Admission Requirements

KansasCOM is committed to its mission to train the osteopathic physician of the future to provide effective, empathic, and innovative care to optimize the health of patients and their communities. To help fulfill this mission, we maintain high standards for students admitted to KansasCOM. Graduates will be expected to not only provide top-quality health care services, but to also actively work in service to Kansas communities and beyond with cultural competence and compassion.

We have isolated several quantitative and qualitative factors that indicate if an applicant is a good fit for KansasCOM’s mission, including:

• Clear demonstration of academic success
• Research experience
• Leadership experience and skills
• Community service and involvement
• Exposure to the field of medicine

KansasCOM actively recruits students with a variety of backgrounds and experiences who demonstrate exceptional potential for becoming outstanding physicians. Grades and MCAT scores are important to us as they are some of the best predictors of success in medical school. We also consider the entirety of an applicant’s academic record and application materials to identify those with the potential to thrive in our program.

The following is required to be considered for admission to KansasCOM.

GPA

Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above

Cumulative Science GPA of 3.0 or above

Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) score

MCAT scores are accepted three years prior to entry (i.e., for fall 2027 entry, scores need to be no older than January 2024).

Bachelor’s degree

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education prior to matriculation.

Prerequisite coursework

Satisfactory completion, with a grade of C or higher, of the following college or university courses, including laboratory work:

• English or Literature: 6 semester hours (9 quarter hours)
• Social or Behavioral Sciences: 6 semester hours (9 quarter hours)
• Biological Sciences: 8 semester hours, including lab (12 quarter hours)
• General Chemistry: 8 semester hours, including lab (12 quarter hours)
• Organic Chemistry: 8 semester hours including lab (12 quarter hours)
• Biochemistry: 3 semester hours, including lab (4.5 quarter hours)
• Physics: 8 semester hours, including lab (12 quarter hours)
• Anatomy (Human or Comparative): 4 semester hours, including lab (6 quarter hours)

Total: 51 semester hours (76.5 quarter hours)

Health care experience

Experience in health care such as employment, shadowing, volunteer work, etc.

Two letters of recommendation

Applicants must submit two letters of recommendation meeting the following requirements:

• One letter from a pre med adviser or committee (applicant may substitute a science faculty member if one’s institution does not have pre med advisers or a pre-med committee)
• One letter from a physician (DO or MD)
• Additional letters may be submitted on your behalf via AACOMAS.
• Letters must be dated within two years of the student’s anticipated matriculation year (i.e., if the student is starting classes in fall 2027, letters must be dated no earlier than January 2025).

Technical standards

Students must meet ALL terms of KansasCOM’s Technical Standards and agree to all terms outlined within the Technical Standards.

Recommended qualifiers

These items are recommended for increasing the competitiveness of your application:

• MCAT score of 500 or above
• Additional coursework in genetics, immunology, histology, and embryology is strongly encouraged.
• 100 hours of clinical exposure or physician shadowing
• Work experience in a health care field (e.g., EMT, nursing, scribing, medical assisting, CNA)
• Volunteer experience, preferably in health care or mission aligned non-profit settings
• Extracurricular involvement
• Domestic or international study or mission trip
• Research experience