Early Assurance Pathway to NEOMED

University of Akron students can secure a seat in medical school through the Early Assurance Pathway. Northeast Ohio Medical University's (NEOMED). FAQ's.

Academic Flexibility

The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences is recommended for students pursuing the Early Assurance Pathway as the coursework overlaps with the NEOMED admission requirements. However, students may choose to pursue any of UA’s degree programs.

Majoring in Biology, Biochemistry, or Biomedical Engineering are always popular options with our pre-med students. Additionally, our Behavioral Science, Social Science, and Humanities departments offer majors like Anthropology, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology which can accommodate NEOMED's admission requirements while allowing student to explore topics, such as social determinants of health or biomedical ethics.

Beyond selecting a major and completing premedical science coursework, students at UA can pursue a variety of minors and certificates to further their preparation for entering the medical field.

Experiential Opportunities

Students at UA also have the opportunity to engage in high quality experiential learning that exposes them to biomedical research and/or clinical experiences. Notably, our experiential learning opportunities offer students exposure to health disparities facing ethno-racial minority and refugee communities in and around the Akron area. Experiential learning opportunities are quite varied at UA and may occur via clinical experiences at Akron Children’s Hospital, translational research with faculty members at UA, or shadowing opportunities at community organizations such as rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters, and community health centers that offer substance abuse treatment, HIV prevention, and mental health services among other health services.

The program consists of two phases:

  • Phase 1 is the undergraduate curriculum at UA
  • Phase 2 is medical school at NEOMED

Phase 1

Students pursuing the Early Assurance Pathway work with the Pre-Health Adviser, Ashley Rini, to ensure they are taking the necessary coursework and engaging in appropriate extracurricular experiences to become a competitive applicant for the Early Assurance Pathway.

After students apply to the Early Assurance Pathway and are provisionally admitted to the Early Assurance Pathway they will finish their degree requirements at UA, maintain required grade point averages (GPA), achieve required scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and meet all other standards of readiness for medical education during their third and fourth years at UA before being promoted directly to NEOMED for Phase 2. If students can complete all their degree requirements along with meeting their promotion requirements (MCAT/GPA) at the conclusion of their third year of study at UA they could be promoted to NEOMED at the end of their 3rd year.

Phase 2

Phase 2 consists of a five year MS+MD course study at the NEOMED campus in Rootstown, Ohio and at selected clinical campuses.

Other options

If you are not eligible to apply for the Early Assurance Pathway, you can pursue a "traditional" pre-med path at The University of Akron’s Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences (BCAS). Learn more about pre-med and other pre-professional health areas at UA.

How To Apply