Admission Requirements

Accordion Content

Applicants who are legal, permanent residents of the U.S. will be required to provide a copy of their permanent resident card prior to progressing in the admission process. If permanent residency status is revoked, abandoned or otherwise lost following matriculation, the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine shall not be held responsible nor liable in any way for claims, damages, losses, expenses or liabilities whatsoever, related to or arising from such student’s inability to complete, or any delay in completion of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree program.

• The minimum recommended cumulative science grade point average (GPA) for applicants is a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• The minimum recommended Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score for applicants is 496 or higher with no subsections lower than the 15th percentile. While MCAT scores will not be considered expired, applicants are advised to have an exam date within the three years prior to matriculation.

While there are no set minimum requirements for an MCAT score, science GPA, non-science GPA or overall GPA, each will still be reviewed when evaluating an applicant’s academic record. Applicants are encouraged to review average scores for matriculating students published each cycle on the College’s website. The College will follow the calculated grade point averages submitted in the verified AACOMAS application. For detailed information on how AACOMAS calculates GPAs, please visit the AACOM website.

Prior to matriculation, applicants are required show completion of a baccalaureate degree, or equivalent, from a college or university accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Applicants are required complete the following prerequisite coursework with a minimum grade of “C” or higher:

• Biology with lab 8 credit hours (or equivalent*)
• General/Inorganic Chemistry with lab 8 credit hours** (or equivalent*)
• Organic Chemistry with lab 8 credit hours** (or equivalent*)
• Physics with lab 8 credit hours (or equivalent*)
• Science elective 3 credit hours***

^{*Or equivalent to one year with laboratory component.
**Biochemistry hours may count towards fulfilling hour requirements for General/Inorganic Chemistry or Organic Chemistry or the Science Elective.
***Recommended courses to meet Science Elective prerequisite include advanced courses in behavioral sciences, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, human anatomy, immunology, molecular biology, neurosciences, physiology.}

Applicants are recommended to complete the following coursework with a minimum grade of “C” or higher:

• English courses 6 credit hours

Test credits (e.g., AP, IB) being used for prerequisite coursework must be verified with an official score report, institutional transcript, or other official documentation which can provide the specific course completed and number of credits received.

• Required letters of recommendation include one of the following:
  • One pre-medical committee letter OR
  • Two letters from professors, or equivalent
• Applicants can submit up to six letters. Recommended sources for letters include:
  • A letter from a physician (DO or MD)
  • A letter from a science professor or premedical advisor who has taught or advised the student within the past three years
  • A letter from an individual who has observed the student in a volunteer, service, or care setting
  • Non-traditional students who, from the date of their primary AACOMAS application is submitted, have not been enrolled in any coursework for three (3) years or more may submit letters from employment supervisors instead of a pre-medical committee letter or two academic letters

Letters should be formatted on letterhead and include credentials. Letters from relatives will not satisfy the requirement. If an applicant is asked to provide an updated and/or new letter of recommendation, it can be submitted to the Office of Admissions by the following accepted methods:

• AACOMAS
• Virtual Evals
• Interfolio
• Directly by Referee to the Office of Admissions –
  Email: admissions@burrell.edu
  Mail: Office of Admissions
  Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
  3501 Arrowhead Dr.
  Las Cruces, NM 88001

The requirement below is only specific to applicants that have previously been enrolled in but did not fully complete another medical or health professions program:

• Applicants that previously attended but did not fully complete another medical program or health professions program must provide a letter of standing submitted on their behalf directly by the Registrar, Dean, or Program Director of the previous program, outlining their status upon disenrolling and their eligibility to return.

Applicants are encouraged to not only provide an account of academic merits, but to also provide details on any extracurricular, medical, non-medical, and/or community volunteer experience hours they have accumulated prior to applying.

The College also seeks to admit students who are committed to serving rural and medically underserved areas and who will contribute to the potential impact of the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and the osteopathic medical profession in these areas.

Applicants with transcripts submitted from institutions outside the United States of America (U.S.) or Canada are required to have those transcripts evaluated for U.S. equivalence by one of the services listed below. An official report must be sent from the service directly to AACOMAS . Applicants may also have their evaluation service submit a report directly to the College. The applicant should retain a copy of the report to reference in completing the AACOMAS application. The report should contain a course-by-course evaluation, including a listing of courses, subject codes, semester hours and grades on the AACOMAS Academic Record or Professional School Academic Record as per the instructions. Unofficial copies of any equivalence evaluation report will not be accepted. The following is a list of foreign evaluation vendors. The College does not endorse nor recommend any particular vendor.

• World Education Services (WES), www.wes.org
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., www.ece.org
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc., www.jsilny.org
• International Education Research Foundation, Inc., www.ierf.org
• Educational Perspectives, www.edperspective.org
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Applicants to the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine should carefully read the Minimal Technical standards found in the Catalog. Specific questions concerning Admission requirements should be directed to the Office of Admissions by phone at (575) 674-2210, or by email at admissions@burrell.edu.

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