Learn more about being an osteopathic physician.
Visit our How to Apply page. Applications are initially processed through AACOMAS and application instruction are available online at aacom.org.
We have a “rolling” admission policy. We begin accepting applications through AACOMAS in May. We schedule interviews beginning in late August and continue until the class is full. We encourage students to apply early – ideally, during the summer one year before you anticipate entering medical school. The deadline for the AACOMAS application and supporting materials are March 1, 2022. It will take AACOMAS approximately 4-6 weeks to verify your application before it will be sent to DMU for consideration.
All applicants must supply results of the MCAT, taken within 3 years of the date of desired matriculation year. Test scores should be released directly to AACOMAS, not to Des Moines University.
Applicants seeking admission to DMU-COM for Fall 2022 entrance should plan to take the MCAT at least by the end of 2021. Results from the January 2022 MCAT will be considered. Please note that due to our process of rolling admission, applicants completing their file with later MCAT scores may not be as competitive as those completed earlier in the cycle. Our interview schedule tends to fill quickly; therefore, we cannot guarantee the availability of interview space for applicants completing their files into February.
For information on letters of recommendation, please see the How To Apply section of our website.
Transcripts from all institutions attended must be submitted as official to AACOMAS. Transcripts must be from a regionally accredited college or university from within the United States. Please do not send transcripts directly to DMU.
Admission process timeline for the entering class of 2022:
- May 3, 2021: Application service opens through AACOMAS.
- August 2021 to March 2022: DMU-COM invites competitive applicants to interview. Currently the interview is a competency-based, holistic, asynchronous assessment. At this time there are no in-person interviews due to COVID-19 restrictions. Acceptance offers must be confirmed and secured with a non-refundable tuition seat deposit of $1,500.00 within the established AACOMAS timeline.
- The AACOMAS application deadline is March 1, 2022, however, we will fill our interview schedule at least 1-2 months in advance and encourage applicants to submit materials early in the cycle to receive the best consideration. Please keep in mind that the later you submit an application, the more likely it is that the class is already full, or the screening has become much more competitive.
- Orientation and classes for the Class of 2026 begins in late July 2022.
Once DMU has received all required application materials (AACOMAS application, official MCAT score and three letters of recommendation), we will send you an email confirming that your file is complete. Once your file is complete, review will begin and you will be contacted via email once a decision has been reached.
Due to the volume of applications, we are unable to contact those whose files remain incomplete. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all materials are received to complete their file. Please log into your DMU Admissions Account or contact DOAdmit@dmu.edu to inquire about the status of your file.
The minimum GPA recommended for admission consideration is 2.8, both cumulative and science. Our average GPA of recently admitted students is 3.65 cumulative and 3.58 science while the average MCAT is 508.
View our Class Profile for details about our students.
Information regarding tuition, fees and payment schedules, educational costs and living expenses are available on our financial aid page.
We have a small number of merit-based scholarships to incoming students. Full and half tuition scholarships are available. Candidates will be reviewed within the admission and interview process, and will be notified if they are awarded a scholarship. There is no additional application required for consideration for the incoming merit-based awards.
Please see our financial aid page for information on loans and scholarships available through the University.
View our board score information as well as other COM program outcomes online.
Students complete four years of basic medical education. The four years of study are divided into a pre-clinical and a clinical phase, resulting in a “two plus two” curriculum that combines lecture and laboratory studies with clinical experiences in teaching hospitals, University and private clinics, and community service agencies. After medical school, DO graduates will complete a residency in the field of specialty of choice, including family medicine, surgery or psychiatry. Residencies typically range from three to six years of additional training.
Student graduation from colleges of osteopathic medicine currently have the opportunity to apply to residency programs through the AOA – American Osteopathic Association, as well as the ACGME – Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine at DMU are highly recruited into a wide variety of graduate medical programs throughout the country. Nearly 90 percent of each graduating class receive their first or second choice of a residency program.
To see where our graduates are training, please see the Residency Match List section of our website.
We strongly encourage prospective students to join us for one of our DMU At-A-Glance events, which are held several times throughout the year. DMU At-A-Glance events are not designed for current applicants to the DO program.
All students requesting a transfer from another medical school, whether allopathic or osteopathic, must apply through the Dean. In general, transfers are not allowed after the clinical years have begun (3rd and 4th years). A letter of support from the Dean of the institution currently being attended, along with all transcripts, must be included with the request.
Transfer requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Because of the unique system-based pre-clinical curriculum, it is difficult for the College to accept transfer students from other medical schools that have more traditional programs. Therefore, students are discouraged from transferring unless they are prepared to complete the entire 4-year program at DMU.