Early Assurance Program

Overview

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine selects a number of outstanding Ohio high school seniors to participate in the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Early Assurance Program. In as few as seven years, students can earn their undergraduate degree from an EAP partner school – and their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Heritage College.

The Heritage College has EAP partnerships with Baldwin-Wallace University , Cleveland State University (more info coming soon), John Carroll University , Ohio Dominican University , Ohio University ,  Otterbein University  and Shawnee State University . These partnerships are designed to increase the pathway of primary care physicians throughout Ohio.

Students selected for an interview will be notified by the Heritage College Office of Admissions. Interviews will be completed throughout February, with all final decisions rendered by March 31.

The application for the Early Assurance Program will open on September 15, 2025.
Application Closed

Program Features

• Guaranteed seat in medical school upon undergraduate graduation, so long as requirements are met.
• Official Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) requirement is waived, however, EAP students must complete the mock MCAT exam and score at least a 500 to meet HCOM entrance requirements. EAP students will be provided with two opportunities to meet this score if necessary.
• 3+4 and 4+4 curricular options are available. A 3+4 track allows an EAP student to enter medical school after graduating from their partner school in 3 years. This option only applies to students who have earned enough college credit through Advanced Placement or College Credit Plus coursework to graduate early.
• Mentoring from a current EAP upperclassman student, who will soon become an HCOM medical student.
• Access to programming and activities that provide a firsthand look into the medical school experience, including the EAP Leadership & Service Seminar Series (LS3), community service opportunities, and RUSP workshops at OU-HCOM.

Application Requirements

You will want to be sure and check out our partner schools' websites for detailed information on program and application requirements, but in general, to be considered an applicant to the Early Assurance Program at the Heritage College, you must:

• Be accepted to your selected partner school(s) before you apply to the EAP.
• Meet all application deadlines. The deadline to apply for EAP is December 12, 2025.
• Be an Ohio resident.
• Graduate from an Ohio high school.
• Earn at least a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5+ on a 4.0 scale (unweighted).
• Have completed or be in the process of completing four units or credits of high school math, English and science, including biology and chemistry (coursework in physics is strongly encouraged).

Application Process

1. Submit the online application. The application requires you to submit the following documents:
   • EAP resume (download the resume template and edit)
   • EAP essay (found on the second page of the EAP resume template) 
     
2. Submit an official high school transcript and official transcripts from any postsecondary (CCP) institutions you have attended. Transcripts can be emailed to ou-hcom@ohio.edu . 
   
3. Request two letters of recommendation to be sent to  ou-hcom@ohio.edu . One letter must come from a high school or CCP science teacher. The second letter can come from any professional recommender (i.e. school counselor, another teacher, work or volunteer supervisor, etc.). 
   
4. Select applicants will be invited to interview for the EAP program in February each year. Interviews will be virtual. 
   
5. Candidates who are interviewed in February will be notified of their EAP admissions status by March 31 at the latest.

Program Requirements

To remain eligible as an EAP participant, students must have an overall GPA of 3.7 and a GPA of 3.6 or higher in science coursework at the completion of the undergraduate program. They must also complete the mock MCAT exam and earn a score of at least 500. Finally, EAP students must meet requirements for shadowing and clinical hours, extracurricular activities, and community service. The EAP Student Manual (which is provided to EAP students upon acceptance to the program) provides more details on student responsibilities and loss of conditional admission status.