Getting into Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, in Hempstead, New York, describes itself as founded by two equal partners, Hofstra University and Northwell Health.1 Here is what Zucker publishes, how its eight-station virtual interview works, and what it asks of applicants. No odds, just sourced facts.
Updated October 2026 · 2026-2027 cycle · figures cited to Zucker’s official pages
What is Zucker’s mission — and what does it signal?
“The School of Medicine, in a culture of community, scholarship and innovation, is dedicated to inspiring diverse, promising students to lead and transform medicine for the betterment of humanity.”Zucker School of Medicine mission7
The school frames its identity as a partnership: Hofstra’s academic programs joined with the clinical and graduate medical education strength of Northwell Health.17 For an applicant, the signal is that Zucker is selecting people it expects to lead, not only to practice, and that it is built around a large health system rather than a single hospital. The mission names diversity directly, which tells you the school wants to see how your background and your reasons for medicine fit together.
What makes Zucker’s curriculum and programs distinctive?
Zucker divides its four years into the “First 100 Weeks” (Years 1 and 2) and the “Second 100 Weeks” (Years 3 and 4).1 Its published highlights include:
- EMT training in the first eight weeks. The first course includes an early clinical immersion in which students become certified Emergency Medical Technicians, built on the New York State Department of Health EMT curriculum and ending in a simulated disaster exercise at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy.18
- PEARLS. The About page lists “Case-based small group learning” among the First 100 Weeks highlights.1
- A pair of equal institutions. Teaching draws on both Hofstra and Northwell, which the school describes as founding partners.1
- A transfer-free class. Because of the curriculum’s design, transfer students are not accepted.3
How does Zucker review applicants?
Zucker requires the CASPer exam and says it does not require, and will not review, Duet. A CASPer result is valid for one admissions cycle only, so a previous year’s test does not carry over.4 The MCAT cannot be older than three years.4 For letters, you send either a premedical committee letter or three individual letters: two from professors (at least one in science) and one from a non-academic professional.4
On residency, the FAQ is direct: “No preference is given to in-state applicants.”3 That is Zucker’s own sentence, and it is unusual enough in a New York school to be worth noting if you are weighing in-state status. The school publishes a median GPA of 3.92 and a median MCAT of 518 without a year, so use them as a sense of the middle of the group and not as a line to clear.1
What is the Zucker interview like?
Zucker invites applicants to a virtual interview day; invitations are emailed from July through February.3 The core of the day is a multiple mini interview of approximately 90 minutes with eight stations. Seven are scenario-based: you get 2 minutes to read the scenario and 6 minutes to discuss it with the interviewer. The eighth is an open, traditional-style station of 14 minutes in which the interviewer has access to your full application.2
Interviewers include members of the school’s interdisciplinary faculty, staff and student body. The day also includes a non-evaluated mini skills session that introduces the curriculum and a meet-and-greet lunch with current students.2 Because only the open station draws on your file, the scenario stations test how you reason in the moment, so practice thinking aloud under a clock.
What are Zucker’s secondaries like?
The secondary application carries a $125.00 fee.4 The CASPer deadlines for the 2026–2027 cycle are staged by track: for Early Decision, the exam by July 19 with scores distributed by Aug 1; for Regular Decision, the exam by Nov 12 with scores distributed by Dec 1.4 The timeline page lists Aug 1 for all Early Decision materials, Nov 1 for the Regular Decision AMCAS application, and Dec 1 for all remaining Regular Decision materials.5 The secondary prompts themselves are not published on the pages we reviewed.
What does Zucker cost — and how does the timeline work?
Zucker’s 2026–2027 cost of attendance lists first-year tuition of $61,800 for a 10-month year, with fees of $2,075 shown as a separate line; the budget shows a single tuition figure.6 Since the school gives no in-state preference, there is no separate resident rate to compare.36 The sequence to plan around is CASPer, then AMCAS by Nov 1, then all remaining materials by Dec 1 for Regular Decision.45
Who Zucker tends to fit
Zucker tends to fit applicants who want clinical responsibility early: EMT certification in the first eight weeks suits someone who has already worked with patients or who wants that hands-on start.18 It suits applicants who reason well aloud, since seven of eight interview stations are timed scenarios built around discussion.2 It suits applicants from anywhere, given the stated lack of in-state preference, and applicants who value working inside a large health-system partnership.13 It fits less naturally an applicant who wants to skip CASPer, who needs published matriculant figures with a class year, or who wants published secondary prompts before applying.
Ready to think aloud, early on the floor — and CASPer-ready.
Zucker’s medians (MCAT 518, GPA 3.92) are published without a year, so they are a rough anchor for the middle of the group and not a cutoff. What the school adds around those numbers is distinctive: a required CASPer, an interview built mostly from timed scenarios, and EMT certification in the first eight weeks. The read: a record that shows real contact with patients, steady reasoning under time pressure, and a clear reason to train inside a large health system gives you the most to work with. That is a judgment about fit, not a prediction of admission. We publish no odds.
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Frequently asked
What GPA and MCAT do Zucker students have?
Zucker’s About page lists a median overall GPA of 3.92 and a median MCAT of 518, with 100 students per class. The page gives no year and does not say which group the medians describe, so treat them as the middle of a group, not minimums.1
What is the Zucker MMI like?
The virtual interview day centers on a multiple mini interview of approximately 90 minutes with eight stations. Seven are scenario-based (2 minutes to read, 6 minutes to discuss) and one is an open, traditional-style station of 14 minutes in which the interviewer has access to your full application. Interviewers include faculty, staff and students.2
Do Zucker students really train as EMTs?
Yes. According to the school, the first course of the curriculum "includes an innovative early clinical immersion in which students integrate their medical knowledge and skills and become certified Emergency Medical Technicians." Zucker says the EMT component was developed using the New York State Department of Health Emergency Medical Technician curriculum, with added basic biomedical, social and clinical science content. Students take part in ambulance runs, emergency room follow-throughs and hands-on clinical encounters, and the course culminates in a simulated disaster exercise at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy. The school's About page lists it as "EMT Training: The First Eight Weeks."18
Does Zucker prefer New York residents?
No. Zucker’s FAQ says: “No preference is given to in-state applicants.” Zucker also does not accept transfer students.3
What does Zucker cost?
Zucker’s 2026–2027 cost of attendance lists first-year tuition of $61,800 for a 10-month year, with fees of $2,075 listed separately.6
When is CASPer due for the 2026–2027 cycle?
Zucker requires CASPer, and a result is valid for one cycle. For Early Decision the exam is due by July 19 with scores distributed by Aug 1; for Regular Decision the exam is due by Nov 12 with scores distributed by Dec 1. Zucker does not require Duet.4
Sources — Zucker official pages
- About Zucker (medians, class size, curriculum, EMT line): https://medicine.hofstra.edu/about/
- Interview day (MMI format): https://medicine.hofstra.edu/admission/md/interview-day/
- MD admissions FAQs (no in-state preference, transfers, invitations): https://medicine.hofstra.edu/admission/md/faqs/
- MD requirements (CASPer, letters, MCAT, secondary fee): https://medicine.hofstra.edu/admission/md/requirements/
- MD admissions timeline: https://medicine.hofstra.edu/admission/md/timeline/
- Cost of attendance, 2026–2027: https://medicine.hofstra.edu/students/financialaid/cost-of-attendance/
- Mission, vision and values: https://medicine.hofstra.edu/about/mission-vision-values/
- EMT training (first course): https://medicine.hofstra.edu/education/md/fow/md-emt/
Figures are Zucker’s own published medians, labeled as medians as the school labels them; the school gives no year, so none is shown. Secondary prompts are not stated on the pages we reviewed. Tuition excludes living costs. No acceptance rate or admission odds are shown, by policy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Zucker; confirm all requirements on the school’s official pages. Nothing here predicts an admission decision.