Graduation Rates By Entering Year
Overall graduation rate is the number of students who begin medical school and then graduate at the end of six years. Although 87-95% of Des Moines University Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine students graduate within four years, many factors can impact this. Factors may include illness or injury, academic failure, moving to a five-year program of study, suspension, withdrawal or dismissal.
DMU’s D.O. students have a high graduation rate compared to many schools across the country.
COCA 2023 Continuing Accreditation Standards Table 11.4c — Cohort Graduation Rates
| 2020-21 | 2019-20 | 2018-19 | 2017-18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Matriculants (Excludes transfer students) |
220 | 218 | 219 | 220 | |||
| Students Transferred Into Cohort | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Graduated in Four Years |
193 87.7% |
194 90% |
204 93.2% |
192 87.3% |
|||
| Graduated in Five Years | — |
208 95.4% |
213 97.3% |
209 95% |
|||
| Graduated in Six Years | — | — |
214 97.7% |
209 95% |
|||
Retention Rates By Entering Year
COCA 2023 Continuing Accreditation Standards Table 11.4c — Annual Cohort Retention Rates
| 2023-24 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020-21 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Matriculants (Excludes transfer students) |
230 | 221 | 221 | 220 | |||
| Students Withdrew or Dismissed For Any Reason | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | |||
| Students Transferred to New Medical School | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Retention Rate | 99.1% | 96.4% | 97.3% | 97.7% | |||
Internship and Residency Match Rates
Finding graduate medical education after medical school is a top priority for our students at DMU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. Not every student decides to pursue a residency right away but for the majority that do, they will be well prepared for what lies ahead on their career path. Competition for GME is solid with the unified Match of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association, but our goal at DMU is to equip students to be competitive applicants. DMU prides itself on a high placement rate percentage and in the 2022 and 2023 cycles, we had a 100% placement rate.
Match Rate Percentages
| DMU Overall | Military Match* | ACGME Match | Other Match** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
97.1 (206/212) |
2.8 (6/212) |
94.3 (200/212) |
|
| 2021 |
99.5 (203/204) |
5.8 (12/204) |
93.1 (190/204) |
|
| 2022 |
100.0 (222/222) |
3.2 (7/222) |
96.8 (215/222) |
|
| 2023 |
100.0 (201/201) |
3.5 (7/201) |
96.5 (194/201) |
|
| 2024 |
100.0 (213/213) |
3.2 (7/213) |
96.2 (205/213) |
0.5 (1/213) |
* Percentage of class matching military
**Other Match Details
Match Placement Percentages by Gender and Ethnicity
| 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Gender | |
| Female | 47% |
| Male | 53% |
| Ethnicity | |
| Asian | 22% |
| Black/African American | * |
| Hispanic | * |
| Unknown | * |
| White | 70% |
| Two or More Ethnicities | * |
* Fewer than 10 students
Last Updated March 2024
For additional GME placement data, including placement by demographic category, contact Shelley Mitchell, student advancement and GME coordinator, at shelley.mitchell@dmu.edu or 515-271-1629.
Board Pass Rates by Graduation Year
DMU pass rates on COMLEX board exams consistently exceed the national average. In 2023, DMU osteopathic medicine students achieved the highest board exam pass rate in the nation.
Board exam results provide an important measure of knowledge for review as part of the graduate medical education (residency) application process. Three-year averages represent the most recent three years of data.
| COMLEX Pass Rate Percentage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 3 | |||
| 2017 |
97.7 92.3 NA |
96.3 93.2 NA |
96.7 92.9 NA |
98.4 95.4 NA |
| 2018 |
95.7 92.7 NA |
98.1 92.8 NA |
94.6 93.2 NA |
98.2 97.5 NA |
| 2019 |
99.6 96.0 NA |
99.1 95.6 NA |
95.6 93.2 NA |
98.5 97.0 NA |
| 2020 |
95.8 93.0 NA |
98.6 96.8 NA |
96.2 92.1 NA |
98.2 97.1 NA |
| 2021 |
97.6 94.3 NA |
99.0 96.5 NA |
97.4 96.3 NA |
|
| 2022 |
97.7 93.7 NA |
97.3 95.1 NA |
98.4* NA unavailable |
|
| 2023 |
98.6 92.8 NA |
98.5 94.5 NA |
||
| 2024 |
98.6 90.6 NA |
96.7* NA unavailable |
||
| 2025 |
96.2* 93.1 NA |
|||
| 3-Year Avg.** |
97.8 92.2 NA |
97.5 NA unavailable |
95.5 92.8 NA |
98.0 NA unavailable |
* Test cycle remains open for 2025 COMLEX Level 1 and 2024 COMLEX 2-CE
** COMLEX Level 1 (2023-25), COMLEX Level 2-CE (2022-24), COMLEX Level 2-PE (2018-20) and COMLEX Level 3 (2020-22)
“NA” = National Average
Last Updated: February 2024