Kansas City University | File Photo

RobyLane Kelley

Editorial Assistant

Students interested in a career in health can find a place at Kansas City University (KCU), located in the heart of Northeast Kansas City and the Joplin campus (2901 St. Johns Blvd). With programs in Osteopathic Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Psychology and Dental Medicine, KCU offers degree options for most students seeking medical higher education. 

Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic Medicine studies the patient as a whole rather than focusing on specific symptoms. Students who want to apply to Osteopathic Medicine can use the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Applications Services (AACOMAS) to apply to several programs. If the student qualifies, KCU will invite the applicant to complete a secondary application. The next step will include an interview with KCU, which will occur sometime between August and February.

Tuition for this program is set at a flat rate of $27,927 per semester. The estimated annual costs for first- and second-year students is $59,980, while the estimated annual costs for third- and fourth-year students is $56,074. There is an additional $1,500 acceptance fee for this program.

Biomedical Sciences

The Master of Biomedical Sciences degree program offers a rolling admissions process for students. Applicants must provide a resume, previous college transcripts and two letters of recommendation. Test scores are optional for admission to the College of Biosciences.

According to the tuition section on the KCU website, tuition for this school is based on a one- or two-year track. Tuition is charged by credit hour at a rate of $1,277 per hour. The class of 2025 is estimated at $40,667, while the class of 2026 is estimated at $26,621.

Psychology

The Clinical Psychology Doctoral requires students to provide a resume, previous college transcripts and three letters of recommendation. Applicants can also submit relevant test scores and an optional video submission.

Tuition for the doctoral program is charged at a flat rate of $19,374.50 per semester. First- and second-year annual costs are estimated at $41,603, third- and fourth-year annual costs are estimated at $38,529. The fifth year in the program, or the internship year, is estimated to cost students $19,374.50.

Dental Medicine

Students interested in Dental Medicine can apply through the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS). The KCU website states the application portal opens in May, however, the first day to submit applications through AADSAS is June 1. KCU will then invite applicants to complete a secondary application upon qualification. AADSAS and KCU ask applicants to submit three letters before the interview process begins. The following list is supplied from the KCU website:

• “One letter from a pre-health advisor or committee, may substitute a science faculty member who is familiar with your scholastic performance.
• One letter from a dentist (non-family member).
• One letter from an individual who can attest to your academic strengths, abilities and fit for dental school.”

Next, students will be invited to interview. Prospective students will be notified of a decision in mid-December.

Tuition for the two-year program is estimated to cost $105,813 annually.

Student Testimony

Stefanie Cravens, a first-year student in the KCU Osteopathic Medicine program, moved from York, Penn., to Kansas City, Mo., for school. She said she came from a much smaller town and described Kansas City as “lively and diverse” upon visiting for her tour.

Cravens said KCU was fascinating because it “was one of the first Osteopath schools in the country.”

“[It’s] had a long time to develop [its] reputation and longstanding relationships within the community, and then also with different hospital systems and residency programs,” said Cravens. “Kansas City had a whole campus, which was really attractive and helped foster community energy.”

Cravens said the hardest part of the application process was the waiting. 

“I feel like I’ve been developing my medical school application since high school,” said Cravens. “Moving forward and writing really long essays to apply to schools, and then you click, submit, and you wait for weeks and sometimes months to hear back from schools. That’s a very vulnerable feeling.”

When comparing KCU and Kansas City as a whole to her experience on the East Coast, Cravens said she feels people in Kansas City are a lot more friendly and helpful. She said going through classes and labs with her cohort helped facilitate a bond between the students on the KCU-Kansas City Campus.

When asked what advice she would give students who are working toward a similar goal, Cravens emphasized the importance of shadowing for both high school and undergraduate students. She said grades “speak for themselves,” but extracurriculars will set a student’s application apart from the rest.

“You have to study and have good grades, but at the end of the day, your grades are going to speak for themselves, and it’s your extracurriculars and other things that are really going to make you stand apart from different applicants,” said Cravens. More information about KCU applications, tuition and services can be found on its website: https://www.kansascity.edu/.