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Read our guide on how to get into Northwestern University, The Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg) for expert tips, insights, and more.
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The acceptance rate at Feinberg School of Medicine is 1.63%. In the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, Feinberg received 8,610 verified applicants, and 140 students matriculated.
The table below depicts Feinberg's acceptance rates over the past five admissions cycles, according to archived data from the AAMC.
Over the past five admissions cycles, Feinberg School of Medicine has maintained an acceptance rate consistently below 2%, underscoring the highly competitive nature of admission.
From 2021-2022 through 2025-2026, Feinberg received an average of 8,172 applications per year, while admitting approximately 145 students annually. The average acceptance rate across this period is 1.80%.
The number of applications has risen to its highest point in the five-year data set at 8,610, while the number of admitted students has decreased gradually from 160 in 2021-2022 to 140 in both 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
The decline in class size and growing application volume make Feinberg's admissions process even more competitive. On average, around 56 applicants compete for every available seat at Feinberg.
Feinberg's admissions data make it clear that standing out requires much more than strong academics. Applicants must possess exceptional clinical, research, and service experiences and a compelling narrative to secure one of the limited seats available.
Getting into Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine is extremely difficult. The average matriculation rate across the past five admissions cycles is 1.80%.
We created the Feinberg School of Medicine Admissions Difficulty Scale by comparing acceptance rates and overall selectivity across all accredited US medical schools.
The median MCAT score of accepted students at Feinberg School of Medicine is 521. The median MCAT score among matriculants is also 521. Feinberg does not have a minimum MCAT requirement for admission.
Below is a snapshot of the range of MCAT scores for the 2025-2026 accepted applicants and matriculants.
| Percentile | MCAT Scores of Accepted Applicants | MCAT Scores of Matriculants |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile | 517 | 517 |
| 25th Percentile | 518 | 518 |
| Median | 521 | 521 |
| 75th Percentile | 523 | 522 |
| 90th Percentile | 525 | 524 |
The table below shows the MCAT score medians for each section of the 2025-2026 accepted applicants.
| MCAT Section | Median Score |
|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems | 131 |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills | 129 |
| Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems | 131 |
| Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior | 131 |
The national average MCAT score is 506.3 according to the AAMC, which is 14.4 points lower than Feinberg's accepted student average MCAT score of 520.7.
The median GPA of accepted applicants to Feinberg School of Medicine is 3.95. The median GPA among matriculants is 3.93. Feinberg does not have a minimum GPA requirement.
The table below shows the range of GPA percentiles for Feinberg School of Medicine's 2025-2026 accepted applicants and matriculants.
| Percentile | Total GPA of Accepted Applicants | Total GPA of Matriculants |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile | 3.78 | 3.78 |
| 25th Percentile | 3.87 | 3.85 |
| Median | 3.95 | 3.93 |
| 75th Percentile | 3.99 | 3.98 |
| 90th Percentile | 4.00 | 4.00 |
According to the AAMC, the national average GPA for medical school applicants is 3.67. Feinberg's accepted student average of 3.92 is 0.25 points higher, highlighting the school's rigorous academic expectations.
The median science GPA of accepted students at Feinberg School of Medicine is 3.94. The median science GPA among matriculants is 3.92.
Here is a table with the range of science GPA percentiles for Feinberg School of Medicine's 2025-2026 accepted applicants and matriculants.
| Percentile | Science GPA of Accepted Applicants | Science GPA of Matriculants |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile | 3.69 | 3.73 |
| 25th Percentile | 3.84 | 3.82 |
| Median | 3.94 | 3.92 |
| 75th Percentile | 4.00 | 3.98 |
| 90th Percentile | 4.00 | 4.00 |
Here are the requirements for admission to the Feinberg School of Medicine.
The table below shows the course prerequisites for the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Feinberg conducts a virtual interview day from late August through mid-February. Based on the admissions committee’s recommendation, invitations are emailed directly to applicants.
On the interview day, you’ll participate in three one-on-one interviews—two with faculty members and one with a senior medical student. Interviews are conducted virtually on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, alongside an orientation session and campus virtual tour led by current students.
After submitting and verifying your AMCAS primary application, Feinberg may invite you to complete their secondary application. This critical step provides an opportunity to deepen your narrative, demonstrate alignment with Feinberg’s mission, and highlight the qualities that make you a strong fit for their integrated curriculum in Chicago.
Feinberg’s secondary essay prompts are:
“Feinberg's mission is to train future leaders who will serve their patients, communities and society. Explain how specific elements of the FSM integrated curriculum will support your future goals in medicine and how FSM, located in Chicago, will help you achieve these professional aspirations." (200 words)
"Describe a new hobby or activity you enjoy in your free time outside of school." (200 words)
“The Feinberg School of Medicine values the totality of our students' experiences. As everyone has their own narrative, please describe how your unique experiences would enrich the Northwestern community." (200 words)
"If you have one year or more between college graduation and medical school matriculation, describe both your completed activities and anticipated plans, including the extent of your involvement." (200 words)
"If you are reapplying to medical school, please address steps taken to enhance your application." (200 words)
"Do you or an immediate family member have an existing relationship with the Feinberg School of Medicine? If yes, explain." (50 words)
Follow these expert tips and insights to improve your chances of getting into the Feinberg School of Medicine.
Every Feinberg student has to complete a mentored research project and write a thesis or paper through the Area of Scholarly Concentration (AOSC). It proves you've thought ahead if you can outline a potential research interest like pediatrics at Lurie Children’s or rehab science at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
Rather than giving a vague answer about “liking research,” present a thoughtful idea you could see yourself pursuing. For instance, if you’re interested in pediatrics, you might reference potential projects connected to Lurie Children’s Hospital, one of the nation’s top pediatric research centers.
If your interests lean toward rehabilitation or neuroscience, you could highlight the work at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where Feinberg students often collaborate with clinicians and scientists to improve recovery outcomes.
However, you don’t need a polished research proposal at the interview stage. You just need to demonstrate intellectual curiosity. A candidate who says, “I’d love to explore how early childhood interventions affect long-term developmental outcomes at Lurie,” or “I could see myself working on brain-computer interface research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab,” signals to Feinberg that they will not only thrive in the classroom but also contribute meaningfully to the school’s broader scholarly mission.
Additionally, only 1% of students within the last three admissions cycles applied without research experience, so having significant research experience on your application is imperative.
Feinberg offers week-long Synthesis and Application Modules (SAMs), where students pause their regular classes to tackle cases, labs, and simulations that synthesize all the material.
If you can share times you learned best by solving problems with others or in hands-on settings, you’ll stand out because SAMs are a signature part of Feinberg’s curriculum.
Maybe you shadowed a physician who walked you through real patient cases, and you found yourself learning much more by piecing together symptoms and lab results than you ever did by simply reading about them in a textbook. If you conducted lab research or struggled in your shadowing experience, you likely hit roadblocks, such as an experiment failing or data that didn’t fit your hypothesis.
Also, if you’ve participated in CPR certification, EMT training, nursing assistant clinicals, or even mock code simulations, you can highlight how those high-pressure, hands-on sessions helped you understand physiology, decision-making, and teamwork better than lectures alone.
One way to prove that you’d make a great Feinberg student is by seeking impactful letters of recommendation from professors who can attest to your character and diverse learning style.
In a recent webinar with Inspira Advantage, Giovanni Perrotino, a Feinberg School of Medicine graduate, spoke about the importance of recommendation letters. He said:
“You want a letter writer who knows you the best, not necessarily the one with the biggest name. The strongest letters come from people who can really speak to your growth and character.”
Perrotino highlights that your recommender should be able to prove your ability to learn through cases and simulations, providing concrete examples of your work in their class. If your professor can only speak loosely about your character and growth, you should choose someone else for a recommendation.
All Feinberg students rotate at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the number 1 rehab hospital in the country. If you’re drawn to neuro, rehab, or innovative patient recovery, connect your previous clinical experience to this rotation.
Since the rotation is mandatory, highlighting how it shapes your medical career shows Feinberg that you’ve studied their curriculum closely and are excited about opportunities other schools can’t offer.
Feinberg’s curriculum is intentionally organized into four longitudinal threads:
When you connect your background to these pillars, you show that you understand how Feinberg teaches medicine and that you’re prepared to contribute to their model.
For example, you could frame your research as a natural fit for Science in Medicine, whether you studied molecular biology, engineered a new lab technique, or contributed to data analysis in a clinical trial.
For Clinical Medicine, think about experiences where you interacted with patients or observed care delivery, like shadowing physicians, working as an EMT, or volunteering in a hospital, which all give you concrete examples to draw from.
Professional Development can come through leadership or mentorship roles: maybe you trained new volunteers, organized a student organization, or took initiative on a community project that required accountability and communication.
Finally, Health & Society is your chance to show how you’ve engaged with broader determinants of health, such as volunteering at a free clinic, advocating for underserved populations, or conducting outreach that addressed barriers like language or cost.
Framing your personal statement this way highlights the breadth of your preparation and mirrors Feinberg’s own language.
By structuring your answers with these four core themes, you make it easy for interviewers to see how you’ll fit into the curriculum they’ve designed. Instead of sounding generic, you’ll come across as someone who’s already thinking like a Feinberg student and future physician.
Feinberg students work on community health projects, such as the Keep Your Heart Healthy program, in local neighborhoods. If you’ve run health fairs, volunteered in underserved areas, or worked on mobile clinics, tie that into your personal statement or essays.
Feinberg’s admissions statistics reveal that while about 10% of applicants submitted applications without any community service experience, those students were far less likely to be admitted. Community engagement is deeply ingrained in Feinberg’s culture, evidenced by its various student programs.
Feinberg emphasizes “Health & Society” as one of its four curricular pillars, which means admissions officers actively seek applicants who will bring a track record of service to their program.
Show how your volunteer work reflects a commitment to health equity, teamwork, and empathy, and how you’ll continue that work as a Feinberg student.
Applicants participate in three separate virtual interviews: two with faculty members and one with a senior student. Practice a short personal pitch for the student interviewer and be prepared for more in-depth questions from the faculty.
For the student interviewer, this is usually more conversational, so practice a 1–2 minute personal pitch that explains who you are, why you’re pursuing medicine, and what excites you about Feinberg. Keep it genuine and approachable. Think of it as explaining your journey to a peer rather than reciting a résumé.
For the faculty interviewers, they will often ask more deeply into your clinical experiences, motivations, ethics, or problem-solving skills. To prepare, review your application thoroughly and practice answering “why” questions (Why medicine? Why Feinberg? Why that activity?).
Inspira’s admission consulting services provide mock interviews with expert advisors and former admissions officers. They use timed practice with common medical school interview questions to help you get comfortable delivering structured, reflective responses.
Feinberg expects you to adapt to both peer-level and professional conversations, so preparation demonstrates maturity and a good fit for the school.
Here are the seven MD programs offered at Feinberg School of Medicine.
Feinberg School of Medicine charges $74,104 in tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year. As a private institution, Northwestern applies the same rate regardless of state residency.
Including tuition, fees, health insurance, and living expenses, a first-year medical student can expect a total cost of attendance of approximately $115,930.
Here’s the breakdown of a typical Feinberg first-year student’s expenses:
The estimated four-year cost at Feinberg School of Medicine totals approximately $465,208 based on current figures.
Feinberg provides ample financial aid options to help offset tuition and fees. Many students can reduce their total debt burden through a combination of need-based scholarships, merit-based awards, and institutional grants.
According to Feinberg, 56% of medical students in the 2025–2026 academic year received scholarships, and all applicants are automatically considered for merit awards at the time of admission.
Feinberg’s Office of Financial Aid works individually with students to create tailored aid packages, including need-based grants and low-interest federal loans. Feinberg offers merit-based and need-based scholarships, enabling strong academic performers and financially eligible students to receive support.
Feinberg's current scholarship endowment stands at $294.8 million as of March 2026, with a long-term goal of reaching $800 million. The endowment total reflects a combination of estate gifts, outright and annual gifts, and endowed scholarships. A growing endowment means the school can fund more students at higher award levels over time, which directly reduces the amount of debt graduates carry into residency.
Here is the 2025-2026 application timeline for Feinberg School of Medicine.
No, Feinberg does not give a formal admissions preference to in-state (Illinois) residents. However, 3.73% of in-state applicants matriculated to Feinberg in the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, compared to 1.44% of out-of-state applicants and 0% of international applicants.
One of the hallmarks of Feinberg's curriculum is the Education-Centered Medical Home (ECMH), where students are embedded in the same primary-care clinic for all four years. Unlike most schools that rotate students between unrelated sites, Feinberg emphasizes continuity by having students follow the same patients and mentors over time.
In addition, all students rotate through Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, ranked the #1 rehabilitation hospital in the U.S., which offers exposure to cutting-edge neuro and rehab medicine that's not a standard part of most MD curricula.
Yes, adequate research experience is required to get into Feinberg. While Feinburg doesn’t explicitly list research as an admission requirement, only 1% of the 2025 matriculants entered without prior research experience, underscoring how critical this background is for applicants.
Feinberg’s curriculum stands out because it eliminates the traditional divide between preclinical and clinical training. Most top medical schools teach basic science for 18 to 24 months before introducing patient care.
Feinberg integrates both from Day 1 through its Education-Centered Medical Home (ECMH) program, which pairs you with a longitudinal patient panel that you follow across all four years. Most students at other schools do not experience sustained patient experience like that until residency.
Feinberg also uses Synthesis and Application Modules (SAMs), where regular coursework pauses for a full week of case-based, team-driven learning that forces you to apply basic science, simulation, and clinical reasoning together around a single patient case. Rather than learning organ systems in isolation and testing at the end of a block, SAMs train you to think the way physicians actually work through problems.
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The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
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