Advance To Your Graduate Degree with Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Shenandoah University has established an articulation agreement with Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. This agreement provides a pathway into the graduate admissions process by guaranteeing an admissions interview for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program for students who are completing their Bachelors degree at Shenandoah University. This agreement is available to all students enrolled full-time at Shenandoah for undergraduate study.  VCOM receives over 16,000 applications annually for about 625 seats across four campuses. VCOM is ranked # 5 in most affordable private medical school according to U.S. News & World Report.

The MISSION of the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health. VCOM has locations in Blacksburg, VA, Spartanburg, SC, Auburn, AL and Monroe, LA.

Requirements for Guaranteed Admissions Interview:

The Guaranteed Admissions Interview Program shall be for students who:

• Receive a positive endorsement from Shenandoah’s pre-health committee/advisor
• Meet all technical requirements for entry as designated in the VCOM College Catalog
• Meet all general admission requirements as described below:
  • Apply to VCOM through American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (“AACOMAS”) preferably by September 1 and submit all required documentation no later than October 15 for best consideration. Applications after these dates will be considered on a rolling admission basis.
  • Submit a secondary application to VCOM including a signature which attests the candidate meets minimum health requirements and technical standards that are prerequisite to admission as listed in the VCOM Catalog.
  • Submit a favorable letter of recommendation from Shenandoah’s pre-health advisor/committee
  • Submit a favorable letter of recommendation from a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. If a candidate possesses all other requirements but has not yet shadowed a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, the candidate may proceed in submitting an AACOMAS application, but will need to contact VCOM Director of Admissions for further instruction.
  • In the event the candidate is offered admission to VCOM, the candidate will be required to submit a background check application and meet all other requirements and stipulations of all candidates.
• Complete all required courses described below BEFORE graduation from Shenandoah
  • Biological Sciences: Six (6) to Eight (8) semester hours
  • General/Inorganic Chemistry: Six (6) to Eight (8) semester hours
  • Organic Chemistry: Six (6) to Eight (8) semester hours
  • Physics: Six (6) to Eight (8) semester hours
  • Biochemistry: Three (3) semester hours
  • Additional Science: Six (6) semester hours of higher-level biomedical science courses to be chosen from the following courses or like courses: Anatomy, Physiology, Immunology, Microbiology, Genetics, Virology or Bioinformatics.
  • English: Six (6) semester hours
• Complete the majority of required coursework at Shenandoah. If the candidate is a transfer student, he/she must have completed at least 30 credit hours at Shenandoah and be approved by VCOM to participate in this agreement.
• Have completed 90 credit hours by time of application
• Present a science and overall GPA of 3.50 or greater at time of application
• Obtain a competitive score on the medical college admissions test (MCAT)
• Obtain a minimum of forty (40) hours of health care and forty (40) community volunteer hours at time of application
• Obtain a minimum of eighty (80) hours of healthcare and eighty (80) hours of community volunteer hours by the time of matriculation
• Was not the recipient of any significant conduct violation(s) by Shenandoah. Additionally, candidates must report, in advance, any criminal charge or arrest and any misdemeanor, felony summary charge or any other criminal charge (whether or not the candidate was convicted). VCOM will determine if any disqualify the candidate from participation in this agreement
• Are U.S Citizens or permanent residents of the United States
• Comply with all other requirements set forth in this agreement

Students who qualify for the guaranteed admissions interview program will interview on campus at VCOM with three (3) VCOM faculty/administrators and participate in the designated interview day activities. VCOM values the interview as a highly important portion of the selection process and the admissions committee will need to approve the candidate after the interview is conducted.

Contact Us About This Articulation Agreement

Contact Kate Divine, Interim Director of Pre-Health Education (kdivine@su.edu) and/or Dr. Beth Cantwell, Biology Chair (ecantwel@su.edu) for more information.