Admissions

U of MN DI Program Enrollment:

  • ed-tep icon
    ED-TEP concentration is accepting a maximum enrollment of 10 for the incoming class
     
  • M Health Fairview MNT Icon
    MNT concentration has a maximum enrollment of 10 for the incoming class
     

General Admission Requirements:

  • An official transcript showing a minimum of a master’s degree in any field granted by a U.S. regionally-accredited college/university, completed before beginning the dietetic internship.
    •  Or , applicants without a graduate degree must indicate in their personal statement that they wish to be considered for the 1-year non thesis master's degree (M.P.S.) (to be completed before the DI verification statement would be awarded)
  • A verification statement from an ACEND-accredited Nutrition and Dietetics Didactic Program (DPD).
    • If selected for the U of M DI, applicants who submitted a Declaration of Intent to Complete form with their DI applications must provide a signed DPD verification statement from their DPD Program Director before beginning the dietetic internship.
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy course or equivalent must be completed within three years of beginning the U of M DI Program. Refer to Recency of Education Policy for details.
  • International students in F-1 status require OPT authorization covering the full dates of the program while students in J-1 status require academic training authorization.  J-2 dependents may be eligible but require employment authorization for the full period of the program. 
    • Minimum TOEFL scores required:
      • Total Score: 79
      • Writing Subscore: 21
      • Reading Subscore: 19
  • Upon DI placement confirmation following acceptance into the U of M DI Program, a $500 non-refundable deposit is required.

Additional Selection Criteria

  • Personal Statement - an engaging and concise statement sharing your interests, career goals, and demonstrated alignment with our program and practice area(s).
  • Strong letters of recommendation – two from your academic setting and one from a work or volunteer supervisor.
  • Minimum cumulative and DPD GPAs of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 system) preferred; strong GPA (grades in subjects such as biochemistry, advanced nutrition/metabolism, MNT, community nutrition, and food service) will be reviewed by the selection committee.
  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills
  • Relevant work or volunteer experience and/or extracurricular involvement
  • Demonstrated capacity for leadership, teamwork and self-direction
  • Overall potential of student to successfully complete an internship in the respective concentration area, a nationally renowned eating disorder treatment center or a high acuity teaching hospital
  • Completion of all required application details. Applications may be rejected for incompleteness or non-compliance with directions.
  • Top ranked candidates will be invited for an interview with program leadership. The interview is an important step in the selection process since it allows the applicant to be well informed about the internship and helps the selection committee ensure successful matches of candidates with the program.


Each concentration has an Intern Selection Committee which scores and ranks applications on the basis of all components of the internship application.