The Career Impact of Choosing DMU
Choosing a graduate program is a big decision. Outcomes matter — not just graduation, but what happens next. Here’s how graduates of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program are prepared to succeed in careers, leadership and service.
Graduation Rates By Entering Year
Overall graduation rate is the number of students who begin medical school and then graduate at the end of six years. Although 87-95% of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students at Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences graduate within four years, many factors can impact this. Factors may include illness or injury, academic failure, moving to a five-year program of study, suspension, withdrawal or dismissal.
DMU’s DO students have a high graduation rate compared to many schools across the country.
| 2021-22 | 2020-21 | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Matriculants (Excludes transfer students) |
221 | 220 | 218 | 219 | |||
| Students Transferred Into Cohort | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Graduated in Four Years |
191 86.4% |
193 87.7% |
192 88.1% |
204 93.2% |
|||
| Graduated in Five Years | — |
212 96.4% |
208 95.0% |
212 96.8% |
|||
| Graduated in Six Years | — | — |
209 95.9% |
214 97.7% |
|||
Last Updated: July 2025
Retention Rates By Entering Year
| 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Matriculants (Excludes transfer students) |
233 | 230 | 221 | 221 | |||
| Students Withdrew or Dismissed For Any Reason | 0 | 1 | 7 | 11 | |||
| Students Transferred to New Medical School | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Retention Rate | 99.6% | 99.1% | 95.9% | 95.0% | |||
Last Updated: July 2025
Internship and Residency Match Rates
Finding graduate medical education after medical school is a top priority for our students at DMU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. Not every student decides to pursue a residency right away but for the majority that do, they will be well prepared for what lies ahead on their career path. Competition for GME is solid with the unified Match of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association, but our goal at DMU is to equip students to be competitive applicants. DMU prides itself on a high placement rate percentage and in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 cycles, we had a 100% placement rate.
GME Placement Rates
| DMU Overall | Military Match* | ACGME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
97.1 (206/212) |
2.8 (6/212) |
94.3 (200/212) |
| 2021 |
99.5 (203/204) |
5.9 (12/204) |
93.6 (191/204) |
| 2022 |
100.0 (222/222) |
3.2 (7/222) |
96.8 (215/222) |
| 2023 |
100.0 (201/201) |
3.5 (7/201) |
96.5 (194/201) |
| 2024 |
100.0 (213/213) |
3.3 (7/213) |
96.7 (206/213) |
| 2025 |
99.1 (210/212) |
3.3 (7/212) |
95.8 (203/212) |
* Percentage of Class Matching Military
Last Updated: July 2025
For additional GME placement data, contact Shelley Mitchell, student advancement and GME coordinator, at shelley.mitchell@dmu.edu or 515-271-1629.
Board Pass Rates by Testing Cycle
DMU first-time pass rates on COMLEX board exams consistently exceed the national average.
Board exam results provide an important measure of knowledge for review as part of the graduate medical education (residency) application process. Four-year averages represent the most recent four years of data.
COMLEX Pass Rate Percentages
| Level 1 | Level 2-CE | Level 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Testing Cycle | Testing Cycle | ||||||
| 2021-22 | 98.6 | 92.2 | 97.3 | 95.1 | 2021 | 98.2 | 97.1 |
| 2022-23 | 98.6 | 90.6 | 98.5 | 94.5 | 2022 | 97.4 | 96.3 |
| 2023-24 | 96.7 | 93.1 | 97.2 | 92.5 | 2023 | 98.6 | 94.7 |
| 2024-25 | 97.1 | 90.3 | 97.6 | 91.3 | 2024 | 99.6 | 96.8 |
| 2025-26 | 94.6* | * | 96.4* | * | 2025 | 99.1* | * |
| 4-Year Average | 97.8 | 91.6 | 97.7 | 93.4 | 98.5 | 96.2 | |
* Testing cycle still in progress, excluded from 4-year average.
Nat’l = National Average
Last Updated: October 2025