Skip to main content
NextGen MedPrep logoNextGenMedPrep
US Medicine · 2027 Entry

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is a US MD program in Springfield, IL that takes 2027-entry applications through AMCAS. Its published class profile lists a median MCAT of 511 (range 506–517), a median GPA of 3.70 and a class of 72. The school holds a traditional interview: October 2026–February 2027. Decisions for 2027 entry: March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard).

Location
Springfield, IL, United States
Established
1970
Interviews (2027 entry)
October 2026–February 2027
Decisions (2027 entry)
March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
Book a mock interviewCompare side-by-sideOfficial course page ↗
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — Exterior of Memorial Medical Center

Photo: MemorialPR · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain · Photo: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia · Public domain · Photo: George Longenecker · CC BY-SA 4.0

Student life

Still deciding where to apply? Hear it from a student who's there

Student guides · Medicine

Honest student guides to US medical schools

Current medical students at US schools are filming their guides right now: what the course and teaching are really like, the city they live in, the social side, and whether they'd pick it again.

Coming soon

Not on sale yet — we'll open these up as soon as the first US videos land.

Filming now

Start here
Full guide

How to get into Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) medicine

Step-by-step: entry requirements, MCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.

Open the guide →
Interview guide

Prepare for the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) interview

Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.

Read the guide →
Overview

About Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine was founded in 1970. It is a public medical school headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. Its founding mission was to address physician shortages in rural and medically underserved communities across the state. It is well known for its SELECT MD program, a three-year accelerated track designed to produce primary care physicians for underserved Illinois communities.

SIU Med graduates practice in Illinois at notably high rates, particularly in primary care and rural settings.

What makes Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) different

SIU Med has an explicit public mission to improve health in rural and underserved communities across Illinois. It operates a unique three-year accelerated MD track (SELECT) for students who demonstrate commitment to primary care in underserved areas. Campuses span Carbondale, Springfield, and Quincy, providing students with diverse clinical placements across the state.

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) course & teaching

Integrated curriculum. 4-year MD (standard) or 3-year SELECT MD. Year 1–2 at Carbondale; clinical years at Springfield and regional campuses. Curriculum integrates early patient contact and community health rotations throughout preclinical training. SELECT students enter a compressed integrated curriculum from Year 1.

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) research strengths

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) is strong in these research areas:

  • Rural health disparities
  • Primary care workforce development
  • Cancer prevention
  • Cardiovascular disease in underserved populations
  • Health services research

How the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) interview runs

Format: Two virtual (WebEx) interviews with faculty members, one of them an Admissions Committee member who has your full file

SIU Med conducts all interviews via WebEx. Each applicant is interviewed by two faculty members: a member of the Admissions Committee who has your full file, and a faculty member who is not on the committee. Interviewers ask in-depth questions about motivation for rural/underserved medicine, experiences in Illinois communities, and personal narrative.

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) intake

Approximately 80 students per year across tracks.

Where Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) is

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine was founded in 1970 and is based in Springfield, IL.

Programmes offered:

  • Primary Care
  • Rural Medicine
  • Family Medicine
  • Internal Medicine
  • Obstetrics & Gynecology
Practise

Practise the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) interview with an AI interviewer

These are real recordings of the interviewers you would meet, from a panel of 21 photoreal faces. Speak your answers out loud, get pressed with follow-ups, and receive rubric-scored feedback about two minutes after you finish, with a replay of your answers.

Try the AI interviewer
Entry requirements

What you need to apply to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) at a glance

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Medicine — 2027 entry at a glance
MCAT / GPA (medians)511 · 3.70 (MCAT range 506–517)
Class size72
In-state matriculants97%
Interview formatTraditional interview
IntakeApproximately 80 students per year across tracks
Decisions (2027 entry)March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Medicine admissions profile — 2027 entry
Admission overviewBachelor's degree and MCAT required. Applications via AMCAS. The standard MD program admits Illinois residents only; out-of-state applicants are eligible solely through the combined MD/JD program with SIU Simmons Law School. The SELECT program requires a formal commitment to practicing primary care in an Illinois underserved community for a minimum of five years post-residency. Typical applicants demonstrate significant rural or underserved community service.
MCAT median511 (range 506–517)
GPA median3.70 overall / 3.65 science (BCPM)
Class size72
In-state preferenceStrong — primarily in-state
In-state matriculants97%
CASPerNot required
AAMC PREviewNot required
Holistic review emphasisMission fit for rural/underserved Illinois medicine; Illinois residency; primary care commitment.
NotesChecked 2026-09-13 against the school's own published figures: class of 72. Not confirmed from the school's own pages: MCAT, GPA, science GPA, in-state share. The school does not publish an accepted-applicant count, and the acceptance rate previously shown here was inconsistent with its own applicant and class-size figures, so it has been removed rather than estimated. Check MSAR for the official rate. Illinois residents only: the school states "Only Illinois residents are allowed to apply to the M.D. program at SIU School of Medicine"; out-of-state applicants are considered only for the combined MD/JD program (checked 2026-09-13). Interview format checked 2026-10-07 against https://www.siumed.edu/studentaffairs/interview-day.
Specialities offeredPrimary Care, Rural Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology

MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures are taken from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's published admissions data. Class profiles are republished each year — confirm which entering class these numbers describe before you rely on them.

Working towards the MCAT score Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) expects? Build a week-by-week plan from your test date — free for the first two weeks.

Open the MCAT planneror read the MCAT guide for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) applicants
Interview

How Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) interviews applicants

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Medicine interview — 2027 entry
FormatTwo virtual (WebEx) interviews with faculty members, one of them an Admissions Committee member who has your full file
Interview window (2027 entry)October 2026–February 2027
Decision date (2027 entry)March 30, 2027 (AAMC standard)
Post-interview chancesEstimated post-interview acceptance rate approximately 20–30%; the interview pool is already highly filtered for Illinois residency and mission fit. Holistic review weighs mission alignment very heavily.
Tutor insight
If you are an Illinois resident committed to primary care, SIU Med is outstanding value. Tuition is relatively low, and the SELECT track can save a full year of tuition costs. In your interview, anchor every answer to specific Illinois communities and underserved populations you have worked with. Generic rural medicine interest will not differentiate you. Non-Illinois residents cannot apply to the standard MD program at all. Only the combined MD/JD pathway is open to out-of-state applicants, so put your energy elsewhere unless you are an Illinois resident or specifically want the MD/JD. Practice a concise answer to "why primary care". SIU interviewers probe whether that commitment is genuine or opportunistic.
Practice

Practise for your Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) interview

PrometheusQuestion Bank621 medicine questions inside

Interview questions matched to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)

Two questions from our US bank that match Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)’s panel format. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.

HardMMI · PanelQ1

Patient Reads Her Biopsy Result First

You are a third-year medical student on a general medicine team. Your patient — a 48-year-old woman admitted for workup of a new lung mass — has just received a biopsy result confirming non-small cell lung cancer. The attending is unavailable for the next two hours.

The pathology report has been loaded into the chart, visible to the patient through the patient portal. You walk in to check on her and she immediately says, 'I saw my results — can you explain what it means?' How do you handle this conversation?

Likely follow-up · What protocol do most hospitals follow for delivering serious diagnoses, and how does real-time result release through the patient portal complicate it?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
MediumPanelQ2

Opioid Neuroscience and Patient Judgment

The US opioid crisis has claimed more than 800,000 lives since 1999 and continues to evolve with fentanyl analogs. How did the receptor pharmacology and neuroscience you studied for the MCAT inform your understanding of opioid addiction, and how does that change how you think about patients with opioid use disorder?

Likely follow-up · What is the neurobiological basis of tolerance and physical dependence, and how does understanding this mechanism affect how you judge patients with opioid use disorder?

3 expert tips in Prometheus
Open Prometheus for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)Free medicine interview question bank for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) applicants →
Get support

Apply to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) with confidence

We've helped students into Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) and other US medicine schools — get tailored support for each stage of the application.

MCAT Strategy

Build an MCAT prep plan that hits the median score profile for Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD).

Learn more

Interview preparation

Practise the Traditional interview format with students who interviewed at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD).

Learn more

Personal statement help

Get your personal statement reviewed by successful applicants.

Learn more
Sources

Where Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)'s figures come from

Checked against Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's own website on 13 September 2026: our record for the school was reconciled with what it publishes there. For most US schools that is class size and interview format only, so MCAT, GPA and acceptance-rate figures remain unconfirmed.

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — official course page →Entry requirements, interview format and deadlines published by the school itself. The primary source for everything on this page.Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — published admissions data →The class profile and admissions statistics this record's MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures were taken from.Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — published admissions data →The class profile and admissions statistics this record's MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures were taken from.Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — published admissions data →The class profile and admissions statistics this record's MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures were taken from.
FAQ

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) — frequently asked questions

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) matriculants have a median MCAT of 511. The middle range of matriculants is 506–517. US schools publish medians rather than cut-offs, and committees review holistically — the MCAT is weighed alongside GPA, clinical and research experience, letters of recommendation and secondary essays.

Apply to Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) with confidence

We've helped students turn their MCAT, personal statement and interview prep into offers from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) and other US medicine schools.

Book a Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD) mockCompare Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (MD)
See all us medical schools