in the Homeless and Indigent Population Health Outreach Project, through which they provide education and clinical care to patients in New Brunswick and Middlesex, or they may volunteer at the Eric B. Chandler Health Center, a family-oriented community clinic.
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
The Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine has two sites in New Jersey: the Stratford Campus and the newly established Sewell Campus. The medical school offers two unique curriculum tracks for the pre-clerkship time: synergistic guided learning (SGL) and problem-based learning (PBL).
In the SGL track, students will progress through material stratified by organ systems by learning about normal physiology and then relevant pathophysiology. The PBL track, on the other hand, utilizes clinical case presentations as the educational foundation for enrolled students. In both curricula, osteopathic clinical skills courses will be integrated. The SGL curriculum model is only offered at the Stratford campus; the PBL curriculum is offered at both the Stratford and Sewell campuses.
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Part 4: New Jersey medical school admissions strategies
Strategy 1: Use the data provided about each New Jersey medical school to select which you should apply to.
Though the majority of New Jersey medical schools have relatively similar average GPAs and MCAT scores, there is still considerable variation when viewed as a group. Reflect on how your own statistics align with each school’s numbers in order to increase your likelihood of an admissions offer from a New Jersey medical school.
For example, with a 3.75 GPA and 513 MCAT, Hackensack Meridian, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson, and Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine would be good target schools for you. Your chances would be further increased if you are an in-state New Jersey resident.
(Suggested reading: How Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To? Which Ones?)
Strategy 2: Reflect on each New Jersey medical school’s unique features and select schools that fit your strengths and future goals.
As elaborated on above, New Jersey medical schools offer a variety of focuses and curricular options. For example, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson boasts a commitment to community service while Rowan SOM focuses on innovative education models and student-directed learning.
Use this information, supplemented by your own medical school research, to ensure that you apply to schools that support your prior achievements and future goals. It is also worth visiting these schools and discussing the programs with both students and faculty, if these opportunities present themselves.
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Strategy 3: Be prepared come interview day
After all your hard work writing essays and submitting applications, once you’ve made it to the interview stage you’ve only got one last obstacle to overcome before you’re on your way to your dream career. Make sure you’re fully prepared and ready to show your interviewer exactly why you’ll be a great addition to their institution.
To do this, practice answering common interview questions and think through your responses to ensure they paint the full picture of you while aligning with the school’s priorities. For example, if asked “Where do you plan to practice medicine?” consider if the school primarily admits in-state applicants or has programs targeting the underserved in rural areas. Bringing this up in your answer can go a long way to having adcoms move your application into the accepted pile.
Additionally, you should be able to speak to your own interests and highlight extracurriculars or research you’ve engaged in. Before attending any interview, look over your application for that school and take note of the activities you mentioned. In many interviews, anything in your file is open game and could come up on the big day. The last thing you want is to be asked about something you’ve forgotten since your interviewer may see this as a sign that you were just ticking boxes on your application or even worse, embellishing it unnecessarily.
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Final thoughts
When applying to medical schools in New Jersey, make sure to carefully consider each program’s statistical profile as well as its differentiating features. Then, when writing secondary application essays and preparing for interviews, highlight how these qualities dovetail with your own strengths and interests. By crafting school-specific responses, you can maximize your success in the medical school application process.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix A: New Jersey medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in New Jersey (MD)
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Osteopathic medical schools in New Jersey (DO)
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
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Appendix B: New Jersey medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in New Jersey
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Private medical schools in New Jersey
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
