Medical School Accreditation

More than 150 members of the IU School of Medicine community came together on March 9–12 in support of our mission to achieve full reaccreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). We are incredibly proud of our faculty, students, residents and staff who devoted countless hours preparing for their sessions with the LCME team. The hard work made a difference! As we await the LCME’s final decision anticipated this fall, we remain firmly committed to continually improving the IU School of Medicine educational experience and the opportunities we offer our students.

What is the LCME?

In the United States, the accreditation status of programs leading to the MD degree is determined by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME accreditation process evaluates whether medical schools meet nationally established standards. The LCME accredits established medical schools on an eight-year cycle, and IU School of Medicine was last recognized with full reaccreditation status in 2017. Our accreditation process involves a team comprised of faculty, administrators, staff and students who will self-evaluate the school's performance.

IU School of Medicine is fully accredited by the LCME. Email lcme@aamc.org to contact the LCME.

With the momentous date soon approaching, IU School of Medicine is in the final preparation stages for the LCME Accreditation Survey Visit on March 9–12. During the three-day visit to the Indianapolis campus, a survey team of five ad hoc members representing the LCME will meet with nearly 20 groups of faculty, staff, residents and students to ask about the school's performance in areas such as faculty issues, clinical instruction, and school finances. Once the visit is complete, the LCME will consider whether IU School of Medicine will retain its full accreditation status for the next eight years.

“Accreditation reflects our collective commitment to one of our strategic plan goals, Maximizing Learner Success Statewide, and our continued dedication to excellence in medical education, research and patient care,” said Bradley Allen, MD, PhD, interim executive associate dean for educational affairs. “This is an opportunity for growth and enhancement, both for individual professional development and for the institution as a whole.”

Allen offered his appreciation for everyone who has participated in the accreditation efforts.

“Your involvement in this process will help us share all the terrific work that has gone on since our last accreditation cycle in 2017 and shape the future of the school as we maintain the highest standards in the field,” he said.

For three days in September, IU School of Medicine leaders, faculty, and learners from all nine campuses met with a team of visiting faculty to answer in-depth questions about the performance of the school. The exercise, known as a Mock Visit, was a practice run to prepare for the official LCME Accreditation Survey Visit in March 2025.

The invited faculty from three different U.S. medical schools came to IU Indianapolis and met with Dean Jay Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA, as well as more than 20 individual groups on Sep. 22–24. Participants were grouped by subject matter or their role at the school and were asked how their respective departments are performing based on the 12 Standards of the LCME. Topics included: educational program objectives, learning environment, medical school finances, faculty issues, research and student research opportunities, clinical instruction, admissions and student health services.

Our IU School of Medicine team did extremely well and will continue our preparation for the March visit.

To achieve and maintain accreditation, medical school programs in the U.S. must meet 12 overarching standards of educational quality. Meeting these standards demonstrates that a medical school’s graduates show professional competencies that are appropriate for entering the next stage of their training and that serve as the foundation for lifelong learning and proficient medical care.

The 12 LCME accreditation standards are published in the LCME’s Functions and Structure of a Medical School. Each standard contains exact expectations that should be met to achieve compliance. Each standard also has an accompanying set of elements that further specify the standard:

• Standard 1: Mission, Planning, Organization, and Integrity
• Standard 2: Leadership and Administration
• Standard 3: Academic and Learning Environments
• Standard 4: Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Participation, and Policies
• Standard 5: Educational Resources and Infrastructure
• Standard 6: Competencies, Curricular Objectives, and Curricular Design
• Standard 7: Curricular Content
• Standard 8: Curricular Management, Evaluation, and Enhancement
• Standard 9: Teaching, Supervision, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety
• Standard 10: Medical Student Selection, Assignment, and Progress
• Standard 11: Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising, and Educational Records
• Standard 12: Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counseling, and Financial Aid Services