MD-PhD Programs in the US: Funding, Length and How to Apply

Published June 1, 2024  |  Last updated October 30, 2026

How MD-PhD Programs Work: Length, Size and Funding

An MD-PhD program combines medical school and a research doctorate in one pathway. AAMC says it takes about 7 or 8 years to complete both degrees, and that MD-PhD matriculants are only about 3% of all students who start medical school.¹ The table gathers the figures we could verify. Where sources differ, both are shown.

Funding is where programs differ most. AAMC says most programs offer financial support, including stipends, tuition waivers and health insurance.¹ NIGMS says MSTP training grants cover trainee stipends, tuition and fees, training-related expenses and health insurance, are usually awarded for five years and can be renewed. Trainees must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals or lawful permanent residents enrolled in a combined clinical and PhD program.² Neither source gives a dollar amount, so ask each program for its written offer. We dropped the old per-year tuition and salary figures from this post because we could not source them.

What MD-PhD Admissions Look At: GPA, MCAT and Research

Applicants are a strong group and matriculants are stronger still. In 2022 the average applicant GPA was 3.68 and the average total MCAT score was 511; matriculants averaged 3.82 and 516.⁴ Over the past decade about 1,800 people applied each year and about 700 matriculated, which is roughly 39% (700 divided by 1,800, computed by Editverse from rounded figures).

Time in research before applying has also grown. Over the past decade the share of matriculants who took a postbaccalaureate gap of a year or more rose from about 50% to more than 75%, and nearly all of them worked in research.⁴ Over 70% of program directors in the survey the paper cites said gap length was probably or definitely predictive of completing the program; the paper’s own analysis, below, did not find that.

How to Apply to MD-PhD Programs

1. 1Apply through AMCAS. Nearly all MD-PhD programs take applications through AMCAS. Mark yourself as an MD-PhD applicant on the application.
2. 2Write the two extra essays. One covers why you are interested in MD-PhD training and one covers significant research experience.
3. 3Follow the timeline. AMCAS opens in May before the year you expect to enter. Interviews run October to March and decisions arrive December to March.
4. 4Compare offers and choose. Programs ask you to visit and choose in March and April, and classes start between June and August.

AAMC’s timeline is general.³ Each program sets its own requirements, and AAMC tells applicants to contact institutions directly for curriculum and admission details. Its state-by-state list links to every program.⁵

A Real Example: What 4,659 MD-PhD Alumni Show About Outcomes

In 2025 Brass and colleagues tested whether application metrics predict how MD-PhD training turns out. The paper is open access under CC BY 4.0, and we re-plotted its counts in R.⁴ It uses the 2015 National MD-PhD Program Outcomes Study, a survey of 4,659 alumni of 80 programs who had finished postgraduate training, plus a Penn and Einstein dataset of 593 matriculants that includes attrition.

Average time to degree rose from 6.7 years for graduates of 1975 to 1984 to 8.3 years for graduates of 2005 to 2014. Of the 4,659 alumni, 2,945 (63.2%) trained in specialties the authors define as research-friendly, meaning at least 35% of respondents in that specialty reported at least 50% research effort. At Penn and Einstein, 523 of 593 matriculants graduated and 70 (11.8%) left without one or both degrees.⁴

The headline finding is that GPA, MCAT score and gap length, alone or combined, did not predict time to degree, attrition, specialty choice, workplace or research effort, and adding admissions committee scores and PhD publications did not help.⁴ An earlier study of 153 Vanderbilt MD-PhD graduates reached a similar view: MCAT and undergraduate GPA were inconsistent or weak predictors of training measures and career outcomes.⁶

What this shows: the numbers that screen applicants say little about who finishes or who ends up in research. What it does not show: that grades and scores are irrelevant to getting in, since every person studied had already been admitted and the paper notes the old MCAT versions are not comparable with today’s exam. It is retrospective and the survey covers alumni who completed training.

What MD-PhD Graduates Do After Training

AAMC says most MD-PhD graduates train in a residency and become licensed in a specialty, and that most work in academic medical centers. Others work at research institutes such as the NIH, at other government or private agencies, and at pharmaceutical or biotech companies.¹ The AAMC application page says those in academia spend between 50 and 80 percent of their time on research, which varies by specialty.³ The AAMC career page says a physician-scientist at an academic medical center typically spends 70 to 80 percent of their time on research.⁷ The career page also cites an undated study by the National Association of MD-PhD Programs in which about 75% of US MD-PhD graduates work in academic medicine or pharmaceutical company positions.⁷ MD-PhD alumni are about 3% of medical school graduates yet hold over half of the NIH research project grants held by physicians.⁴

How to Choose an MD-PhD Program Without a Ranking

We do not rank programs, because the outcome data we could verify are national or from two institutions. Build your shortlist from the AAMC state list, then ask each program the same questions.⁵

1. 1Funding. Is the stipend, tuition and health insurance offer in writing, and is it NIGMS MSTP-supported or institution-funded?
2. 2Time and attrition. What is the average time to degree and the share of matriculants who leave?
3. 3Where graduates go. What share of alumni hold research-focused positions, by specialty?
4. 4PhD options and mentors. Which PhD programs and labs can you join, and who has mentored recent students?

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does an MD-PhD program take?

AAMC says training for both degrees takes about 7 or 8 years. The national outcomes study reports an average time to degree of 8.3 years for graduates of 2005 to 2014, up from 6.7 years for graduates of 1975 to 1984. Plan for the longer figure.

Are MD-PhD programs funded?

Most are. AAMC says most programs offer stipends, tuition waivers and health insurance. NIGMS Medical Scientist Training Program grants cover trainee stipends, tuition and fees, training-related expenses and health insurance. Terms differ by program, so ask each one for its written funding offer.

What GPA and MCAT score do I need for an MD-PhD program?

We could not verify a universal minimum. In 2022 the average applicant had a GPA of 3.68 and a total MCAT score of 511; matriculant averages were 3.82 and 516. Averages are not cutoffs, and a 4,659-alumni study found these metrics did not predict who later worked in research-focused settings.

How do I apply to MD-PhD programs?

Nearly all programs use AMCAS. You mark yourself as an MD-PhD applicant and write two extra essays, one on why you want MD-PhD training and one on significant research experience. AMCAS opens in May before the year you expect to enter, interviews run October to March, and decisions arrive December to March.

What is the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)?

MSTP is the NIGMS training grant that supports dual-degree clinician-scientist training. Awards usually run five years and are renewable, and trainees must be U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals or permanent residents enrolled in a combined clinical and PhD program. It funds some programs, not all.

Which are the best MD-PhD programs in the US?

We do not publish a ranking because we found no verified public outcome data that ranks programs. Compare time to degree, attrition, funding terms and mentors for each program. AAMC lists programs by state with links to each school.

What do MD-PhD graduates do after training?

AAMC says most train in a residency and most work in academic medical centers, with others at the NIH, other agencies, and pharmaceutical or biotech companies. In the national survey of 4,659 alumni, 2,945 (63.2%, computed by Editverse) trained in specialties the authors call research-friendly.

How many students leave MD-PhD programs before finishing?

At Penn and Einstein, 70 of 593 matriculants (11.8%, computed by Editverse) left without one or both degrees. The same paper cites about 16% average attrition for 2004 to 2012 entrants in AAMC data and 10 to 15% elsewhere, so expect a range.

References

1. AAMC. Is an MD-PhD program right for me? (length of training, programs, funding, matriculants and careers). Accessed October 2026. students-residents.aamc.org/md-phd-dual-degree-training/md-phd-right-me
2. NIGMS. Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP): institutional dual-degree clinician-scientist training (page last updated 27 May 2026). www.nigms.nih.gov/training/instpredoc/Pages/MSTP.aspx
3. AAMC. Apply to MD-PhD programs (AMCAS designation, essays and application timeline). students-residents.aamc.org/applying-md/phd-programs/apply-md-phd-programs
4. Brass LF, Tomaiuolo M, Wallace A, Akabas MH. Admissions to MD-PhD programs: how well do application metrics predict short- or long-term physician-scientist outcomes? JCI Insight. 2025;10(7):e184493. Open access, CC BY 4.0 (PMC11981614); percentages recomputed by Editverse in R. doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.184493
5. AAMC. MD-PhD degree programs by state (U.S. and Canadian schools, with links to each program). students-residents.aamc.org/applying-md/phd-programs/md-phd-degree-programs-state
6. Bills JL, VanHouten J, Grundy MM, Chalkley R, Dermody TS. Validity of the Medical College Admission Test for predicting MD-PhD student outcomes. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2015 (print 2016);21(1):33-49. Open access, CC BY 4.0. doi.org/10.1007/s10459-015-9609-x
7. AAMC. Career paths of MD-PhD graduates. students-residents.aamc.org/md-phd-dual-degree-training/career-paths-md-phd-graduates

Editverse Research Team | Updated October 2026