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You have to be accepted to BOTH PhD and MD areas based on their own separate criteria and an interview for each to get into those programs.
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<p>No this is not true for all cases. Some MD/PhD programs run JOINT admissions processes in which the decision to admit you is based on the needs of the specific MD/PhD program. In other words, there is a separate admissions process dedicated solely to the MD/PhD applicants.</p>
<p>Probably the most prominent example is the Johns Hopkins MD/PhD program in which you are evaluated through an entirely separate committee. It is true that you do have to survive the standard Johns Hopkins first-round MD admissions, so in that sense the admissions are separate. But presuming you get past the first round, the decision to admit you into the MD/PhD program is made by a separate committee that is apart from the standard MD and PhD adcom.</p>
<p>You can read all about it here:</p>
<p>"When an application is complete with all credentials, it is forwarded to the MD-PhD Program Office. All combined-degree applications are reviewed by a separate MD-PhD Committee. A separate Graduate School application is not necessary. The MD-PhD Committee determines whether or not an interview is indicated. This assessment is based on the applicant's research experience, letters of recommendation, academic performance, and evidence for a commitment to medicine. The Committee considers standardized test scores only in the context of the applicant's other credentials. Neither test scores nor grades are used to establish an arbitrary admissions cut-off. If an interview is warranted, the applicant is notified by the MD-PhD Office and the interview date, schedule and overnight accommodations are arranged."</p>
<p>The point is, there are some people in the world who might get admitted to the Johns Hopkins MD/PhD program who might not have gotten into the regular Johns Hopkins MD program (and possibly not the regular Johns Hopkins PhD program either). Admissions are a fluky process and you will find that you get admitted to some programs that you think you have no chance, and you get rejected from some programs that you think are slam-dunks.</p>