Admission Requirements
Technical Standards for Admission
Application Deadline
Application Process
Interview/Selection Process
Reapplication Process
Matriculation Process
Deferred Admission
Transfer Admission

Admissions
The Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine considers for admission those students 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.

Competitive Admissions
Within their competitive admissions framework, the College uses multiple criteria to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant pool that exceeds the number of seats available. For the class that matriculated in the fall of 2006, AZCOM received nearly 2,400 applications for its 140 seats.

Rolling Admissions
AZCOM 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 classes are filled. Applicants are notified of their selection status within two to four weeks after their interview date. To be competitive within this process, candidates should apply early in the admissions cycle.

Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission within our competitive selection process, one must possess:

1. Complete the above prerequisite courses. No grade less than C will be accepted for any prerequisite course. (A grade of C- will not be accepted.)
2. To be competitive, an applicant should possess both a science and total GPA over 3.00 on a 4.00 scale as well as a bachelor's degree. A minimum science and overall GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale is required to receive a supplemental application.
3. Complete a bachelor's degree at an accredited college or university prior to matriculation. Applicants participating in special affiliated programs with the College and other exceptions to this policy will be considered on an individual basis.
4. Submit competitive scores on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). Students who entered AZCOM in 2006 had an average MCAT score of 26. The MCAT exam must have been taken no more than 3 years prior to the planned enrollment year. To register for the exam, contact the MCAT Program Office at 319/337-1357 or visit www.aamc.org/students/mcat for information. The exam is offered many times throughout the year.
5. Two letters of recommendation are required. One letter must be from either a premedical advisory committee or science professor who has taught the applicant. The second letter must be from either a D.O. or an M.D. Letters from osteopathic physicians are strongly recommended. Letters written by immediate family members will not be accepted. All letters of evaluation must be submitted by the evaluators. The Office of Admissions does not accept letters submitted by students.
6. Demonstrate a sincere understanding of and interest in osteopathic medicine.
7. Reflect a people/service orientation through community service or extracurricular activities.
8. Reflect proper motivation for and commitment to health care as demonstrated by previous work, volunteer, or other life experiences.
9. Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact with patients and colleagues.
10. Pass a criminal background check.
11. Abide by Midwestern University Drug-Free Workplace and Substance Abuse Policy.
12. Students must sign a statement that they meet the technical standards upon their acceptance. Candidates who may not meet the technical standards are encouraged to contact the Director of Admissions to discuss and identify what accommodations, if any, the College would need to make in order that the candidate might be able to meet the standards

International Applicants
International applicants who are not US citizens should contact the admissions department for specific instructions.

Technical Standards for Admission
The educational mission of AZCOM is to produce competent osteopathic physicians, emphasizing primary care but including traditional specialties and subspecialties. Because the D.O. degree signifies that the holder is a physician prepared for entry into the practice of medicine within postgraduate training programs, it follows that graduates must have the knowledge and skills to function in a broad variety of clinical situations and to render a wide spectrum of patient care, including direct hands-on analysis and treatment. Accordingly, the following abilities and expectations must be met by all students admitted to AZCOM with reasonable accommodation. A candidate 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 a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.

1. Observation: The candidate must be able to accurately make observations at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation and is enhanced by the functional use of all of the other senses.

2. Communication: The candidate must be able to communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively in both oral and written form and be able to perceive nonverbal communication.

3. Motor: Candidates must be able to coordinate both gross and fine muscular movements, maintain equilibrium and have functional use of the senses of touch and vision. The candidate must possess sufficient postural control, neuromuscular control and eye-to-hand coordination to perform profession-specific skills and tasks.

4. Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: The candidate must be able to problem solve, measure, calculate, reason, analyze, record and synthesize large amounts of information in a timely manner. The candidate must be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand spatial relationships.

5. Behavioral and Social Attributes: The candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his/her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment and the consistent, prompt completion of all responsibilities and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships. Candidates must be able to tolerate physically, mentally and emotionally taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. The candidate must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, effective interpersonal skills, willingness and ability to function as an effective team player, interest and motivation to learn are all personal qualities required during the educational process.

Application Deadline
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.

Application Process

• Step One: AACOMAS Application – January 1, 2009 Deadline
  To initiate the application process, all applicants must apply online via the centralized application service administered by AACOM at http://aacomas.aacom.org/. The AACOMAS application is typically available in early June. As part of this process, you must submit official MCAT scores (for tests taken no earlier than April 2005) and official transcripts directly to AACOMAS. 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 1.
  
• Step Two: AZCOM Supplemental Application – March 13, 2009 Deadline
  Upon receipt of the AACOMAS application from the application service, the Midwestern University Office of Admissions will email the supplemental application to all applicants who possess both a minimum overall GPA and science GPA of 2.75. Applicants must complete and submit the supplemental application form with their resume, essay responses, and 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 3, 2008.
  
• Step Three: Letters of Recommendation – March 13, 2009 Deadline
  Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation. One letter must be from a prehealth advisory committee or science professor who has taught the applicant. The second letter must be from a physician, either a D.O. or an 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 3, 2008. Letters must adhere to the following guidelines:
  • The applicant’s full legal name and AACOMAS ID number must be on the front page of the recommendation. Please provide this information to the evaluator.
  • Letters must be sent directly from the evaluator and must be printed on letterhead stationary, which includes the complete contact information for the evaluator.
  • The evaluator’s academic degree must be listed (e.g., Ph.D., D.O., M.D.).
  • If you have previously applied to AZCOM, you must submit new letters of recommendation.
  • Letters from immediate family members will NOT be accepted.
    
• Step Four: Completed Applications – March 13, 2009 Deadline
  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 3, 2008. Only completed applications received by the Office of Admissions on or before the deadline date will be reviewed for potential fall 2008 enrollment.
  
• Step Five: Application Review/Interview Decisions
  AZCOM uses a rolling admissions process to review completed applications and 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. Please complete your file as soon as possible to be competitive in this process and to ensure full consideration of your application.

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 website. Instructions for accessing your application information on the university website will be sent to you by the Office of Admissions. Please keep the Office of Admissions informed of any changes to your mailing address and email address. All requests for withdrawing an application must be done in writing. Applicants are expected to act professionally in their interactions with AACOMAS and with AZCOM. Please follow AACOM’s applicant protocol at all times.

Interview/Selection Process
To be considered for an on-campus interview, applicants must meet all of the admissions requirements listed previously. After the Office of Admissions receives all of the required application materials, the applicant’s file is reviewed to determine if the applicant merits an invitation to interview, based on established criteria of the admissions committee. Applicants who are invited to interview will be contacted by the Office of Admissions and instructed on how to schedule their interview via our 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.

If an applicant accepts an interview, he/she joins several other interviewees in meeting with members of a three-person interview panel—a panel selected from a volunteer group of basic scientists, current students, administrators, and clinicians. Team members question each applicant about his/her academic, personal, and health care preparedness for medical school, rating the applicants on a standardized evaluation form relative to each of these variables. At the conclusion of the interviews, the team members forward their evaluation for each applicant 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 the student of his/her status within three or four weeks of the interview.

The interview process typically begins in September and ends in April.

Reapplication Process
After receiving either a denial or end-of-cycle letter, an applicant may reapply for the next enrollment cycle. Before reapplying, however, the applicant should seek the advice of an admissions counselor.

To initiate the reapplication process, the applicant must submit an application to AACOMAS. The application is then processed in the same manner as any other.

Matriculation Process
To initiate the matriculation process, newly accepted students must return both their signed matriculation agreement and their initial deposit by the date designated in their matriculation agreement. To conclude the matriculation process, a student must do the following:

1. Submit deposit monies and administrative fees by the dates designated in his/her matriculation agreement—the entire amount is applied toward the student’s first quarter tuition.
2. Submit official transcript(s) from all colleges attended post–high school by the date designated in his/her matriculation agreement. (Note: The information provided on the student’s AACOMAS application is verified against the information provided on the student’s transcript(s). If the course and degree information on the application cannot be verified, the student’s offer of admission is revoked.)
3. Submit a completed medical file as instructed in the packet sent by the Office of Student Services.
4. Submit proof of medical insurance coverage. The student may select either a plan offered by AZCOM or an AZCOM-approved outside carrier.
5. Provide documentation verifying that sufficient funds have been deposited in a U.S. bank to cover all expenses while attending AZCOM (for non–U.S. citizens/nonpermanent residents only).
6. Submit additional documents as required by the Office of Admissions.
7. Pass a criminal background check.
8. Abide by Midwestern University Drug-Free Workplace and Substance Abuse policy.
9. Complete physical exam and submit form.
10. Sign Credit Policy Statement.

To conclude the matriculation process, a student must do the following: Submit official final transcripts from all colleges attended post-high school bu the deadline of two weeks (14 calendar days) prior to the first day of classes. For students who are accepted to MWU less than one month prior to the first day of classes, they will have 30 calendar days from the date of their acceptance to submit all official transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Requests for exceptions to this policy must be made to the Office of the Dean of the college. If students fail to submit all official final transcripts by the stated deadline, their acceptance or continued enrollment in the college may be jeopardized.

If a student either fails to satisfy these matriculation requirements and/or omits/falsifies information required on official admissions documents, the student automatically forfeits his/her seat at the College. The student receives no further notification relative to this forfeiture.

Deferred Admission
Deferments are only considered under extreme circumstances where a student is physically unable to begin classes. If granted, a student may defer their admission for one year only.

To initiate the deferred admission process, a student must make his/her request in writing to the Director of Admissions by the date designated in his/her matriculation agreement. The request must be accompanied by a letter from the student’s physician documenting the conditions that prevent the student from beginning his/her medical education. The Director then responds to the request with a letter detailing the specific conditions associated with deferral. Typically, the conditions include the following:

1. The student must submit his/her remaining deposit monies by the first week of December during the year preceding his/her matriculation at the time of request of deferral.
2. The student must provide a letter from his/her physician stating that the student can begin his/her medical education.

The student is NOT required to interview again or submit another supplemental application or letters of evaluation.

Transfer Admission
AZCOM may elect to accept transfer students from other U.S. osteopathic medical schools as long as these students are in “good academic standing” and have an acceptable reason(s) for seeking a transfer. By the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) standards, the last 2 years of instruction must be completed within the college of osteopathic medicine granting the DO degree.

To be considered for transfer, a student must meet the College’s general requirements for admission. He/she must also observe the following procedure:

1. All inquiries for transfer to AZCOM must be submitted to the Admissions Office.
2. The Admissions Office will confirm the availability of rotation sites through the Division of Clinical Education.
3. If sites are available, an application is sent.
4. Complete application is returned to the Admissions Office and must also include; transcripts from the COM, class rank (must be in top 50%), statement of reason for transfer, Dean’s letter verifying “Good Academic Standing”, a letter of reference from the Dean of Student Affairs, and COMLEX Level 1 scores, if available.
5. Completed application is forwarded to the Associate Dean for Clinical Education.
6. Application is reviewed by the Associate Dean for Clinical Education who conducts an interview with the applicant and the Chairs.
7. Their recommendation is forwarded to the Dean of AZCOM.
8. Applicant is notified by the Dean of the final decision.