Table of Contents
Introduction
We know that many Texas residents would choose to remain or return to Texas for medical school. Texas offers many great options for prospective students with medical schools top-ranked in research and others distinguished for serving rural and underserved populations. With an overall slower pace of life than some other cities, as well as a more reasonable cost of living, Texas can be an appealing state in which to go to medical school for both in state and out of state residents.
By understanding Texas medical schools’ admissions statistics you can figure out how competitive you are for admission. Texas medical school applicants apply to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in Texas via three application services (TMDSAS, AMCAS and AACOMAS) depending on which schools interest them most. Fourteen Texas medical schools use TMDSAS, one uses AMCAS and one uses AACOMAS.
In this article, you will find information about Texas medical school admissions statistics, but, we encourage you to read TMDSAS: The Definitive Guide for more suggestions about how to approach TMDSAS specifically.
How many medical schools are in Texas?
Texas has a total of sixteen medical schools (13 allopathic and three osteopathic) of which two, Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, are in the top 30 medical schools in research and the top 20 in primary care, according to U.S. News and World Report. Texas medical schools are competitive to get into, especially for out-of-state students.
List and Rankings of Allopathic Medical Schools in Texas
Below is a list of all allopathic medical schools in Texas. We have ranked them based on U.S. News medical school rankings which are in parenthesis. (UR: Unranked)
- Baylor College of Medicine (22)
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (26)
- McGovern Medical School (Houston) (52)
- Long Medical School (San Antonio) (60)
- University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine at Galveston (70)
- Texas A&M College of Medicine (83)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Lubbock (90)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine El Paso (93-120)
- University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (UR)
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UR)
- Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (UR)
- UT Tyler School of Medicine (NEW FOR 2023)
- University of Houston College of Medicine
List of Osteopathic Medical Schools in Texas
Below is a list of the osteopathic medical schools in Texas. We have ranked them based on U.S. News medical school rankings which are in parenthesis. (UR: unranked)
Burnett School of Medicine at TCU is the only Texas medical school that participates in AMCAS.
Texas A&M’s EnMed program for MD/PhD and non-resident EnMed applicants only.
List of Texas Medical Schools that use AACOMAS
University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine is the only medical school in Texas that participates in AACOMAS.
List of Texas Medical Schools that use TMDSAS
The vast majority of medical schools in Texas use TMDSAS.
- Baylor College of Medicine (22)
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (26)
- McGovern Medical School (Houston) (52)
- Long Medical School (San Antonio) (60)
- University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine at Galveston (70)
- Texas A&M College of Medicine (83)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Lubbock (90)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine El Paso (93-120)
- University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (UR)
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UR)
- UT Tyler School of Medicine (NEW FOR 2023)
- University of Houston College of Medicine
- Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine – University of North Texas (UR)
- Sam Houston State University
Applying to Medical Schools in Texas through TMDSAS
Fourteen Texas medical schools use an independent application service, The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service or TMDSAS. As a part of the TMDSAS application, you will need to compose a personal statement, activities entries, as well as two additional essays. Below is a list of the TMDSAS application essays and components:
- TMDSAS Personal Statement: The TMDSAS personal statement, 5000 characters with spaces in length, offers the chance to showcase your strengths as an applicant. Keep in mind that the AMCAS and AACOMAS personal statements are both 5300 characters with spaces in length.
- TMDSAS Activities: TMDSAS requires you to account for how you have spent all of your time since graduating high school by writing activities entries up to 300 characters in length. You will also select three activities as you “most meaningfuls” for which you are allowed 500 characters with spaces.
- TMDSAS Additional Essays: TMDSAS has two additional essays each of which are 2500 characters with spaces in length. Even though one of these essays is optional, we advise students complete both essays.
For more information about TMDSAS, see TMDSAS: The Ultimate Guide.
Are you competitive for Medical School Admissions in Texas?
Below are the average MCAT scores and GPAs, interview rates for in state and out of state applicants, acceptance rates, percent of entering class that is in state, and tuition for all medical schools in Texas. When considering how competitive you are for Texas medical schools, this is the data you should refer to.
Summery Average MCAT, GPA, and Acceptance Rates for Texas Medical Schools
Entering year 2022 (2023 data not available when this article was updated):
- 6,833 applicants applied via TMDSAS
- 3,483 applicants INTERVIEWED via TMDSAS (85% TEXAS RESIDENTS)
- 2,544 applicants ACCEPTED (89% TEXAS RESIDENTS)
- 37% of TMDSAS applicants ACCEPTED
- 2143 accepted applicants MATRICULATED to TMDSAS medical schools (93% TEXAS RESIDENTS)
It is important to keep in mind, however, that some applicants accepted to Texas medical schools using TMDSAS ultimately choose to attend AMCAS medical schools.
- Average TMDSAS MCAT for matriculants: 511.7
- Average overall TMDSAS GPA for matriculants: 3.82
- Average TMDSAS BCPM GPA matriculants: 3.77
Admissions Statistics for every Texas Allopathic Medical Schools
Baylor College of Medicine
| Average GPA: | 3.93 |
| Average MCAT: | 518 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 27% (in-state)
6% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 4.1% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 84% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $19,723 (in-state)
$32,823 (out-of-state) |
McGovern Medical School (Houston)
| Average GPA: | 3.82 |
| Average MCAT: | 511 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 22% (in-state)
5.7% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 9.5% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 95% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $20,092 (in-state)
$29,708 (out-of-state) |
Texas A&M College of Medicine
| Average GPA: | 3.85 |
| Average MCAT: | 512 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 23% (in-state)
7% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | N/A |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 97% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $18,308 (in-state)
$32,408 (out-of-state) |
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
| Average GPA: | 3.85 |
| Average MCAT: | 510 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 16% (in-state)
3% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | N/A |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 97% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $17,856 (in-state)
$30,956 (out-of-state) |
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Lubbock
| Average GPA: | 3.83 |
| Average MCAT: | 512 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 21% (in-state)
10% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 9.1% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 91% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $18,094 (in-state)
$31,194 (out-of-state) |
Long Medical School San Antonio
| Average GPA: | 3.84 |
| Average MCAT: | 514 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 22% (in-state)
12% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 8.4% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 89% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $18,621 (in-state)
$33,739 (out-of-state) |
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
| Average GPA: | 3.84 |
| Average MCAT: | 516 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 9% (in-state)
3% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 2.3% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 90% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $20,268 (in-state)
$34,030 (out-of-state) |
University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine at Galveston
| Average GPA: | 3.93 |
| Average MCAT: | 512 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 27% (in-state)
5% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 10.6% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 95% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $21,606 (in-state)
$36,516 (out-of-state) |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
| Average GPA: | 3.58 |
| Average MCAT: | 508 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 9% (in-state)
7% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | N/A |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 88% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $18,298 (in-state)
$31,398 (out-of-state) |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Related: How to get into UT Southwestern Medical School and Requirements.
| Average GPA: | 3.89 |
| Average MCAT: | 517 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | 17% (in-state)
9% (out-of-state) |
| Acceptance rate: | 8.8% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 88% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $21,934 (in-state)
$34,134 (out-of-state) |
TCU & UNTHSC
| Average GPA: | 3.6 |
| Average MCAT: | 504 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | NA |
| Acceptance rate: | N/A |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | N/A |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | N/A |
Admissions Statistics for Texas Osteopathic Medical Schools
University of North Texas – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
| Average GPA: | 3.63 |
| Average MCAT: | 506 |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | N/A |
| Acceptance rate: | 12.4% |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 95% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $13,078 (in-state)
$28,766 (out-of-state) |
University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (NEW SCHOOL)
| Average GPA: | N/A |
| Average MCAT: | N/A |
| Interview rate(s) (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | N/A |
| Acceptance rate: | N/A |
| Percent of entering class in-state: | 76% |
| Tuition (in-state and out-of-state applicants): | $55,000 (in-state)
$55,000 (out-of-state) |
Increase Your Chances of Acceptance
Getting into medical school is tough, regardless of whether you are an in-state or out-of-state applicant. First, you need to determine whether your GPA and MCAT score is competitive. As a very general rule of thumb, MedEdits considers you competitive if your GPA is no less than .25 points lower than a school’s average GPA and your MCAT no lower than three points below a school’s average. However, there are other factors to consider when determining your overall competitiveness.
Then, you need to figure out to which medical schools you want to apply. Only three Texas medical schools do not participate in TMDSAS (Baylor, TCU and UNTHSC and University of Incarnate Word). Therefore, you must make sure your TMDSAS application sets you apart. Thankfully, the TMDSAS application offers lots of opportunity to do that. We have broken down the TMDSAS application components below.
- TMDSAS Personal Statement. The TMDSAS personal statement has a 5000 character limit which is only slightly less than AMCAS (5,300 characters).
- TMDSAS Work and Activities: You are allowed 300 characters for each TMDSAS entry and are allowed an additional 500 characters for three experiences you identify as “most meaningful”. This is in contrast to the AMCAS limits of 700 and 1325 characters.
- There are two additional essays you can take advantage of with TMDSAS. The first asks you to write about your personal characteristics, and the second, which is technically optional, but we encourage applicants to complete. This essay asks you to write about unique life experiences. Both essays are 2500 characters each.
Not only should your personal statement reflect your passion for medicine while highlighting your distinctive qualities and experiences, but, it also offers the chance to explain why you want to attend medical school in Texas and your connection with the state. Because medical schools in Texas have some distinct missions, your background might make you a better for some, and a weaker fit for others. As with every step of the admissions process, don’t try to “tweak” your persona; always be true to yourself and let your experiences tell your story.
You should also take advantage of the two additional TMDSAS essays by emphasizing different aspects of your background, values and ideals than you did in your personal statement. If you are an out-of-state applicant applying to Texas medical schools, you absolutely need to have a competitive application overall.
Nine Texas medical schools offer a further opportunity to set yourself apart.
Texas Medical Schools with Secondary Essays:
- UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Dell Medical School
- UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
- McGovern Medical School
- Sam Houston State University
- Texas A&M University College of Medicine
- Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine
- The University of North Texas HSC – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Texas Tech University HSC El Paso Paul L. Foster SOM
These nine medical schools offer another opportunity to set yourself apart from other applicants because the school’s differ with regards to their missions, communities served, and overall strengths. Therefore, when writing secondary essays, pay attention to each school’s prompt while also considering the school’s mission and communities it serves. For example, Dell Medical School initiated an innovative secondary video application in place of the traditional written secondary essay. In this video, applicants are asked to reflect on how their own experiences reflect the values and ideals of Dell’s mission and vision to “revolutionize how people stay and get healthy” through a “vital, inclusive health ecosystem.”
TMDSAS: The Definitive Guide
TMDSAS timeline, TMDSAS essay prompts, which schools require secondary essays!
Final Thoughts
For Texas residents, applying to medical schools in Texas become a no-brainer. With so many great medical schools, all of which offer in-state preference, all Texas residents should apply. However, for out of state applicants, one must consider if they are competitive for Texas medical schools and if they would like to live in the state. With a separate application system, applying to Texas medical schools is certainly more “work” and an added stress. However, Texas is appealing because of great medical education options, lower in-state tuition and cost of living.
