Getting into Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Chicago's Jesuit, Catholic medical school, built on formation — becoming a whole physician, not just a competent one — with named programs like Ignatian Service Immersion and the Healer's Art. Here's an honest, physician-reviewed look at what it takes and what Stritch values. No admission odds — just verified facts and how to read them.
Updated September 2026 · 2026–2027 cycle · figures cited to Stritch's official admissions pages
What is Stritch's mission — and what does it signal?
We are Chicago's Jesuit, Catholic medical school — forming physicians for competent, compassionate service.Loyola Stritch, on its Jesuit mission1
Stritch is explicit that it's a Jesuit, Catholic school built on formation — developing the whole person, not just clinical skill. Two named programs make that concrete: Ignatian Service Immersion and the Healer's Art course. Applicants drawn to service, reflection, and the human side of medicine fit the school's stated values.
What makes Stritch's curriculum distinctive?
Stritch's identity shows up in named programs, not slogans:
- Ignatian Service Immersion: service experiences grounded in the school's Jesuit tradition.
- The Healer's Art: a well-known elective on meaning, humanism, and the physician's inner life.
- Formation-oriented curriculum: whole-person development alongside clinical competence.
If your story is about service and the human side of medicine, Stritch is a school where that reads as genuine fit rather than filler.
How does Stritch review applicants?
Stritch reviews holistically. Its published means — GPA 3.86, science GPA 3.82, MCAT 513 — mark the middle of the class, not a floor. As a private school that does not publish an in-state preference, there's none to engineer. Mission fit — service, compassion, and formation — is genuinely part of the read here.1
Does Stritch use the MMI — and what is the interview like?
Stritch offers a choice of interview format — in-person or virtual, with no stated preference (roughly a 45-minute virtual or 60-minute in-person conversation). Either way it's a traditional, reflective interview, not an MMI.3 Interview formats change year to year, so confirm Stritch's current format on its official admissions page before you prepare.
How should I approach Stritch's secondary?
After AMCAS review, Stritch invites qualified applicants to a secondary. Write toward service and formation: describe a specific experience of serving others and what it formed in you, and connect it honestly to Stritch's Jesuit, whole-person mission. Reflection and specificity matter more here than a list of activities. Review is rolling, so complete early and confirm current deadlines officially.
How much does Stritch cost?
Stritch lists MD tuition of about $70,610 per year. As a private school, that figure applies regardless of residency.4 Budget separately for fees and Chicago-area living costs, and confirm the current figure officially before you apply.
Formation, not just competence.
Put it together — a Jesuit formation mission, Ignatian Service Immersion, the Healer's Art, and a choose-your-format conversational interview — and Stritch reads as a school for reflective, service-minded applicants who care about who they'll become as physicians. That's a read of the school's stated priorities, not a prediction; we publish no odds.
See exactly where you stand — at Stritch and every school on your list
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Frequently asked
Does Stritch use the MMI?
No — Stritch uses a traditional, conversational interview, and lets applicants choose in-person or virtual. Confirm the current format on its official admissions page.
Is there a minimum GPA or MCAT for Stritch?
No published minimum. Stritch reports entering-class means — GPA 3.86, science GPA 3.82, MCAT 513 — which mark the middle of the class, not a cutoff.
What is the Healer's Art?
A well-known elective, offered at Stritch and other schools, that explores meaning, humanism, and the physician's inner life — a good example of Stritch's formation focus.
Does Stritch favor in-state applicants?
Stritch is private; it does not publish an in-state preference.
How much does Loyola Stritch cost?
Stritch lists MD tuition of about $70,610 per year. As a private school there's no in-state/out-of-state distinction. Confirm the current figure officially.
Sources — Stritch official pages
- Loyola University Chicago Stritch SOM — Class of 2029 profile & mission (entered 2026 means and class size; science GPA, Class of 2030): luc.edu/stritch — Class of 2029 profile
- Loyola Stritch — Ignatian Service Immersion & the Healer's Art (curriculum & programs): luc.edu/stritch
- Loyola Stritch — Interview format (traditional; in-person or virtual, applicant's choice): confirm on Stritch's official admissions page.
- Loyola Stritch — Tuition & cost of attendance (MD tuition ≈ $70,610/yr): confirm the current figure on Stritch's official cost page.
Figures are Stritch's own published entering-class means and are shown as the middle of a class, never a cutoff. Stritch publishes no acceptance rate, and neither do we. Tuition reflects the published tuition line only. Confirm all current details on Stritch's official pages. Preceptorly is not affiliated with Loyola University Chicago and does not predict admission.