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CCOM considers those students for admission who possess the academic, professional, and personal qualities necessary to become exemplary osteopathic physicians. To select these students, the College uses a rolling admissions process within a competitive admissions framework.
Within its competitive admissions framework, CCOM uses multiple criteria to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant pool that exceeds the number of seats available. For the class matriculating in Fall 2020, CCOM received more than 7,000 applications for its 200 seats.
CCOM uses a rolling admissions process in which applications are reviewed and interview decisions are made at regular intervals during the admissions cycle. Interviews are conducted and selection decisions for the College are made until the class is filled. Applicants are notified of their selection status within three to four weeks after their interview date. To be competitive within this process, candidates should apply early in the admissions cycle.
Prerequisite Courses | Sem Hrs | Qtr Hrs |
Biology with lab | 8 | 12 |
General Chemistry with lab | 8 | 12 |
Organic Chemistry with lab | 8 | 12 |
Physics with lab | 8 | 12 |
English Composition | 6 | 9 |
Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry are recommended courses that may contribute to success in medical school.
Students seeking admission to CCOM must submit the following documented evidence:
The Technical Standards set forth the nonacademic abilities considered essential for students to achieve the level of competence required by the faculty to obtain the academic degree awarded by the College.
The following abilities and expectations must be met by all students admitted to the College with reasonable accommodation. Candidates must have abilities and skills in five areas: 1) observation; 2) communication; 3) motor; 4) intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and 5) behavioral and social. Technological compensation can be made for some limitation in certain of these areas, but candidates should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.
Candidates are required to verify that they understand and are able to meet these Technical Standards at least 4 weeks prior to matriculation (or if admitted later, within 1 week of deposit). Candidates who may only meet Technical Standards with accommodation must contact the Disability Services Office to make a formal request for accommodation. The Disability Committee, in consultation with the College Dean/Program Director, will determine what reasonable accommodations can be provided. The College is not able to grant accommodations that alter the educational standards of the curriculum.
Students must meet the Technical Standards for the duration of enrollment at the College. After matriculation, if a student fails to continue to meet the Technical Standards during subsequent enrollment, the student may apply for accommodation by contacting the Disability Services Office. If the accommodation needed to meet the Technical Standards alters the educational standards of the curriculum, the student’s ability to satisfactorily progress in the curriculum will be evaluated by the appropriate College’s Student Graduation and Promotion Committee.
If you need accommodations, you must contact the Disability Services Office to make a formal request within 2 weeks of signing this document or the acceptance will be withdrawn. For Downers Grove candidates, the contact person for Disability Services is Dr. Carrie Torgerson, Associate Dean of Students and Disability Services Coordinator, ctorge@midwestern.edu or 630-515-7142.
An international student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of coursework from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States, or from a recognized post-secondary Canadian institution that uses English as its primary language of instruction and documentation. Of the 30 semester hours, 15 hours must be in the sciences, 6 hours in non-remedial English composition, and 3 hours in speech/public speaking.
Applicants who wish to receive transfer credit for prerequisite coursework completed outside the U.S. or at a Canadian institution that does not use English as its primary language of instruction and documentation must submit an official, detailed, course-by-course evaluation obtained from one of the following evaluation services:
International applicants who do not provide documentation of acceptable US or Canadian course/degree equivalency will not receive credit, and will be required to complete all prerequisite courses at an accredited college or university in the United States, or at a recognized post-secondary institution in Canada that uses English as its primary language of instruction and documentation.
For clarification about recognized post-secondary institutions in Canada that use English as a primary language of instruction and documentation, international applicants should contact the Midwestern University Office of Admissions.
International Applicant Packet
The official AACOMAS application deadline is January 1st; however, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early in the cycle. Due to the large number of applications and the limited number of seats available, applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis only until all seats are filled. Typically, 50% of all admissions offers are made by the end of December.
Students seeking admission to CCOM must provide:
To initiate the application process, all applicants must apply online via the centralized application service administered by AACOM at https://aacomas.aacom.org/. The AACOMAS application is typically available in May or June. As part of this process, students must submit official MCAT scores (for tests taken no more than 3 years prior to the matriculation date) and official transcripts to AACOMAS only. The Office of Admissions will not accept MCAT scores or transcripts submitted directly to Midwestern University. The deadline for submission of the AACOMAS application is January 1st.
Upon receipt of the AACOMAS application from the application service, the Office of Admissions will e-mail supplemental applications to all applicants who have earned minimum overall GPAs and science GPAs of 2.75. Applicants must complete and submit their supplemental application forms with all required materials, including a nonrefundable/nonwaivable $50 processing fee, to the Office of Admissions. All supplemental application materials must be received in the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline of March 1st.
Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation. One letter must be written by a prehealth advisory committee, prehealth advisor or basic science professor who has taught the applicant. The second letter must be written by a physician, either a U.S. licensed D.O. or M.D. Letters from osteopathic physicians are strongly recommended. The required letters of recommendation must be received in the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline of March 1st. Letters must adhere to the following guidelines.
Letters of recommendation mailed directly to the Office of Admissions should be sent to the following address:
Office of Admissions
555 31st Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
All application materials, including the AACOMAS application, MCAT scores (as reported to AACOMAS), two required letters of recommendation, and all supplemental application materials with the application fee must be received in the Office of Admissions on or before March 1st. Only completed applications received by the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline date will be reviewed for potential enrollment.
CCOM uses a rolling admissions process to review completed applications and to make interview decisions. Applications will not be reviewed until all required application materials have been received by the Office of Admissions, including the AACOMAS application, official MCAT scores (as reported to AACOMAS), supplemental application materials, processing fee, and both required letters of recommendation. Students must complete their file as soon as possible to remain competitive in this process and to ensure full consideration of their applications.
Please Note: Applicants are responsible for tracking the receipt of their application materials and verifying the status of their required application materials on the University web site. Instructions for accessing application information on the University's web site will be sent by the Office of Admissions. Applicants should keep the Office of Admissions informed of any changes to the mailing address and e-mail address. All requests for application withdrawals must be in writing. Applicants are expected to act professionally in their interactions with AACOMAS and with CCOM. Candidates are expected to follow AACOMAS applicant protocol at all times.
Applicants must meet all of the admissions requirements listed previously to be considered for on-campus interviews. After the Office of Admissions receives all of the required application materials, applicant files are reviewed to determine whether applicants merit interview invitations based on established criteria of the Admissions Committee. Applicants who are invited to interview will be contacted by the Office of Admissions and receive instructions for scheduling their interviews via the University's web-based scheduling system. Additional applicants may be placed on an interview "Waiting List" pending possible interview openings toward the end of the interview cycle. The on-campus interview process typically begins in September and ends in April.
When applicants come to campus for interview appointments, they join several other interviewees to meet with members of a three-person interview panel, which is selected from a volunteer group of basic scientists, current students, administrators, and clinicians. Panel members assess applicants for their academic and personal preparedness for medical school. They rate applicants on a standardized evaluation form relative to each variable. At the conclusion of the interviews, the panel members forward their applicant evaluations to the Admissions Committee. The Committee may recommend to accept, to deny, or to place the applicant on either the hold or alternate list. This recommendation is then forwarded to the Dean for final approval. The Dean, via the Office of Admissions, notifies students of their status within three to four weeks of the interview.
After receiving either denial or end-of-cycle letters, applicants may reapply for the next enrollment cycle. Before reapplying, however, applicants should seek the advice of an admissions counselor.
To initiate the reapplication process, applicants must submit their applications to AACOMAS. Applications are then processed according to standard application procedures.
The matriculation process begins after applicants receive notification of their acceptance. To complete the matriculation process, applicants must:
Applicants who fail to satisfy these matriculation requirements or who omit or falsify information required on official admission documents automatically forfeit their seat in the program. Any individual accepted for admission to the College/Program who does not comply with stated timelines for submission of all required materials will be notified by the College/Program regarding missing materials and the potential forfeiture of his/her seat.
A Dual admission program is currently in effect with the Illinois Institute of Technology. This is a post-baccalaureate agreement which does not involve transfer of credit. Details of this program are available through the Office of Admissions.
Applicants who have made commitments prior to matriculation at CCOM must be aware that there may be curricular priorities that are not compatible with their tentative schedules. Students who wish to fulfill prior commitments must request time off from each Course Director and Department Chair during the first week of the academic year. MWU does not guarantee that time off for prior commitments will be approved. Enrollment deferments are not offered for pre-matriculation commitments, nor for enrollment in other degree certificate programs.
CCOM may elect to accept transfer students from other U.S. osteopathic medical schools as long as these students remain in good academic standing and provide acceptable reasons for seeking a transfer. The American Osteopathic Association / Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (AOA/COCA) standards require that the last two years of instruction must be completed within the college of osteopathic medicine granting the D.O. degree.
Currently enrolled students are not granted advanced standing for individual courses completed at another institution. Full credit is granted for coursework completed by students transferring from another institution for the purpose of completing their course of study at CCOM.
Students requesting transfers must meet the College's general requirements for admission and follow transfer procedures:
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS)