LECOM Early Acceptance Program

Carthage has an agreement with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) that allows students in our pre-health program to apply for early admissions and, in some cases, to bypass the entrance exam. 

Benefits

• Reserve a place in one of two LECOM programs: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or Doctor of Dental Medicine
  
• Skip the MCAT (with qualifying ACT/SAT scores and GPA)
• Save money and alleviate stress about postgraduate plans

About Pre-Health at Carthage

Regardless of their major, students who declare a pre-health advising program at Carthage work with pre-health and academic advisors to design individual course sequences that prepare them for advanced education leading to medical, dental, physician assistant, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, or veterinary degrees.

About LECOM

The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine has four campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Erie and Greensburg), one in Bradenton, Florida, and one in Elmira, New York. Its medical school has the largest enrollment in the United States, totaling more than 2,250 students, with another 400 or so enrolled in the dental school. More than 97 percent of first-time LECOM test-takers have passed the board exams in recent years, exceeding the national average.

Application Process

Stage One

Students can apply for provisional acceptance to the program during one of two windows:

• As a high school senior who plans to attend Carthage
  Minimum 3.5 GPA, and 26 ACT composite required to be eligible
• After accumulating 30 credits at Carthage (but before April 1 of their second year)
  Minimum 3.4 overall GPA (3.2 in science courses) required to be eligible

At this stage, applicants must also interview at LECOM for acceptance into this program.

Stage Two

To receive official acceptance, students must complete these requirements:

• Earn a Bachelor of Arts degree at Carthage with a C or better in all LECOM prerequisite course and a minimum 3.4 overall GPA (3.2 in science courses)
• Meet with a Carthage faculty coordinator each semester
• Earn a positive letter of recommendation from the Carthage Pre-Health Advisory Committee
• Meet with visiting LECOM representatives and attend an affiliate day on a LECOM campus
• Achieve a qualifying score on the relevant entrance exam:
  Medical College Admission Test: 500 or better*
  Dental Admission Test: 18 average (with 17 or better on all subsections)

*Those with an Academic Index Score (AIS) of 115 or better are exempt from the MCAT. LECOM uses a combination of college GPA and ACT/SAT scores to calculate this score.

 

For more information, contact our pre-health team.