Address: 1230 York Avenue, 10065 New York City, New York, United States
Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, Biophysics
The Rockefeller University is a private research university in New York City that teaches only at the graduate and postdoctoral level. It was founded in 1901 by John D. Rockefeller as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, the first institution of its kind in the United States, and it received its present name and the power to grant doctoral degrees in 1965. The campus covers about sixteen acres on York Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, next to the East River.
The university is very small. About 255 graduate students study there, alongside several hundred scientists in training and clinical staff, and about 80 faculty members lead laboratories. There are no departments. Each laboratory is headed by an independent investigator, and students choose where to work after rotations. The programmes lead to doctoral degrees in the biomedical sciences, chemistry and biophysics, and doctoral students are supported by the university with a stipend.
Discoveries made here have shaped modern biology. In 1944 Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod and Maclyn McCarty, working at the Rockefeller Institute, showed that DNA carries genetic information. Peyton Rous, Karl Landsteiner and Alexis Carrel received Nobel Prizes for work done here, and later laureates include Günter Blobel and Paul Greengard. The Rockefeller University Hospital, opened in 1910, was the first hospital in the country dedicated to clinical research.
The Rockefeller University Press publishes scientific journals, among them the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program is run jointly with Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Former presidents include Joshua Lederberg, David Baltimore and Paul Nurse, and faculty members include Elaine Fuchs.
Admission is highly selective and open to applicants from every country. Check the current tariff and funding rules. Teaching is in English. Housing is available on campus, and the Second Avenue subway and buses serve the area.
Applicants are assessed on research potential, and the small cohort allows close supervision from the first year. Visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows join the laboratories from many countries.
Domains taught:
Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Doctor
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Rockefeller University Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center through the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, and Rockefeller University Press.
Research:
Basic biomedical research in genetics, immunology, neuroscience, cell biology, structural biology, chemistry and clinical science, organised in small laboratories led by independent investigators.
Famous Alumnis:
Paul Nurse, Joshua Lederberg, David Baltimore, Gerald Edelman, Elaine Fuchs
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1500
Current students***:
255
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Fully funded doctoral students, very small laboratories, no departmental barriers, a hospital dedicated to clinical research on the campus, extraordinary record of discoveries.
Cons
Graduate and postdoctoral education only, very small, no undergraduate life, narrow focus on biomedical sciences.
Best For
Aspiring biomedical scientists who want to run their own research early in a small and fully funded doctoral programme.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Albert Einstein College of Medicine works in much the same fields, chiefly bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, and it also offers master's programmes, and is far larger, with about 789 students against roughly 255 here.
Think of Baylor College of Medicine when bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering is the priority: it is far larger, with about 1,577 students against roughly 255 here, and is also a private institution.
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science is the closest domestic counterpart for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering; it is far larger, with about 4,200 students against roughly 255 here, and is also a private institution.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai overlaps with this institution on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, so the two are easy to compare, and it covers statistics and data analytics as well, and is far larger, with about 1,261 students against roughly 255 here.
In terms of fields, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School is the nearest neighbour, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering again at the core; it also offers master's programmes and covers statistics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas, based in Spain, is built around bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering much like this institution, and it covers nanotechnologies as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 150 students against roughly 255 here.
Peking Union Medical College offers an international parallel to this institution, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering as common ground; it also offers master's programmes, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University in Japan shares the bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering orientation of this university, and it covers astroscience and marine science as well, and is slightly larger, at about 300 students against roughly 255 here.
Beyond national borders, Weizmann Institute of Science stands out as a comparable school for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and chemistry; it is far larger, with about 1,700 students against roughly 255 here, and is public, whereas this university is private.
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy pursues a similar profile in bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences, and it is also a private institution and also offers bachelor's and master's programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Rockefeller University?
On York Avenue, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City.
When was it founded?
In 1901 by John D. Rockefeller, as the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.
When did it become a university?
In 1965, when it received its present name and the power to grant doctoral degrees.
Does it teach undergraduates?
No. It teaches only at the graduate and postdoctoral level.
How large is it?
About 255 graduate students and about 80 faculty members who lead laboratories.
Does it have departments?
No. Each laboratory is headed by an independent investigator.
What did Avery, MacLeod and McCarty show?
In 1944, working at the Rockefeller Institute, they showed that DNA carries genetic information.
What is the Rockefeller University Hospital?
A hospital opened in 1910, the first in the country dedicated to clinical research.
What is the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program?
A programme run jointly with Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
How are doctoral students funded?
The university supports them with a stipend. Check the current tariff and funding rules.
Biology, Chemistry, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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