Applicants

The following pages are designed to give students an overview of the application process.

For students who are just beginning your journey, spend some time on the Academics and Experiential Learning pages. These pages detail ways to prepare yourself as a candidate.

Our Northeastern University applicants to US medical and dental programs have achieved exceptional success, boasting an acceptance rate twice the national average. Recent applicants have garnered acceptances to over 130 programs, including prestigious institutions like Harvard, Mayo, Columbia, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, NYU, Vanderbilt, Cornell, Yale, Northwestern, and many others (see below). This remarkable achievement underscores the strength of our applicants’ credentials, demonstrating their dedication and excellence in the field. Notably, 84% of accepted NU applicants have opted to take at least one gap year before embarking on their health graduate program journey, further solidifying their readiness and commitment to their chosen paths.

Undergraduate Students

You may be a few years away from your application year, meaning you have some time to explore a variety of healthcare careers in all fields of medicine.  It is important that you become knowledgeable about the many roles that healthcare professionals fill and how healthcare is provided in the United States. Many undergraduates believe they must apply the year before graduating (i.e. as juniors) in order to be ready to begin their health professional studies directly after graduation.  However, your graduation year should not dictate when you begin your health professional program.  The best year to apply is the year in which you can be the most competitive applicant! For many students (80% of Northeastern students), that year is later than their junior year of college, meaning that there is a “gap” of one year or more between graduating and entering your health professional program. Schools do not have a preference for when you apply, only for strong applicants!

Alumni & Post-Baccalaureate Students

As an alumnus or as a current student in Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies Post-Bacc Program, you are, most likely, very close to the application cycle during which you plan to apply. You may be motivated to apply as soon as possible because you feel that time is moving very quickly and that that you have been on the PreHealth track long enough! However, regardless of the field of medicine you intend to pursue or your age, it is important to your success not to rush through the application process. What does matter is your readiness to apply, as measured by relevant experiences, community service, a competitive science and non-science GPA, strong letters of evaluation, and a competitive entrance exam score. Post-bacc students may note, if you have received PreMed advising in the past through your undergraduate institution, you may wish to consider continuing that advisor/advisee relationship.

International Students

Applying to health professional programs as an international applicant can be especially competitive. Before you apply to Northeastern with the intent of applying to a US Medical School, we recommend doing some research. Most public medical schools in the US don’t accept applications from international students. Schools that do accept international students typically are very selective and don’t offer scholarship or loan money, making financing a concern. Learn more about applying as an International Student on the AAMC website.