Osteopathic (DO) Application

Applying to Osteopathic Medical College  

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) is the centralized online application service for the U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine. Please visit the AACOMAS website to learn more about their application process and participating schools.  

The applications open May of each year and close April of the following year. It is important to review the AACOMAS websites to know the dates and deadlines pertaining to that application year. Each school has their own deadlines that you must also consider. Click here for more details.

AACOMAS charges $197 for the first program application you submit and $48 for each additional program application. Some programs will have additional supplemental fees, which you can learn more about on each school's respective website.  

This is the initial application submitted through the AACOMAS. It consists of your personal information, schools attended, course work, transcripts, test scores, letters of evaluation, school selected, personal statement and essay, work and activities, and extracurricular activities.  

Upon completion, the applicant may submit their application and wait as the verifications process begins. Verification is the process that ensures all of your coursework is entered correctly and consistently. Additionally, during this process your GPA is calculated and degrees are confirmed as awarded. If there are a significant number of mistakes, your applications will be returned to you for corrections. This process takes approximately 2 weeks to complete for the AACOMAS. 

Secondary Applications 

Once your application in verified, it will be sent to the medical schools you are applying to, where the admissions committee will begin to review them. Some schools will send all of their applicants a secondary application. Other schools go through an initial screening process and screen based on GPA and MCAT scores to determine which applicants will be invited to submit a secondary application.  It is important to review the deadline given by the schools and submit within 1-2 weeks of receiving the secondary application.  

Secondary applications are focused on the interests of the school you are applying to.  It will consist of a variety of essays on topics such as: What are you interested in?;  Why are you interested in our medical school specifically?  What is a challenging situation you’ve had to overcome?;  What is a non-medical activity that has had a significant impact on you? You will find good resources from Kaplan and AAMC on our Resources page.

Most schools have fees to submit a secondary application. This can range from $30 to $250 depending on the school. This can add up so it is important to determine in advance if this is a school of interest for you. The AACOMAS fee waiver program covers the initial application, but not the secondaries, though some schools offer coupon codes. See the Fee Assistance section for more information.