How to Get Into Loyola Medical School

October 5, 2023
Contents

”Jonathan

Reviewed by:

Jonathan Preminger

Former Admissions Committee Member, Hofstra-Northwell School of Medicine

Reviewed: 05/11/23

If you’re hoping to join a medical school that’ll prepare you to lead an extraordinary career involving innovation, compassion, and service, read on to learn more about how to get into Loyola Medical School.

The Stitch School of Medicine is known for its excellent clinical education, considerable research opportunities, collaborative team, and state-of-the-art facilities.

With a commitment to go beyond just the facts, experimentation, and treatment of disease, this school promises its students a unique medical education that treats not only the human body but the human spirit and values human dignity. 

If you feel your medical values and goals align with Loyolas, this guide will go into depth about the programs this medical school offers, its admission statistics and requirements, secondary essays, and much more!

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Loyola Medical School Programs

In an effort to support you throughout your medical journey, Loyola Medical School offers several programs to its prospective students:

  • MD Program: a typical, four-year Doctor of Medicine program
  • IPBS PhD track: an Integrated Program in Biomedical Science PhD training program for students interested in research
  • MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: a two-year program exploring the molecular mechanisms of life
  • MS in Cell and Molecular Physiology: a two-year program designed to strengthen your understanding of physiology and research
  • MS in Cellular and Molecular Oncology: a two-year program pursuing cancer research with Loyola’s leading scientists
  • MS in Clinical and Applied Mass Spectrometry: a one-year program designed for researchers interested in specializing in operational training
  • MS in Infectious Disease Immunology: a two-year research-intensive program for students interested in learning about microbial infection diseases
  • MS in Integrative Cell Biology: a two-year program involving the study of cells at the molecular, multicellular, tissue, and organ structure levels
  • MS in Medical Physiology: a nine-month program to help students prepare for medical school
  • MS in Microbiology and Immunology: a two-year program for students wishing to specialize in biomedical sciences
  • MS in Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics: a two-year program to provide focused training in pharmacology
  • MS in Neuroscience: a two-year program to learn the foundations of neuroscience
  • MA in Bioethics and Health Policy: a two to three-year program designed to teach students about ethics cases, policies, and decision-making
  • Doctorate in Bioethics: a doctorate degree to provide advanced training in bioethics
  • MA in Healthcare Mission Leadership: a two-year program for professionals in senior leadership positions in healthcare 
  • Doctorate in Healthcare Mission Leadership: a doctorate program for leaders working in Catholic healthcare
  • MD/PhD Program: for students interested in gaining a medical education and advanced understanding of translational and basic science disciplines
  • MD/MPH Program: a dual-degree program that combines a Doctor of Medicine with a Master of Public Health
  • MD/MA Bioethics Program: a dual-degree program that combines a Doctor of Medicine with a Master of Arts in Bioethics
  • MD/MBA Program: a dual-degree program that combines a Doctor of Medicine with a Master of Business Administration
  • MS in Pharmacology/MBA: a dual degree that combines a Master of Science in Pharmacology with a Master of Business Administration

Loyola Medical School also offers several certificate healthcare programs for students interested in enhancing or refreshing their medical knowledge.

Loyola Medical School Admission Statistics

Now that you know all of the programs available to you if you pursue a medical education at Loyola, it’s essential to go over their admission statistics. Since the most popular degree students opt for is an MD, the remainder of this guide will focus on admission information relating to this degree.

Loyola Medical School Acceptance Rate

Before delving into the exact scores you should aim for to maximize your chances of getting into this school, let’s discuss its competitiveness. 

Out of the 13,000 applicants that applied to Loyola, only 170 candidates enrolled in the 2026 class. Accordingly, the Loyola Medical School acceptance rate is a low 1.3%, meaning it is highly competitive!

Loyola Medical School GPA

Now that you know just how challenging it will be to get into Loyola medical school, it’s essential to know what GPA you should aim for to be considered a competitive applicant. The graduating 2026 class had a median GPA of 3.6 in both their science prerequisites and overall GPA. 

Students should aim for a GPA in this range or higher.

Loyola Medical School MCAT

One of the most important scores to consider when exploring how to get into Loyola Medical School is its median MCAT score. Since Loyola Medical School assesses its candidates using holistic measures that consider their entire application, they do not have MCAT cut-off scores.

However, based on their previous accepted students, an MCAT score of 511 or higher should put you in the competitive range to be considered an attractive candidate.

Loyola Medical School Requirements

Your GPA and MCAT scores aren’t the only application materials Loyola will consider when assessing your candidacy. Here is the complete list of admission materials required to apply to this medical school.

An Undergraduate Degree With Prerequisites

As stated, you’ll need to maintain a 3.6 GPA or higher to increase your chances of getting into Loyola Medical School. While you may choose any major you have an interest in to achieve this GPA, Loyola recommends students choose a challenging major that includes courses in liberal arts and science disciplines.

There are also several prerequisites you must complete in order to be eligible for application at Loyola:

  • Biology: eight credits in a biology-based discipline such as physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry
  • Chemistry: eight credits in a chemistry-based discipline such as organic, inorganic, and general chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry: three credits in organic chemistry that cannot overlap with your other chemistry credits
  • A Biology Lab: at least one lab in a biology-based course
  • A Chemistry Lab: at least one lab in a chemistry-based course
  • Other Science Courses: 10 other credits in a combination biology, chemistry, physics, and math courses

While these courses are required for admission, students missing courses can submit a proposal to waive them prior to their interviews.

The MCAT

You must also write the MCAT in order to apply to Loyola. Loyola will only accept MCAT scores that are up to three years old, so ensure you write the MCAT within this time period to avoid any delays in your application.

Give yourself enough time to retake the MCAT in case, like a large percentage of test takers, you’re unable to reach your target score on the first try. 

A Personal Statement

Since the committee knows good scores don’t necessarily make good doctors, they ask prospective students to also submit a personal statement detailing their values and goals. 

Loyola Medical School is a Jesuit school. They prioritize service and expect you to emphasize this passion in your personal statement. It’s also recommended you describe your journey to medical school. What or who inspired you to pursue medicine? What was the story of your epiphany? What challenges did you face? 

Ensure you also mention why you want to go to Loyola in particular and how this medical school can help you reach your goals. In addition, you should mention how you can contribute to Loyola’s values and increase the richness of its community!

Letters of Recommendation

The final application materials you’ll have to submit are letters of recommendation. Loyola asks its prospective students to submit at least three letters but no more than six. 

While a committee letter is preferred, you may also submit individual letters. These letters will be best received if written by mentors that can accurately attest to your character, academic potential, personal qualities, and abilities. 

At least one should come from a science professor and a supervisor. It’s recommended the remaining letter(s) be written by academic faculty who have taught you in a classroom or laboratory setting.

Stritch School of Medicine Essays

Along with your primary application, you will have to submit a secondary application involving a series of essays. To ensure you’re prepared for these essays and submit well-thought-out responses, here are the prompts you can expect to see:

1. Explain how you know that you want to spend your life studying and practicing medicine. Describe how the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) can help you develop into the kind of person and physician you hope to become.
2. Social justice in the Jesuit tradition, justice due each person by virtue of their own inherent human dignity, is an essential dimension of education at the Stritch School of Medicine. Describe what you have learned about yourself from your concrete social justice experiences. Explain how you plan to sustain your efforts to advocate for current social justice issues as a medical student and as a physician.
3. Serving underserved and under-resourced communities is an expression of social justice. Describe an impactful experience in working with and for under-resourced communities. Explain what you have learned about yourself through this service OR what has hindered your efforts to serve others in these environments.
4. Describe your leadership style. Provide a specific example of how you have applied your leadership style.
5. Describe a non-academic personal/professional challenge or conflict that you have experienced. Explain what skills, resources and/or strategies you employed to resolve the problem.

The next series of questions should only be answered if they’re applicable to your situation.

7. Please indicate additional grades earned, amendments to your proposed coursework or graduation date, address changes, additions to your list of experiences, and anything else you feel we should know. 
8. Please explain in more detail anything that would help us understand any gaps or delays in your education, academic missteps, or personal challenges not listed elsewhere.
9. If you have not been enrolled in coursework for two years, please let us know what you have been doing since your coursework ended.
10. Have you applied to the Stritch School of Medicine prior to this application? If so, please list the years of your previous application submissions to the Stritch School of Medicine and tell us how your application has improved since your previous submission.

The majority of these questions should be around 100-150 words long. Ensure you keep your answers concise and honest! The committee will be able to see through exaggerations or false stories and will bring them up during your interview. Ensure you start on the right foot and only provide accurate responses to these prompts.

Stritch School of Medicine Interview Format

Once you’ve submitted your application and wowed the admissions committee, the next step to get into Loyola Medical School is to complete your interview.

Your interview will be conducted virtually and allow you to meet faculty members and other students. You will also be invited to partake in a virtual campus tour and participate in a panel with current medical students who can shine a light on the Loyola educational experience.

Stritch School of Medicine Application Timeline

Aside from the admission statistics, process, and materials required to apply to Loyola Medical School, it’s essential you keep the following key deadlines in mind to ensure a smooth application process:

Deadline What’s Due
June 1, 2023 AMCAS applications open
August, 2023 Interviews begin
October, 2023 Acceptance notices begin
November, 2023 AMCAS applications due
December, 2023 Supplementary application due
December. 2023 Letters of recommendation due
February, 2024 Final interviews conducted
July, 2024 Orientation week for students
August, 2024 Classes begin

Source: Loyola Medical School

Loyola Medical School accepts students on a rolling basis until spots are filled. However, to ensure you have the best chances of getting into this school, you should apply as early as possible when there are the most seats available.

Stritch School of Medicine Tuition and Fees

Understanding how much you’ll need to invest into your medical education is an important part of preparing for your career. For instance, you likely already know you’ll have to dedicate over a decade of your time to join this field.

Aside from the time commitment, you can also expect to invest a lot of money into becoming a physician. Loyola Medical School costs $65,030 a year in tuition and fees. With other personal expenses such as housing and textbooks, the total cost to attend Loyola is estimated to be around $88,688 a year.

There are several options for students to consider when budgeting for medical school. Up to 80% of Loyola students receive financial assistance that is typically a combination of loans and scholarships. Loyola offers several types of needs-based awards to assist students attend medical school.

Tips For Getting Into Loyola Medical School

Now that you know the basics of how to get into Loyola Medical School, you may be wondering if there are ways to make your application stand out to maximize your chances of admission. 

Follow these three tips to ensure your application is differentiated and impresses the admissions committee!

Create a Strong MCAT Study Schedule

Loyola believes a strong foundation in science is essential to succeed in medical school. As such, they assess each applicant’s potential by paying close attention to their science prerequisites, academic achievements, and MCAT score.

Since the MCAT is largely science-based, it acts as a good predictor of a student’s scientific abilities and performance potential. Accordingly, Loyola weighs this part of the application heavily in their decisions. 

To ensure you convince the judges that you have a strong foundation in science, you should create an effective study plan that you know you can commit to for several weeks or months. The recommended time to study for the MCAT is around three months. 

Ensure you invest in good resources and remain focused to reach your target MCAT score.

Focus On Service Experience

As mentioned, the Stritch School of Medicine is a Jesuit School. As such, service is a core principle that Loyola expects its prospective students to share. Students should focus on gaining significant experience serving others, particularly marginalized or underserved populations.

The admission committee typically picks students with substantial service commitments. In fact, the 2026 class had an average of over 1,000 hours of both medically-based and non-medical service

Begin volunteering early into your undergraduate career to accumulate enough hours to prove your service dedication. 

Gain Considerable Healthcare and Leadership Experience

Aside from having extensive service experience, Loyola appreciates when students have a significant amount of healthcare and leadership experience. This experience will better prepare you for medical school and your eventual medical career. 

It’s suggested that students gain experience shadowing physicians and working directly with patients to prove they’ve explored their motivations and confirmed medicine is the correct path for them. Past accepted students have had an average of 1,498 hours of paid clinical experience.

If possible, you should also gain research experience as Loyola offers world-class research facilities. Students should aim to have around 1,500 hours of research experience to be considered attractive applicants.

In terms of leadership experience, physicians are leaders of healthcare and must possess strong interpersonal and communication skills to do their job well. You should have informal and formal leadership positions on your application. 

This may include outside projects, work, volunteer or extracurricular activities, or even courses that helped you improve your communication skills.

Show Diversity on Your Application

Above all else, Loyola appreciates when students excel in various aspects of their lives. Your application should demonstrate that you’ve been successful in both your personal and professional pursuits and that you have a knack for excellence.

FAQs: Getting Into Loyola Medical School

For any remaining questions about how to get into Loyola Medical School, read on to find your answers.

1. How Hard Is It to Get Into Loyola Medical School?

Loyola Medical School is challenging to get into! It has a low acceptance rate but high expectations of its students. Students must bring their A-game to their applications to ensure they prove their academic potential and a commitment to Loyola’s core values: service, excellence, and dedication.

2. What Is the Average MCAT Score for Loyola Medical School?

The average MCAT score for Loyola is around 511.

3. What Is Loyola Medical School Known for?

Loyola Medical School is known for its unique curriculum that extends beyond theory. With a focus on healing the human spirit and body, this school offers its students an education that prioritizes holistic care and addresses health disparities. 

Additionally, this school is known for the extensive clinical experience it offers its students that help them adapt to the complexities of healthcare.

4. Is Loyola a Good Medical School?

Yes, despite Loyola being an unranked medical school, it can offer students the right resources, support, and experience to kickstart prosperous careers as compassionate, driven, and well-rounded physicians.

5. What GPA Is Needed To Get Into Loyola Medical School?

Students should aim for a GPA of around 3.6 to be considered competitive applicants.

6. Where Is Loyola Medical School Located?

The Stritch School of Medicine is located in Chicago, Illinois.

Final Thoughts

In this guide, we’ve gone over the main questions: “what is Loyola Medical School known for?” “how do I get into this medical school?” and “how can I stand out as an applicant?”

After going over the answers to these questions, you should have a better idea of if Loyola is the right medical school for you and your chances of getting into it!

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