8 Best Medical Schools in Texas

Posted on by

As the second-largest state by both surface and population in the US, Texas has a large number of medical schools dedicated to training future medical professionals for the state and beyond. Whether in city settings where you can have access to the most developed and technically sophisticated care centers and hospitals for clinical practice or in more rural settings where you can learn about the challenges of those communities, studying medicine in Texas will expose you to high-quality teaching and a diverse community of patients.

Let’s have a look at the top medical schools in Texas.

Best Medical Schools in Texas

1. The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.88
    • Average MCAT: 512
    • Acceptance Rates: 1%

The Dell Medical School only opened in 2016 as part of the newest additions to the UT at Austin campus, but it is fast becoming the best medical school in Texas. It was the fruit of plans dating from 2011 when Texas Senator Kirk Watson established ten healthcare targets for his Central Texas district, amongst which was the creation of a new medical school to help prepare the next generations of physicians. The school is named after Michael & Susan Dell Foundation who donated $50 million to the school.

During the four years of your MD degree program at Dell Medical School, you will be studying first the basic pillars of medical science, moving then onto clinical clerkships during the second year. There are six rotations to be done in year 2, working through real cases with actual patients. In year 3, an opportunity for growth arises with the choice of distinction options or dual degree options such as with an MBA, Master of Public Health, or others.

The last year of medical school is dominated by setting up for the residency, with the support of faculty and experts on campus.

2. University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.82
    • Average MCAT: 509
    • Acceptance Rates: N/A

UT Health San Antonio’s School of Medicine is named after Joe R. and Teresa Lozano and has been training doctors since 1968. It is the largest medical school in south Texas, part of the UT Health Physicians practice – housing 850 physicians in over 100 disciplines.

The Long School of Medicine also places great emphasis on research, from molecular therapies to aging and kidney disease, to diabetes and cancer. They consider San Antonio to be an ideal location to test new clinical treatments, as demographically the city is meant to be what the whole of the US will look like in 20 years.

Along with the MD program, UT Health San Antonio offers a wide range of graduate medical programs and other specializations. The MD program offers unique clinical opportunities, a varied student body, innovative teaching programs and dedicated faculty and mentors. Simulation training is available to students early on, and they can supplement their learning with community service activity to hone their skills while giving back to their community.

3. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center – Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.82
    • Average MCAT: 507
    • Acceptance Rates: 2.3%

The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine operates under Texas Tech University’s banner in El Paso and is considered one of the top medical schools in Texas. They aim to provide modern scientific medical education that supports strong ethical principles, is sensitive to the needs of the community, and is committed to excellence.

The Health Sciences Center houses multiple departments focused on disciplines such as molecular and translational medicine, a breast care center, neurology, pathology etc. There are therefore many options for students to specialize and also further their education beyond the MD program.

Interestingly, the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine has a requirement that all students learn medical Spanish language skills. This is a unique requirement in the US, but a reflection on the make-up of the communities around El Paso and in Texas in general.

4. University of Texas McGovern Medical School

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.84
    • Average MCAT: 511
    • Acceptance Rates: 11%

Based in Houston, the McGovern Medical School is part of the Texas Medical Center and is the seventh largest medical school in the United States. It’s been in operation since 1969, when it was created with the aim to address the shortage of medical personnel in Houston.

This is a very diverse school with a relatively small intake compared to its resources. It is affiliated with numerous hospitals and clinics where students can get their practical training during clinical rotations. McGovern Medical School also offers cross-learning opportunities within the wider University of Texas at Houston, such as the schools of dentistry, nursing, bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, and public health.

Beyond the MD program, you can also obtain dual degrees with associated UT centers such as and MD/MD in conjunction with the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics, or and MD/MBA in conjunction with the University of Houston-Clear Lake.

5. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – School of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.64
    • Average MCAT: 504
    • Acceptance Rates: c. 5%

The UTRGV School of Medicine offers high-quality medical education with a mission to educate a diverse group of dedicated students across all medical disciplines. Their MD degree program promotes evidence-based practice and scientific research, as well as community and population-based health care. The university believes in life-long learning and problem-solving during its four-year curriculum and beyond. At this top medical school in Texas, students are exposed to clinical practice early, during their pre-clerkship years when they can take part in a student-run free clinic, health fairs, and more initiatives run by the university. There is also a focus on working in underserved communities so that students learn about healthcare disparities and population health.

6. Baylor College of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.89
    • Average MCAT: 515
    • Acceptance Rates: 4.9%

Baylor College of Medicine is located in Houston within the Texas Medical Center and is a private stand-alone medical university exclusively. This means its resources are totally focused on training new medical professionals. They co-own Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, the main hospital in the CHI St. Luke’s Health System, with the Catholic Health Initiatives. They also have a number of other affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes.

As one of the best medical schools in Texas, the MD program at Baylor is well regarded nationwide. It normally focuses on admitting Texas residents, who make up 75% of the incoming classes. It is important to note that Baylor is among the least expensive private medical school in the US.

The curriculum is unique, too: Baylor is one of the few American medical schools where the pre-clinical part of the degree is only 1.5 years long, allowing for 2.5 years of clinical training.

Dual degree programs are also available, thanks to links with the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MD/PhD), UTHealth School of Public Health (MD/MPH), Rice University Jesse H. Jones School of Business (MD/MBA), and the University of Houston Law Center (MD/JD).

7. Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.8
    • Average MCAT: 510
    • Acceptance Rates: N/A

The College of Medicine is situated at the heart of Texas A&M Health Science Center, in Bryan, TX. They offer a multitude of programs including the MD, which is completed in 4 years split across 1.5 years of pre-clinical studies and 2.5 years of clinical training (just like Baylor). They are affiliated with Houston Methodist Hospital and a number of centers for health sciences and research.

Texas A&M University have focused their College of Medicine on specific areas of excellence: rural and population health, military medicine, and innovation. For students specifically interested in these, it’s an ideal place of study. Moreover, although the main location is in Bryan, the College of Medicine has five locations across Texas including Dallas, Houston, Round Rock and Temple.

8. University of Texas Southwestern Medical School

  • Website
  • Admissions
  • Admission Stats:
    • Average GPA: 3.89
    • Average MCAT: 514
    • Acceptance Rates: 5.6%

We end our list of best medical schools in Texas with the UT Southwestern Medical School, which was founded in 1943 and is based in Dallas. They admit a small class of c. 230 students into the MD program every year, focusing especially on an innovative curriculum and early clinical experiences. They are proud to offer affordable tuition by comparison to many other medical schools within the state and nationwide, as well as elite-level training on a 1-1 basis via faculty mentorship of students.

UT Southwestern is the largest medical school in the University of Texas system, working with four major affiliated hospitals and many other community clinics and hospitals around Dallas and the metropolitan area. They have a large presence in Plano and Frisco, two of the biggest suburbs in the Dallas area.

During the MD program, there are numerous community service activities and opportunities allowing students to immerse themselves in the Dallas community. There are also options for dual degrees across UT schools, such as the MD/MBA in conjunction with UT Dallas and the MD/MPH in conjunction with UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

 

I hope that this article was helpful. If you are interested, visit the USA Scholarships Page!