Texas has an abundance of medical schools already, and there are only more to come! School is on the rise, which means pre-meds are hard at work on their MCAT studies and application preparations. If you are a Texas resident, you have more options than most! Here is the complete list of Texas medical schools, including the ones slated to open within the next few years. (These are in no way ranked by prestige.)
1. Baylor College of Medicine
Average GPA: 3.88
Average MCAT: 35 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
There are currently 743 total medical students. Of the 6,618 people who applied in the last class, 732 were interviewed (452 of which were Texas residents), and of those interviewed and accepted, 186 enrolled this past year. Approximately 139 out of the 186 students in the first-year class are Texas residents. Located in the Texas Medical Center in the ever-so-humid and large city of Houston, Baylor is one of the most prestigious and competitive medical schools in the nation. However, it was voted the most affordable private medical school with in-state tuition set at $17,498 and out-of-state tuition at $30,598. Baylor College of Medicine is ranked 18th in the nation among medical schools by U.S. News and World Report.
2. UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
Average GPA: 3.88
Average MCAT: 34 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
There are currently 939 medical students, with 226 in the first-year class. Of the 4,057 people who applied, 834 received an interview (750 of which were Texas residents). Of those interviewed and accepted, 226 enrolled. Eighty-five of the students that just enrolled are from Texas and an overwhelming 61 percent of first-year students are male (so all the single ladies put your hands up!). UT Southwestern is ranked 23rd in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
3. University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Average GPA: 3.74
Average MCAT: 32 out of 45
Main Program: M.D
There are currently 880 medical students. Of the 4,133 people who applied, 974 received an interview (847 of which were Texas residents). Of those interviewed and accepted, 212 enrolled. Eighty-nine percent of the enrolled students are from Texas and 51 percent are female. UTHSC San Antonio is ranked 70th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Since it is located in San Antonio, you can definitely find some of the best Tex-Mex food to eat while cramming for your boards!
4. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Average GPA: 3.87
Average MCAT: 32 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
There are currently 900 medical students. Of the 4,091 that applied for admission, 1,053 received an interview and 949 were Texas residents. Of those who were interviewed and accepted, 228 enrolled and 57 percent are male. Again, ladies, if you are looking for the perfect doctor husband, this is another great place to go. Located near the beach, UTMB at Galveston is ranked 111th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
5. University of North Texas Health Science Center
Average GPA: 3.59-3.6
Average MCAT: 28 out of 45
Main Program: D.O.
UNTHSC is the only Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program in Texas. Of the 3,006 people that applied for admission, 837 received interviews. Of those who were interviewed, 454 were accepted and 228 enrolled (209 of which were Texas residents). There are only 30 medical schools in the U.S. which offer the D.O. degree. People with a D.O. degree can be physicians and surgeons just like those of the M.D. degree, however, the D.O. degree requires 300-500 hours of studying philosophically based techniques for hands-on manipulation of the human musculoskeletal system. D.O. schools are known to be slightly easier to gain admission into. UNTHSC is located in Fort Worth (which is the best city in the state of Texas), and is ranked 158th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
6. Texas A&M University Health Science Center
Average GPA: 3.74
Average MCAT: 30 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
Of the 3,791 people who applied, 714 received an interview and 668 were Texas Residents. Of the people who were accepted, 199 enrolled, 95 percent of whom were Texas residents. Fifty-four percent of first-year students are female. The school is located, unfortunately, in College Station. It is ranked 101st in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Aside from its location, it's a great medical school. Just keep in mind that you'll have to call yourself an Aggie for the rest of your life. Whoop...
7. Texas Tech Health Science Center
Average GPA: 3.78
Average MCAT: 32 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
Of the 3,535 people who applied, 783 received an interview, 717 of whom were Texas Residents. Out of those interviewed and accepted, 150 enrolled, 90 percent of whom were Texas residents. Fifty-six percent of the students in the first-year class are male. TTHSC is located in Lubbock, where it smells like cow droppings and is almost worse than College Station because it's straight-up in the middle of nowhere. At least you won't be distracted from studying, because there's not much to do out there in the middle of the plains of Texas. The school is ranked 104th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. However, it does snow there, which could be fun.
8. Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Average GPA: 3.6
Average MCAT: 28 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
Located in El Paso, the Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has 100 students in its first-year class, 99 percent of whom are Texas residents. The current first-year class is 65 percent male and 35 percent female. Learning Spanish is an additional requirement at this school. I was not able to find as much in-depth information about this school, but I can also guess there is very good, authentic Mexican food around. Learning Spanish truly gives you an edge in Texas medicine, so I think this would also be a very solid choice of medical school.
9. UT Health Science Center at Houston
Average GPA: 3.84
Average MCAT: 33 out of 45
Main Program: M.D.
There are currently 958 medical students, with 240 of them in the first-year class. Of the 4,393 who applied, 845 received interviews (791 of whom are Texas residents). The first-year class is 55 percent male. This school is neighbored with Baylor College of Medicine. It looks like this town is "big enough for the two of us." Houston is a great place for medicine, especially since it contains THE world-class M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
10. Dell Medical School
We have yet to know the average GPAs or MCATs at this medical school, because it is BRAND NEW AND NOT EVEN FINISHED BEING BUILT YET! It has, however, received preliminary accreditation, which means it will begin recruiting its first class this year. Its first class will contain 50 students in June of 2016. Dell Medical School hopes to revolutionize medical education by creating educational flexibility for students to determine their own objectives for clinical cases, commitment to innovation of care in the Austin community, focus on leadership development, integrating more technology into medicine, and increasing student presence in the community. Dell Medical School will be located in Austin, home of the Texas Longhorns, great food, live music festivals, prime hiking and camping spots in the hill country, and hippies. While the first class may seem small, it is only because the school will not be fully licensed yet. Class sizes will increase over time.
11. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
The school of medicine will welcome its first class in fall of 2016. The program already has already accepted 42 medical residents to begin clinical rotations in Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, McAllen Medical Center, and Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg.
12. TCU & UNT Medical School
TCU recently announced its partnership with UNT to create the first M.D. program in Fort Worth, in addition to the D.O. program. The school will accept its first class of 60 students in 2018. To minimize costs, it will utilize both the UNTHSC and TCU campuses and existing faculty. People who graduate from this medical school will be alumni of both UNT and TCU.
13. University of the Incarnate World Medical School
Main Program: D.O.
The University of the Incarnate World is a Catholic institution located in San Antonio. It will be the only faith-based medical school in the state of Texas. It is currently applying for its accreditation by the American Osteopathic Association in the hope of welcoming its first class of 150 medical students in July of 2017.
With the addition of the four new medical schools, Texas will tie with California for having the second most medical schools in the U.S., leaving New York at the top with 16. The opening of new medical schools and increased enrollment has been a side effect of Obamacare. Obamacare will now emphasize an increase in demand for primary-care physicians, rather than specialties, to aim for more preventative care. There will be more scholarships and loans available to students who pursue primary care. In 2013, overall medical school enrollment increased by 6.1 percent. Today, people are becoming more aware of the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. D.O. schools will expect an increased enrollment of 162 percent by 2020, whereas M.D. schools will expect an increased enrollment of 29 percent because D.O. degrees emphasize more primary, preventative care.
Texas is a melting pot for medicine, and is only becoming more prominent. Just remember to maximize your options when applying for medical school!
