Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine 
Application Requirements

What are the requirements for PCOM's DO program?

Prior to matriculation each Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program applicant must meet the following requirements and prerequisites:

DO program degree and prerequisite coursework requirements

• Satisfactory completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Applications from students with three years of exceptional undergraduate work completed may be considered.
• If an applicant has completed a degree(s) from institutions outside of the United States, he/she must request an official course-by-course evaluation from World Education Services (www.wes.org) that validates equivalency to a U.S. degree.
• All prerequisite coursework must be completed at a U.S. regionally accredited college or university. International coursework will not count towards meeting any prerequisite coursework.
• AP or IB coursework will be accepted provided the course and credits appear on your college transcript.
• We do not accept CLEP coursework.
• The satisfactory completion of the following undergraduate courses must be demonstrated by the applicant:
  • Eight semester hours of biology, including two semester hours of laboratory.
  • Eight semester hours of physics, including two semester hours of laboratory.
  • Sixteen semester hours of chemistry, including four semester hours of laboratory; at least four of the sixteen required semester hours must be organic chemistry (with lab) and at least three semester hours must be biochemistry.
  • Six semester hours of English composition and literature.

DO program MCAT requirements

• Official MCAT exam scores from an exam taken within three years of the desired date of matriculation. The oldest MCAT considered for 2025 admission is from January 2022 or later.
• PCOM does not have minimum MCAT requirements for the DO program.
• Generally, a competitive MCAT is at or above 500 with 125 for each subsection. The average MCAT for entering DO students is typically a 505.

What are the DO program GPA requirements?

PCOM does not have minimum GPA requirements for the DO program. The median for all PCOM Classes of 2025 were (as calculated by AACOMAS):

• Undergraduate science GPA: 3.5
• Post-baccalaureate science GPA: 3.8
• Graduate science GPA: 3.6

Other DO program requirements

• U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status (green card).

What does the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program look for?

PCOM Admissions Committees review applications holistically, taking several factors into account when assessing applications for interview and acceptance to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Interviews and admissions decisions for the DO program are granted not solely on GPAs or MCAT scores, but after consideration of all aspects of an application including but not limited to: letters of recommendation, autobiographical statements, clinical experience and research experience.

See our pre-med student's guide to a competitive application for more information about applying to medical school.

How do you apply to PCOM's DO program?

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 online at ChooseDO Explorer. For AACOMAS application questions or assistance, please visit the AACOMAS Applicant Help Center which includes contact information, instructions, and other important details.

AACOMAS application timeline

• Beginning in May, prospective osteopathic medical students interested in Summer 2025 admission for the DO program may submit their application through AACOMAS, a secure web server.
  • Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended must be submitted to AACOMAS for verification.
  • AACOMAS will accept up to six letters of recommendation through the Evaluations Portal.
• Be advised that your full AACOMAS application must be e-submitted and completed by February 1, 2025 and be verified by February 28, 2025 to be considered for admission.

Does PCOM’s DO program have secondary applications?

There are no supplemental application requirements for 2025 admission. Rather, in the AACOMAS application, visit the Program Materials section of your PCOM application and respond to the questions posed on the Questions tab.

Applicants may apply to any of our three locations:

• PCOM (Philadelphia, PA)
• PCOM South Georgia (Moultrie, GA)
• PCOM Georgia (Suwanee, GA)

All DO program candidates must:

• Submit a separate AACOMAS application for PCOM/PCOM South Georgia and/or PCOM Georgia. In AACOMAS, access to the PCOM South Georgia application can be found through the PCOM application. On the Questions tab, candidates are asked to select the PCOM location(s) for which they wish to be considered: PCOM, PCOM South Georgia or both PCOM and PCOM South Georgia. Candidates wishing to apply to PCOM Georgia will need to complete a separate application in AACOMAS.
• Pay the corresponding AACOMAS fee(s).
• Submit an institutional application fee to PCOM for each location required:
  • $75 for PCOM and/or PCOM South Georgia.
  • $75 for PCOM Georgia.
• Submit letters of recommendation either directly to AACOMAS or recommend@pcom.edu. Please note that letters of recommendation will be reviewed and copied to your PCOM application(s) only upon payment of the PCOM institutional fee.

Although the requirements and the processes are the same, each application is evaluated for that particular location by the individual Faculty Committee on Admissions for each location.

The Office of Admissions will acknowledge receipt of each DO program application electronically to the email address provided on your AACOMAS application; this message will include instructions on how to pay the PCOM application fee of $75.

When can you submit your DO program application?

The application fee(s) and all required materials must be received by the Office of Admissions by March 1, 2025 in order to have an application reviewed by the Faculty Committee on Admissions. Early submission is strongly recommended as interviewees are selected and decisions are rendered on a rolling basis.

Your location-specific DO program application will be processed and assessed by the appropriate Faculty Committee on Admissions only after the receipt of:

• Non-refundable application fee of $75 (required to begin application processing);
• Official MCAT score report (see instructions below); and
• Fulfillment of the Letter of Recommendation requirement (see instructions below).

Permanent Residents of the U.S. will be required to provide a copy of their Permanent Resident card ("green card") prior to admission. NOTE: Permanent Residency status "pending" is not eligible for admission.

How do you submit your MCAT scores to AACOMAS?

You can send your MCAT exam results directly from AAMC to AACOMAS so long as AACOMAS accepts updates. After AACOMAS stops accepting updates, you can send your AAMC verification code and ID via email to admissions@pcom.edu.

The MCAT must be taken within three years of the desired date of matriculation. For fall 2025 entry, only MCAT tests taken in 2022, 2023 and 2024 will be considered valid. PCOM will accept a January 2025 score.

Important reminder for your DO program application submission

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the receipt of all required materials by AACOMAS as well as PCOM. Candidates are expected to review the applicant portals frequently and to exercise patience during the processing of all application materials.

We do not provide status updates, but encourage applicants to access their PCOM application portal to review their materials.

PCOM requires all students to adhere to PCOM's Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation (PDF).

The letter of recommendation requirement for DO admission is as follows.

A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation are required from individuals who know the applicant in a professional capacity and can comment on one's character, work ethic, academic history, scientific acumen, empathy, compassion, resilience, emotional intelligence, commitment and knowledge of the healthcare environment. The DO Faculty Committee of Admissions strongly prefers that the letters be from the following sources:

• A pre-health or academic advisor/committee (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate or graduate programs). A pre-health advisor letter will meet the requirement for one of the three required letters of recommendation. We would prefer each letter to be submitted separately, however, a packet of letters from an institution containing three or more letters of recommendation will indeed meet the letter requirement requirement.
• Undergraduate, graduate or post-baccalaureate faculty (preferably those who delivered a candidate’s completed science coursework), who can attest to academic performance and aptitude. We highly recommend at least one letter from an academic source.
• Physicians, preferably DOs, and/or other health care providers with whom a candidate has had a professional relationship, who can attest to the applicant's clinical experiences and overall fit for the profession.

Candidates who may not have the ability to submit letters from any/all of the above sources should select letter writers who know them in a professional capacity and can comment on the applicant's character, work ethic, academic history, scientific acumen, empathy, compassion, resilience, emotional intelligence, commitment and/or knowledge of the healthcare environment.

How do you submit your letters of recommendation for PCOM’s DO program?

• All recommendation letters for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program must be on letterhead and preferably signed by the recommenders.
• Recommendation letters must be submitted through AACOMAS to each PCOM location selected, or via email to recommend@pcom.edu. We cannot accept letters from other sources.
• Letters of recommendation processed through Interfolio may, upon your request to Interfolio, be emailed directly to recommend@pcom.edu.

Qualified DO program applicants selected by the Faculty Committee on Admissions are invited for a personal interview on a rolling basis.

PCOM will offer a choice of either virtual or on-campus interviews.

When do interviews occur?

Interviews for the DO program begin in the Summer term and will be conducted through the Spring term. If you are selected for an interview, you will be sent an email with required next steps. A candidate can be selected for an interview at any time throughout the review process at each location as deemed competitive by the Faculty Committee on Admissions.

How are selected candidates notified?

Applicants to our Philadelphia location will receive an email from admissions@pcom.edu. Applicants to PCOM Georgia will receive invitations from gaadmissions@pcom.edu, and applicants from PCOM South Georgia will receive invitations from sogaadmissions@pcom.edu.

Please add these addresses to your directory so they will not be captured in any email 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 update your email address within your PCOM application portal if it changes.

Interviewed candidates are usually notified within 4-6 weeks of their interview date.

PCOM follows the AACOMAS Traffic Guidelines, therefore accepted DO program applicants are asked to send a $250 non-refundable tuition prepayment according to the posted schedule.

All accepted candidates are also required to remit a $500 non-refundable deposit by April 15, 2025. The candidate is also asked to review and acknowledge PCOM's Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation (PDF).

Criminal background check requirement

The College requires a criminal background check for all program applicants and enrolled students. The PCOM Office of Admissions will facilitate a criminal background check prior to matriculation processed by a PCOM vendor of choice. Subsequent criminal background checks can occur during enrollment, including but not limited to, when the student is conducting internships, clerkships, clinical coursework, or other types of coursework that occur off campus. Should you be charged, convicted of, or plead guilty or no contest to a misdemeanor or felony crime after the date of your original application submission, you are required to notify the Dean of your program in writing within 10 business days of the occurrence. This communication should be sent by certified mail to the Dean at the address on the acceptance letter.

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 or whose undergraduate instruction was not in 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. 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. 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.

Applicants are exempt from this requirement 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.

PCOM does not routinely accept transfer students for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program; however, a transfer application may be considered under extenuating circumstances and depending on seats 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. COMLEX I must have a passing grade prior to matriculation at PCOM if the student is accepted by the faculty committee on Admissions.

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 location to which they are applying. Application materials must be submitted before February 1, 2025, 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. Accepted students must be prepared for summer term enrollment. Be advised that an official passing COMLEX Level I exam must be received prior to matriculation in the Summer term at PCOM if the student is accepted by the faculty committee on Admissions. Clinical Education must be sent an official COMLEX Level I score report as soon as it becomes available.

Transfer requests from one PCOM location to another must be discussed with the Dean at the PCOM location of enrollment.

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.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine has affiliated DO programs at each of its locations and offers several multidisciplinary degree options in fields including public health and forensic medicine. For the complete listing of available programs, visit our multidisciplinary degree options page.

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Philadelphia, PA 19131

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Twitter: @PCOMAdmissions 

For information about PCOM Georgia programs:

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Moultrie, GA 31768

Toll Free: 866-282-4544
Local: 229-668-3162
Fax: 678-225-7526
Twitter: @PCOMAdmissions 

For information about PCOM South Georgia programs:

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