TMDSAS

Medical Application

• How to Apply
  • Application Instructions
  • Education Requirements
  • Foreign Coursework
  • Admissions Tests
  • Special Programs
  • Section Overview
  • Evaluation Form
  • Applicant Responsibilities
  • Application
• After you Apply
• Acceptance/Match Info
• Enter Match Preference
• Participating Schools

Resources

• FAQ
• Residency
• Policies
• Texas Academic Fresh Start
• Application Statistics

TMDSAS Application Instructions:

The application is available beginning May 18th. Early filing is strongly encouraged.

The deadline to apply is October 1, 2009.

The application deadline for the following programs is August 1, 2009:

• Early Decision Program – Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine
• Early Decision Program – University of North Texas HSC – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Partnership for Primary Care Program - Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine

A Complete Application File Consists of:

• Online Application
• Application Fee
• Photo
• Copy of Visa or Permanent Resident Card (if applicable)
• Official Transcripts
• Evaluation Letters
• Official MCAT Score Report
• Secondary Applications

ONLINE APPLICATION

TMDSAS will not begin to process your application until your completed application has been submitted online and the following items have been received:

• Application Fee
• Photo
• Copy of Visa or Permanent Resident card (if applicable)
• Spring 2009 Grades

To learn more about each section of the application, visit the Section Overview. You are strongly encouraged to print a copy and refer to it while completing the application.

Getting Started - Creating an Account

1. Click on the [Login] tab in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
2. Click on the [Register] tab.
3. Fill in the required information and click [Register] to have your account created.
4. The application will come up and you can begin filling out the application.

Do not mail in any supplemental materials until after you have created an account and received your TMDSAS ID. You can create your account on May 18th when the application opens. Supplemental materials include: official transcripts, evaluation letters and MCAT test scores.

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APPLICATION FEE

The fee may be paid by personal check, money order or cashier's check drawn on a US bank. TMDSAS cannot accept a US dollar account check from a Canadian bank. Checks and money orders should be made payable to TMDSAS.

TMDSAS does not grant fee waivers

Please include your TMDSAS ID on the front of the check/money order. If anyone other than the applicant signs the check/ money order, the applicant's name and TMDSAS ID must be printed on the face of the check/money order to facilitate proper identification.

The application fee is non-refundable once initial processing of an application has begun.

The application fee is based upon residence status and the number of schools to which the applicant applies. The application cannot be processed with a Texas resident filing fee if there is reason to question Texas Residency status. If Texas Residency status is questionable, we advise that a non-resident filing fee be submitted with the application along with a written request for a refund of the difference if you are classified as a Texas resident by the application deadline.

The following are considered an Application Irregularity and are reported to the appropriate professional associations. Either of these actions could initiate an investigation that would result in all medical schools being notified of the irregularity.

• Non-payment of a returned check
• Placing a stop-payment order or canceling a check in lieu of formally withdrawing an application

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PHOTO

Applicants are required to submit a photo with their application. Photos can be uploaded directly to the application. If you are unable to upload a photo, you can go to a print shop such as Kinko's and have them take a digital photo which can then be uploaded.

We accept the following types of images: JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, BMP.

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VISA OR PERMANENT RESIDENT CARD

Applicants who are not US citizens and are here on a Visa or are a Permanent Resident must submit a copy (both front and back) of their Permanent Resident card or visa stamp in your passport to TMDSAS. This documentation can be uploaded directly to the application or mailed in to TMDSAS. If mailed, include your full name and TMDSAS ID on the copy.

Foreign national applicants whose application for Permanent Resident Status has been preliminarily reviewed should have received a fee/filing receipt or Notice of Action (I-797) from USCIS indicating the I-485 has been reviewed and has not been rejected. These applicants must submit a copy of the fee/filing receipt or Notice of Approval to TMDSAS. This documentation can be uploaded directly to the application or mailed in to TMDSAS. If mailed, include your full name and TMDSAS ID on the copy.

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OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS

You must arrange for a sealed official transcript, accompanied by a Transcript Request Form, to be sent directly to TMDSAS from every accredited US and Canadian institution you have attended.

TMDSAS will accept a transcript sent by an applicant as long as it is in the official sealed envelope from the Registrar. The transcript MUST be accompanied by the Transcript Request Form. Transcripts submitted by applicants cannot be more than a year old.

Official transcripts will be necessary for all undergraduate, graduate and professional coursework. Transcripts must be submitted from each school attended even if:

• Coursework appears as transfer credit on another school’s transcript
• Coursework does not count toward a degree
• Coursework was taken while attending high school

Only one transcript from each school attended is required. Transcripts released to students are considered official ONLY if they have been duly sealed and certified as original and valid by the registrar. Photocopies or faxed copies are NOT accepted.

TMDSAS recommends that you obtain a personal copy of each transcript for your records to help you properly complete the Colleges and Coursework section of your application.

It is your responsibility to verify and ensure that TMDSAS has received all of your official transcripts. Check the status of your transcripts regularly by logging into your application and viewing the TMDSAS Status on the homepage.

Transcript Request Form

TMDSAS requires that you print a Transcript Request Form for each transcript being requested and advise your Registrar’s office to attach the Transcript Request Form to each official transcript. This form contains the school’s name and a bar code that helps TMDSAS properly match your official transcripts to your TMDSAS application.

Do not use forms from previous TMDSAS application cycles. They will not be accepted.

 How to Print a Transcript Request Form

1. Login to your TMDSAS application; select the [Colleges and Coursework] section from [Part 2: Education, Employment & Activities] under the [Questions] tab.
2. Enter the names of the colleges you have attended or plan to attend.
3. Click on the [Credentials] tab.
4. Click on the [Document Status & Request Forms] tab.
5. Click [Request Form] listed to each college name
6. Submit to the Registrar’s office of every accredited U.S. and Canadian college/university you have attended.
7. Be sure to advise the Registrar’s office to enclose the Transcript Request Form with your official sealed transcript and mail it directly to Interfolio. Transcripts that are not accompanied by the Transcript Request Form can result in a delay in processing your application.

 Canadian Transcripts

Follow steps 1 – 6 above to have your English-speaking Canadian transcripts to be sent to TMDSAS.

 Study Abroad

If you participated in a Study Abroad program under the sponsorship of a US or Canadian institution and the international coursework appears on the US/Canadian transcript as regular itemized credit, only list the US or Canadian institution on your TMDSAS application. DO NOT list the international (foreign) institution. Arrange for only the US or Canadian transcript to be sent to TMDSAS. TMDSAS processes study-abroad coursework in the same manner as US and Canadian coursework.

Overseas US Institutions

Overseas US institutions are:

1. Located outside US borders,
2. Accredited by a regional institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education, and
3. Use English as the primary language of instruction and documentation.

If you attended an overseas US institution, report it to TMDSAS in the same manner as your US and (English-speaking) Canadian institutions and arrange for an official transcript to be forwarded to TMDSAS. List all coursework on your TMDSAS application. US institutions with campuses overseas are also considered US colleges for which transcripts are required and all coursework must be listed.

Foreign Transcripts

TMDSAS will accept a photocopy of a foreign transcript since it may be difficult to obtain an official transcript.

By state law, foreign coursework is not included in the calculation of the admission GPA. Transcripts from foreign schools will be forwarded to the schools so they can be evaluated based on criteria established by the Admissions Committee at the respective school. Course work taken at foreign institutions must be evaluated for US equivalence by one of the evaluation services listed on the Foreign Coursework page and an official copy must be sent from the service directly to TMDSAS. Your application will not be complete without an official evaluation.

A separate transcript from a foreign university is not required for formal Study Abroad programs if the enrollment in these courses is through a US or Canadian sponsoring institution. Grades from these courses must be reported on the US or Canadian institution transcript as if the course was taken in residence.

* NOTE: Transcripts sent to TMDSAS remain the property of TMDSAS. Transcripts are not forwarded to the medical schools. The transcripts are used by TMDSAS to validate coursework listed on the Record of College Work. If accepted to medical school, applicants will be required to send transcripts to the accepting school before matriculation.

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EVALUATION LETTERS

Applicants are required to submit either:

• ONE Health Professions Committee Packet

OR

• TWO individual letters of evaluation.

TMDSAS accepts letters from Interfolio and Virtual Evals. Please make sure that your TMDSAS ID is entered into those systems so that we can match your letters properly.

Submitting a Health Professions Committee Packet

Many institutions utilize a Health Professions Committee Packet for their professional school applicants. These packets come in three basic formats:

• Committee letter with supporting letters attached.
• Committee letter that is composed and uses quotes from various evaluators but may or may not have supporting letters attached.
• Composite letter which usually consists of a cover letter from an advising office and a collection of individual evaluation letters that are attached. With composite letters, the advising office serves as a central collection service for the applicant, but does not make additional assessments of the candidate.

All three types of HP Committee Packets are acceptable to TMDSAS, regardless of the number of evaluations that may be contained within the document. TMDSAS respects the varying philosophies of colleges and universities as to how best to provide a HP Committee Packet and therefore does not limit the number of evaluations included.

If you are having an HP Committee Packet submitted on your behalf, indicate the name of the school that will be submitting the packet in the application. The packet must be accompanied by the Document Request Form which you will create and print from within the application.

Submitting Individual Letters of Evaluation

Individual evaluation letters should come from professors, preferably in the Biological sciences. Prior to providing names in the Letters of Evaluators section, applicants should ask individuals if they are willing to serve as evaluators. If so, ask each evaluator if he/she wishes to provide the Letter of Evaluation to TMDSAS electronically or prefers to provide a paper letter that is mailed to TMDSAS. If the evaluator is sending a letter electronically, TMDSAS needs the evaluator’s email address so we can send a message to the evaluator that indicates the process for electronic submission.

If there is no formal Health Professions Advisory Committee at your institution, two individual letters of evaluation are required. Evaluators should know an applicant well enough to evaluate him/her both academically and personally. Be sure evaluators include the applicant's full name and TMDSAS ID number on evaluations. Individual evaluation letters MUST be accompanied by the Document Request Form and the TMDSAS Evaluation Form (with the waiver signature line completed) if the student is waiving his/her right of access to the evaluation letter. Both forms will be available from within the application.

Evaluators who choose to mail in their letter MUST mail letters to TMDSAS in an official school or business envelope. The letter MUST contain the evaluator's name, title, address, phone number and signature. The letter MUST be sealed in an envelope with the evaluator's signature across the seal. Individual evaluation letters MUST be accompanied by the Document Request Form and the TMDSAS Evaluation Form (with the waiver signature line completed) if the student is waiving his/her right of access to the evaluation letter. If TMDSAS receives an evaluation letter without the TMDSAS Evaluation Form, it is assumed that the applicant has not waived his/her right of access to the letter.

Extra Letters

The participating schools prefer to receive only the required evaluation letters. Additional letters are not encouraged. However, TMDSAS will forward only ONE letter in addition to the required letters. The additional evaluation letter MUST be accompanied by the Document Request Form and the TMDSAS Evaluation Form (with the waiver signature line completed) if the student is waiving his/her right of access to the evaluation letter. You will indicate in the application if you are submitting an extra letter and who the extra letter is being written by. Other additional letters may be sent directly to the schools, but applicants will need to contact each school to verify if additional letters will be accepted.

Remember, evaluation letters will not be considered complete until TMDSAS has received the Health Professions Evaluation packet or the individual evaluation letters indicated on the application. We understand that evaluators may change. You MUST update TMDSAS of an evaluator change immediately.

Once you have secured a different evaluator, please notify TMDSAS of the new evaluator. To make this change, email tmdsas@utsystem.edu. Include your full name, TMDSAS ID and indicate the name of the evaluator that needs to be removed. Provide the following information for the evaluator that should be added:

• First name of Evaluator
• Last name of Evaluator
• Suffix (i.e. MD, PhD, etc.)
• Relationship to you

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ADMISSION TEST SCORES

The Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT, is required for admission to medical school. Only MCAT scores from the previous five years will be considered for the current application cycle. Scores from years prior to 2005 will not be considered. The MCAT must be taken by the last test date in September 2009.

We strongly encourage taking the MCAT exam in January, April or May so that your application will be completed and in the applicant pool for the start of the interview season. The interview season generally begins at the end of August and closes sometime in early December. Applicants who wait to take the examination for the first time in July, August or September may find action on their application delayed until late in the admission season.

Applicants MUST release their MCAT scores to TMDSAS as soon as they are released to the applicant. This is done by using the MCAT Testing History (THx) System. From the MCAT Testing History System, select [Send All of My Scores], then select [Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service] (4th on the list under [Application Services]). Applicants MUST request that the scores of ALL tests taken be released to TMDSAS.

* Important: Any change in planned test dates MUST be immediately reported to TMDSAS. Failure to do so will cause your application to be incomplete which could effect your evaluation at one or more of the participating schools.

More information regarding the MCAT can be obtained from their website: www.aamc.org/students/mcat

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MEDICAL SECONDARY APPLICATIONS

Secondary applications should be completed as soon as you submit your TMDSAS application.

Any questions relating to a secondary application should be directed to the respective school. Any secondary application required documents and/or fees should be sent directly to the school and NOT to TMDSAS.

Completion of the secondary application is required by the following medical schools before the TMDSAS application is considered.

1. UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas
2. Texas A&M Health Science Center, College of Medicine Available May 15. Deadline: October 1 (at 11:59 PM CT)
   
   The Texas A&M HSC COM secondary application must be submitted no later than midnight on October 1st.  The secondary application fee payment must be post-marked no later than October 1st
3. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine - Deadline: October 1 (at 11:59 PM CT)
4. JD/MD Program at Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine
5. The University of North Texas HSC – Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

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What Happens After I Submit My Application Online?

1. Applicants can enter or change any information prior to submission of the application. Once the application is submitted, all other changes must be requested via a detailed email to TMDSAS. The email should include your full name and TMDSAS ID.
2. You are able to make changes to the Contact Info yourself from within the application.
3. To make changes to the following: Test Score Information, Letters of Evaluation, and to add planned course work to the Colleges and Coursework section you must email TMDSAS.
   
   Email tmdsas@utsystem.edu - include your full name, TMDSAS ID and the exact change that needs to be made.
4. Mail your application fee, photo and/or Visa/PR card to TMDSAS if you are not uploading these items electronically.
   Applications are processed in the order in which these items are received.
5. Complete secondary applications, if applicable.
6. Ensure all supporting documents are sent to TMDSAS promptly. The fastest and most convenient way to check your application status is on-line. You can view the real-time progress of your application by: a. Logging into your TMDSAS application, b. Viewing the TMDSAS Status section on the right hand side of the screen.

• Once the application is transmitted to the schools, applicants will receive notification via email.  They can then access their Applicant Profile.
• Corrections and/or updates to the application will be reflected on the Applicant Profile and transmitted to all schools.
• Evaluation of applications and admission actions will be made by the schools.

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Validation of Colleges and Coursework

The information submitted by the applicant in the Colleges and Coursework section is compared to the official transcripts for all applicants selected for interview.

This ensures that all coursework is listed in the Colleges and Coursework section and that each course is properly classified by TMDSAS standards.

NOTE: Updated transcripts must be submitted to TMDSAS after each semester/quarter that coursework is completed between time of application and expected matriculation into medical school.

Validation procedures generate an official Prescribed Course Report that indicates any deficiencies in coursework .

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