How can we help you?
Prospective Students
- Does Feinberg School of Medicine accept transfer students?
Opportunities to transfer into Feinberg are rare and limited to students in good standing at accredited allopathic U.S. or Canadian medical schools located in the U.S. or Canada. Successful transfer students will have a premedical academic record similar to that of the class they will be joining. Applications for transfer into the third year of medical studies, based on hardship, are considered.
Potential transfer students, if they meet the above requirements for transfer, are advised to send our office a transfer request letter sometime in the fall/early winter preceding the year of desired transfer (no later than February 15th). Additional information will be provided by our office at that point. The request may be emailed to the MD Admissions office atmed-admissions@northwestern.edu. Students who are not accepted for transfer will be notified by April 1st.
- Do you accept international students? Are there additional requirements for international students?
Yes, Feinberg does accept international students. International students are encouraged to apply if they have completed at least three years of coursework (135 quarter hours/90 semester hours), including the required pre-med coursework, at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university located in the United States or Canada. The coursework can be either undergraduate or graduate level coursework, or a combination of both degree levels. We will make an exception to our three years of course work at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university requirement, for students who have completed at least 3 years of coursework at a university/college in the British Isles (such as the U.K.), Australia or New Zealand. A bachelor's degree is required prior to matriculation. This policy applies to all applicants, regardless of their citizenship status.
Learn more about the Application Process.
- How many international students are there in the entering class of 2023?
The entering class of 2023 included one international student from China.
The entering class of 2022 included six international students from Canada, China, Ireland, South Korea, and Togo.
The entering class of 2021 included two international students: one from Canada, and one from China.
The entering class of 2020 included one international student from The Republic of Korea.
The entering class of 2019 included six international students. One each came from the following countries: Canada, China, Cuba, India, The Republic of Korea and Turkey.
The entering class of 2018 included two international students: one from China, and one from Hong Kong.
Admitted Students
- How do I accept an offer of admission?
Upon receiving an offer of acceptance from the Feinberg School of Medicine, please login to our Secure Applicant website and enter your decision. Once you have entered your "accept" decision, we will reserve your seat in the incoming class.
Secure Applicant Website
- Where do matriculating students send their final transcript(s)?
All matriculants must submit a final official undergraduate transcript no later than by July 1.
If you are unable to meet our deadline, please contact us at med-admissions@northwestern.edu.
Please request that your final official undergraduate transcript showing that you received your bachelor’s degree, and any other final college transcripts showing additional coursework/programs completed, be sent to our office as soon as they are finalized & available. Please note that the transcripts that AMCAS requested from you at the beginning of the application process were used for their application verification only and were not forwarded to our office.
Transcripts may be sent electronically from your school to our main MD Admissions e-mail address at: med-admissions@northwestern.edu (preferred).If necessary, students may submit transcripts by mail, though email is preferred:
Northwestern UniversityFeinberg School of Medicine
Office of MD Admissions
310 E. Superior St.
Morton Building 1-606
Chicago, IL 60611-3008 - How do I get a NetID? What can I do with a NetID?
Your NetID is your electronic identity at Northwestern. The most common format of a NetID is a combination of three letters (often related to your name) and three or four numbers. Once activated, use your NetID to login to Northwestern email, the student portal (CAESAR) and to access your financial aid packet and/or award.
Accepted students receive NetID activation instructions via email during the month of March (please check your spam and junk mail boxes). If you haven't received your NetID activation email by April 15,please contact us at med-admissions@northwestern.edu.
MD Curriculum
- How is the Feinberg curriculum structured?
The four years of study are divided intothree phases, each of which contains contributions from thefour curricular elements. Phase 1 (M1 and M2 years) comprises the first 20 months of the curriculum during which students proceed through 14 separate organ-based modules. During Phase 2 (M3 year), students will complete six core clerkships with additional time for clinical electives. The Feinberg experience culminates with Phase 3 where students will complete advanced clerkships while focusing on readiness for residency.
Four key curricular elements are woven throughout all 3 phases - Science in Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Health and Society, and Professional Development. Much of Phase 1 is devoted to Science in Medicine when medical knowledge is acquired and consolidated and the focus shifts to Clinical Medicine and Professional Development during Phases 2 and 3. Understanding the importance of social determinants of health starts on day one and continues throughout all phases through the Health and Society element.
- Are diversity-related health issues part of the Feinberg curriculum?
Our institution is deeply committed to creating an inclusive learning environment that reflects the diversity of our city. Curricular leaders and students have partnered to ensure content is free of bias.Diversity initiatives have been integrated throughout our teaching, research and clinical activities. Chicago offers an incredible backdrop for MD training. The size and cultural diversity of our city allows us to infuse cultural competency training into our students’ clinical experiences, including our clinics in Chinatown and on Devon.
- When do Feinberg students begin working with patients and learning clinical skills?
Beginning in Phase 1, students learn and practice clinical skills in both simulated and real-world settings. In the Clinical Education Center, students work with small group facilitators and standardized patients to learn a variety of clinical skills. Each student has an opportunity to apply these skills in their Education-Centered Medical Home - a half-day experience every other week in a primary-care based setting.
About Students
- What is the profile of currently enrolled students? Are there students like me at Feinberg?
Find data about our current M1 class, including test scores, undergraduate performance and gender and ethnicity statistics via our Entering Class Profile page.
At Feinberg, we value having a student body that mirrors our local diverse community. Furthermore, we find it equally important to students to grow personally and professionally during their medical training by branching out to learn about new cultures and backgrounds. At Feinberg, our students do hold common values and beliefs: to pursue their medical training and to be their personal best.
Hear firsthand from students what makes Feinberg School of Medicine a unique environment.
- In what activities do Feinberg students participate?
Feinberg has about 90student groups that focus on such themes as identity, career goals, community involvement, performing arts and diversity. From the Student National Medical Association to In Vivo and the many medical specialty and service groups, these organizations represent our students’ diverse interests. Participation in these groups provides opportunities for personal growth, expression of creativity and development of leadership skills. Among other initiatives, students have launched and maintained free community clinics, trained together for the Chicago Marathon, learned how to salsa dance, visited the Illinois State Capitol to help influence policy-makers and tutored at-risk children.
- How do Feinberg medical students fare in the annual Residency Match? What are the top specialties chosen by these students?
Every year on one exciting day in March (usually around St. Patrick's Day), Match Day events are held at medical schools across the country. At approximately noon on this day, fourth-year medical students in the U.S. gather together to open their letters, finding out which residency program they were matched to through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and where they will be doing the next phase of their medical training.
Sixty-eight percent of Feinberg students matched at the Top 25 U.S. News–ranked residency programs in 2024. The most popular specialties included Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Ophthalmology and Psychiatry. While some students were set to move across the country for training, others would be staying within the state. The top destinations of the class were Illinois, California, New York and Texas. See more stats in Career Outcomes.
Watch theFeinberg Match Dayvideo to get a brief glimpse of the fun and excitement of the event.
Diversity
- Are diversity-related health issues part of the Feinberg curriculum?
Our institution is deeply committed to creating an inclusive learning environment. Curricular leaders and students have partnered to ensure content is free of bias.Diversity initiatives have been integrated throughout our teaching, research and clinical activities. Chicago offers an incredible backdrop for MD training. The size and cultural diversity of our city allows us to infuse cultural competency training into our students’ clinical experiences, including our clinics in Chinatown and on Devon.
- How open and inclusive is the Feinberg environment to LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff?
The Feinberg School of Medicine is welcoming to all groups from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Feinberg is home to the Northwestern Chicago Out Network, a social network of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Participants include students, faculty and staff from Northwestern schools and clinical affiliates on the Chicago campus. In addition, the student group Feinberg LGBTQ+ Allianceoffers educational and other resources to students, faculty and staff. The group also provides information for prospective students.
- Is there a way for students to identify underrepresented in medicine faculty mentors?
Feinberg has a long-standing commitment to diversity and excellence. The works with Feinberg students, residents, staff and faculty to further the mission to achieve a campus environment of belonging and inclusion for all. Mentoring programs are a key element to facilitate this initiative. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion will facilitate mentorship connections between students, faculty and residents that will foster career explorations and development, scholarship and collegiality. Events featuring students and faculty begin the first week of classes.
Admissions Process and Requirements
- What is the timeline for the Office of Admissions to send out acceptances to prospective candidates who have interviewed?
The Feinberg School of Medicine has a modified rolling admissions process that utilizes a batched approach to sending acceptances. We interview candidates August through mid-February. Our pool of interviewees is very large, so many decisions are pending until after the interview season is completed. Some prospective students receive acceptances during the active interview season, the first acceptances being sent in December, but most of our slots are not committed until March.
- How does the admissions process work at the Feinberg School of Medicine?
All completed applications are holistically reviewed and evaluated. The Committee on Admissions seeks candidates who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership skills, intellectual curiosity and personal maturity. A premium is placed on breadth and rigor of the academic program and the life experiences of the individual. Applicants should be liberally educated people who have studied, in some depth, subjects beyond the conventional premedical sciences. The Committee on Admissions admits candidates who major in many subjects besides science, including history, English and communications. Research and activities that demonstrate the applicant’s view of medicine as a service profession are positive factors in the review process. Interviews are required of all candidates considered seriously for acceptance. Interview invitations are issued solely at the request of the Committee on Admissions.
- How do I apply to Feinberg?
A completed application consists of the AMCAS web-based application, MCAT scores, the Feinberg supplemental application and letters of recommendation. Applicants start the process by completing an AMCAS application and designating Feinberg as one of the schools to which they wish to apply. All applicants who apply are given the opportunity to complete a supplemental application.
About Feinberg
- Is Feinberg an osteopathic or an allopathic medical school?
Feinberg is an allopathic medical school.
- How many applications does Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine receive?
Each year, Feinberg receives about 8,000 applications for an entering class of 145.
- What are the average GPAs and MCAT scores of candidates accepted to Feinberg? Are there any GPA or MCAT cut-offs?
The undergraduate median GPA for the 2023 entering class was 3.92, and the median score on the MCAT was 520. There are no minimum MCAT or GPA scoresrequired for entrance to Feinberg School of Medicine. Our admissions committee completes a holistic review, including the academic course load and rigor, academic honors, extracurricular activities, community service, clinical and research experience and letters of recommendation.
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid
- Is financial aid available for non-U.S. residents?
International students may apply for a private loan through a participating lender. Borrowers must have a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, who resides in the country and is creditworthy. The co-signer must agree to repay the loan if you fail to do so. For more information please visit Student Financial Services site.
- What is the mean education debt for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine graduates?
The mean education debt for Feinberg’s graduating Class of 2023 was $203,195. For reference, the graduating Class of 2023 national mean medical education debt was $222,381 for private schools.
Find out more on the Tuition and Financial Aid page.
- What is Feinberg’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) code?
Feinberg’s FAFSA school code is 001739. Any other Northwestern University codes (001740, school-specific codes beginning with an "E"), should not be used.
Our Campus
- Where is Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine located?
Feinberg is located on the university’s 20-acre lakefront Chicago campus, along with four Feinberg-affiliated hospitals, Northwestern Law School and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management’s Executive Programs.
The admissions office is located at 310 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL, 60611, and the phone number is 312-503-8206. The admissions office can also be accessed from the Chicago Avenue entrance to the building.
Feinberg is located in the Streeterville neighborhood, home to a wide variety of high-rise residences, including rental apartment buildings where many of our medical students live. Within blocks of city buses and subways, the neighborhood is centrally located in the city, allowing easy public transportation access to the culture and diversity of the city and suburbs.
- What is the city of Chicago and area surrounding Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine campus like?
Lakefront beauty and a cosmopolitan, urban cityscape surround our campus, which is located between the shoreline of Lake Michigan and Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile of shopping, dining and entertainment venues. This is the heart of Chicago where students can chooseamongworld-class cultural and recreational activities just steps from the medical school.
A number of important medical organizations are headquartered in Chicago, including the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American College of Surgeons and professional academies, colleges, societies and boards of specialty fields. All these factors combine to make the medical school’s location one of the most desirable in the United States.
- Is housing expensive in the Streeterville neighborhood?
Most Feinberg students spend the majority of their days on campus and prefer to live within walking distance, particularly during their first years of medical school. A number of high-rise residential apartment buildings are within several blocks of the Chicago campus. Additional apartment choices in a wide range of locations, types and rents are available in other nearby Chicago neighborhoods. The maximum financial aid allowance for housing/utilities/food at Feinberg is $1,877 per month. Learn more about Medical Student Housingand Financial Aid for Housing on the MD Education pages.
