Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD)
Maywood, IL, US
Maywood, IL, US•Est. 1909
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) Medical School - 2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, located on the Loyola University Health Sciences campus in Maywood, Illinois, is a private Jesuit Catholic medical school with a distinctive mission rooted in service, justice, and holistic patient care. The school trains physicians through the Jesuit principle of cura personalis — care for the whole person — and has strong clinical training through Loyola University Medical Center, one of the largest and busiest hospitals in the Chicago metropolitan area. Stritch is known for its commitment to primary care, family medicine, and underserved community health.
Entry Requirements
What you need to apply to Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD).
Admission overview
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS; secondary application required. Loyola welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and faiths; Catholic or Jesuit affiliation is not required. The school values applicants with strong community service records, evidence of holistic patient care orientation, and a personal narrative consistent with the cura personalis mission.
MCAT median
512 (range 507–518)
GPA median
3.70 overall / 3.66 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate
3.5%
Class size
170
In-state preference
None
CASPer
Not required
Holistic review emphasis
Jesuit mission alignment, community service depth, whole-person care orientation, primary care commitment.
Notes
Estimates from public AAMC FACTS / AACOMAS / ADEA AADSAS / class-profile; verify current cycle.
Specialities offered
Primary Care, Family Medicine, Trauma Surgery, Oncology, Community Health
Interview Format
How Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) interviews applicants.
Format
Traditional one-on-one or panel interviews with faculty and students
Interview window
October–February
Decision date
March 30 (AAMC standard)
Post-interview chances
Estimated post-interview acceptance rate approximately 20–30%; mission alignment with Jesuit values and community service depth are key differentiators.
What to expect at a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) interview
Loyola Stritch School of Medicine uses a traditional interview format on the Maywood campus adjacent to Loyola University Medical Center. Applicants typically participate in two individual or panel interviews of 30–45 minutes each, with faculty physicians and occasionally a current student. Interviewers probe motivation for medicine, Jesuit mission alignment (service orientation, cura personalis, care for the whole person), community service experience, and professional narrative. The day includes a tour of Loyola University Medical Center — a major Level I trauma centre — and informal interactions with current students. The Jesuit values of service, justice, and intellectual humility are explicitly woven into the interview evaluation framework.
What makes Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) different
Loyola Stritch is a Jesuit Catholic medical school with a clearly articulated cura personalis (care of the whole person) philosophy that integrates spiritual, ethical, and community dimensions into medical education. The school operates adjacent to one of the Chicago area's busiest Level I trauma centres and has particular strengths in family medicine, primary care, and community health. Loyola consistently ranks highly for producing physicians who enter primary care and practice in underserved communities.
Tutor insight
Loyola Stritch's Jesuit mission is genuine and consistent — interviewers are attuned to whether your service narrative reflects authentic commitment rather than resume-building. Prepare concrete examples of caring for whole persons (not just clinical tasks) and advocating for community health. You do not need to be Catholic, but you should be able to articulate how the values of service, justice, and cura personalis resonate with your own. Loyola's proximity to a Level I trauma centre and the Hines VA provides exceptional clinical breadth — mentioning specific departments or patient populations you are interested in signals genuine school research.
PrometheusQuestion Bank
595 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD)
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
Medium·PanelQ1
Holistic Review: Career Change and Mature Applicant
You spent 12 years as a software engineer at a healthcare technology company before applying to medical school at age 36. Your career gave you deep expertise in electronic health records, clinical data systems, and interoperability challenges. A classmate suggests you could have more impact on healthcare by staying in tech than by becoming a physician. How do you respond, and what has drawn you to direct patient care over a career in health technology?
Likely follow-up · How will your technology background distinguish your contributions to medical school and to clinical practice?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
Medium·PanelQ2
Service Orientation: Implicit Bias Training and Self-Reflection
You complete an Implicit Association Test as part of a pre-medical course and discover that you have an implicit bias associating Black individuals with negative concepts and white individuals with positive ones. You are troubled by this result and uncertain how to interpret it. How do you process this finding, and what concrete steps do you take to ensure that your implicit biases do not harm future patients?
Likely follow-up · What is the difference between implicit bias and explicit racism, and why does the distinction matter for clinical behaviour?
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Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) - Frequently asked questions
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS; secondary application required. Loyola welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and faiths; Catholic or Jesuit affiliation is not required. The school values applicants with strong community service records, evidence of holistic patient care orientation, and a personal narrative consistent with the cura personalis mission.
Traditional one-on-one or panel interviews with faculty and students. Loyola Stritch School of Medicine uses a traditional interview format on the Maywood campus adjacent to Loyola University Medical Center. Applicants typically participate in two individual or panel interviews of 30–45 minutes each, with faculty physicians and occasionally a current student. Interviewers probe motivation for medicine, Jesuit mission alignment (service orientation, cura personalis, care for the whole person), community service experience, and professional narrative. The day includes a tour of Loyola University Medical Center — a major Level I trauma centre — and informal interactions with current students. The Jesuit values of service, justice, and intellectual humility are explicitly woven into the interview evaluation framework.
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (MD) typically interviews in October–February.
Decisions are released March 30 (AAMC standard).
Loyola Stritch is a Jesuit Catholic medical school with a clearly articulated cura personalis (care of the whole person) philosophy that integrates spiritual, ethical, and community dimensions into medical education. The school operates adjacent to one of the Chicago area's busiest Level I trauma centres and has particular strengths in family medicine, primary care, and community health. Loyola consistently ranks highly for producing physicians who enter primary care and practice in underserved communities.
