Admission Requirements

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Admission Requirements

UH College of Medicine is now accepting application for the fall 2021 class. To apply, you must meet the following criteria.

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in order to be considered for an interview.
• 90 undergraduate hours at an accredited university in the United States or Canada.
• All pre-medical requirements listed below must have been completed at a United States or Canadian University. Courses that do not conform to this requirement will not be accepted, even if transferred credit has been given for them by a U.S. or Canadian school.
• Advanced placement credit is accepted only if the school granting the credit lists the specific course(s) and number of units granted per course on an official transcript.
• It is required that applicants take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) within five (5) years of applying to medical school.
• While there is no minimum GPA required for application, the UH College of Medicine will consider applicants for admission who have demonstrated academic excellence.

Prerequisite Coursework for Admission

Required

• General Biology (8 credit hours, 2 hours must be lab)
• Advanced Biology (3 credit hours)
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry (8 credit hours, 2 hours must be lab)
• Organic Chemistry (8 credit hours, 2 hours must be lab)
• Biochemistry (3 credit hours)
• Physics, for science majors (8 credit hours, 2 hours must be lab)
• Statistics, taught in math/statistics/psychology departments (3 credit hours)
• English Composition (6 credit hours)

Recommended

• Foreign language
• Other biology courses: molecular, genetics, human physiology, immunology

Application Process

1.  Primary Application

Interested students must complete an application via the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), during which the applicant will submit official transcripts of all post-secondary academic work, complete required essays, submit a minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation, and list professional work and job-shadowing experiences. Only applications submitted via TMDSAS will be accepted. Applicants cannot apply to the M.D. program through The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).

• Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores are required.
• Applications for admission are accepted according to the TMDSAS timeline.

COVID-19 Application Modifications

UH College of Medicine is fully aware of the recent disruptions to normal studies due to COVID-19. We advise you to view the TMDSAS newsroom for information about the EY21 cycle. UH College of Medicine will accept pass/fail (P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) class grades for the terms impacted by COVID-19. We advise you to base any P/F, S/U or letter grades on what is best for you, based on the specific challenges you have faced during these difficult circumstances.

Prior to COVID-19, May was the recommended date to take the MCAT. For EY21 we recognize that MCAT schedules have been disrupted. We advise you to take the MCAT in time for the scores to be received before the TMDSA deadline for test scores and letters of evaluations.

2. Secondary Application

Qualified applicants will receive an email invitation to submit a secondary application via email. The email will contain a link to the submission portal along with instructions and additional information.

Applications will be reviewed for adherence with the UH College of Medicine mission and the following attributes.

Applicant Attributes:

Our admissions team seeks applicants whose activities and reflections demonstrate: a commitment to service and to community engagement; a history of performing effectively in diverse teams; cultural and academic humility; capacity for academic excellence and innovative problem solving; and evidence of maturity, conscientiousness, and resiliency. Because there are many more qualified applicants than available seats, applicants who successfully demonstrate an inclination to pursue careers in primary care will be prioritized.

UH College of Medicine Mission

UH College of Medicine will be accountable for improving the overall health and health care of the population of greater Houston and urban and rural areas across Texas that face significant doctor shortages by:

• Educating a diverse group of physicians who will provide compassionate, high-value (high quality at reasonable cost) care to patients, families and communities, with a focus on primary care and other needed physician specialties, such as psychiatry and general surgery.
• Providing integrated, evidence-based, high-value care delivered to patients by inter-professional teams.
• Conducting interdisciplinary research to find innovative solutions to problems in health and health care.
• Engaging, collaborating with, and empowering patient populations and community partners to improve their health and health care.

3. Interview

Qualified applicants will be selected to interview, as a final stage in the application process. Interviews will begin in September. All offers will be made according to the TMDSAS spring 2021 timeline.

Criminal Background Checks:

The UH College of Medicine requires that newly admitted applicants to the M.D. program, complete and successfully pass a Criminal Background Check (CBC) prior to matriculation. Offers of admission are contingent upon the outcome of the CBC, which will be reviewed by the UH College of Medicine Admissions Office.

Immunization Requirements:

Please view the UH College of Medicine Student Handbook for details.

Transfer Students:

UH College of Medicine will not consider transfer requests at this time.