The Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (IllinoisCOM) is a new osteopathic medical school in Chicago, and a college of The Chicago School. It holds COCA Pre-Accreditation status and enrols its first class in Fall 2026. No students have matriculated yet. It is an urban DO program in one of America's largest and most medically complex cities.
Chicago's health gaps are stark, especially between the affluent North Side and the underserved South and West Sides. The program uses that context to teach equity, community health, and whole-person care inside a large urban health system.
What makes Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) different
Applications go via AACOMAS. IllinoisCOM is a college of The Chicago School, and it is one of very few DO programs in a major US metropolis, since most DO schools sit in suburban or rural settings. It is also Chicago's first new medical school in nearly a century. It holds COCA Pre-Accreditation, and its first class begins in Fall 2026.
The Chicago location is meant to open up clinical rotations at major teaching hospitals, FQHCs, and among diverse patient populations, in one of the country's most health-disparate urban environments.
Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) course & teaching
Integrated curriculum. 4-year DO curriculum integrating OMM throughout with a Chicago-specific urban health curriculum. Years 1–2 at the Chicago campus; Years 3–4 clinical rotations at Chicago-area hospital systems and community health centers, with particular emphasis on underserved neighborhoods.
Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) research strengths
Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) is strong in these research areas:
- Urban health disparities
- Community-based medicine
- Osteopathic manipulative medicine
- Social determinants of health
How the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) interview runs
Format: Traditional interview with faculty and students
ILCOM runs interview days at its Chicago campus. Sessions are built around one-on-one or small-panel conversations with faculty physicians and current students. As a newer school in a major urban center, ILCOM probes whether you can connect osteopathic philosophy to urban health equity. Chicago's health gaps between North and South Side communities come up often.
Expect questions on community health, navigating health systems in a large city, and why you want osteopathic medicine specifically in an urban setting.
Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) intake
Approximately 100–130 students per year.
Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at The Chicago School (DO) at a glance
Founded in 2026. Based in Chicago, IL.
Programmes offered:
- Primary Care
- Urban Medicine
- Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Community Health
