High-achieving premed students can fast-track a career as a doctor through three-year medical programs, trimming time and cost compared to the traditional four-year route.
“A student might consider a three-year medical program to accelerate their path to residency, reduce overall educational costs and start earning a salary a year sooner,” says Dr. Annette C. Reboli, dean and professor of medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in New Jersey.
Accelerated med school programs are geared toward motivated, career-focused students who are often older or switching careers and seek a quicker and more affordable path to becoming a doctor, experts say.
Here’s a look at three-year medical programs and what they offer.
Why Some Medical Schools Offer 3-Year Paths
More than 30 medical schools offer three-year programs for students looking for an accelerated route, says Dr. Joan Cangiarella, chair of the Consortium of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs, or CAMPP, and associate dean of education, faculty and academic affairs at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
Three-year programs may appeal to certain med school applicants passionate about pursuing a career in primary care and reducing educational debt by entering the workforce an entire year earlier, says Dr. Ranita Sharma, executive vice dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix.
“Over the last decade there has been a resurgence of interest in the three-year accelerated medical school education programs,” Sharma says.
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The three-year programs also address a physician shortage in the U.S. of up to 124,000 doctors by 2034, including 48,000 primary care physicians, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The newly launched three-year program at the College of Medicine–Phoenix focuses on developing students seeking a career in a primary care specialty like family medicine, general internal medicine or general pediatrics.
“It is anticipated that by completing their undergraduate medical education in three years, our student cohorts will be able to meet our statewide physician shortage, especially in underserved and rural areas with a high social vulnerability index,” Sharma says.
How 3-Year Programs Differ from Traditional 4-Year Tracks
Compared with the four-year path, three-year medical programs offer fewer electives and a focused curriculum tailored to a specific medical field. Three-year programs also give students hands-on experience in their specialty sooner.
“Given that residency training can extend for up to seven years beyond medical school, the accelerated pathway gives students a head start on their apprenticeships as residents,” Cangiarella says.
While they all cover core subjects like anatomy in similar ways, each three-year program is designed with a specific aim, such as training future orthopedic surgeons or rural primary care doctors. Students should compare programs carefully to best meet their goals, experts say.
“The main difference between the three-year curricular track and the conventional four-year program lies in curricular design, where opportunities for rotations to explore a variety of specialties (are) restricted or eliminated, vacation may be shortened, time commitments for in-depth research and other activities may be absent,” Sharma says.
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Who Is a Good Fit for Accelerated Programs?
Three-year programs are recommended for students who know what specialty they plan to pursue or want a direct path into residency programs.
“Some programs offer conditional or guaranteed entry into affiliated residency programs, contingent upon satisfactory academic performance and professionalism standards. CMSRU offers this,” Reboli says.
Maggie Burzynski, who is in her final year of the three-year track at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, knew she wanted to pursue primary care. She also liked that the school’s program included a track directly into residency at the affiliated Cooper University Hospital.
“This particular program is specific to primary care, therefore, I think other students interested in this and other three-year programs should have a level of certainty and maturity to feel sure of their path in medicine,” Burzynski says.
While her three-year program limited her ability to choose any specialty, she says the added support she’s gained has been a “hugely positive” trade-off for her.
“With my program I have had additional clinical time since M1 year, additional advising and support on how to prepare for my major examinations and a tight-knit cohort of students I can lean on when necessary,” Burzynski says.
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Schools Offering 3-Year Medical Programs
When Cangiarella launched CAMPP in 2015 with support from the nonprofit Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, only eight schools had committed to the three-year model. As of July 2025, about 33 medical schools nationwide offer three-year degree options, she says.
“The number remains in flux as new schools continue to explore and adopt three-year medical degree options,” Cangiarella says.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s program offers direct pathways to all 21 of its residency programs, covering every medical specialty, Cangiarella says, including internal medicine, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, anesthesiology and neurosurgery.
“The specialty training opportunities linked to three-year medical school tracks vary based on the school, their geographic location and the regional workforce needs,” Sharma says.
Some institutions have expanded their specialties to include OB-GYN, psychiatry and general surgery, Sharma says.
“As the three-year medical school curriculum gains popularity, local linkage with residency programs continues to expand. Many of the programs now have established matching options into their local health system residency training sites,” Sharma says.
Accelerated medical school “is not for everyone,” Burzynski says, “but if a prospective applicant is considering a program because they feel sure about their path, I would really encourage a three-year program.”
The following schools offer three-year med programs as of July 2025 according to CAMPP:
— Medical College of Wisconsin‘s Green Bay and Central Wisconsin campuses
— Penn State University College of Medicine
— Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
— University of California Davis School of Medicine
— Wayne State University School of Medicine
— New York University Grossman School of Medicine
— Mercer University School of Medicine
— McMaster University Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (Canada)
— University of Louisville School of Medicine
— Duke University School of Medicine
— Ohio State University College of Medicine
— University of Arizona College of Medicine
— Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
— University of North Carolina School of Medicine
— Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
— Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
— Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine
— University of Tennessee Health Science Center
— NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine
— Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
— Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
— University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine
— West Virginia University School of Medicine
— Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
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A Guide to Accelerated, 3-Year Medical School Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
