As you ponder applying to medical school or even ponder the opening years of your medical school training after acceptance, you may be wondering, “What is the difference between an MD and a DO?” In the U.S., there are two types of degrees that lead to the practice of medicine as a physician: an MD, a doctor of medicine, or a DO, a doctor of osteopathic medicine.
The two degrees reflect different types of medical school training. MD-granting institutions are often called allopathic medical schools, while DOs attend osteopathic medical schools.
How does training differ across the different types of institutions and what does degree type mean for one’s long-term career prospects? Experts in medical training offered insight into those questions.
The similarities
About one-quarter of U.S. medical students train at osteopathic schools. That number has grown significantly in recent years, with the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine reporting that more than one-quarter of medical students are enrolled in osteopathic medical schools. That growth is, at least in part, due to the opening of additional DO-granting medical schools.
In terms of the application requirements for MD and DO medical schools, the criteria are virtually the same, with both osteopathic and allopathic programs weighing grade-point average and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores heavily. The curricular structure of both programs is largely the same, with students typically spending much of their first 12–24 months in the classroom and the majority of their training beyond that in a clinical setting.
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Single accreditation, residency training
In the past, graduates from osteopathic and allopathic medical schools had generally matched with residency programs through separate processes.
In an effort to simplify the graduate medical education (GME) accreditation system in the United States, the organizations that accredit GME—the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)—have changed how they do things.
The 2020 Main Residency Match marked the completion of the transition to a single accreditation system and the consolidation to a single Match for U.S. DO and MD seniors.
Though it varies heavily by specialty, most residency programs will accept the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) taken by DO students, as well as the United States Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) that is taken by MD students and may also be taken by DO students.
Mind, body, spirit
Historically, DO programs have described their methods as more holistic than those taught at allopathic programs. One unique aspect of osteopathic education is osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), defined by the AOA as a “a set of techniques used by doctors of osteopathic medicine to diagnose, treat and prevent illness and injury.
Using OMT, a DO moves a patient’s muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance. “Those skills typically mean an added curricular focus in training on the musculoskeletal system.
“If a student is somebody who really enjoys that patient-centered approach and really is of the mindset that medicine is a mind-body-spirit relationship, a DO program will serve them well,” said John D. Schriner, PhD, associate dean for admissions and student affairs at Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has received grant through the AMA’s ChangeMedEd initiative.
In an interview recorded as part of the “What I Wish I Knew in Medical School” series, AMA Trustee Ilse R. Levin, DO, MPH & TM, said she applied to MD and DO programs and was accepted into both types.
“I was very drawn to the philosophy of how to practice medicine from the osteopathic side,” said Dr. Levin, an epidemiologist. For me, it was really following that philosophy which called to me.”
She added that aspiring physicians tend to “self-select, not just for allopathic or osteopathic, but for the individual medical school as well. There are things about those places that call to us. And I think that's something that we should own and be proud of.”
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Most DOs choose primary care
The 2025 Match yielded positive results for graduates from both types of schools. According to data from the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match, U.S. DO seniors achieved a record-high match rate of 92.6%, with more than 8,000 applicants securing PGY-1 positions. In comparison, U.S. MD seniors maintained a consistent match rate of 93.5% in 2025, with more than 18,000 applicants matching to PGY-1 slots.
According to 2024 AOA figures, 57% of DOs practice in primary care specialties. Historically about a quarter of graduates from MD-granting medical schools work in primary care fields.
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What to know about IMGs
As if sorting out the differences between DOs and MDs were not enough, there is another path to becoming a U.S. physician that is often misunderstood—that taken by IMGs, or international medical graduates. An IMG is any physician who graduated from a medical school outside of the U.S. or Canada, regardless of their citizenship. Roughly a quarter of physicians practicing in the U.S. are IMGs international medical graduates.
IMGs make up a vital part of the physician workforce, with 2024 data showing that about 40% of practicing IMGs are in primary care disciplines and are more likely to practice in areas and specialties with a U.S. medical graduate shortage.
IMGs generally have fewer entry points into residency and lower match rates compared with U.S. medical school graduates. However, performance in residency can open many of the same doors to physicians with international degrees, according to John Andrews, MD, the AMA’s vice president of GME innovations.
“IMGs are a really vital part of our health care system. We’re talking about 25% of physicians who make key contributions to the delivery of care,” Dr. Andrews said. “Their training is going to differ widely based on where they trained and in what kind of environment, but that can also be a positive. Their experiences are often very different than those of U.S. grads and can enrich the learning environment.”
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Which is right for you?
One admissions officer provides this tip: Don’t worry about the degree.
“People ask often: Should I apply to an allopathic or osteopathic school?” said Benjamin R. Chan, MD, associate dean for admissions at the University of Utah School of Medicine. “What I tell everyone is you should apply to both. Then if you get into both schools, just the same as if you got into two osteopathic schools or two allopathic schools, you need to do your research as a pre-med to figure out which is the best fit.”
Even once you begin your career as a medical student, your demonstrated competence and growth is going to have more bearing on your career than what type of medical school degree you earn.
"Once someone is in the pipeline toward US licensure, their educational background to a degree becomes less relevant," Dr. Andrews said. "Someone who performs well in residency is going to have similar things to look forward to."
