Com Admissions FAQ
Start with a primary/central application through the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Application Service (AACOMAS) at www.aacom.org. The AACOMAS deadline is February 1. Candidates are encouraged to apply early.
UNE COM requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation. From these letters, we seek a holistic description of the applicant including information on engagement as a student (especially teamwork within academic settings), interpersonal skills, character, and professionalism. Recommended sources include:
- Pre-health committee letter
- Pre-health advisor letter
- Faculty members with substantial knowledge of the applicant
- Direct supervisor with substantial knowledge of the applicant
- Health Care Professionals with substantial knowledge of the applicant, preferably physicians
- A letter from an Osteopathic Physician (D.O.) is recommended but not required.
View additional details about how to submit letters of recommendation.
You must have attended another school or college of osteopathic medicine to be eligible for transfer into the third year of osteopathic medical studies. Students are required to complete the last two years at UNE COM in order to graduate. Please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at gradadmissions2@une.edu for more information about transferring into UNE COM.
Go to the COM Admissions webpage for prerequisite requirements.
Yes and Yes. As a private institution, there are no targets/quotas for Maine and/or New England students. For the Class of 2027, about 50% of students are from New England. Other states represented include Arizona, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, etc.
As a private institution, there are no limits on accepting students from outside of the U.S. If higher education is completed in the U.S., there are no extra application steps. If any of the higher education credit is completed outside of the U.S., the applicant will need to have their coursework evaluated by the World Education Services (WES) prior to completing the AACOMAS application. International students are evaluated by the same criteria as all applicants. The only difference for international students is at the time of acceptance: international students are initially offered a conditional acceptance pending documentation of adequate funding for all four years (as they are not eligible for U.S. federal loan programs).
We are accredited for 165 students per class year. For the Class of 2027, the average age (at the time of application) was 26 years old and the age range was 21–46 years old. The Class of 2027 is 65% female and 35% male.
COMLEX Level 1 is generally taken following the completion of year two and Level 2-CE (cognitive exam) is typically taken late third year/early fourth year. UNE COM students who took the COMLEX Level 1 exam for 2021–22, achieved an overall pass rate of 98.2%. The National pass rate was 93.7%. UNE COM students who took COMLEX 2-CE for 2021-22 achieved an overall pass rate of 98.9%. The national average was 95.6%. Since the indefinite suspension of the COMLEX Level 2PE in 2020, UNE COM conducts a half-day OSCE activity to attest to each student's clinical Performance Examination.
Third-year rotations are at Clinical Core Sites and Private Practices throughout the Northeast. Students select their third-year site through a Clinical Core Site Assignment Process (C-CAP). Clinical Core Sites are spread throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Each student will complete the following rotations: internal medicine (12 weeks), family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, surgery (6 weeks each), and mommunity health (4 weeks). Students will also have a two-week elective during their third year. As an additional option, Third-Year students can apply for the Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship. A longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) is an alternate way of organizing the third-year clinical experience. Rather than rotating through six-week blocks, LIC students are embedded with a rural primary care clinic for the year. They build deeper relationships with their preceptors and develop a patient panel of their own. Students follow their patients into specialist care; they also participate in one-week rotations in specialist areas throughout the year.
Fourth-year selectives (16 weeks) and electives (18 weeks) can be completed at locations throughout the U.S., and outside the country, at hospitals and/or clinics of the student's choice. Selectives include four weeks of internal medicine sub-specialty, four weeks of surgery sub-specialty, four weeks of emergency medicine, four weeks of osteopathic manipulative medicine. Selective rotations must be completed inside the United States. All elective/selective sites must be approved in advance by the Office of Clinical Education.
View additional information about UNE COM’s Clerkship Education
The Class of 2019 was matched in 31 states across the country. A further breakdown from the Class of 2019 reveals that the majority of students go into primary care — 55% (internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics). However, residency placement is not limited to just those programs. Anesthesiology, dermatology, general surgery, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, osteopathic manipulative treatment, pathology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry, and Radiology.
Yes, UNE offers a flexible online Masters of Public Health degree that allows you to advance at your own pace. For more information, visit the Graduate Programs in Public Health.
There is no on-campus housing available for osteopathic medical students. Most students live in the surrounding cities of Biddeford, Saco, or Old Orchard Beach, with less than a 12–15 minute drive to campus. There are students who choose to live in Portland or South Portland, and rent is typically higher in these areas. Students can commute from NH or MA, but these students will typically have a drive of at least an hour each direction. Because on-campus classes run from July through early May, a 12-month lease is recommended.
Additional off-campus housing resources can be found below:
To read more about our tuition and fees visit our cost of attendance information.
Prospective students and applicants can request to be in contact with a current student. Requests can be made by contacting the recruitment team at comrecruitment@une.edu or (207) 602-2430.
Currently, the COM Office of Recruiting, Student & Alumni Services is building a system to connect prospective students and applicants with alumni. Prospective students can go to the AOA website and select Find a DO and search for a DO by geographic location, specialty, or even alumni status.
Prospective students and applicants can sign up for a campus visit at our Visit COM page or request a personal visit. Email the UNE COM Office of Recruitment, Student, and Alumni Services at comrecruitment@une.edu to schedule a campus visit if you are unable to visit on the listed days. Visit dates and times are based on the availability of current students and professional staff. Walk-in visitors may not necessarily be given an opportunity to meet with staff and/or be provided a tour, so it is recommended to schedule a time to visit campus. Weekend visits are not offered.