Iowa teaches both degrees. The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City is a public MD school founded in 1870 (school list). Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines is a private DO school founded in 1898 (school list).
In 2025-26 Carver had 4,527 applications for 153 first-year places, and 64.1% of its entering class came from Iowa (AAMC FACTS). Iowa's 16 teaching hospitals include four in Des Moines and two each in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo and Sioux City (CMS teaching hospital list). Carver has been LCME-accredited since before 1942 and is due its next full survey in 2033-34 (LCME).
Medical schools in Iowa
| School | City | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series |
|---|
| University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine | Iowa City | MD | 1870 | Public | USMLE |
| Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine | Des Moines | DO | 1898 | Private | COMLEX-USA |
Several of these schools teach students at more than one site: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine also lists Des Moines, Iowa.
School list: LCME and COCA accreditation lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
Teaching hospitals in Iowa by city
- Des Moines: Iowa Lutheran Hospital; Iowa Methodist Medical Center; Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines; Broadlawns Medical Center
- Cedar Rapids: St. Lukes Methodist Hospital; Mercy Medical Center
- Waterloo: MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center; Allen Memorial Hospital
- Sioux City: St. Lukes Regl Medical Center; MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center
- Fort Dodge: Trinity Regional Medical Center
- Davenport: Genesis Medical Center - Davenport
- Council Bluffs: Jennie Edmundson Memorial
- Iowa City: University of Iowa Hosp & Clinics
- Mason City: MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center
- Bettendorf: Trinity Bettendorf
Facts about Iowa
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey | 2025-26 applications | First-year places | Entering class from Iowa |
|---|
| University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine | Iowa City | Full, since before 1942 | 2033-34 | 4,527 | 153 | 64.1% |
Accreditation: LCME directory; applications, places and in-state share: AAMC FACTS, Table A-1.
| City | Internal medicine residency program | First-time takers, 2023-2025 | Passed |
|---|
| Iowa City | University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Program | 70 | 97% |
| Des Moines | University of Iowa (Des Moines) Program | 28 | 89% |
| Mason City | MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center Program | 18 | 83% |
ABIM internal medicine certification exam by residency program: ABIM residency program pass rates; ABIM says to read rates from under 25 takers with caution.
- Des Moines University reports first-time COMLEX pass rates of 97.1% on Level 1 and 97.6% on Level 2-CE for its osteopathic students in the 2024-25 testing cycle, with national averages of 90.3% and 91.3%. (Des Moines University)
- DMU graduates passed COMLEX Level 3 at 99.0% on the first attempt in 2025 (97.1% nationally); DMU's four-year averages are 97.8% on Level 1, 97.7% on Level 2-CE and 98.7% on Level 3. (Des Moines University)
- Des Moines University placed 197 of its 198 osteopathic graduates in graduate medical education in 2026, a 99.5% placement rate, 5 of them through the military match. (Des Moines University)
- Carver College of Medicine students serve their clerkships primarily at University of Iowa Health Care, the VA Iowa City Health Care and the Des Moines Area Medical Education Consortium, with the family and community medicine clerkship off campus. (University of Iowa General Catalog 2026-2027)
Sources: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); Des Moines University, Program Outcomes (DO) (checked November 1, 2026); University of Iowa General Catalog 2026-2027, Doctor of Medicine (checked November 1, 2026); ABIM, residency program pass rates 2023-2025 (checked October 29, 2026).
Des Moines University's COMLEX record
Des Moines University publishes its first-time COMLEX results by testing cycle. In 2024-25 its students passed Level 1 at 97.1% and Level 2-CE at 97.6%, where the national averages were 90.3% and 91.3%, and its graduates passed Level 3 at 99.0% in 2025 (DMU program outcomes). Its four-year averages are 97.8% on Level 1, 97.7% on Level 2-CE and 98.7% on Level 3.
Placement is just as steady: in 2026 DMU placed 197 of its 198 osteopathic graduates in graduate medical education, a 99.5% rate, five of them through the military match (DMU program outcomes).
With a school record like that, the question for a DMU student is rarely whether to pass and more often whether to add the USMLE so residency programs can compare them directly with MD applicants. Our COMLEX Level 2 vs USMLE Step 2 CK comparison walks through that choice, and we tutor both series.
Residency in Iowa
Iowa's residency programs put 288 positions into the 2025 Main Residency Match, spread over 25 specialties: internal medicine had 62, family medicine 58, psychiatry and pediatrics 22 each, surgery 19, emergency medicine 16 and anesthesiology 15 (NRMP Match data for 2025, Iowa rows). Internal medicine and family medicine together are just over two in five of the state's positions.
Carver's own clerkships run mainly at University of Iowa Health Care, the VA Iowa City Health Care and the Des Moines Area Medical Education Consortium (University of Iowa catalog), so MD students sit shelf exams in Des Moines as well as Iowa City, the same city where DMU's osteopathic students train.
Which board exams Iowa students take
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine students in Iowa City take the USMLE: Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 (USMLE).
At Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine the degree is the DO, so the exams are COMLEX-USA (NBOME): Level 1, Level 2-CE and Level 3. In Des Moines both tracks share the city: students on Carver's site there sit the USMLE, and Des Moines University's sit COMLEX (school list).
Iowa's residents in internal medicine meet ABIM's internal medicine exam too. In 2023-2025, 97% of 70 first-time takers from University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center's program in Iowa City passed (ABIM). So did 89% of 28 from the University of Iowa program in Des Moines (ABIM).
Iowa licensing rules that affect your exam plan
Iowa lists six attempts at both USMLE Steps 1 and 2 and COMLEX Levels 1 and 2, and three at USMLE Step 3 and COMLEX Level 3; outside those limits it requires three years of approved postgraduate training (FSMB). The window is ten years to complete USMLE or COMLEX (FSMB). A first license asks for one year of training, or two for international graduates (FSMB).
| Rule | What Iowa requires |
|---|
| Training before first license | 1 year; 2 years IMG |
| Exam attempts | 6 attempts at both USMLE Step 1 and 2; 3 attempts at USMLE Step 3; 6 attempts at both COMLEX Levels 1 and 2; 3 attempts at COMLEX Level 3; 3 years of approved postgraduate training required if outside the attempt limit. |
| Time limit | 10 years to complete USMLE or COMLEX; 10 years for MD/PhD or DO/PhD candidates. Note: Board certification by ABMS or AOA is required if the applicant has not met the specified time period. |
Source: FSMB state licensure requirements, checked October 2026; confirm with the board before relying on them.
What Iowa's rules mean for how you study
- Iowa's “6 attempts at both USMLE Step 1 and 2” leaves open whether six is per Step or combined (FSMB). The USMLE program caps you at four per Step (USMLE eligibility rules), so ask the board.
- At Step 3, Iowa lists three attempts, one fewer than the USMLE program's four (FSMB, USMLE eligibility rules). COMLEX Level 3 also gets three (FSMB), so sit either exam only when practice scores are steady.
- Go past an attempt limit and Iowa requires three years of approved postgraduate training (FSMB). That turns a late retake into a training question, so ask the board before you book a sitting near the limit.
- Iowa gives ten years to complete the exams, and MD/PhD and DO/PhD candidates get the same ten; miss the window and the board requires ABMS or AOA board certification (FSMB). Schedule your last exam early.
Many Iowa students rotate, interview or match next door. Iowa's neighbors on our list: Illinois (8 MD, 2 DO), Minnesota (2 MD, 0 DO), Missouri (4 MD, 2 DO), Nebraska (2 MD, 0 DO), South Dakota (1 MD, 0 DO), Wisconsin (2 MD, 0 DO).
How much Iowa searches for board prep
Every one of Iowa's five Google Trends ranks is in the top 29 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC). “COMLEX” is strongest at 13th, then “USMLE Step 2” at 20th, “USMLE Step 1” at 21st, “Shelf exam” at 24th and “USMLE” at 29th (Google Trends, United States, October 2021 to October 2026). The COMLEX lead fits a state with a DO college in Des Moines.
| Search term | Iowa rank of 51 |
|---|
| USMLE | 29 |
| USMLE Step 1 | 21 |
| USMLE Step 2 | 20 |
| COMLEX | 13 |
| Shelf exam | 24 |
Source: Google Trends, United States, past 5 years, retrieved October 2026; ranks show relative interest, not student numbers.
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