UTICA – High school seniors interested in pursuing a doctoral medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University (SUNY Upstate) after earning a baccalaureate diploma at SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) may simultaneously be accepted to both as part of Upstate’s Accelerated Scholars Program (ASP). 

The agreement allows up to five interested and qualified high school students to enroll in any baccalaureate program at SUNY Poly, starting fall 2020, and it guarantees acceptance into SUNY Upstate’s College of Medicine upon completion of their undergraduate degree. Accepted students would not be required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and would be automatically enrolled in Upstate’s Doctor of Allopathic Medicine program.

In order to qualify for ASP, a prospective high school student must have an excellent high school record with a minimum grade point average of 3.50, or 90 percent; an SAT score of 1360 or better, or an ACT score of at least 29; and participate in volunteer work and extra-curricular activities that demonstrate experience in a healthcare setting. 

Each student accepted into ASP would have a pre-medical advisor in addition to an undergraduate advisor. Krystal Ripa, Director of Special Admissions Programs at SUNY Upstate, said the program was proactively designed to help mitigate an expected shortage of medical doctors by 2035 and attract a more diverse medical workforce with knowledge in areas outside of medicine. 

“We’re seeing a need for physicians to also have training that’s more well rounded so they can serve a more diverse population of patients, which we consciously need to be thinking about as we are selecting applicants,” Ripa said. “We are so excited.”

SUNY Poly Interim Provost Dr. Steven Schneider says the partnership adds even more academic value to the institution’s health-related programs after SUNY Poly’s recent high rankings for its affordability and quality in healthcare administration and management programs.

“While SUNY Poly has been a world-renowned leader in the Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering field since its inception, this strategic partnership will allow ASP graduates from SUNY Poly and SUNY Upstate to be beacons of innovation and progress in healthcare for generations to come,” Dr. Schneider said.

Other institutions that have partnered with SUNY Upstate for ASP include Adelphi University, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Colgate University, Hamilton College, Hampton University, Purchase College, Rochester Institute of Technology, University at Albany, and Yeshiva University. For more information, visit http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/options/bs-md.php

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About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)

SUNY Poly is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.