Meritus (MSOM)

Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine Hagerstown, MD · Private · DO

Average MCAT: 500.5
Average GPA: 3.55
Class size: 94
Tuition: $56,100 (per year)
Out-of-state applicants: Welcome

Deadlines

AACOMAS deadline: April 30, 2027
Secondary deadline: May 7, 2027

Essays

Mission alignment (750 characters)

How do your values align with MSOM's mission of preparing physicians to be socially responsible and community-oriented?

Re-applicant (750 characters)

Have you previously applied to MSOM? If yes, please describe how your application has changed or improved since your last submission.

Academic distress (750 characters)

If you experienced a period of notable academic distress or a gap in your education (such as multiple course failures or complete withdrawal), please explain.

Grit Scale survey

Grit Scale survey (a short questionnaire in the secondary, not an essay).

Editor's notes

April 30, 2027 is the last day, not the target. The catalog asks you to return the secondary within two weeks of getting it, and decisions come a few weeks after each interview. Treat this like any rolling school and get your file complete early.
Read the money pages before you apply. MSOM wasn't approved for federal loans at the start of 2026-27, so students borrowed privately, and several of the big scholarships are forgivable loans that assume five years working for Meritus after residency. That's a great deal if you want to practice in Hagerstown. Go in with your eyes open.
You don't need Maryland roots. Only 25 of the 94 students in the first class were Maryland residents. What you need is a believable reason to train in a community-based, rural-leaning program, and the mission essay is where you give it.
A new school means a thin track record. There's no match data until 2029, and the class is set to nearly double to 180. If you're at a Pathways partner school, use the guaranteed interview; it's the clearest advantage this school offers.