Columbus State guarantees med school admission for 5 students annually

Columbus State University students now have a better chance of being accepted into a medical school – well, actually, five better chances.

University officials have signed an articulation agreement with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine that guarantees admission into VCOM’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program for five CSU students annually.

“This agreement begins a new era of opportunities for CSU students on their journey to becoming successful physicians,” CSU president Chris Markwood said in the university’s news release Wednesday. “The pathways provided by this agreement between CSU and VCOM will likely result in more newly-trained physicians returning to our communities to provide exceptional medical care.”

VCOM is a private, nonprofit medical school headquartered on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., with branches at Auburn University and in Spartanburg, S.C.

“Our goal is to provide a conduit to a top-notch educational facility that expands on the foundation laid by CSU’s program to produce successful physicians in medical school and beyond,” VCOM board chairman John Rocovich said in the news release.

To be eligible for the guaranteed acceptance program, CSU students must have a grade-point average of at least 3.4 after completing all required pre-medical coursework, required community service and healthcare volunteer hours. CSU students also will have access to an early acceptance program during their second year, allowing them to matriculate to VCOM if they meet the standards and graduate from CSU, according to the news release.

This story was originally published March 29, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Columbus State guarantees med school admission for 5 students annually."