Joplin has one medical school, and it is a branch campus: Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, a private DO college founded in 1916, with its main campus in Kansas City, Missouri (school list). The CMS list names one Joplin teaching hospital, Freeman Oak Hill Health System at 1102 West 32nd Street (CMS teaching hospital list).
Kansas City University reports its board results for the osteopathic college as a whole, with no campus split, so the rates quoted on this page describe the whole college, not Joplin alone (KCU pass rates).
Facts about Joplin
- The same Kansas City University report gives its osteopathic college 94.8% on COMLEX Level 2-CE for fiscal year 2024 and 97.7% on COMLEX Level 3 for calendar year 2024. (Kansas City University)
- Kansas City University's Joplin campus, on St. John's Boulevard, opened in 2017; AACOM lists 642 osteopathic medical students enrolled there in 2024-2025, against 1,104 on the Kansas City campus. (AACOM)
- KCU students do their third-year clerkships at Core Sites, partner hospitals or health systems in a defined region, chosen through a Core Site Match during the second year. (AACOM)
- KCU says its Joplin and Kansas City students take the exact same exam at the exact same time, with questions written by faculty on both campuses. (Kansas City University)
- KCU's Advanced Medical School Application Program with Missouri Southern State University leads only to the Joplin campus, and Joplin students can apply to become OMM fellows after their third year. (Kansas City University)
- KCU says about 60 percent of its students go into primary care after graduation. (Kansas City University)
Sources: Kansas City University, board and licensure pass rates (checked October 29, 2026); AACOM, Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Joplin Campus (checked November 1, 2026); Kansas City University, KCU-Joplin FAQs (checked November 1, 2026).
One college, two campuses, the same exams
Kansas City University runs its osteopathic college on two campuses, and Joplin's is the younger: it opened in 2017 on St. John's Boulevard, and AACOM lists 642 students enrolled there in 2024-2025, against 1,104 on the Kansas City campus (AACOM). The two campuses sit the exact same course exams at the exact same time, written by faculty from both (KCU-Joplin FAQs).
That is also why the college reports one set of COMLEX results for both campuses. For tutoring it is useful: a Joplin student's course exam scores compare directly with the whole class, and we read them alongside COMSAE practice exams to judge readiness for Level 1 before the deadline that gates third-year clerkships.
From the Core Site Match to Level 2-CE
Third year is spent at a Core Site, a hospital or health system partnered with KCU in a defined region, and students learn theirs through a Core Site Match during the second year (AACOM). That match lands while Level 1 preparation is under way, so we plan dedicated study with the move in mind: a student starting rotations in a new town needs Level 1 finished, not half done.
At the core site each rotation brings a shelf exam, and the Level 2 graduation deadline, December 31st of the fourth year, sits behind them (KCU Clinical Education Guidelines). Students who want an early score for residency applications sit Level 2-CE well before that date, and we work back from the date each student picks.
Fellowships, tracks and primary care
Joplin students can apply to be OMM fellows after their third year, or anatomy fellows after their second or third year; the campus also offers the Military Track for HPSP students and the Global Health Track (KCU-Joplin FAQs). Students who come through KCU's Advanced Medical School Application Program with Missouri Southern State University attend only the Joplin campus.
KCU says about 60 percent of its students go into primary care after graduation (KCU-Joplin FAQs). For a future family physician or internist that puts COMLEX Level 3 in the first years of residency and, for internists, the ABIM exam at the end of it; a fellowship that changes your graduation timing moves the whole exam calendar, so we rebuild the plan around it.
Medical school in Joplin
| School | Degree | Founded | Type | Exam series | In Joplin |
|---|
| Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine | DO | 1916 | Private | COMLEX-USA | Branch campus (main campus in Kansas City, Missouri) |
School list: LCME and COCA lists, via the list of medical schools in the United States, checked October 2026.
Teaching hospitals in Joplin
On the CMS teaching hospital list (October 2026):
- Freeman Oak Hill Health System, 1102 West 32nd Street, Joplin, MO 64804
When Joplin students must take the boards
Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Joplin campus) states: “Students must take COMLEX Level 1 by the given deadline to proceed with third year clerkships... A passing score for the COMLEX Level 2 is required no later than December 31st of the fourth year to participate in graduation.” (KCU Clinical Education Guidelines, Academic Year 2024-2025 (COM-2025 & COM-2026), 2024-2025; this is the college-wide policy).
The exams Joplin students take, in order
Kansas City University's osteopathic college grants the DO, so Joplin students start with COMLEX Level 1. The college sets a deadline for it: “Students must take COMLEX Level 1 by the given deadline to proceed with third year clerkships” (KCU Clinical Education Guidelines).
NBME shelf exams close each core clerkship, and COMLEX Level 2-CE follows: the guidelines require a passing Level 2 score “no later than December 31st of the fourth year to participate in graduation” (KCU Clinical Education Guidelines). The college reports 94.8% on Level 2-CE for fiscal year 2024; for students who chose the USMLE, the report lists 98.0% on Step 2 in its latest year (KCU pass rates). Our Level 2 vs Step 2 CK guide covers whether to sit both.
COMLEX Level 3 comes during residency. The college reports 97.7% on Level 3 for calendar year 2024 (KCU pass rates).
Missouri board rules for Joplin graduates
Joplin graduates who stay in Missouri for residency or practice answer to Missouri's medical board. FSMB lists three attempts at USMLE Step 3 for the state (FSMB), one fewer than the four the USMLE program allows per Step (USMLE eligibility rules).
That line names the USMLE, so a graduate on the COMLEX path should read the full Missouri entry before planning Level 3 retakes; our Missouri page carries the state's full wording.
How much Joplin searches for board prep
Joplin ranks 4th among US metro areas (Joplin-Pittsburg) for “COMLEX Level 2”, with a score of 48 of 100, and 13th among US cities for “USMLE”, with a score of 31 (Google Trends, United States, past five years, retrieved October 2026). The Level 2 rank fits a college that requires a passing Level 2 score for graduation. The scores compare Joplin with other places and are not head counts.
- “COMLEX Level 2”: number 4 among US metro areas (Joplin-Pittsburg), score 48 of 100
- “USMLE”: number 13 among US cities, score 31 of 100
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