Pre-Health Sciences Advising at Pacific Lutheran University provides advising and support to students and alumni who are interested in exploring careers in the health professions including medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine and other related fields. PLU is an exciting place in which to lay the foundation for a career in the health professions because of our academic excellence and rich opportunities for research and service. The liberal arts education you will obtain at PLU will be an advantage at most schools, particularly for pre-med students interested in medical school. With the exception of physical therapy, there is no formal pre-health science major or academic track at PLU. With careful academic planning, you can major in any field of study and still complete the requirements for medical school and so forth. Many pre-health students do choose to major in the natural sciences; however, in recent years there have been students who majored in anthropology, sociology, Hispanic Studies, psychology, and religion.

By using the navigation bars on the top of the page, we encourage you to explore this website for information on the different health care careers available to you and how Pre-Health Sciences Advising can help you become a successful candidate for a health-related professional school.

Why choose PLU for your pre-health degree?

  • Experience PLU’s Pre-Health Science Advising team has many years of experience helping our students and alumni meet their goals of becoming health care professionals.  Read more.
  • Personalized Attention PLU’s low student/faculty ratio and the fact that graduate assistants do not teach any of courses means that you get to know your professors extremely well through small classes and student-faculty research opportunities. And knowing your professors well makes it a lot easier to ask for letters of recommendations.
  • Advising Services A pre-health science adviser meets one-on-one with students to help them in their pursuit.

  • Beneficial Events and Workshops We offer a number of events to pre-health students to assist in the exploration of healthcare vocations as well as applying to health professional school programs. Read more. 
  • Research Opportunities The College of Natural Sciences provides students with the opportunity to spend 10 weeks conducting research with a faculty mentor.  Read more.
  • Awards and Scholarships PLU pre-health students are eligible for awards and scholarships.  Read more.
  • 10-year Acceptance Rates 80% of our students who apply to medical school and 75% of our students who apply to dental school are accepted (2011-2021)