Application Details

Pathways skinny header with health icons

The next application period for the Health Profession Pathways Program will open August 2026, with an application deadline in October 2026. 

Student practicing using an IV in the School of Nursing Simulation Lab

For the selected participants, the Pathways program will begin in the spring semester of their first year, Spring 2027.

The online application includes demographic questions, questions about the student's health career interests, and a few short-answer reflection questions that will help us learn about the student's motivation in applying for the Pathways program. 

Parts of the Pathways Program Application 

The online application will include three parts. To help prospective students prepare to complete the application, we're sharing what goes into the three sections below, including listing out the short answer essay questions that we ask applicants to complete. 

Part 1: Basic Information

This section will ask you some basic questions such as your name, pronouns, email, health career interests, etc. 

Part 2: Short Answer Essay Questions

  • Reflection Question 1: Describe the experiences that have shaped your interest in becoming a health professional. Share two specific examples of how your academic, personal, volunteer, or work experiences influence your understanding of health care and are preparing you for this path. Include any connections you have made within health care settings and how they have impacted your goals.
  • Reflection Question 2: Describe an academic challenge you have had to overcome in high school or during your time at the University of Minnesota so far. What was the situation, what did you do to address this challenge (e.g. what resources did you use), and what did you learn during this experience? 
  • Reflection Question 3: Describe a time when you had to manage multiple responsibilities (home, school, work, extracurricular activities, etc.). What strategies or tools did you use to help you manage these responsibilities? What was the outcome? How do you envision using these strategies or tools as a pre-health student at the University of Minnesota?
  • Reflection Question 4: Health professionals serve all people regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, etc. How has your lived experience (the experiences you've had in your own life) shaped your capacity to serve a diverse population of patients? Examples could include growing up in another country, speaking another language, or living in a rural area, etc.  
  • Reflection Question 5: Choose three (3) adjectives you would use to describe yourself, and tell us about why you chose them. 

Part 3: Demographic Information 

This section will ask questions about yourself like where you are from, other activities or campus communities you will be engaged with on campus, etc. 

5 students standing at a workstation in a lab setting, learning how to suture