Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

LECOM is both an online school and a traditional, on-campus college. The school's main campus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, where students complete their degrees on-site. There are additional sites in Florida and New York. 

As mentioned, only four-degree programs are available online for distance learners. Remember that some programs may still require students to participate in on-site lab work. The National Center for Education Statistics shows only 3% of students are enrolled exclusively in distance education. 

In order to determine whether LECOM is a legitimate institution, it's best to first look at its accreditation status. LECOM is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) to issue graduate-level degrees. With this status, students can rest assured that LECOM has been thoroughly vetted based on the quality of its curriculum and faculty. 

All schools listed on OnlineU are accredited by an agency overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. 

LECOM is known as the largest medical college in the country based on its four campuses and more than 4,000 enrollees. It's also one of only two pharmacy schools to feature an online graduate program. Additionally, students can choose from a large diversity of offerings, including specialized and unique learning styles. This includes an accelerated three-year pathway for physician assistants, a lecture and discussion pathway, a problem-based pathway, and a self-directed pathway. Through these facts, LECOM is considered a leader in medical education. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), doctorate degrees provide the highest median weekly earnings among all degree levels at $1,900. This equals a nearly $100,000 salary. Additional data from BLS shows physicians earn a median annual salary of over $208,000 per year, more than doubling the median wage of doctorate graduates throughout the country. LECOM offers a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine as well as a Doctor of Dental Medicine and a Doctor of Pharmacy. The BLS lists the median annual salaries for dentists at $163,220 per year and pharmacists at $128,570 per year. All of these occupations require a doctorate or professional degree. 

OnlineU's proprietary Salary Score metric compares alumni salaries from different schools using the same degree program. On a scale of 1 to 100, LECOM scored 100 at the master's level and 53 at the doctorate level. 

According to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, just over 57% of applicants are accepted into medical school. The national acceptance rate tends to hover around 60% for colleges in general. This makes medical schools, including LECOM, more competitive to get into than non-medical schools. However, LECOM makes it easier for certain students to be accepted, thanks to their Early Acceptance Program. This is a national partnership with over 160 affiliate colleges and universities in several states nationwide that grant students provisional acceptance into a LECOM program based on their academic accomplishments. 

There are different requirements when applying to college at LECOM, depending on which school a student is applying for. For example, online Doctor of Pharmacy applicants are generally asked to hold a 2.7 GPA with their previous college coursework, while the online Master of Health Services Administration explicitly requires a 3.0 GPA. Additionally, each college has different platforms for applying. 

Below are the requirements for the Doctor of Pharmacy online program:

• Fill out LECOM's online application via PharmCas.
• Submit two letters of recommendation, one of which must come from an undergraduate science professor. 
• Upload all previous academic transcripts. 
• Pay the $175 application fee. 

If a student's application is accepted, an admissions officer will contact the student to schedule an interview. All applications are accepted on a rolling basis.