How to Get Into Kansas City University (KCU) COM: The Definitive Guide (2022)

What do a one-hundred-year-old school, the largest provider of physicians in Missouri, and the highest-scoring NBOME class in the nation have in common? They’re all part of Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine.

With a variety of DO degree programs, important research initiatives, and dedication to the osteopathic philosophy of medicine, KCU COM attracts students from around the country. In fact, it has some of the largest enrollment rates in the country.

Still, it’s not surprising that getting into osteopathic medical school can be quite competitive.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to get into KCU COM — the admissions requirements, the application process, selection factors, and more. If you’re applying to Kansas City University, consider bookmarking this page for easy reference.

Be an Informed Applicant

Shared methods and philosophy aside, each osteopathic medical school is unique. Different programs have different emphases, requirements, and cultures that make them distinct learning environments.

Part of being an informed applicant is taking the time to research your potential schools and find out which one best suits your needs and aspirations.

Most importantly, once you do decide to apply, doing your research can make an incredible difference in your application. By familiarizing yourself with the school’s legacy, programs, and teaching styles, you can focus your application to best demonstrate fit and interest.

There are also important details, such as admissions timelines and application requirements to consider.

While researching schools is a crucial stage of the overall application process, nothing beats one-on-one, personalized admissions guidance. At International Medical Aid, we provide some of the world’s most unique, diverse, and impactful healthcare internship experiences for future physicians. But we also specialize in helping students just like you get into the medical school where they belong. If you need help with anything at all — whether you’re getting overwhelmed by the details or need to develop an overall application strategy — consider our Medical School Admissions Consulting.

This article covers:

Why KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine?
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine Ranking
When to Apply to KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine
DO Degrees at Kansas City University
Selection Factors: What KCU COM Looks for in a Candidate
Admissions Requirements
Class Profile and Admissions Statistics
Tuition and Cost of Attendance
Choose DO: How to Get Into Osteopathic Medicine Programs
AACOMAS Primary Application and KCU Secondary Application
Kansas City University Medical School Secondary Application: Essay Prompts, Sample Answers, and Advice
How to Find the Best Healthcare and Pre-med Internships

Why Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine?

KCU has campuses in Kansas City and Joplin, Missouri, and has been around for over 100 years — making it one of the oldest osteopathic medical colleges in the world. It also has some of the largest enrollment rates for medical schools in the country.

The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine is known for graduating high-performing osteopathic doctors. KCU COM’s class of 2018 ranked highest in the nation on osteopathy exams.

The admissions committee at KCU COM actively recruits non-traditional and underrepresented medical students who show promise to be outstanding osteopathic doctors. This focus attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds to the school.

KCU is dedicated to alleviating physician shortages in the midwest. The school is the largest provider of physicians in Missouri and the second-largest in Kansas.

With multiple specialties, an extensive alumni network, and early clinical training, KCU is a great choice for any aspiring osteopathic doctor.

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine Ranking

Here are the available KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine 2022-2023 U.S. News and World Report rankings.

#23 in Most Graduates Practicing in Medically Underserved Areas
#17 in Most Graudates Practicing in Primary Care Fields
#25 in Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas

Med-Colleges.com gives Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences the following ratings:

Overall: 5/5
Curriculum: 5/5
Teaching: 4.5/5
Safety: 5/5

Med-Colleges also ranks KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine:

#7 Medical School in Missouri
#70 Medical School in The Midwest
#274 Medical School in USA
#18 Alternative Medicine School

In 2022, Med-Colleges ranked medical schools in the state of Missouri and awarded KCU:

The Best Alternative Medicine School
The Second Best Clinical Psychology School
Ranked #6 Biomedical Sciences School
Ranked #6 General Medicine School

When to Apply to KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine

Primary Application

The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine uses rolling admissions. However, students are advised to begin applying a year before the semester they expect to matriculate.

Secondary Application

After submitting your primary AACOMAS application, you’ll receive an invitation to complete KCU’s secondary application. The secondary application is due no later than 21 days after you received your invitation. The cutoff date for all secondary applications is March 1st.

In some cases, interview spots are filled by March 1st. Applicants are encouraged to submit the secondary application well before March 1st.

Interview

Admissions at KCU invites select applicants to participate in virtual and in-person interviews. In-person interviews are conducted at either the Joplin or Kansas City campuses.

Interviews at KCU COM begin in September and continue until March.

Decision

Candidates receive written notice of KCU COM’s decision within six to eight weeks of their interview.

DO Degrees at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine offers the following DO programs:

Four-year DO degree
DO/Master of Public Health
DO/Master’s in Bioethics
DO/MBA in Health Care Leadership

Four-year DO Program

The four-year DO curriculum at KCU COM contains the following teaching objectives:

Knowledge of the osteopathic practice and philosophy
Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMM)
Research, presentation, participation in academic programs and publications, and knowledge to pass the post-core clerkship tests, course tests, and NBOME.
Exceptional communication skills and interpersonal relationships with patients and fellow healthcare workers
Legal, ethical, and professional knowledge of practice and public health
Acquire all the basic support skills assessed by standardized evaluations
Excel in practice-based learning; able to reflect upon and learn from real-world practice and use evidence-based patient care
Practice cost-effective medicine and understand how to effectively deliver care through healthcare systems

In years one and two students grow critical thinking skills and engage in active learning experiences. Human patient simulations, standardized patient encounters, and early clinical exposure begin preparing students for clerkship and residency.

During years two and three students undergo advanced clinical training through clerkships. Clinical training sites include in- and outpatient facilities and diverse medical settings.

Selection Factors: What KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine Looks for in a Candidate

When a medical school reviews applicants, it considers a variety of factors. We discuss all the minimum requirements for admission below, but here we’ll be discussing a broader selection process. Beyond the numbers, what kind of students does KCU COM hope to teach? What does it take to demonstrate “fit” with KCU COM? Are some aspects of your application weighed more than others?

The admissions committee provides both specific and general information on what makes the ideal applicant to KCU COM. Let’s take a look at what it takes to craft a competitive candidacy and truly stand out.

Under-Represented and Non-Traditional Students

The Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine intentionally and actively enrolls promising non-traditional and under-represented students in its DO program. If you come from an under-represented background in medicine or are pursuing medical school as a non-traditional applicant, this is a school that takes a genuine interest in providing you opportunities to succeed.

If you fall into these applicant categories, look for opportunities to tell your story and share your promise during the secondary application and interview. This could mean discussing how you turned adversity into opportunity, what you’ve learned about medicine and healthcare through your unique experiences, or how your motivation to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine has developed.

MCAT and GPA vs. Entire Application

MCAT scores and GPA are great overall predictors of an applicant’s success in medical school, but they aren’t the only factors that influence admissions decisions. In fact, at Kansas City University, your entire application is considered holistically when making an admissions decision.

This means that while a strong academic record is still very important, it is possible to overcome lower numbers in these areas if the rest of your application demonstrates evidence of your potential to succeed in medical school and as an osteopathic doctor.

(We discuss Kansas City University COM’s required MCAT and GPA and class MCAT/GPA averages in the sections below.)

Admissions’ Recommendations

Here are KCU COM’s recommended qualifiers:

Commitment of more than two years to an organization/club/job
Domestic/international mission trip
Involvement with a minimum of four community service organizations
Research experience
Minimum two leadership roles in clubs/community organizations/work experience
Work experience in a health care field (EMT, nurse, etc)
Volunteer in a health care related setting
Minimum 80 hours of shadowing a physician

Admissions Requirements

This section contains the minimum requirements for admission, as stated by the KCU COM admissions committee.

All applicants must receive a bachelor’s degree from an accreditated undergraduate institution. The minimum GPA, MCAT, and coursework requirements listed below must also be met.

Minimum GPA and MCAT Requirements

The admissions committee at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine does not state required GPA or MCAT metrics.

MCAT scores must be no more than three years older than the expected matriculation date.

To get an idea of what is considered competitive for applicants to KCU COM, take a look at the “Class Profile and Admissions Statistics” section below.

Required Coursework

The following courses must be completed with a “C” or higher.

Physics – 8 semester hours (12 quarter hours)
Chemistry – 13 semester hours (19.5 quarter hours)
Biochemistry – 3 semester hours (4.5 quarter hours)
Biological Sciences – 12 semester hours (18 quarter hours)

Pre-med Clinical Experience

Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from a physician with whom they have shadowed, volunteered, or worked. The school does not state a required minimum for clinical hours.

In the “Selection Factors” section above, we go into the recommendations of the admissions committee at KCU COM. Admissions lists 80 or more hours of physician shadowing, work experience in healthcare, and healthcare-related volunteering as elements of a competitive application. (IMA’s Healthcare and Pre-med Internships Abroad offers internships that work perfectly with KCU COM’s recommended experiences — plus, the program includes medical school admissions consulting!)

We recommend 100-150 hours of clinical experience to craft a competitive medical school application. For more on this topic, see How Many Clinical Hours Do I Need For Medical School?

Letters of Recommendation

KCU accepts letters of recommendation through AACOMAS, though you may be able to submit them directly to the admissions office.

You must submit at least two letters when you apply.

One letter must be from your undergraduate pre-med committee. If your undergraduate institution doesn’t have a pre-med committee, a letter from a science faculty member is sufficient.

One letter must be from a physician.

You are permitted to submit additional letters of recommendation. All letters must be dated within two years of your expected matriculation date.

A good letter of recommendation comes from someone who knows you well and can speak to your unique strengths, motivation, and ability to succeed in medical school.

You should request letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your academic abilities as well as personal qualities such as teamwork, perseverance, and compassion.

If you choose to submit additional letters of recommendation, make sure they add value to your application and don’t repeat information that is already included elsewhere. Submitting additional letters is a great way to highlight diversity of experiences and strengths through the perspectives of different recommenders.

Class Profile and Admissions Statistics

Here are the most recent statistics and class profile information available, including Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine average MCAT and GPA.

2025 Class Profile

Countries Represented: 10
States Represented: 40
Colleges Represented: 155
Average Age: 24
Cumulative GPA Average: 3.64
Science GPA Average: 3.57
MCAT Average: 507
Male: 49%
Female: 51%
Class Size: 270

Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at KCU COM is estimated to range from 9% to 21%.

KCU College of Osteopathic Medicine Tuition and Cost of Attendance

The tuition at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine has remained at least 10% lower than average for private medical schools in the midwest.

The 2022-2023 tuition is $51,634 per year. Future students can expect tuition increases of around 3.5% in the coming years.

Here’s a full breakdown of the costs to attend KCU COM:

Tuition: $51,634
Technology Fee: $150
Student Activity Fee: $70
Book and Supplies (first-year only): $3,644
COMLEX Level I Testing Fee: $675
COMLEX Level II-CE Testing Fee: $675

There are other costs to consider. You’ll need to factor in the cost of housing and food, transportation, and other miscellaneous expenses.

For a full discussion on what to expect financially, take a look at our article The Cost Of Medical School in 2022.

Choose DO: How to Get Into Osteopathic Medicine Programs

If you’re looking into Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, it can be helpful to understand the general requirements and recommendations for how to get into DO programs across the country. The information in the section will help you focus your application and pre-med experiences and create a well-rounded application for KCU COM and other schools of osteopathic medicine.

For this section, we’ll be looking at the organization Choose DO. Choose DO is a national organization for aspiring osteopathic doctors and is associated with the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

First, let’s talk about what the average successful DO applicant achieves in their academics.

The average GPAs for students entering DO programs in recent years are:

2018 – Overall GPA: 3.53, Non-Science: 3.65, Science: 3.43
2019 – Overall GPA: 3.57, Non-Science: 3.67, Science: 3.51
2020 – Overall GPA: 3.54, Non-Science: 3.64, Science: 3.45
2021 – Overall GPA: 3.59, Non-Science: 3.69, Science: 3.51

The average MCAT scores for DO students are:

2018 – Total MCAT: 503.1 (PSBB: 126.5, BBLS: 126.2, CPBS: 125.8, CARS: 125.4)
2019 – Total MCAT: 504.25 (PSBB: 126.78, BBLS: 126.26, CPBS: 125.9, CARS: 125.32)
2020 – Total MCAT: 504.31 (PSBB: 126.92, BBLS: 126.29, CPBS: 125.89, CARS: 125.20)
2021 – Total MCAT: 504.89 (PSBB: 127.14, BBLS: 126.47, CPBS: 125.97, CARS: 125.31)

The metrics above help show what makes for a competitive application in general. But these numbers vary for each school. School-specific information can usually be found on the school’s website or in IMA’s Medical School Guides. (In case you skipped it, check out the “Admissions Statistics” section above for statistics on KCU COM’s entering classes.)

Choose DO lists personal qualities that successful applicants share. According to their website, these qualities include:

Shadowing experience
Knowledge of osteopathic medicine
Motivated to practice osteopathic medicine
Having a diverse background
A history of many and diverse extracurricular activities
Clinical Experience
Leadership experience
A history of community service
Strong interpersonal skills
Well-rounded

Additionally, applicants should possess a bachelor’s degree from an accreditated university and have completed one year of Biology, English, and Physics and two years of Chemistry.

Choose DO also provides a pre-med roadmap for aspiring DO physicians, from pre-college on.

Some key points from the roadmap are:

Before college, meet with your school counselor to craft an academic plan (and enroll in a pre-health track if offered). Maintain a good GPA and take AP classes to prepare for more difficult coursework down the line. Begin volunteering with healthcare-related organizations and explore summer health programs offered by colleges nearby.
In year one of college, meet with a pre-health advisor, start taking pre-requisite coursework, and join pre-health organizations. Maintain a competitive GPA and develop effective study habits. This is also a time to begin studying the osteopathic profession and philosophy through articles, journals, and books. Throughout all years of college, you should be exploring healthcare and pre-med internships, researching medical schools, and developing a strong relationship with your school’s science faculty.
In year two, continue the pre-med track described above. You can begin developing a financial plan to attend medical school and gain experience in public speaking and leadership. This is also a good time to start looking into research opportunities at your undergraduate institution.
In year three, you should continue all of the above. But it’s time to start preparing for the MCAT. Participating in undergraduate research opportunities, working on your medical school application, and gaining quality pre-med experience is also essential at this time. In the spring semester of your third year, you should take the MCAT exam and submit your applications to medical schools.
In your final year of college, you should continue the above (maintain a competitive GPA, continue clinical experiences and volunteering, and complete pre-requisite coursework). You will also attend medical school interviews if invited. This is a good time to consider post-application plans.
After college, if you are a non-traditional student or reapplying, continue to gain clinical experience and consider taking upper-level science courses in a post-bac program. If your undergraduate coursework or MCAT scores are more than three years old, retake the MCAT and enroll in a post-bac program.

AACOMAS Primary Application and KCU Secondary Application

When applying to medical schools, you first need to complete and submit a primary application. The primary application is sent to the medical schools you choose to apply to. Upon receiving your primary application and verifying that you meet the school’s minimum admissions requirement, you will be invited to complete a secondary application.

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) is the primary application for most osteopathic medical schools. The secondary application is school-specific, crafted by the admissions committee to help determine if you’re a good fit for the school.

Secondary applications usually contain a few multiple-choice and/or yes/no questions in addition to essay prompts.

Kansas City University Medical School Secondary Application: Essay Prompts, Sample Answers, and Advice

The secondary medical school application is your opportunity to elaborate on your accomplishments, describe your motivation for a career in medicine, explain why you want to attend that specific school, and more. This is your chance to make a case for your candidacy beyond the numbers.

When writing your essays, remember that the admissions committee will be looking for evidence of your:

Academic excellence
Commitment to osteopathic medicine
Understanding of the osteopathic profession
Interpersonal skills
Service to others

However, the school is also looking to gain a deeper insight into your character, principles, ambitions, and the unique experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today.

When writing your essay responses, be sure to:

Answer the prompt
Be concise
Write in a way that is true to your voice
Use proper grammar and punctuation

The medical school application process is highly competitive. To get an edge, it is important to put your best foot forward in your essays. Here are some tips for writing compelling essay responses that will make you stand out from the rest.

Focus on telling a story that demonstrates who you are and what you can bring to the table as a medical student. This can be done by sharing a personal experience or talking about a time when you made a difference in someone’s life. It is important to be specific and paint a picture that the admissions committee can visualize.

Next, be sure to proofread your essays carefully. Typos or grammatical errors can give the impression that you are careless or not detail-oriented, which is not the message you want to send as someone who wants to study medicine. Take the time to edit your work and make sure it’s error-free before hitting submit.

Remember to use concrete examples. Whenever possible, use specifics to illustrate your points. This will help your essays feel more real and relatable, and it will also give the admissions committee a better sense of who you are as a person.

Finally, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in your essays. Being yourself is one of the best ways to stand out from the rest of the applicants. The admissions committee wants to get to know you, so don’t be afraid to let your unique voice shine through in your essays. Share your hobbies, interests, and anything else that makes you unique. By doing so, you’ll be sure to leave a lasting impression. (Be tactful and organized with how you share these things — prioritize clear responses that directly answer the prompt.)

How to Prepare for Secondary Essays

Given that every application is different, and medical schools generally change up their secondary application each year, how can you prepare?

To start, you can familiarize yourself with the types of questions that are usually asked. Some recurring themes in secondary medical school applications include:

Why do you want to be an osteopathic doctor?
Why do you want to attend our school?
Describe a time when you faced a challenge. How did you overcome it?
How will you contribute to an inclusive learning environment/why is diversity important in medicine?

We’ll showcase some strategies for answering specific questions in the section below, where we’ll look at the essay prompts from the previous KCU COM application cycle. You can also refer to our other Medical School Guides for more sample answer to real-world secondary application questions.

It can help to create a list of experiences and accomplishments you can draw from when prompted to write about topics such as these. Outline all the things you want the admissions committee to know about you. Prioritize impactful pre-med experiences, insightful examples personal motivations, and anything else that speaks to your qualifications for medical school. Not only will this help you save time when completing secondary applications, but it will also give you a foundation to start from so you can be sure to touch on all the key points you want the admissions committee to know about you.

Once you’ve created your outline, take a look at all the essay prompts and decide where to include the information. This will help you be strategic with how you use your space and ensure that you’re sharing the most important information about yourself with the admissions committee at the right time.

Finally, for each school, make a list of programs, values, and other things that excite you about the school. This will help you write more genuine and tailored responses to secondary essay prompts, which is always a good impression to make. While you don’t want to simply restate information from the school’s website, knowing the school’s institutional identity and what they look for in a candidate should guide how you focus your responses.

Now, let’s take a look at the essay prompts from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine’s 2021-2022 application cycle.

Essay #1

What are you currently doing to maintain your academic knowledge? (2500 characters or less)

There are a few things to consider with this prompt. First, they want to know how you’re keeping up with your academic knowledge. This refers to things like keeping up with current medical literature or taking continuing education courses. But it could also refer to anything else that you’re doing to stay sharp and up-to-date in your field.

Second, they want to know why you’re doing it. What’s your motivation for maintaining your academic knowledge? Is it simply to keep your skills sharp, or is there something more? Be sure to share your motivation with the admissions committee so they can see that you’re not just going through the motions—you’re actively engaged in your field and committed to lifelong learning.

Finally, they want to know how this will help you as a future physician. What skills or knowledge are you hoping to gain by maintaining your academic knowledge? How will this help you in your future career? Be specific and share concrete examples with the admissions committee so they can see how your current activities are preparing you for a successful career in medicine.

Here’s a sample response:

I’m currently working on my Master’s degree in Public Health. My program is focused on epidemiology and biostatistics, so I’m taking coursework in those areas to maintain my academic knowledge. I’m also keeping up with current medical literature by reading journals and articles relevant to my field of study.

I’m doing this because I want to be able to provide the best possible care to my future patients. I want to be able to understand and use the latest research so I can make evidence-based decisions about treatment.

However, my primary motivation for pursuing post-bac education before medical school is to gain an exceptional amount of experience with medical concepts so I can be better positioned to explain medical practices to my patients. I am drawn to the osteopathic principle of involving the patient’s values and life in the decision-making process when providing treatment. I believe without the ability to clearly and effectively explain medical concepts, this process would be hindered.

By pursuing my Master’s degree, I’m gaining the knowledge and skills I need to fully engage in KCU COM’s DO program while staying focused on what I hope to achieve — to engage in meaningful dialogue with patients and provide care with truly informed consent.

Essay #2

Describe a time when you had a personal failure. How did you move on from that experience? (2500 characters or less)

This prompt is asking for a time when you failed and how you handled it. How you behave in the face of adversity, what you learn from challenges, and how you overcome setbacks are all important questions for future physicians.

When you’re brainstorming your response to this prompt, think about a time when you failed and what you learned from it. What did you do to pick yourself up and move on? How did that experience shape how you approach challenges now? Ideally, your situation is related to medicine or your journey to becoming a physician, but it doesn’t have to be. As long as you can draw connections between your experience and your future career, any failure will suffice.

The key to questions about adversity is to focus on what you learned from the situation. Admissions committees want to see that you’re resilient and can learn from your mistakes through self-reflection. They also want to see that you understand how your actions impact others. When you’re writing your response, be sure to focus on these positive aspects of your experience so the admissions committee can see that you’re ready for the challenges of a career in medicine.

Essay #3

We are often too busy to plan future activities. Describe a time when you were so busy you had to react to situations rather than plan for them. (2500 characters or less)

Sticking to a pre-med roadmap, acing the MCAT, crafting a competitive application — all of these make for a great applicant, but they don’t communicate your ability to handle the daily, real-time demands of a future in medicine.

This question is designed to assess your ability to handle stress, work under pressure, and make decisions quickly. As a future physician, you will be expected to handle a lot of responsibility and make decisions quickly, sometimes with limited information.

With this in mind — while it shouldn’t be the focus of your response — acknowledging the daily challenges of being a physician will help communicate to admissions a key strength: you know what you’re getting into. Draw from your time shadowing physicians. You can cite experiences from programs like IMA’s healthcare and pre-med internships, where pre-med students work with healthcare professionals who deliver care with limited resources.

For the bulk of your response, think about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed, or when you had to address a situation suddenly. Try to describe the situation clearly without getting bogged down by the details. The important part of this answer is how you handled the situation.

Healthcare and Pre-Med Internships

Pre-med clinical experience is a crucial component of building a competitive medical school application and preparing for the realities of medical school and medical practice. But with so many options for how to gain clinical experience, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.

Our healthcare internships combine physician shadowing, service-learning, 24/7 mentorship, admissions consulting, and more — all while helping some of the most medically underserved populations in the world. Our not-for-profit model allows us to prioritize providing an affordable, high-quality, and impactful experience, and our students have gone on to be accepted at top medical schools across the country.

If you’re looking for a pre-med internship that will help you stand out on your med school applications and prepare you for a career in medicine, look no further than IMA’s healthcare internships.

Good Luck to You!

There you have it: the definitive guide to Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine. We hope this has proven to be a valuable resource as you begin working on your application. Remember: we’re here to help every step of the way. Please reach out to us at any stage of your journey.

Don’t forget to explore our growing catalog of definitive medical school guides:

We wish you the best of luck in your journey to becoming an osteopathic doctor!