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Institutions with Developing Medical Education Programs
that have Applied for Preliminary Accreditation by the LCME
(Updated 6-16-09)

A developing medical school in the United States or Canada must complete five steps to become fully accredited by the LCME, as described below. Each step has its own requirements, and a school may not recruit applicants or accept student applications before reaching Step 3. The following tables include a description of each pre-accreditation and accreditation category and a listing of medical schools currently within each category. A developing medical education program in Canada follows the same process with both the LCME and the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS).

Refer to the LCME's Guidelines for New and Developing Medical Schools for a description of the minimum requirements that must be met in order for the LCME and/or CACMS to consider granting provisional accreditation of a new program leading to the M.D. degree. Refer to the LCME's Rules of Procedure for more detailed information about Preliminary Accreditation, Provisional Accreditation, and Full Accreditation.

The LCME and CACMS hold confidential all information collected during the pre-accreditation and accreditation processes. For more information on developing medical schools, please contact the schools directly.

Step 1 - Schools with LCME "Applicant School" Status
NOTE: Applicant Schools are not accredited
and may not recruit applicants or accept student applications.
State/Province Name of medical school Location
California Scripps School of Medicine La Jolla, CA
Michigan Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Rochester, Michigan
New Jersey Touro University College of Medicine Hackensack, New Jersey
New York Hofstra University School of Medicine Hempstead, New York
     
A medical school obtains "Applicant School" status when:
1. It has paid the $25,000 application fee to the LCME to begin the process of applying for preliminary accreditation; and
2. LCME and CACMS Secretariat staff have determined that the school meets the basic eligibility requirements to apply for accreditation (i.e., a current or anticipated charter in the U.S. or Canada and plans to offer the educational program in the U.S. or Canada).

 

Step 2 - Schools with LCME "Candidate School" Status
NOTE: Candidate Schools are not accredited
and may not recruit applicants or accept student applications.
State/Province Name of medical school Location
  There are no schools with Candidate School status at this time.  
A medical school obtains "Candidate School" status when:
1. It has paid the $25,000 application fee to the LCME to begin the process of applying for preliminary accreditation; and
2. LCME and CACMS Secretariat staff have determined that the school meets the basic eligibility requirements to apply for accreditation (i.e., a current or anticipated charter in the U.S. or Canada and plans to offer the educational program in the U.S. or Canada); and
3. The school has submitted the required database and planning self-study documents, which have been favorably reviewed by the LCME (and, for Canadian schools, also by the CACMS); and
4. Approval has been granted by the LCME for a site visit for preliminary accreditation.

 

Step 3 - Schools with LCME "Preliminary Accreditation" Status
State/Province Name of medical school Location
Florida Florida International University College of Medicine Miami, Florida
Florida University of Central Florida College of Medicine Orlando, Florida
Pennsylvania The Commonwealth Medical College Scranton, Pennsylvania
Texas Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine El Paso, Texas
Virginia Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Roanoke, Virginia
     
A medical school achieves "Preliminary Accreditation" status when:
1. It submits a modified medical educational database and a self-study summary to the LCME; and
2. An LCME team completes a site visit at the medical school and prepares a report of its findings for consideration by the LCME at its next regularly scheduled meeting; and
3. The LCME reviews the survey team's report and determines that the program leading to the M.D. degree meets the expectations outlined in the LCME document, Guidelines for New and Developing Medical Schools; and
4. The LCME votes to grant preliminary accreditation to the program for an entering class in an upcoming academic year.

Once preliminary accreditation is granted, the program may begin to recruit applicants and accept applications for enrollment. If the program does not enroll a charter class within two years of its receipt of preliminary accreditation, it must reapply for preliminary accreditation as a new program and pay a reapplication fee.

 

Step 4 - Schools with LCME "Provisional Accreditation " Status
State/Province Name of medical school Location
  There are no schools with Provisional Accreditation status at this time.  
     

A medical school achieves "Provisional Accreditation" status, after it receives preliminary accreditation and enrolls a charter class, when:
1. It submits a modified medical educational database and a self-study summary to the LCME; and
2. An LCME team completes a limited survey visit prior to the midpoint of the second year of the curriculum to review progress toward implementation of the educational program leading to the M.D. degree and the status of planning for later stages of the program, and prepares a report of its findings for consideration by the LCME at its next regularly scheduled meeting; and
3. The LCME reviews the survey team's report and determines that the program leading to the M.D. degree meets the expectations outlined in the LCME document, Guidelines for New and Developing Medical Schools; and
4. The LCME votes to grant provisional accreditation to the program.

Once provisional accreditation is granted, students enrolled in the program can continue their medical studies in the third and fourth years of medical education, and the program can continue to enroll new students.

*Note: The Northern Ontario School of Medicine was granted "initial, provisional accreditation" in June 2004, prior to the establishment of the current accreditation process for developing medical schools. That process did not include the step of "preliminary accreditation."


Step 5- Schools with LCME "Full Accreditation " Status
Click here to see a directory of M.D. programs that are accredited by the LCME.

A medical school achieves "Full Accreditation" status, after it receives provisional accreditation, when:
1. It submits a modified medical educational database and a self-study summary to the LCME; and
2. An LCME team completes a full accreditation survey visit that takes place late in the third year or early in the fourth year of the curriculum, and prepares a report of its findings for consideration by the LCME at its next regularly scheduled meeting; and
3. The LCME reviews the survey team's report and determines that the program leading to the M.D. degree fully complies with all LCME accreditation standards; and
4. The LCME votes to grant full accreditation to the program for the balance of an eight-year term that began when the program was granted initial accreditation status.

 


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Revised 16 June 2009
© 2009 LCME