Pre-health Professions Program

Preparing Tomorrow's Healthcare Professionals

Whether your goal is medical school, dental school, physician assistant school, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, veterinary medicine, optometry or another healthcare profession, the NIU Pre-health Professions Program provides the guidance, opportunities and resources to help you become a competitive applicant for professional school.

Pre-health is a pathway, not a major. Whatever your academic major may be at NIU, you can prepare for healthcare careers while receiving personalized support, exploring experiential learning opportunities and building a strong foundation for professional school.

• Check out our Blackboard Community for application information, guides, timelines, FAQs and much more.
• Learn how to earn the Pre-health Transcript Notation and use Suitable to track your Pre-health Scholars Badge requirements, experiences and professional development activities.

Explore Pre-health Pathways

Pre-health advising begins once you are admitted to NIU. If you have not applied yet, that is your first step.

Highlights

During the 2025-26 academic year, the Pre-health Professions program:

• Supported more than 400 students interested in healthcare careers.
• Distributed more than $104,000 in student funding through partnership initiatives.
• Funded more than 30 clinical certifications to help students gain patient-care experience.
• Coordinated 25 job shadowing experiences with healthcare professionals.
• Connected students with volunteer, research, leadership and professional development opportunities.
• Maintained a high student satisfaction rate; 94% of surveyed students were satisfied with the program and would recommend it to other students.