Getting into SUNY Upstate Medical University Norton College of Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Norton College of Medicine is a public MD program in Syracuse, New York. It publishes a profile for its Entering Class of 2026, runs a virtual multiple mini interview with student interviewers, and says it gives a slight preference to New York applicants.12 Here is what it publishes and how to read it. No odds, just sourced facts.
Updated October 2026 · 2026-2027 cycle · figures cited to Upstate’s official pages
What is Upstate’s mission — and what does it signal?
Upstate’s FAQ describes the school as “a public/state institution” that gives a slight preference to applicants from New York State while welcoming and accepting many out-of-state applicants each year.2 The profile prints the entering class as 86% New York state residents and 14% out-of-state, as the school states the percentages.1 The clearest mission statement on the pages we reviewed belongs to its Rural Medical Scholars Program:
“Our mission is to identify, recruit and nurture those interested in future rural or small town practice.”Rural Medical Scholars Program6
The signal: this is a state school with a stated tie to New York and a visible interest in rural practice, and it screens heavily on numbers. Upstate says GPA and MCAT “are the two most heavily weighted factors considered when screening applications.”2
What makes Upstate’s curriculum and programs distinctive?
Three published features set Upstate apart from peers:
- Two campuses for clinical years. All students complete pre-clinical requirements in Syracuse. In March of the second year, one-fourth of the class moves to the Binghamton Clinical Campus, one hour south, to complete clerkships, with the option of staying for the fourth year. Campus assignment is by computer-generated lottery after acceptance, and the school says there is no difference in specialties, residency placements or board scores between the two.5
- The Rural Medical Scholars Program. Applicants are encouraged to apply to it prior to admission, and it offers four years of electives focused on rural health, with teaching and mentoring from community-based physicians. The Entering Class of 2026 profile lists 24 Rural Medical Scholars.16
- A supplemental for everyone verified. “We send a supplemental to every verified AMCAS applicant.”2
How does Upstate review applicants?
Upstate screens first on GPA and MCAT, in the school’s own words, so the numbers decide who is read closely.2 Prerequisites include biochemistry and statistics, and the FAQ footnotes are specific: Organic Chemistry II will not meet the biochemistry prerequisite and calculus will not meet the statistics prerequisite.2 The AMCAS deadline is Oct 15, and the application must be complete by Dec 1.2
Upstate’s residency language is worth reading exactly: it “does give a slight preference” to applicants from New York State, while welcoming out-of-state applicants and accepting many each year.2 The entering class printed on the profile, 181 students, is 86% New York residents and 14% out-of-state as the school prints it.1
What is the Upstate interview like?
“Interviews will be virtual Multiple Mini Interviews with faculty and student interviewers.” They are conducted on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning in September and continuing through March.2 The student interviewers are the distinctive part: you may be assessed by people a few years ahead of you, so prepare for peer-level conversation as well as faculty-level questions. The FAQ does not publish the number or length of stations, so we do not state one.
What are Upstate’s secondaries like?
Upstate sends a supplemental application to every verified AMCAS applicant, with a $110 non-refundable fee.2 The AMCAS deadline is Oct 15, and the complete application is due Dec 1.2 The supplemental prompts are not published on the pages we reviewed.
What does Upstate cost — and how does the timeline work?
For 2026–2027, Upstate’s bursar rate table lists Medicine at $23,235.00 per semester for New York State residents and $36,665.00 per semester for non-residents, with a footnote that the rates are pending SUNY Board of Trustees approval.3 Upstate’s cost-of-attendance page lists $46,470 for New York State resident tuition per year, and $71,190 a year for non-residents, which doesn’t match the per-semester rate table — confirm with Upstate.4 The timeline: AMCAS by Oct 15, complete application by Dec 1, and interviews September through March.2
Who Upstate tends to fit
Upstate tends to fit applicants whose academic numbers are strong, since the school screens on GPA and MCAT first.2 It suits New York residents, who get the published slight preference, and out-of-state applicants who are comfortable competing in a class that is 86% New York residents as printed.12 It suits applicants who like peer-level conversation, because student interviewers sit in the MMI, and anyone drawn to rural or small-town practice through the Rural Medical Scholars Program.26 It fits less naturally an applicant who needs a published station count before applying, who has not yet taken biochemistry and statistics, or who wants a single, settled non-resident tuition figure.
Strong numbers, peer-level poise — and a New York story if you have one.
Upstate says GPA and MCAT are its two most heavily weighted screening factors, and its Entering Class of 2026 averages (MCAT 512, GPA 3.89) show where that screening lands. The school also says it gives a slight preference to New York applicants and interviews with faculty and students in a virtual MMI. The read: a record that clears the academic screen, prerequisites that include biochemistry and statistics, and a conversational style that works with peers as well as faculty gives you the most to work with. That is a judgment about fit, not a prediction of admission. We publish no odds.
See exactly where you stand — at Upstate and every school on your list
Preceptorly is admissions software built by a practicing physician. It matches your real numbers to each school's published averages — never fake odds — and coaches the parts that actually decide your cycle:
Keep going
Frequently asked
What GPA and MCAT does Upstate publish?
For its Entering Class of 2026, Upstate prints an Average Undergraduate GPA of 3.89 and an Average MCAT Score of 512, with an entering class of 181. Averages are the center of a class, not minimums.1
What is Upstate’s interview like?
Upstate says interviews are virtual Multiple Mini Interviews with faculty and student interviewers, conducted on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from September through March.2
Does Upstate prefer New York residents?
Upstate says it is a public/state institution that does give a slight preference to applicants from New York State, and that it welcomes applications from and accepts many out-of-state applicants each year. Its Entering Class of 2026 profile prints 86% New York state residents and 14% out-of-state.12
What does Upstate cost?
For 2026–2027, Upstate’s rate table lists Medicine at $23,235.00 per semester for New York State residents and $36,665.00 per semester for non-residents, pending SUNY Board of Trustees approval. Upstate’s cost-of-attendance page lists $71,190 a year for non-residents, which doesn’t match the per-semester rate table — confirm with Upstate.34
What is the Rural Medical Scholars Program?
Upstate describes the Rural Medical Scholars Program as having the mission to identify, recruit and nurture those interested in future rural or small town practice. Applicants are encouraged to apply to the program prior to admission, it offers four years of elective courses focused on rural health issues, and students receive teaching and mentoring from community-based physicians.6
What prerequisites does Upstate list?
Upstate’s prerequisites include biochemistry and statistics. Its FAQ footnotes say Organic Chemistry II will not meet the biochemistry prerequisite and calculus will not meet the statistics prerequisite.2
Sources — Upstate official pages
- Entering Class of 2026 profile: https://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/class-stats.php
- Admissions FAQ (interview, secondary, prerequisites, residency): https://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/faqs.php
- Tuition and fee rates, 2026-2027: https://www.upstate.edu/currentstudents/financial_resources/accounts/rates.php
- Cost of attendance: https://www.upstate.edu/financialaid/applying/coa.php
- Clinical campus options: https://www.upstate.edu/com/about/campuses/index.php
- Rural Medical Scholars Program: https://www.upstate.edu/fmed/education/rmed/index.php
Figures are Upstate’s own published Entering Class of 2026 averages, labeled as averages as the school labels them. Tuition rates are pending SUNY Board of Trustees approval, and the school’s two cost pages differ for non-residents; confirm with Upstate. Interview station counts and supplemental prompts are not stated on the pages we reviewed. No acceptance rate or admission odds are shown, by policy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Upstate; confirm all requirements on the school’s official pages. Nothing here predicts an admission decision.