If you’re applying to medical school, you may be deciding between MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) programs. While both lead to becoming a licensed physician, the application process for DO schools is different in several key ways. The AACOMAS (American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service) is the centralized system for applying to osteopathic medical schools, and understanding its unique features can help you optimize your application.

At AcceptMed, we guide students through both AMCAS (MD application) and AACOMAS (DO application), ensuring they make the most of each system’s advantages. Whether you’re applying only to DO schools or considering both MD and DO programs, understanding the biggest differences in the AACOMAS application can improve your chances of acceptance.

No Activity Limits: Showcase Your Full Experience

Unlike AMCAS, which limits applicants to 15 activity entries, AACOMAS allows unlimited entries in the Work & Activities section. This means:

• You can fully showcase all relevant experiences, including clinical work, volunteering, research, and leadership.
• Applicants with diverse extracurriculars or multiple shadowing experiences can include every experience that adds value to their application.
• If you had to leave activities out on AMCAS due to space limitations, you can use AACOMAS to include everything.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• Include all relevant experiences, even small ones, that contribute to your growth as a future physician.
• Highlight hands-on patient care, leadership, and service-oriented activities—DO schools value well-rounded applicants.
• Avoid fluff—while you can list unlimited activities, focus on those with substance and impact.

No “Most Meaningful” Activities Requirement

In AMCAS, applicants must select three activities as their Most Meaningful Experiences, requiring an additional explanation for why those experiences had a significant impact. AACOMAS does not have this requirement.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• If you have multiple strong activities, you don’t have to limit yourself to choosing just three as “Most Meaningful.”
• Instead of writing extra explanations for three experiences, you can distribute your efforts across all entries, ensuring every activity is well-written and compelling.
• Without this requirement, you can focus on quality over quantity, making sure each experience is described effectively and concisely.

Grade Replacement Policy (No Longer in Effect, but Still Important to Know)

Historically, AACOMAS had a grade replacement policy, meaning if you retook a course, only the most recent grade counted toward your GPA. However, this policy was discontinued in 2017, and now all grades are averaged, similar to AMCAS.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• Even though the grade replacement policy no longer applies, DO schools tend to be more forgiving of academic improvements. If you had a rough start but improved later, be sure to emphasize your upward trend.
• Use your personal statement and secondary essays to highlight academic resilience and how you overcame early struggles.
• Strong letters of recommendation from professors can reinforce how much you’ve grown academically.

Stronger Focus on Holistic and Patient-Centered Care

While MD and DO programs both train students to become physicians, DO schools emphasize a holistic approach to medicine. This means that AACOMAS applicants should demonstrate an understanding of osteopathic philosophy and patient-centered care.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• Tailor your personal statement to reflect an interest in holistic medicine, whole-patient care, and preventative healthcare.
• Shadow a DO physician and mention it in your application—many DO schools prefer applicants who have shadowed DOs rather than just MDs.
• If you have experience in nutrition, wellness, physical therapy, or alternative medicine, highlight how it shaped your interest in osteopathic medicine.

Personal Statement Focus: Why DO?

Both AMCAS and AACOMAS require a 5,300-character personal statement, but there’s one major difference:

• AMCAS personal statements should focus on why you want to be a doctor in general.
• AACOMAS personal statements should explain why you specifically want to become a DO.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• If you’re applying to both MD and DO programs, consider writing two separate personal statements—one for each system.
• If you’re applying only to DO schools, clearly articulate your understanding of osteopathic medicine and how it aligns with your values.
• Discuss any hands-on patient experiences and how they reinforced your belief in holistic medicine and preventative care.

No Section for MD-PhD Programs

Unlike AMCAS, which allows applicants to apply to MD-PhD programs through the primary application, AACOMAS does not have a designated section for DO-PhD applicants. Instead, if you’re interested in dual-degree osteopathic programs, you’ll need to:

• Research which DO schools offer dual-degree options.
• Contact schools directly to ask about application requirements for DO-PhD programs.
• Mention your research interests and PhD aspirations in your personal statement and secondaries.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• If you’re considering a research career, highlight your research experience in the Work & Activities section.
• Use secondaries to expand on your research goals and why a DO-PhD program aligns with your aspirations.

Rolling Admissions: Apply Early for the Best Chance of Acceptance

Like AMCAS, AACOMAS follows a rolling admissions process, meaning applications are reviewed as they are received. However, DO schools tend to review applications even faster than MD schools, meaning that applying early is critical.

How to Use This to Your Advantage:

• Submit your application in May or early June for the best chance at securing an interview.
• Request transcripts and letters of recommendation well in advance to avoid delays.
• Be ready for secondaries—many DO schools send them quickly after receiving your primary application.

Using AACOMAS to Your Advantage

The AACOMAS application has several unique advantages, including unlimited activities, no Most Meaningful requirement, and a strong emphasis on holistic medicine. By understanding these differences, you can strategically tailor your application to maximize your chances of acceptance.

• AACOMAS allows unlimited activity entries—take advantage of this by showcasing your full experience.
• There’s no Most Meaningful requirement, so focus on writing strong descriptions for all activities.
• DO schools emphasize holistic and patient-centered care—your application should reflect this.
• Your personal statement must answer "Why DO?"—make sure you articulate your passion for osteopathic medicine.
• DO schools use rolling admissions—applying early increases your chances of acceptance.

Applying to DO schools? Make sure your AACOMAS application is strong, strategic, and optimized for success.