Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine — Attraction in Harrogate

𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗢 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗟𝗠𝗨-𝗗𝗖𝗢𝗠!

I am writing this to inform others and help prevent them from potentially wasting $65,000+ attending this school. I have gained nothing from my time here and am now questioning if medicine is the right path for me. Nearly all of my friends have left LMU-DCOM due to its toxic environment and unethical practices.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗟𝗠𝗨-𝗗𝗖𝗢𝗠

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 This document outlines serious concerns raised by students and observers regarding Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM). These concerns include unethical academic practices, financial coercion, and threats to student well-being.

𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 • Policies frequently change without adequate notice, leading to confusion and a lack of support. • Leadership has allegedly shifted blame onto students rather than accepting responsibility for institutional issues. • Students have been reprimanded simply for expressing concerns, including the disruptive impact of major curriculum changes. • Faculty behavior has, at times, been unprofessional — including use of profanity, belittling students, and discouraging those seeking help. • Some students report receiving inaccurate academic guidance or being unfairly penalized, with no effective appeals process.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗔𝗶𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 • Students who fail a semester lose federal aid eligibility immediately, often leading to housing insecurity or eviction. • LMU-DCOM requires some students to enroll in an unrelated master’s program to regain financial aid and reapply for med school. • Even students with existing graduate degrees are pushed into this program, which serves primarily as a mechanism to access federal loans. • Many cannot afford the added debt load and must choose between financial hardship or leaving the program entirely.

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Only 40% of students in the Spring 2025 master’s program met the 3.6 GPA required for reentry to the DO program. • In one cohort, 70 students were no longer enrolled after fall: 50 were repeating, and 20 were required to join the master’s program. • The prior year, 60 students had to repeat their first year. • There are growing concerns that failure rates are artificially inflated to increase tuition revenue. • Shifting students to internal grad programs may help the school avoid reporting these as medical attrition cases, preserving accreditation statistics.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 • Significant faculty turnover has occurred in the last 1–2 years. • Two long-standing administrators known to advocate for students were terminated without notice mid-semester. • This has resulted in loss of academic mentorship and further uncertainty for students.

𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Students report being afraid to speak up for fear of hurting reentry chances or med school transfers. • This creates a culture of silence that allows these issues to persist unchecked.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 The volume and consistency of these reports suggest potential systemic mismanagement and financial exploitation. These patterns warrant further external review to protect student rights, financial welfare, and...

I would avoid this school. They allow students to cheat on exams and quizzes even after several reports have been made to the Dean/Assistant Dean of Students. The faculty and Deans are tarnishing the medical field by allowing this lack of integrity to flourish because all the school cares about is MONEY!! Do yourself a favor and go to any other school...

DeBusk accepted my son's application even though his college GPA should have disqualified him. They got him to take out over $200,000 in Federal loans to cover tuition. He did not make it through the program and is now homeless and in crippling debt for the rest of his life. For-profit schools like LMU should be punished for their...