Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine prerequisites

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. The single most universal prerequisite: essentially every MD and DO program asks for it, and it is the foundation the MCAT assumes.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. Take it early: organic chemistry, biochemistry, and most upper-division biology all sit behind it, so a late start pushes the whole sequence past your MCAT date.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab at most schools. A meaningful and growing minority accept one semester of organic plus one of biochemistry. Do not drop the second semester on that assumption until you have checked the schools you actually want.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester, lab rarely required. Roughly two thirds of schools require it outright and the MCAT tests it heavily, so treat it as required even where it technically is not, and take it before you sit the exam.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

Two semesters with lab. Algebra-based is accepted almost everywhere; take the calculus-based sequence only if your major needs it or a target school names it.

2 semesters · 6 credits

Two semesters of English or writing-intensive coursework. Many schools accept writing-intensive courses from any department, but a few name English specifically. If your writing credits come from elsewhere, confirm before you count them.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Most schools with a math requirement accept statistics or calculus; statistics is the more widely accepted of the two and the more useful for reading clinical research, so the baseline tracks it here. If a target school names calculus, its own requirements will say so.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Required outright at a minority of schools (several of them highly selective) and accepted in place of statistics at most of the rest. Take it if calculus is already in your major's path.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. A minority of schools require it, but a quarter of the MCAT is psychological and social foundations: this is the cheapest points on the exam.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Same reasoning as psychology: required by fewer schools, tested directly on the MCAT.

1 semester · 3 credits

One semester. Required by a small number of schools and a common way to fill the upper-division science coursework that strengthens a science GPA.

200+ hours

Most medical schools ask for 150+ hours.

ICOM is unusually candid here. It states 'we do not post a minimum hour count and that is intentional', then gives you the calibration anyway: 'Under 100 Total Clinical Hours Is Thin' and 'Above 200 with variety across more than one type of experience is a noticeably stronger position.' The 200 stored here is that stronger position, not a cutoff. Variety matters as much as the total, the categories that count are patient care, interaction, and observation, and clinical work in rural or underserved settings 'carries specific weight at ICOM'. Describe each entry concretely in AACOMAS: ICOM says vague descriptions cannot be evaluated and so do not strengthen a file.

50+ hours

Shadowing a DO is explicitly 'not a hard requirement at ICOM', and no physician letter is required either, though one is 'strongly encouraged'. ICOM's argument for doing it anyway is the interview: every interview asks why osteopathic medicine and not MD school, and it says applicants who have watched a DO work answer differently from those who have only read about it.

150+ hours

Service with no medical angle. Committees are reading for a habit, not a total, so one commitment held for two years beats five one-off events.

100+ hours

Effectively expected at research-heavy MD programs and genuinely optional at many DO and community-focused schools. If research is not your path, put those hours into clinical work and say so clearly rather than padding a semester in a lab.

No published minimum

A pre-medical or pre-health advisor letter is fully interchangeable with ICOM's science faculty letter. Applicants out of school more than three years should "reach out to admissions@icom.edu for approved substitutions."

No published minimum

"For the 2025-2026 Application Cycle, ICOM requires one letter of recommendation. The letter is required to be from a science faculty member (PhD) or a pre-medical/pre-health advisor who has experience with the applicant's academic abilities." One letter is the entire requirement (unusually light), and it must be academic. "Letters of recommendation from relatives are not accepted."

No published minimum

"We do not require a physician (DO or MD) letter of recommendation; however, it's strongly encouraged to include one with your application." Squarely optional: ICOM is one of the few DO schools with no physician letter requirement at all, which matches its statement that shadowing a DO is "not a hard requirement".