SIU

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Springfield, IL · Public · MD

Average MCAT: 511
Average GPA: 3.66
Class size: 72
Tuition: $113,400 (per year, nonresident)
Out-of-state applicants: Residents only

Deadlines

AMCAS deadline: Nov. 15, 2026
Secondary deadline: Feb. 1, 2027

Essays

Mission and barriers (300 words)

SIU School of Medicine uses a holistic approach to identify students who best fulfill its mission: to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community. In what ways do you believe you would contribute to SIU's mission and what barriers have you overcome in your life's circumstances to reach this point in applying to medical school?

Lived experiences (300 words)

Tell us about your lived experiences that will make you a better physician?

Teamwork, self-directed learning, PBL (500 words)

To be successful as a student at SIU School of Medicine and as a practicing physician, you must be flexible and committed to cultivating and employing critical interactive and learning skills. Describe your experiences that demonstrate: contribution in a teamwork setting; engagement in self-directed and life-long learning (taking personal initiative to identify and address your learning goals and needs); and exposure to the small group tutorial process used in a problem-based learning environment.

Reapplicant (300 words)

If you have previously applied to SIU School of Medicine, please describe how you feel you have strengthened your credentials since that application.

Editor's notes

Check eligibility before anything else. The regular MD takes only Illinois residents, and SIU defines residency as an Illinois driver's license or voter registration. If you're out of state, your only door is the MD/JD.
The supplemental goes to only about a quarter of applicants, so the AMCAS alone has to make the case. Put your ties to central or southern Illinois, or rural and underserved work, where the screener will see them: in your activities and personal statement.
The Feb. 1 supplemental deadline is not a reason to wait. Acceptances go out in December, February and March, and 72 seats are held by March. Late files mostly land on the waitlist.
SIU's curriculum is small-group and case-based, and the 500-word essay asks directly about teamwork, self-directed learning and problem-based tutorials. If you can show you've taught yourself something hard with peers, that's the core of your fit.

SIU