Accreditation of medical schools in the United States is under the authority of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME was founded in 1942 by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association (AMA). Attesting to the educational quality of accredited programs is the primary responsibility of the LCME. The LCME develops its accreditation standards through a systematic process of study and debate.
The accreditation process occurs every eight years and involves an extensive institutional self-study, preparation of a voluminous data collection instrument (DCI) cataloging the program of medical education, and a site visit by a team of professionals selected by the LCME Secretariat.
The accreditation process ensures that our medical education program meets or exceeds LCME accreditation standards.
Following an LCME site visit in January 2019, the OU College of Medicine was officially notified in summer 2019 that the medical education program maintained its full accreditation. The next full LCME site visit is scheduled to occur in the 2026-27 academic year.
The accreditation status of the MD program may be verified at the LCME web site.
https://lcme.org/contact/
LCME stands for Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is an accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree. The LCME is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the American Medical Association (AMA). The LCME is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) as the reliable authority for the accreditation of medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the United States.
The LCME defines accreditation as “a process by which institutions and programs undergo an extensive peer-based evaluation of their compliance with accepted standards for educational quality. Through the accreditation process, the LCME provides assurance to medical students and graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that (1) educational programs culminating in the award of the MD degree meet reasonable, generally-accepted, consistently-applied, and appropriate national standards for educational quality and outcomes and (2) graduates of such programs have a complete and valid educational experience sufficient to prepare them for the next stage of their training” (LCME publication Rules of Procedure 2026).
LCME accreditation establishes eligibility for selected federal grants and programs, “provides medical students with access to the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), eligibility for entry into graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), and eligibility for state medical licensure” (LCME publication Guidelines for the Planning and Conduct of Accreditation Survey 2026).
Currently, the LCME has established 12 overarching standards that medical education programs must demonstrate compliance with, along with 92 elements within the standards that medical education programs must demonstrate satisfactory performance in.
The LCME Standards provide the framework used to evaluate the quality of educational programs leading to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. These standards ensure that medical schools maintain excellence in curriculum, student services, faculty, educational resources, and institutional governance while preparing future physicians to meet the healthcare needs of society.
2026-27-Functions-and-Structure
The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Mailing Information: 800 Stanton L. Young Blvd., AAT Suite 4000 Post Office Box 26901 Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0901 (405)271-2265