Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and Georgia Campus - PCOM are two of 28 colleges of osteopathic medicine. Our four-year curriculum leading to the degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) prepares well-rounded physicians who serve their patients and communities with insight, competence and compassion. Applicants are encouraged to become familiar with the rich history, philosophy and practice of osteopathic medicine.
Above, Marsha Williams, Associate Director of Admissions chats with a prospective students during the interview process.
For more information about the D.O. program
REQUIREMENTS
Prior to matriculation each applicant must meet the following admissions requirements:
1. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Applications from students with at least three years of exceptional undergraduate work will be considered.
2. Eight semester hours each, including two semester hours of laboratory: general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and physics.
3. Six semester hours of English composition and literature.
4. Each applicant must sit for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), which is given multiple times each year. Prospective students are urged to take the test as early as possible and certainly not later than August of the year prior to matriculation.. The MCAT must be taken within three years of desired matriculation. Application to the DO program is comprehensive and competitive. The Faculty Committee on Admissions recommends applicants to the program have at least an 8 or higher in each section of the MCAT.
Admission to PCOM is competitive and selective. We seek well-rounded, achievement-oriented persons whose character, maturity and sense of dedication point to a successful and productive life as an osteopathic physician. We are an institution that has historically sought diversity in our student population. We actively recruit under-represented minority students and non-traditional students who often offer exceptional potential for becoming outstanding physicians.
Grades and MCAT scores are important to us as they are some of the best predictors of success in medical school; however, we also look very carefully at extracurricular activities, community involvement, motivation to study medicine and letters of evaluation.
APPLICATION PROCESS
AACOMAS: Centralized Application Service
We participate in AACOMAS, the centralized application service for the colleges of osteopathic medicine and adhere to the Applicant Protocol and Admissions Guidelines as adopted by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and published in the College Information Book.
Beginning in May, prospective osteopathic medical students may submit their application through a secure Web server: AACOMAS-On-Line, at
https://aacomas.aacom.org.
Applicants who wish to apply to both PCOM and Georgia Campus - PCOM must submit two applications and two sets of accompanying credentials. Although the requirements and the processes are the same, each application is evaluated for that particular campus. For Georgia Campus - PCOM, applications are received, processed and evaluated in Philadelphia. All interviews for Georgia Campus - PCOM take place at the Georgia Campus and are conducted by Georgia Admissions Committee members who also render admissions decisions.
We will acknowledge receipt of your AACOMAS application electronically to your email address as provided on your AACOMAS application; this message will have the appropriate PCOM supplemental attached to it. You should print the application and return it as quickly as possible, following all instructions as indicated on the application. Our supplemental deadline date is March 1, however, early application is strongly recommended as decisions are made on a rolling basis. Your credentials will be processed only upon receipt of your supplemental application. Application status updates are not available prior to receipt of the supplemental application.
Your application file will be evaluated only when it is complete. Interviews begin in mid September and will be conducted through March 2013. If you are selected for an interview, we will send you an email with the date of your interview. Applicants to Philadelphia will receive an email from PHLInterviews@pcom.edu; Georgia applicants will receive their invitation from GAInterviews@pcom.edu. Please add these addresses to your directory so they will not be captured in any computer filters. Again, we will use the email address provided on your AACOMAS application. Please check your account on a regular basis. It is your responsibility to notify us, in writing, if your email address changes.
For your file to be considered complete, a letter of recommendation must be sent from one of the following sources:
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pre-health advisor/committee (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate is acceptable)
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academic advisor, dean or department chair from the undergraduate degree-granting institution
(Please note that this is the only required letter, however, we will accept additional letters from other sources).
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Although not required, a letter of recommendation from an osteopathic physician is strongly encouraged.
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Official current MCAT scores must be on file. Self reported scores on the AACOMAS application are not considered official.
PCOM requires all students to adhere to our professional expectations and technical standards. Please go to Technical Standards page to learn more.
Supplemental Applications
PCOM and GA Campus - PCOM supplemental applications are sent to all applicants upon receipt of the completed AACOMAS application. There is a $50 application fee required when you submit each supplemental application. They should be mailed to the Office of Admissions, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131.
The AACOMAS deadline for receipt of applications is February 1. All supporting supplemental applications and credentials must be received no later than March 1.
Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from the premedical committee or premedical advisor of the undergraduate college that grants or will grant a bachelor's degree, regardless of your academic major, course of study or graduation. If that is not possible, a letter from your academic advisor or Dean of the same institution may substitute. Another letter of recommendation, preferably from an osteopathic physician, is strongly suggested but is not required.
Application Review
Review of applications begin in July.
Interviews
Selected qualified applicants are invited for a personal interview with the Faculty Committee on Admission. Interviews begin in late September and continue through the end of March. All interview sessions may be conducted in the morning or afternoon. Applicants are invited to have breakfast or lunch with a member of administration or faculty. This is a good opportunity to learn more about each of our campuses, curriculum, faculty and students. During the course of your visit, before or after the interview you can talk casually with current students and meet informally with a member of the Office of Financial Aid. After the formal interviews, a first- or second-year student gives a tour.
In Philadelphia and Georgia, we conduct a panel interview that includes the applicant, an osteopathic physician, a full time faculty member, a member of the Admissions Staff, and (when available) a PCOM student. Each interview lasts approximately one half-hour.
Admission Decision
Interviewed candidates are usually notified within one month from the date of their interview.
Accepted applicants are asked to send a $250 non-refundable tuition prepayment according to the following schedule:
- those accepted prior to November 15 will have until December 14
- those accepted between November 15 and January 14 will have 30 days
- those accepted between January 14 and June 14 will have 14 days
- those accepted on or after June 15 may be asked for an immediate deposit.
All accepted candidates are required to remit a $1500 non-refundable deposit by April 15th. The candidate is also asked to review and acknowledge PCOM's
Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation.
To ensure that students accepted to PCOM will be permitted to perform clerkships during their third and fourth clinical years, and thus ensure them the opportunity to successfully complete their DO degree requirements, PCOM requires all first year students to complete a criminal background check prior to matriculation. This must be completed by the student prior to the start of their first year classes; they will not be allowed to begin if the documentation is not on file in the PCOM Admissions Office.
During the summer months, when the admissions process is complete, candidates who are not accepted may request in writing information about their application, or , make an appointment to meet with an admissions counselor.
English Proficiency
Proficiency in written and oral English appropriate to graduate and professional study is expected of all PCOM students. Any applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate objective competency in English within the past two years by satisfactory performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum required score for the IBT (Internet Based Testing) is 79 and a minimum score of 26 is required for the speaking component. General writing assistance is available for theses and dissertations, however, as an institution offering only graduate and professional programs, PCOM does not offer remedial ESL coursework.
Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. Your score is considered too old, and will not be accepted, if it is more than 2 years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level, and how recent it has been, are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.
Applicants are exempt if:
English is the exclusive language of instruction at the undergraduate level; or
they have earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment; or
they have completed at least two full-time semesters of graded course work, exclusive of ESL courses, in a U.S. college or university, or at an institution outside the U.S. where English is the exclusive language of instruction, not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment.
Transfer Students
PCOM does not routinely accept transfer students; however, a transfer application may be considered under extenuating circumstances and depending on places available in the class. Consideration will be given only to a student who is in good standing at an AOA-accredited college of osteopathic medicine or who is eligible for re-admission to the previously attended college of osteopathic medicine.
The initial request for transfer must originate from the dean of the college or university from which the student wishes to transfer and must be directed to the dean of the PCOM campus to which he or she is applying. Application materials must be submitted and a formal interview with the Faculty Committee on Admissions will be required.
If accepted, a transfer student will be given credit for courses successfully passed at the previous college that meet PCOM’s curriculum requirements. A minimum of two years must be completed at PCOM for a student to be eligible to receive the DO degree.
For all other students entering the DO program, PCOM does not grant advanced standing or credit for prior learning or for courses completed at other institutions.
Affiliated Programs
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has affiliated programs and offers the following degrees:
DO/MBA St. Joseph's University
DO/MPH Temple University
DO/MS Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Forensic Medicine)
DO/MS Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Organizaional Development and Leadership)
DO/MA St. Joseph's University
DO/PhD University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
At the present time, these programs are not available at Georgia Campus - PCOM.
