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40-Year Trends In Osteopathic Medical School Applications

Health Care August 2019
A Doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a trained and licensed Doctor who has attended and graduated from a U.S. osteopathic medical school.

The history of the D.O. in this country over the past 40 years shows that after a slow start, the D.O. became more prominent in the 1990s with the number of applicants peaking in 1998. The start of a new century showed a decline in new applicants that only began to reverse itself in the early part of the 21st century when the Great Recession ushered in a revival of D.O. applicants that continues today.

 

Academic Year

Applicants

First-Year Enrollment

Total Enrollment

Graduates

1977-78

3,918

1,163

3,926

971

1978-79

3,530

1,322

4,221

1,004

1979-80

3,856

1,426

4,571

1,059

1980-81

3,786

1,496

4,940

1,151

1981-82

3,885

1,582

5,304

1,017

1982-83

3,924

1,682

5,822

1,317

1983-84

4,045

1,746

6,212

1,287

1984-85

4,126

1,750

6,547

1,476

1985-86

3,869

1,737

6,608

1,560

1986-87

3,514

1,724

6,640

1,593

1987-88

3,326

1,692

6,586

1,572

1988-89

3,030

1,780

6,614

1,609

1989-90

3,160

1,844

6,615

1,529

1990-91

3,224

1,950

6,792

1,534

1991-92

4,163

1,974

7,012

1,532

1992-93

5,752

2,035

7,375

1,606

1993-94

7,506

2,162

7,822

1,752

1994-95

9,336

2,217

8,146

1,843

1995-96

10,213

2,274

8,475

1,932

1996-97

10,781

2,535

8,961

2,009

1997-98

10,764

2,692

9,434

2,096

1998-99

9,554

2,745

9,882

2,169

1999-00

8,396

2,848

10,388

2,279

2000-01

7,708

2,927

10,817

2,510

2001-02

6,898

3,043

11,101

2,536

2002-03

6,324

3,079

11,432

2,607

2003-04

6,814

3,308

11,857

2,713

2004-05

7,292

3,646

12,525

2,756

2005-06

8,258

3,908

13,406

2,708

2006-07

9,477

4,055

14,409

3,000

2007-08

11,231

4,528

15,634

3,364

2008-09

11,742

4,950

16,893

3,588

2009-10

12,617

5,227

18,143

3,631

2010-11

13,147

5,428

19,427

4,159

2011-12

14,087

5,788

20,663

4,458

2012-13

14,945

5,986

21,741

4,806

2013-14

16,454

6,636

23,071

4,997

2014-15

17,944

7,012

24,564

5,323

2015-16

20,447

7,219

25,876

5,472

2016-17

20,720

7,575

27,485

6,038

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Courtesy of American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data Table-Trends in Osteopathic Medical School Applicants, Enrollment, and Graduates 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data compiled from the AACOM Application Service (AACOMAS) and the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COMs)

to summarize the applicant pool for the entering class.

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