Partnership provides “enhanced opportunity” for medical school admission
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Oakland Community College (OCC) have agreed to establish a cooperative program of premedical/medical education by which OCC students who transfer as undergraduate premedical students to Michigan State University will have the opportunity to be granted an early assurance for admission to MSU College of Human Medicine.
The Early Assurance Opportunity (EAO) provides OCC students an enhanced opportunity for admission to medical school after transferring to MSU as pre-medical students interested in working with underserved populations. These students will receive academic advising directed at admission to MSU College of Human Medicine and will be enrolled in a program of enriching clinical and service experiences in preparation for admission.
“We are committed to bringing well-qualified premedical students from Oakland Community College to MSU and the College of Human Medicine,” said Aron Sousa, M.D., Dean of the MSU College of Human Medicine. “This is a long-term vision for enhancing health care in Southeast Michigan and beyond. Local students may wish to return home one day to practice in greater Detroit.”
“This outstanding partnership provides OCC students with a clear pathway to a smooth transition into MSU and the College of Human Medicine,” said OCC Chancellor Peter Provenzano, Jr. “The EOA will especially benefit our Health Sciences students who plan to transfer to MSU with the ultimate goal of attending medical school.”
Candidates for the Early Assurance Opportunity will receive academic advising directed toward admission to MSU and the College of Human Medicine. During their junior year at MSU, students who fit the mission of the Early Assurance Opportunity and the admissions criteria of the college may apply to the College of Human Medicine. Selected students will be assured of admission and begin a relationship with MSU College of Human Medicine during their senior year of college.
Nationally, admission to medical school is highly competitive. MSU’s Early Assurance Opportunity has helped build a pipeline between the state’s colleges and universities and MSU College of Human Medicine. This year, MSU College of Human Medicine received 7,582 applications for 190 matriculants starting fall 2024. This includes 25 participants from MSU’s Early Assurance Opportunity partnering colleges and universities.
Preference for EAO admission will be given to those former OCC students who now apply as an MSU student and may not otherwise be familiar with what goes into preparing for premedical and medical school application processes. These students must also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- First generation college student
- Graduate from a low-income high school as defined by the U.S. Dept. of Education
- Eligible for or a recipient of an undergraduate PELL or institutional need-based grant
- Graduate from an underserved (health professional shortage) urban or rural area
- Demonstrates interest in a high-need medical specialty area
ABOUT OAKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Oakland Community College offers more than 80 degrees and certificates programs with the resources students need to be successful and advance our community. As a top transfer institution, OCC offers one of the state’s most affordable tuition rates and flexibility in scheduling. The College is nationally recognized for its high-demand career training and expert faculty in their fields. More than 1 million students have enrolled in the College since it opened in 1965. Learn more at oakland.edu.
ABOUT MSU COLLEGE OF HUMAN MEDICINE
Since 1964, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has drawn upon MSU’s land grant values to educate exemplary physicians, discover and disseminate new knowledge and respond to the needs of the medically underserved in communities throughout Michigan. The medical school’s statewide footprint includes eight community-integrated campuses: Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Midland Regional, Southeast Michigan, Traverse City and the Upper Peninsula Region. MSU’s Grand Rapids Research Center has centers of excellence in Parkinson’s disease research and women’s health research. The college’s Flint campus is home to MSU’s public health research. For more information, visit humanmedicine@msu.edu.
For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on X at https://x.com/MSUNews.
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Media Contact: Marketing & Communications | 248.341.2020 | contactus@oaklandcc.edu