About Our Program

Over the last 20 years, almost 80% of our students who applied to medical school were accepted. The acceptance rate to dental school is even higher. So there is a strong history of success here at Valpo!

Nationwide, most students planning to attend professional school in the health field (medical school, dental school, vet school, etc.) are biology or chemistry majors.  This is true for several reasons.  These majors provide a nice foundation for the concepts learned in professional school.  It’s not surprising that a number of prerequisite courses required by the professional schools are in the areas of biology and chemistry.  Also, students interested in professional school often have a general interest in science and are naturally interested in science majors. 

However, it may surprising to learn that it is feasible to select virtually any major and prepare for professional schools.   The professional schools require a series of prerequisite courses, but those can be taken alongside the major.  For example, you could pursue a music major and still prepare for medical school.  This is actually pretty nice because it allows students to prepare for two careers at the same time.  If the application to professional school doesn’t work out, students have another option and can pursue a career within their major. 

Our preprofessional program is designed to help students pursue this two-pronged approach.  We have a group of faculty who serve as preprofessional mentors and provide guidance.  They have successfully mentored many students who have gone onto professional schools and understand what is needed to be successful.  In fact, one of our mentors is an MD/PhD. Students also have an academic advisor who helps with course planning and graduation requirements.