Prospective Domestic Visiting Students:
The June 2025-May 2026 catalog is open.
Due to the volume of applications we receive, we do not accept phone calls.
Please visit the FAQ for more information: https://medicaleducation.weill.cornell.edu/student-resources/visiting-students/faq.
Prospective International Visiting Students:
This website will be updated by end of April 2025 with more instructions.
General Information
Weill Cornell Medical College uses the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) service by the AAMC to receive and process visiting student applications from US-based MD and DO schools. To apply, please go to https://students-residents.aamc.org/visiting-student-learning-opportunities/visiting-student-learning-opportunities-vslo and search for Weill Cornell.
Visiting students should not contact departments or course directors regarding the application process.
If your question is not answered by this website and our growing Weill Cornell visiting student FAQ, you may contact our office via electives @ med.cornell.edu.
We do not correspond with visiting students over the phone due to the overwhelming volume of applicants.
The following affiliates have their own visiting student applications and processes:
- Hospital for Special Surgery;
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center;
- Methodist Hospital Texas Medical Center (Houston, TX).
Applicant Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be currently enrolled and in good standing at an accredited MD or DO degree-granting institution in the United States;
- Have passed all core clerkships required by the home school and in the final phase of the curriculum by the time they start the elective;
- Be covered by malpractice or liability insurance during the term of the elective (minimum $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate); and,
- Have personal health insurance coverage.
Applicants from International Medical Schools
Students enrolled at an international medical school, except Canada, should seek additional information from the Office of International Medical Student Education and the WCM Center for Global Health.
Students enrolled in an LCME-Accredited Canadian medical school can see more information here: https://medicaleducation.weill.cornell.edu/student-resources/visiting-students/canadian-students.
Availability of Electives
Elective placements will be made according to the needs and interests of individual departments and on a space-available basis. Due to the fluid nature of enrollment, the Office of the Registrar does not respond to inquiries regarding availability. Only completed applications in VSLO will be considered, and students are advised to provide alternate courses and/or dates.
Students will be notified of acceptance as soon as possible, and departments will attempt to inform students at least 5-6 weeks before the course begins. Acceptance notifications are delivered via email from VSLO to the applicant's email address. Please note Weill Cornell Medicine policies explicitly prohibit students from contacting sponsors or departments directly until they have received their conditional acceptance offer.
The Office of the Registrar does not accept requests for independent rotations outside of VSLO, and the dates of electives cannot be modified. What is available in VSLO is the fullest extent of what can be offered.
Student Health Requirements
Students must demonstrate immunity to measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B. Immunity to measles, mumps and rubella may be demonstrated by serology or documentation of receiving 2 doses of MMR vaccine after age 1. Varicella vaccine immunity may be demonstrated by serology or documentation of receiving 2 doses of varicella vaccine after age 1. Hepatitis B immunity is demonstrated by documentation of a 2- or 3-dose vaccine series and a post vaccination titer/blood test.
Students must also provide documentation of a tetanus (Td) or Tetanus/pertussis (Tdap) booster administered in the last 10 years.
Testing for tuberculosis with an interferon gamma release assay within the 12 months prior to elective start is required. Vaccination against the flu and COVID are required. Students are required to provide documentation of a physical exam performed in the 12 months prior to an elective, and be free of communicable illness.
Titer/Serology Reports
Titer reports are recommended to demonstrate MMR and Varicella immunity and are required to demonstrate hepatitis B immunity. These must be filed along with an application and, if they demonstrate immunity, there is no requirement regarding the date they are drawn; however, if the titers drawn for the purposes of this elective are found to be non-immune, the student must provide documentation of the appropriate boosters prior to arrival at Weill Cornell. If the student has a negative or borderline hepatitis B titer, or if the student attends a university that permits them to decline hepatitis B vaccination (and the student chooses not to be (re)immunized against hepatitis B), the student must provide Hepatitis B surface antigen documentation, and may sign a declination. Students will be notified if they require any additional testing prior to an elective.
Tuberculosis Testing
Students must provide a lab report of an interferon gamma release assay performed in the 12 months preceding the elective. Our teaching hospitals do not accept skin testing results. Students who have a history of a positive assay or prior history of tuberculosis do not need to repeat an assay but must provide the date of their positive test, a copy of their chest x-ray report, and documentation of counseling and/or treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. Please note that prior history of BCG vaccination is not a contraindication to testing. Failure to provide this information will result in the cancellation of the elective.
Influenza Vaccination (September – May)
All visiting medical students must provide documentation of influenza vaccination for the current season. At a minimum, the documentation must include the date administered, name, address and signature of the immunizer, and the formulation used. Students not able to provide this documentation, or who have a medical reason they cannot receive the vaccine, will be required to wear a mask at all times around patients if the New York State Health Commissioner declares an influenza emergency, and must do so until the commissioner declares it is safe for “masks off”. Students who are not immunized against the flu, and who do not adhere to the masking requirement, may be prohibited from patient contact.
COVID Vaccination
Completed vaccination against COVID-19 with a vaccine approved or authorized by the U.S. FDA or under emergency use authorization by the World Health Organization is required. Booster doses of vaccine are required. Medical exemptions may be accommodated.
Health Insurance
All students must provide proof of health insurance. (Please note, visiting students are not eligible for services provided through Weill Cornell Student Health Services.) In the event of illness, or the need for consultation regarding health care, visiting students must seek the services of a physician. In the event of an emergency, visiting students are advised to proceed immediately to the nearest emergency room. Any questions related to coverage (including cost) should be addressed by a student directly with their insurance provider.
Correspondence
All correspondence regarding electives will come from electives @ med.cornell.edu. Students are expected to respond to inquiries from this address about their applications.
Housing
Visiting students can inquire directly with the Weill Cornell Housing Office about on- and off-campus housing options at (212) 746-1001 or housing @ med.cornell.edu. They have more information on their website at http://www.med.cornell.edu/housing.
Evaluations
Weill Cornell Medical College uses OASIS for all evaluations. Visiting students and their schools may request a copy by emailing electives @ med.cornell.edu. WCM faculty are not obligated to complete non-WCM forms or convert P/F grading. All electives are graded Pass/Fail. P/F grades are not translated to other grading scales by the Office of the Registrar.
Course Catalog
Visiting students will be considered for electives/blocks applied to VSLO only. To be considered for multiple blocks, students must apply to those blocks. In some cases, students may not receive their top choice. Core clinical clerkships are not available for visiting students. All elective assignments are final.