(Courtesy of Yeshiva University) Boasting a near 100% admissions rate to medical school, a long-standing affiliation with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and cutting-edge scholarship programs, Yeshiva University continues to produce the next generation of world-class doctors who are leading the future of medicine and changing lives across the world.
With nearly 500 YU students admitted to medical schools in the past 10 years, YU has a near-perfect rate of undergraduate acceptance, with 92% of those who applied to medical school receiving admission over the last decade—more than double the national average of about 45%. In addition, YU students have a 100% dental school acceptance rate. YU graduates attend medical schools including Einstein, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
“The success of Yeshiva University graduates applying to medical schools is one of the highest in the nation,” said Dr. Karen Bacon, The Mordecai D. Katz and Dr. Monique C. Katz dean of the Undergraduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yeshiva University. “These results are the outcome of talented and motivated students taking rigorous courses taught by outstanding faculty in combination with individualized mentoring and advising services. When students come to YU, they can be assured that they will receive an excellent education, grow personally and intellectually in an environment built on values and be prepared for success in graduate school and in life.”
The groundbreaking YU/Albert Einstein College of Medicine Scholars Program—a joint YU-Einstein BA/BS-MD program launched in 2021—takes this beneficial partnership between the two institutions to a new level, providing a select number of exceptional high school seniors early assurance to an honors undergraduate education and medical school training. Medical Scholars complete their undergraduate YU degree while achieving certain academic milestones and continue into medical school at Einstein. Students apply for the program in their senior year of high school and are accepted to both schools, eliminating the separate application process usually necessary to progress from an undergraduate college to a medical school. This forward-thinking program ensures qualifying students a path to an excellent medical education and an impactful career in health care, with a strong foundation of a values-driven education.
Indeed, Einstein—ranked in the top 10% of research-intensive medical schools in the U.S.—and its affiliation with YU, benefits YU graduates in many ways: In 2021-22, nearly 30% of YU students earned admission to Einstein, which accepts 4.3% of its applicants each year. This remarkable acceptance rate is a testament to Einstein’s respect for a YU education, which not only prepares students academically, but instills in them the values, determination, and well-rounded education needed to go into the world as doctors with compassion and well-honed skills.
“As a premed student in Stern, beginning from my bio principles course through the application process, I was supported every step of the way,” said Yael Arshadnia Schwartz, who graduated Stern College for Women in 2019 and is now a student at Einstein. “Reflecting on my experiences up to this point, I’m so grateful for everything Stern and its outstanding faculty gave me.”
Indeed, physicians with YU degrees go on to make their mark on the world in a variety of ways—helping the community, working with the underserved communities, and striving to find solutions to heal the world with ingenuity, care and compassion. Pediatric oncologist Esther R. Berko, MD, PhD, a 2005 Stern and Einstein graduate and fellow with the Cancer Center at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, has won awards for her groundbreaking research on neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that typically affects children.
Pulmonary and critical care physician Jonah Rubin, MD, a 2012 graduate of Yeshiva College, is an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of its ethics committee. He is the founder and chairman of College EDge, a college prep program that helps students from under-resourced schools get into college. “Yeshiva University offers an outstanding education with a personal touch that I believe is vital to its proven success,” he said.
The enduring partnership between YU’s graduate schools and Einstein has also led to life-changing research and values-driven leadership. In 2021, Dr. Jeffrey Gonzalez, PhD, a professor at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and in the endocrinology department at Einstein, was awarded a multimillion-dollar research grant as co-principal investigator in diabetes-related research. The three-year grant will support Dr. Gonzalez’s research into the emotional distress faced by young adults with Type 1 diabetes.
For students wishing to study the moral challenges constantly faced in medicine, including end-of-life care, Einstein and YU’s Cardozo School of Law offer a joint-degree pathway for law students to obtain a JD and an MS in Bioethics. The degree focuses on the intersection of values, medicine, and law, giving graduates the tools they need to lead in an ever-more complicated world.
YU creates a dynamic environment for medical students to thrive and carry forward a rich tradition of making a difference in the field and in people’s lives.
