For the second consecutive year, the number of applications has increased, represented by a 5.8% growth between 2003 and 2004 (
Figure 1). Even with this slight increase in the number of applicants for 2004, however, the overall numbers continue to be considerably lower than the high point in 1997 (10,764). Since 1999 (8396), the total number of applicants has decreased by 14% (
Table 1).
After its peak in 1997, the number of underrepresented minority applicants has steadily decreased. In 1998, 936 individuals of underrepresented minorities applied to the 19 colleges of osteopathic medicine, and that number dropped further in 1999 to 790 before rebounding to 829 in 2000. The decline in underrepresented minority applicants continued through 2001 and 2002 to 693 and 684, respectively; however, this number rebounded again to 732 in 2003 and 817 in 2004. Between 1999 and 2004, the number of underrepresented minority applicants declined by just 3%, but the number of underrepresented minority applicants increased by 11.6% between 2003 and 2004.
In the 2003–2004 academic year, the five colleges with the most applications received were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM); New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology (NYCOM); Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (MWU/CCOM); A. T. Still University of Health Sciences/Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (ATSU/KCOM); and Des Moines University–College of Osteopathic Medicine (DMU-COM). These five schools—as well as most of the other 15 colleges of osteopathic medicine—had an increase in the number of applications for the 2003–2004 academic year. Only three colleges of osteopathic medicine had a decrease in the number of applications for the 2003 entering classes (
Table 2).