Early Acceptance Program: TTUHSC School of Medicine
Cultivating Outstanding, Well-Rounded Professionals
The joint TTU-TTUHSC Early Acceptance Program offers an exciting opportunity to select Honors College students by allowing them to waive the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and to apply early to the TTUHSC’s School of Medicine (SOM), typically in the junior year. Successful Early Acceptance applicants are notified of their acceptance to the SOM in February and complete their baccalaureate degrees prior to admission to the SOM.
The primary goal of this special program is to encourage Honors students to broaden their educational experiences before they enroll in their professional studies. The waiver of the MCAT allows students to become actively involved in the Honors College and to include coursework or other experiences in areas such as languages, the humanities, mathematics, and business, enabling them to become more well-rounded professionals. This is not an accelerated program. Therefore, the School of Medicine reserves the right to deny acceptance through this program to students who may contemplate early graduation.
MD/MBA (Heath Organization Management) Program
JD/MD (TTU Law/TTUHSC) Program
Honors Arts and Letters (HAL) Health and Humanities Track
Eligibility to Apply
General Requirements for Application. Early acceptance is available to Honors students within any major, so long as the requirements for entry to the School of Medicine are met and the student is judged to be an exceptional candidate by the SOM Admissions Committee in the circumstances under which she or he applies.
Students who
- are officially enrolled in the Honors College,
- enter TTU as freshmen (students classified as transfer students upon entering TTU are ineligible),
- are residents of the state of Texas,
- have earned a composite score of at least 1300 on the SAT (verbal and math portions only) or at least 29 on the ACT upon matriculation at Texas Tech University (the composite score must be earned in one test administration)
- submit a “checklist” form to Honors during semester of application to SOM, and
- meet all of the following criteria are eligible to apply.
Science Requirements for Application. All students entering the School of Medicine must have completed 38 hours of required science courses, including 16 hours of chemistry, 14 hours of biology, and 8 hours of physics. (Students should obtain a PMED course guide for specific requirements). Students who apply to the SOM through the Early Acceptance program are not expected to have completed all such hours at the time of application but must have fulfilled the following requirements by the time the application is considered:
- The student must have completed at least 32 of the 38 hours in the sciences required for admission to the SOM, with a grade of “B” or higher. If a grade of “C” is earned in any science course required for admission, that course cannot apply to fulfill the 32 science hours required for application; that is, additional hours of science courses must be completed such that the student has earned at least 32 hours in the sciences with a grade of “B” or higher.
- Of the 32 completed science hours, the student must have completed at least one semester of organic chemistry. (Because applications for Early Acceptance candidates will typically be considered late in December, the student may be enrolled in organic chemistry during the semester of application. Students who plan to be abroad during the semester of application should plan to be in the United States by December for the interview process.)
- The student must have earned both a science GPA of 3.5 and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better.
- The School of Medicine requires that all science hours required for admission be taken at TTU with an earned letter grade, with the following exceptions:
- CLEP, AP, and IB credits for these courses are allowed. (If, however, the SOM Admissions Committee determines that insufficient information is available to judge the candidate’s abilities as a result of a substantial number of such credits, the candidate will not be accepted through the Early Acceptance option.)
- Dual-credit (courses taken in high school for both high school and college credit) or other transfer credits (courses taken at another university) are NOT allowed, except in the case of resident science and math academies, such as the Texas Academy of Math and Science. (Although resident science and math academies’ credits may be accepted, if the SOM Admissions Committee determines that insufficient information is available to judge the candidate’s abilities as a result of a substantial number of such credits, the candidate will not be accepted through the Early Acceptance option.)
- Credits earned through Texas Tech and Reciprocal international study programs are allowed (when grades that contribute toward the student’s TTU GPA are earned on a TTU transcript and the student is continuously enrolled at TTU), but credits earned through Affiliated international study programs are NOT allowed (since grades that contribute toward the student’s TTU GPA are not earned).
Requirements for Non-Science Courses. If a student has earned credit for any non-science course which is required for application (e.g., English) but has not earned a letter grade for the course, the SOM reserves the right to determine whether such credit will be accepted as fulfilling the requirements for application.
The Application and Interview Process
When a student meets the above criteria and completes the application by the September 30 deadline of the junior year, she or he will be offered two individual interviews (Oct-Dec) by the Admissions Committee at the School of Medicine. A student must file a Honors College Certification form with the Honors College advisor for submission to the TTUHSC School of Medicine-Admissions for an evaluation to interview. Interviews focus on the ability of the student to balance academic with extracurricular/work activities. Students must show evidence of caring behaviors, typically demonstrated by volunteer activities; medically related experiences, including patient contact; awareness of the health care system and its current changes. It is also necessary for applicants to develop interpersonal skills, especially the ability to interact well with patients and others.
If a student is judged to be an exceptional (volunteerism, medical exposure, grades, Honors involvement) candidate by the Admissions Committee, she or he will be notified by February of acceptance to the School of Medicine for entry in the fall following graduation from TTU with a baccalaureate degree.
After Acceptance
If granted acceptance, a student may waive the MCAT requirement. If a student elects to take the MCAT for any reason, he or she must score at or above the mean of the current freshman class in the SOM to maintain Early Acceptance status. Because the School of Medicine is granting a substantial privilege to Early Acceptance students, the School expects that students who accept the Early Acceptance opportunity to be a full-time enrolled student in their senior year following their medical school acceptance and commit themselves to matriculation at the TTUHSC School of Medicine in the fall following graduation. If a student subsequently chooses to apply to other medical schools, he or she must notify the TTUHSC SOM prior to applying to other schools and must surrender her or his Early Acceptance seat.
All required science courses following acceptance must be completed with a grade of “B” or higher, and accepted students must maintain a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA. If a grade of “C” is earned in any required science course, that course may be retaken one time only, and a grade of “B” or higher must be earned in order for the student to maintain his or her position in medical school. If the cumulative GPA drops below 3.5, the medical school will review the student’s ability to maintain his or her Early Acceptance seat.
The Honors College reports to the School of Medicine the academic progress of each Early Acceptance candidate every semester following acceptance, and accepted students must remain in good standing in the Honors College as detailed in the Honors Student Handbook. Failure to complete the requirements to graduate within the Honors College is basis for dismissal from the Honors Early Acceptance Program.
To Apply
Students who are approaching the semester of application (May 1-September with 32 science hours) should meet with an Honors College advisor prior to submitting their applications. Appointments with advisors can be made by calling 742-1828, or by e-mailing honors@ttu.edu.
Primary application materials are available at http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/ and required secondary materials are available at https://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/ . Please note “TTU/TTUHSC Honors Early Acceptance Program" on the primary application. Students interested in the MD/MBA program will instead choose the appropriate box for that program.
Program Timeline
| Freshman Classification | ||
| Meet all entrance criteria of program | ||
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Develop a 4-yr plan of both patient care experiences and
extracurricular activities including active involvement in the Honors College |
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4 long semesters (fall/spring) prior to graduation (32 hours of science have been completed with "B" or better) |
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| May 1-Sep 30 | Medical school applications (primary and secondary) due | |
| (https://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/admissions/-- links to TMDSAS application) | ||
| Notify the Honors College of your intent to apply & submit checklist for approval | ||
| December | Complete Organic Chemistry with "B" or higher if in progress | |
| Interviews held | ||
| February | Applicant Notified | |
| Year of Graduation | ||
| Maintain active status with Honors College and complete Honors requirements by graduation | ||
| Maintain GPA requirements | ||
| Apply to MD/MBA program, if interested (summer prior to graduation) | ||
| Complete undergraduate degree in May | ||