DO Admissions

To be considered for admission to the Duquesne University College of Medicine’s DO program, all candidates must apply through AACOM and meet the following Primary Application Requirements*:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
• Must be able to earn a baccalaureate degree before matriculation
• Must have completed 90 hours or three-fourths of the required credits for a baccalaureate degree and have completed the required prerequisites
• Must achieve a minimum 3.2 GPAs for science and overall on a 4.0 scale
• Must achieve a minimum MCAT score of 500
• Must submit official MCAT transcripts with date of completion (within three years or less of the intended matriculation date) 
• Must carefully read the DUQCOM Health and Technical Standards and affirm that standards have been met
• Must be proficient in data entry to complete time-specific assignments and assessments
• Must have successfully completed the following prerequisite courses:
  • Biological Sciences: 8 credit hours 
  • Physics: 8 credit hours
  • General and/or Inorganic Chemistry: 8 credit hours 
  • Organic Chemistry: 8 credit hours (Biochemistry may substitute for 4 credit hours of Organic Chemistry) 
  • English and/or Composition: 6 credit hours
  • Recommended: a minimum of 6 additional biomedical science credit hours at the 200 level or above in, but are not limited to, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, immunology, microbiology, virology and genetics.

*Submit all Early Decision Admissions Track Primary Applications and supporting materials by July 1 for consideration.

Select DO candidates who meet all of the Primary Application requirements and submitted all materials may be invited to take the next step and submit the following supporting materials:

• DUQCOM Secondary Application*
• Non-refundable processing fee of $65 is required 
• Waiver OR Non-waiver statement regarding letters of recommendation
• You have two options for submitting the required letters of recommendation, depending on whether your undergraduate institution has a pre-medical or health professions advisory committee: 
  
  • OPTION 1 - With a Committee, Submit These 2 Letters:
    • One letter must be authored by a pre-health committee or pre-health advisor at your undergraduate institution. This letter usually represents multiple faculty evaluations compiled into one comprehensive letter.
    • One letter must be written by a licensed physician (MD or DO) who can speak to your exposure to the medical field, professionalism and suitability for a career in medicine.
  • OPTION 2 - Without a Committee, Submit These 3 Letters:
    • Two letters from Natural Science faculty members:
      • Both letters must come from faculty members in Natural Science disciplines, such as Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, etc.
      • Important: Faculty must have taught you in a course (not just supervised you in research or other activities).
    • One letter must be written by a licensed physician (MD or DO) who can speak to your exposure to the medical field, professionalism, and suitability for a career in medicine.

*Designate Early Decision Admissions Track on your Secondary Application and submit all supporting materials including the required letters of recommendation by July 15 for consideration.

Select DO candidates who meet the Primary and Secondary Application Requirements and have submitted all supporting materials will be reviewed to determine eligibility for interviews with the DUQCOM admissions team and faculty. Invitations to interview will be sent by DUQCOM via email.

Candidates may be invited to interview:

• In-Person Interview – Conducted for all applicants within a 4-hour drivetime of Duquesne University’s campus in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Virtual Interview – Conducted via phone or Zoom/Teams outside a 4-hour drivetime from Duquesne’s campus.

Final applicants who are accepted to the program must submit a nonrefundable deposit of $1,500 to secure a seat in the upcoming Duquesne DUQCOM class using the following schedule: 

• July 26 thru September 1 - Accepted applicants must pay their deposit by October 1* 
• September 2 thru December 1 - Accepted applicants have 30 days from the date of acceptance to pay their deposit.
• December 2 thru February 1 - Accepted applicants have 14 days from the date of acceptance to pay their deposit.
• After February 2 - Accepted applicants must pay deposits immediately.

*Accepted Early Decision Admissions Track applicants must submit their deposit by December 1 to be fully admitted to the program.