Admissions
Requirements
Admissions Requirements & Policies
Prerequisite Courses | Applications | Main Policies | Other Policies | Application Timeline | Application Timeline Description | Admissions Office Query | Request General Information BrochureFlexible Requirements
- At least three years of study (90 hours of coursework).
- A degree is highly desirable:
- Only students with superior credentials will be considered without one.
- Students without a baccalaureate degree must also exhibit definite evidence of experience and maturity.
- All prerequisite courses must be taken in an accredited United States or Canadian school.
- There is no major requirement. However, non-science majors are encouraged to take several upper division science courses.
- The MCAT is also a requirement for admission.
- The best MCAT score from the past 5 years from year of application submission is used in evaluation process.
- Elements of a complete application:
- Main Application, Secondary Application, Letters of Evaluation, Transcripts from all attended colleges and universities, photos, and application fees. The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Secondary Application, Fee is $50.00.
Prerequisite Courses Share
| Courses | Hours |
|---|---|
| General Biology or Zoology | 6 |
| Upper Division Biology | 6 |
| Biology Labs | 2 |
| General Chemistry | 6 |
| General Chemistry labs | 2 |
| Organic Chemistry | 6 |
| Organic Chemistry labs | 2 |
| Physics | 6 |
| Physics labs | 2 |
| English | 6 |
| Statistics offered by Math Department | 3 |
| Total | 47 |
Important Notes
- All graded prerequisite courses require a grade of "C" or better or AP credit (English only).
- A Statistics course will be required to fulfill the math requirement.
- Courses from the Biology, Zoology and Microbiology departments are acceptable as "Biology" credits provided they are what is offered for Biology majors. For instance, the Biology for "non-science majors" would not be acceptable.
- Applicants are strongly advised to have at least 6 hours of upper-division "Biology" courses.
- There is no "pre-medical" major. Applicants are simply asked to pursue their desired interest with respect to a degree and do well in that major. With this, however, please note that non-science majors are strongly advised to enroll in additional science coursework beyond the prerequisite requirements.
- Biochemistry is required by TTUHSC SOM and may be used toward fulfilling the Biological Sciences or General Chemistry requirement.
- Visit Frequently Asked Questions page.
Required Applications
Main State Application
- Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)
- The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)
- For MD/PhD or JD/MD applicants only
Secondary Application
back to topAdmissions Policies
The Office of Admissions carefully reviews the applications of all individuals meeting the entrance requirements. Strong academic standing with regard to GPAs and MCATs are not the only qualities the admissions office and committee members look for in a desirable applicant. Compassion, ethics, motivation, maturity, and personal integrity are also deemed important.
There is no discrimination on the basis of race, sex, creed, national origin, age, or disability. In an effort to recruit a highly qualified and diverse student body, which reflects the demographics of the West Texas region, race/ethnicity as well as a socioeconomically disadvantaged background are among the many factors considered in the admission process.
back to topOther Policies
- Requests for deferrals are accepted and granted for those under exceptional circumstances.
- Residents of Texas and approved counties in the service area are preferred.*
- The TTUHSC SOM Secondary Application is absolutely required for admission, consideration to TTUHSC and must be submitted on or before the deadline. The deadline is at 5:00pm on October 1. No exceptions.
- Once your Secondary Application has been submitted, no changes are permitted to the application.
- Additional letters of evaluation, interest, and other updates will not be accepted after October 15.
*It is the goal of TTUHSC SOM to accept only those students who are guaranteed to complete the full four years of the curriculum based on citizenship or permanent resident status. Therefore, only applicants who are permanent US residents or American citizens will be considered for interview and admission.
After Receiving an Offer of Acceptance
Applicants will be required to submit:
- A response form indicating their response to the offer of acceptance
- A signed copy of the Standards for Curricular Completion
- Final transcripts to the Office of the Registrar
- a Placement Guarantee Fee (PGF) of $100; NOT refundable after May 15, as applicants must be seated at one medical school by this date
Applicants who receive an offer of acceptance will receive detailed information regarding these items.
back to topApplication Timeline
| Element | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Application Period | May 2 - Sept. 30 |
| Interview Season | Early Aug - Late Dec |
| Early Decision (EDP) Application Deadline | Aug 1 |
| Rolling Admissions Period | Nov 15 - Dec 31 |
| Applicant Match List and/or Offer Declines Due | Jan 21 |
| TMDSAS Match Results Announced | Feb 1 |
| Rolling Admissions Period 2 (Alternate List period) | February 16 - Early August |
Application Timeline Description
File Evaluation & Review June 1 - December 31
Each completed application will be reviewed by Admissions Officers and personal interviews will be offered to those students deemed most competitive for admission. All interviews are conducted at the Lubbock and El Paso campuses. On the day of the interview there will be opportunities to tour the medical school, talk with students and observe class lectures. Applicants who have been sent an interview invitation and are applying through the regular MD program, are given two 30 minute interviews. M.D. / M.B.A. and M.D. / Ph.D. invited applicants are given three interviews, two from the School of Medicine, and one from the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business or the TTUHSC Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), respectively. After interviews are complete, the Admissions Committee considers the applicant's overall academic record, grade trends, healthcare exposure, extracurricular activities, MCAT results, pre-professional evaluations, impressions of the interviewers, and any other pertinent information to determine acceptance. Any applicant who is offered an acceptance to medical school has two weeks in which to accept or decline the offer in writing.
Rolling Admissions Session November 15 - December 31
The Fall of 2009 marks the fourth year that Texas medical schools will be using a dual rolling admissions / Match system. During the rolling admissions period, a medical school can make an offer of acceptance to any Texas Resident applicant who has interviewed. An applicant can potentially receive offers from multiple medical schools during this period. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine will be very proactive about recruiting desired applicants during this period.
Texas Match February 1
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine participates in the Match system with the other Texas Schools listed on the application form. The Match system that TTUHSC has participated in since 1999 will continue to exist, but in a slightly different timeframe. Applicants who have interviewed but have not been accepted to a Texas medical school or are holding multiple offers received during the Rolling Admission Session will enter the Match. Applicants with multiple pre-match offers will no longer go through the “Accept/Decline” process this year. Applicants will be allowed to enter the match holding multiple pre-match offers. They are required to rank all schools where they interviewed regardless of whether or not they received one or more pre-match offers. The deadline for applicants to submit their preference rankings is January 10. “Match Day”, the day where interviewed applicants discover their status, is February 1. Results of the Match are listed on the web (TMDSAS & TTUHSC SOM) and acceptance letters mailed February 1.
Some points to remember
- Each interviewed applicant will rank his/her preference of schools via the web at the TMDSAS website.
- The preference list may be submitted and the rank order may be changed at any time until the deadline date of February 1. The last preference submitted prior to the deadline date will be used in the matching process.
- Applicants who have received an official offer during the rolling admissions period do not have to submit a rank list in the match.
- Each medical school will also submit a list of interviewed applicants ranked in order of acceptability on the basis of factors considered in the selection process by TTUHSC SOM.
- The final preference from each applicant and the ranked lists from the respective schools are entered into a computer database. The database matches the applicant with the highest choice medical school that ranked the applicant high enough to be selected.
- Applications are automatically withdrawn from all schools with a lower applicant preference than the school to which the applicant is matched.
- Applications will remain active to all schools with a higher applicant preference for possible acceptance later if the applicant is placed on the school’s alternate list.
- For more information on the Texas State Match, please visit the TMDSAS website.
Rolling Admissions Session 2 (TTUHSC) February 2 - mid August
Sometime after the Match, the Director and Associate Dean of Admissions will formulate an official “alternate list” of ranked, interviewed applicants that have not been selected by another school during the rolling admission session or in the February 1st match. In the event that an accepted applicant leaves his/her seat, an applicant from the alternate list will be selected and an offer will be made. This process is generally very slow and unpredictable. The ranking assigned to applicants for Match purposes no longer exists for the alternate list. Applicants may be selected from the alternate list up until orientation at TTUHSC SOM begins.
back to topCriminal Background Check Notice
Once accepted, a Criminal Background Check is required for all matriculants.
In order to provide a safe environment for patients, visitors, faculty, employees and students at TTUHSC, criminal background checks will be instituted as of September 1, 2006. Essentially, compliance with this policy will be required of the Entering Year 2007 applicants. Criminal background checks (CBCs) allow the university to evaluate whether TTUHSC students are qualified, eligible, and possess the character and fitness to participate in clinical care and/or clinical rotation sites at TTUHSC or participating institutions. Therefore, per the TTUHSC Operating Policy and Procedure 10.20, in order to complete matriculation to the TTUHSC SOM, all prospective matriculants will submit a background check, through a prescribed vendor, to the TTUHSC Office of the Registrar. Refusal to complete the self-disclosure / criminal background check will preclude the student from admission and matriculation. All criminal history provided is confidential and shall be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent provided by law. It must be noted by the applicant, that matriculation will be completed only after receipt and review of the consent forms, self-disclosure information, and receipt of the subsequent background check record indicating no criminal history, unless otherwise indicated. Where a record of criminal history exists, each prospective matriculant will be evaluated individually, and recommendations for enrollment or withdrawal/revocation of acceptance/admission will be made by the School of Medicine.
back to topAdmissions Questions
For general questions concerning statistics, prerequisites, etc. please visit our
FAQ.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
School of Medicine - Office of Admissions 2B116
3601 4th St.
Lubbock, Texas 79430
Phone: (806) 743-2297
Fax: (806) 743-2725