Admissions Requirements

Notice of Change of Admission Requirements:  Beginning with Entry Year 2022 admission, applicants must either be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents to be considered for admission.

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, an applicant must meet the minimum academic and entrance examination requirements.

Admission into the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is selective. The Admissions Committee uses a holistic approach to evaluate applications.  This is done through a careful examination of the application, letters of recommendation, and interview results. Applicants who are recommended for admission by the committee are assigned a score.  In alignment with the Mission of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, applications are evaluated through three domains:  academic qualifications, humanistic experiences, and diverse attributes.

Academic Qualifications
The academic qualifications domain assesses the applicant’s record of academic and scholarly activity completed to prepare for the curriculum offered at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.  In addition to course work and test scores, the committee evaluates the applicant’s ability to develop competency in scientific, social science, and health care systems concepts, manage significant demands both in and out of the classroom, and the capacity for improvement.

Humanistic Experiences
The humanistic experiences domain assesses the applicant’s activities, interests, and personal development in preparation for a career in osteopathic medicine.  Activities should demonstrate a consistent and sincere interest to serve others.  The applicant should be able to explain how these experiences have enhanced one’s ability to understand the nature of medical practice.  Personal development refers to the extent the applicant expresses self-awareness and recognizes the socioemotional dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship.  As a part of this domain, the applicant is also assessed on those behaviors that reflect the values of the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

Diverse Attributes
The diverse attributes domain examines the applicant’s background, characteristics and traits which will be used to provide care in socially complex settings.  These attributes may be broad in scope and can cross racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, experiential, or cultural boundaries.  Attributes may also describe those qualities the applicant has that will prove beneficial in medical training such as resilience and cultural competence.  Applicants are also examined as to how these attributes or experiences will enhance the learning of others and meet the mission of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, age or disabilities, and religion in its application and admissions processes.

Course Prerequisites

A minimum of 90 semester credit hours (or an equivalent number of quarter hours) towards a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university (or Canadian equivalent) is required. Strong preference will be given to applicants who earn a bachelor’s degree before matriculation.  In addition, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) has established the following prerequisite course requirements for admission.

Biology

(at least 12 semester credits of course work and 2 credits of laboratory course work)  This includes biology courses applied toward a baccalaureate degree in a traditional science field. Courses for non-science or health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health) are not acceptable towards the prerequisite requirements. Courses in human physiology and anatomy, cell and molecular biology, and microbiology are highly recommended.

Chemistry

(at least 6 credits of semester course work and 2 credits of laboratory course work). These must be courses that is applied toward a baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field. These courses should provide familiarity with analytic and volumetric techniques. Inorganic courses include: General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, and Quantitative Analysis.  Courses for non-science or health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health) are not accepted towards the prerequisite requirements.

Organic Chemistry

(at least 6 semester credits of course work and 2 credits of laboratory course work) These must be courses that is applied toward a baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field. Organic courses must have ‘Organic’ in the course title. Courses for non-science or health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health) are not accepted towards the prerequisite requirements.

Physics

(at least 6 semester credits of course work and 2 credits of laboratory course work). This includes all physics courses applied towards a baccalaureate degree in any traditional science field. Courses for non-science or health career majors (Nursing, Pharmacy or Allied Health) are not accepted towards the prerequisite requirements.

Statistics

(a minimum of 3 semester credit or 5 quarter credit course) in statistics is required. Course may be taken in any academic discipline;  course content should include descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, sampling techniques, measures of relationship, regression models and other tests for significance.  Course must be completed prior to matriculation.

English

(Two 3-credit semester courses) Any course accredited (approved) by the English Department that fulfills the general education English requirement of a baccalaureate degree will meet this requirement. Remedial or developmental courses or ‘English As a Second Language’ courses are not accepted.
Courses completed through a pass/fail option will not count towards meeting a prerequisite requirement.

Foreign Coursework

Applicants must complete at least 90 undergraduate credit hours at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university (or Canadian equivalent).  Transfer credit from a school outside the U.S. or Canada may apply to this requirement only if the individual courses appear on the transcript of an accredited U.S. or Canada college or university-lump sum credit is not allowed.  Transfer credit from a school outside the U.S. or Canada will not apply to a prescribed course requirement.  State law requires that academic work taken at foreign colleges, universities or preparatory schools be excluded from the calculation of the grade point average for students seeking admission to graduate or post-baccalaureate professional school.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Examination

All applicants are required to take the MCAT, which is administered throughout the year. Information on the MCAT may be obtained online.

Admissions Procedures

TCOM requires both a primary and secondary application.  Only completed applications are considered for admission.  Applicants should carefully read all of the information about the process.

Primary Application

TCOM participates in the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) located in Austin, Texas. Early applications are strongly encouraged. The primary application can be completed and submitted electronically through the TMDSAS web site at: http://www.tmdsas.com. The processing of an application may be delayed if either the grades from courses or the MCAT scores are not included at the time of application.

Official transcripts from all prior college-level course work and MCAT scores must also be submitted to the application service. In addition, TMDSAS requires that an applicant’s premedical/health professions advisory committee submit a written evaluation directly to the service. Letters from three (3) people who are familiar with an applicant may satisfy this requirement if no advisory committee is available. The letters should be from faculty members, pre-health advisors, or other professional acquaintances who can assess the applicant’s suitability for medical school. Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of recommendation from an osteopathic physician familiar with the applicant; the physician may submit this recommendation directly to TCOM.

Secondary Application

TCOM requires completion of its own web-based secondary application that is completed and submitted.

Interviews

Only selected applicants will be invited to interview.

Admissions Committee Evaluation

In accordance with TCOM’s Mission, a holistic review process is used to admit a diverse class with the academic credentials and humanistic qualifications to become skilled osteopathic physicians dedicated to patient care and service to their communities.

Applicants who are recommended for admission by the committee are forwarded to the Dean for approval.  The Dean may approve or may place an applicant on hold for future consideration.  Applicants who are held are placed on the wait list but are not admitted until the hold is released.