The D'Youville DYU-COM interview format

D'Youville University's College of Osteopathic Medicine (DYU-COM) in Buffalo, New York says only that "selected applicants will be invited to participate in an admissions interview, which is required for consideration." Decisions are made on a rolling basis after interviews are complete. AACOM's Choose DO Explorer fills in the rest: it lists virtual interviews only and the format as "Traditional and Group interviews." DYU-COM does not publish the interview length, the number of interviewers, the size of a group or whether the file is open or closed.

Item	What the school or AACOM says
Format	AACOM lists "Traditional and Group interviews." The school says only "an admissions interview."
In person or virtual	Virtual only (AACOM).
Invitation	Eligible applicants are first invited to a supplemental application, then selected applicants are invited to interview.
Supplemental application	$50, waived for applicants with an approved AACOMAS or AMCAS fee waiver (AACOM).
Length, interviewers, group size, file type	Not published.
Decisions	Rolling, after the interview process.
Situational judgment test	None mentioned. We found no Casper or PREview requirement on DYU-COM's pages or its AACOM profile.

Sources: D'Youville's Osteopathic Medicine (DO) program page and its AACOM Choose DO Explorer profile, checked October 2026.

What DYU-COM is looking for

The school says admissions decisions are holistic, "evaluating GPA, MCAT, service to community, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and interviews," and that the committee considers "academic preparation, motivation for osteopathic medicine, and alignment with DYU-COM's mission." The AACOM profile states the mission as preparing "osteopathic physicians focused on service, equity, and the health and well-being of a diverse society." The program page lists whole-person care, "mind, body, and spirit," social connectedness and improving the health of all populations among its key features, and the dean's message stresses compassion, hands-on clinical experience and community health.

The admissions pages we read do not state a religious requirement. Be honest about how service and caring for the whole person connect to your own life.

Timeline for the current cycle

AACOMAS opened May 4, 2026. AACOM lists the primary deadline as April 30, 2027, while D'Youville's own page says all application materials must be submitted by March 31 and that late applications will not be considered. Treat March 31 as the safer date and apply early either way.
The supplemental application opened May 11, 2026 (AACOM) and is by invitation to eligible applicants. Rolling admissions favor earlier files.
Requirements: U.S. citizen or permanent resident, a bachelor's degree, a minimum MCAT of 501, a 3.2 science and overall GPA, and a C or better in prerequisites (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, behavioral sciences, math or computer science and English if your degree was earned at a non-English-speaking institution).
Letters: a pre-health committee letter is preferred, or three individual letters (two faculty, one supervisor). A letter from a DO or MD is strongly recommended but AACOM says no physician letter is required. Only in-person shadowing is accepted (AACOM).
The deposit is $1,500 (AACOM), on the AACOMAS traffic guideline schedule.

A new school: what to know

DYU-COM has COCA pre-accreditation status and describes its first cohort as 90 students. The school's page notes that with pre-accreditation it can recruit and enroll students while it works toward full accreditation. AACOM says DYU-COM will operate from a permanent 125,000-square-foot facility on Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo beginning in Fall 2027, with cadaveric anatomy, OMM labs, simulation and standardized-patient suites. The program page describes two years of didactic learning, two years of clinical rotations across the Buffalo-Niagara region and New York State, 2,000+ clinical hours and an interprofessional campus with 15+ healthcare professions. If asked why a new college, name something specific: the community focus, the facility, the interprofessional setting or Buffalo itself.

How to prepare

Plan for a group format. AACOM says group interviews are used. Practice listening to others, adding to what they said and keeping answers short enough that everyone gets a turn.
Prepare for a traditional conversation too. Know your application cold and be ready to expand on any activity you listed.
Write your "why." Why medicine, why osteopathic medicine, why DYU-COM, why Buffalo. Make the last one specific.
Prepare an equity answer. The mission names service and equity. Have a real example of an inequity you saw and what you did.
Test your video setup. Interviews are virtual, so check lighting, sound, camera height and a quiet room.

Practice questions (written by us, not D'Youville)

D'Youville does not publish its interview questions. We wrote these around its mission and stated priorities. They are for practice and do not predict what you will be asked.

Walk me through why you want to be a physician, and an osteopathic physician in particular.
Why DYU-COM, and what draws you to a newer college?
What does treating the whole person, mind, body and spirit, mean to you in practice?
Tell me about a time you saw someone treated unfairly in health care. What did you do?
Describe a time you contributed to a group without being the leader.
In a group discussion, another candidate keeps talking over others. What do you do?
How would you explain osteopathic medicine to a skeptical friend?
Tell me about a time you worked with someone very different from you.
Western New York has both city and rural communities. How might their health needs differ?
Describe a setback and what you changed afterward.
What is a health issue you think is underappreciated, and why?
What would you like us to know that is not in your application?

Our free question bank preview has more medical school interview questions, and the full bank has over 500.

A 30-minute practice run

Recruit two friends and, if you can, a third to act as another candidate.
Have them pick eight questions from the list above. Take turns answering so you practice responding after someone else has spoken.
Keep each answer to about two minutes and run it on Zoom, matching the virtual format.
Record it. Afterward, check whether you gave a specific example, tied it to a value and left room for others.
Ask what they would still want to know about you, and add it next time.

Practicing alone? Confetto's AI mock interviews run traditional and panel-style interviews as well as MMIs, ask follow-up questions based on what you said, and give rubric-based feedback afterward. You can start with a 7-day free trial.

D'Youville interview FAQ

Is the D'Youville interview an MMI?
AACOM lists "Traditional and Group interviews," not an MMI. The school does not describe the format beyond saying an interview is required.

Is it in person or virtual?
AACOM lists virtual interviews only.

Is there a minimum MCAT or GPA?
D'Youville lists a minimum MCAT of 501 and a 3.2 science and overall GPA.

Do I need a physician letter?
The school strongly recommends a letter from a DO or MD, and AACOM says one is not required.

What is the deadline?
D'Youville's page says March 31, and AACOM lists April 30, 2027. Apply as early as you can.

Do I need Casper or PREview?
Neither appears on D'Youville's admissions pages or its AACOM profile.

Applying to other New York DO schools? See our guides to the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine interviews, or our medical school interview prep page.

Confetto isn't affiliated with D'Youville University. Details come from D'Youville's public program page and its AACOM Choose DO Explorer profile as of October 2026. Formats can change between cycles, so go by what your invitation says.