Preparing for Admission

To be considered for admission to one of the 23 osteopathic medical schools, applicants typically complete four years of undergraduate work culminating in a bachelor's degree. Osteopathic medical schools require one year each of biological sciences, physics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and six semester hours of English.

Applicants are required to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). The MCAT examines knowledge and skill in areas such as biology, math, reading, and problem-solving. A pre-medical advisor can assist applicants in scheduling and preparing for this examination.

Most applicants major in the sciences, such as biology or chemistry, in their undergraduate studies. However, applicants may major in any area as long as they meet the minimum course and grade requirements and demonstrate their potential for successfully completing an osteopathic medical curriculum.

Prospective SOMA students will be evaluated in three major areas: academic accomplishment, personal characteristics of a healer, and propensity to serve the underserved. Prospective students must exhibit a genuine concern for people. Osteopathic medicine is a people-oriented profession that demands dedicated and empathetic individuals. Osteopathic colleges require a personal interview during the application procedure. The applicant is strongly encouraged to have clinical exposure in a healthcare environment.

Applicants will be expected to rank their choices for their Community campuses during or shortly after the interview. Students will spend years 2-4 in or near a CHC campus.

ATSU is partnering with the following Community Campuses:

Sunset Park Family Health Center, based in Brooklyn, NY, and serving urban, émigré, ethnic, HIV, older adult and homeless populations in Brooklyn.
Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, based in Beaufort, SC (north of Hilton Head), and serving rural, suburban and ethnic populations in the low-country region of South Carolina.
Alabama Medical Education Consortium, representing Alabama’s Community Health Centers with a base in Troy, AL (south of Montgomery), and serving rural, suburban and ethnic populations across Alabama.
HealthSource of Southern Ohio, based in Milford, OH (east of Cincinnati), and serving rural, farming, ethnic, religious and Appalachian communities across southern Ohio.
North Country Community Health Center, based in Flagstaff, AZ, and serving isolated and ethnic populations in rural northern and eastern Arizona.
An American Indian focused campus, based in Phoenix AZ, and serving American Indian communities in central Arizona, the Southwest, and the nation.
El Rio Health Center, based in Tucson, AZ, and serving urban, suburban, ethnic, HIV, and homeless constituents in and around Tucson.
Family HealthCare Network, based in Porterville, CA (south of Fresno) and serving suburban and farm-worker populations in the valley at the base of Yosemite national park.
A consortium of clinics in the Portland Oregon area, serving farm-worker, rural, and suburban constituents in northern Oregon.
Community Health Centers of King County, serving urban, suburban, émigré and ethnic populations in the county east and south of Seattle, WA.
Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health, based in Waianae, HI, and serving Native Hawaiian, Asian and suburban populations in the northwest coastal section of the island.