Table of Contents
The Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) is a centralized application process for applying to public medical, dentistry, podiatry, and veterinary schools in Texas.
TMDSAS is a separate application process from AMCAS (MD schools outside TX) or AACOMAS (DO schools outside TX) with different requirements. You can submit as early as May or as late as November. (We recommend applying as early as possible.)
Important TMDSAS dates and deadlines:
- May 1, 2026 — TMDSAS opens for the 2026/27 application cycle
- May 15, 2026 — TMDSAS begins allowing application submissions
- May 23, 2026 — Last recommended date to take the MCAT for this cycle
- Mid-June 2026 — Last recommended date to take the Casper or AAMC PREview exam, if required by your institution (latest Casper schedule, latest PREview schedule)
- August 1, 2026 — Early decision application deadline
- August 15, 2026 — Latest recommended date for secondary submissions
- October 15, 2026 — Deadline to upload or postmark letters of evaluation, as well as when medical schools begin sending offers of acceptance
- November 11, 2026 — Application deadlines for most MD schools are in November (but we recommend applying earlier)
- End of January, 2027 — Deadline to submit ranking of school preference for programs where you interviewed
- Mid-February, 2027 — Match results are announced, rolling admissions period begins
If you’re applying to DO schools or MD schools outside of Texas, check out our guides to AACOMAS (osteopathic schools) or AMCAS (allopathic medical schools).
If you’re applying to DO schools or MD schools outside of Texas, check out our guides to AACOMAS (osteopathic schools) or AMCAS (allopathic medical schools).
I’ll walk you through what to expect when submitting your primary application through TMDSAS, including a step-by-step guide with screenshots that should increase your odds of success. This is a guide for medical applicants, not veterinary medicine or dental applicants.
Use our free MSC Score tool to calculate your odds of med school acceptance. Enter metrics like GPA, MCAT, and extracurriculars, and get a score between 0 and 99 that ranks your odds of getting in.
Texas Residents vs. Non-Residents
The 14 Texas medical schools that participate in TMDSAS strongly favor Texas residents. 25% of TMDSAS applicants live outside the state of Texas. However, only 5-10% of matriculants are from out of state.
By law, there’s a 10% cap on out-of-state matriculants. If you decide to apply through the TMDSAS and you are from out of state, be prepared to convince medical school admissions committees you are a good fit for their program and community.
To avoid putting all your eggs in one basket, be sure to apply through the AMCAS or AACOMAS for non-Texas schools, too.
If you are among the growing number of students taking a gap year before starting med school, consider moving to TX if you really want to go to a TX med school. You only have to demonstrate Texas residency for 12 consecutive months to qualify as a state resident and stack the odds in your favor.
TMDSAS Application Timeline
The TMDSAS application system opens the first week of May every year, with the ability to submit applications coming about 2 weeks later. However, there are actions you need to take to prepare for the TMDSAS before it officially opens in May.
Medical schools usually use a rolling admissions process, meaning applications are reviewed as they are received. We recommend submitting your application as early as possible (the first week of June is ideal) to avoid delays and increase your chances.
Below, we break down the TMDSAS timeline in detail.
September – December
From September through December, you’re planning for May, when the TMDSAS opens.
- Research the specific MD programs you want to apply to. Use our free MedSchoolExplorer to discover which programs are perfect for you!
- Plan a comprehensive MCAT study schedule to prepare for the exam without stressful cramming. We recommend studying for 6 months beforehand and taking the MCAT in April at the latest, meaning your MCAT study schedule should start in November.
- Check in with your pre-med advisor to ensure you’re on track to meet the med school prerequisites. You don’t want to wait until right before applying to find out you are missing an important course.
- Consider any extracurriculars (including clinical work) you plan to complete before graduation to strengthen your application. Do you need to fit them in this semester, or can you wait till the spring?
- Contact potential writers for your letters of evaluation before the end of the semester so that you don’t have to worry about whether you have enough in the spring.
- Request your official transcripts from all undergraduate schools you’ve attended. You never know when an academic records department is going to drag their feet, so it’s best to contact them before the end of the year.
January – April
From January through April, you’re preparing parts of your application that you’ll be able to upload into your AMCAS in May.
- Start drafting your personal statement essay. Do not use AI to write it. As long as your school has no policy against it, you may use AI to give editing suggestions to your personal statement. Have mentors read over your essay to provide feedback.
- Draft <500-character descriptions for meaningful activities that have developed you as a person and as a future physician.
- Take the MCAT early enough to get your scores back by the end of June or earlier. Unlike with AMCAS, your MCAT scores are not automatically released to TMDSAS, so you’ll need to manually submit them through AAMC’s MCAT Score Reporting System.
- Schedule your Casper or AAMC PREview exam if required by your chosen schools.
May
On May 1, 2026, the TMDSAS opens, and you can log in and fill out your application. You can’t actually submit any applications until May 15, though.
- Create an account on the TMDSAS website. Log in or sign up here.
- Complete the biographical information sections of the application, including which school(s) you’ve attended.
- Fill out the college coursework section, complete with a transcript.
- In the Letters of Evaluation section, list your letter writers who will send in confidential letters about your character and competency. Check in with your evaluators to ensure they received the request via email. Schedule times to follow up with them after a period of time has passed if their evaluation hasn’t been submitted.
- Request that your schools send your official transcripts directly to TMDSAS. Resolve any holds due to financial or other issues as quickly as possible.
- Fill out the remaining TMDSAS sections.
June – August
We recommend you submit your applications by mid-June for the best results.
- Download a completed copy of your primary application.
- Submit your application in the first two weeks of June, even if your MCAT scores have not been reported. Once MCAT scores are released, they can be added to an already-submitted application without sending you to the back of the processing queue.
- Keep an eye on your application’s verification status. Verification should take around 2-4 weeks to complete. If your application has a significant number of errors, it may be “undelivered” and sent back to you for correction.
- When requested, submit secondary applications no later than the end of July or the beginning of August.
How to Fill Out Your TMDSAS Application
Some TMDSAS elements are similar to those in AMCAS or AACOMAS applications, and others are different. Let’s go section by section through what to expect and how to fill out the TMDSAS for the best chance at admission to a Texas medical school.
Updates to AI Usage Policy
The TMDSAS now requires applicants to adhere to certain professionalism standards concerning artificial intelligence (AI). Here are the recent updates:
- No lying or letting AI invent things for you: All submitted materials in your application should represent your real-life experiences.
- Limited use of AI allowed: It’s generally acceptable to use generative AI for brainstorming, organization of thoughts, and editing. Just not writing your actual essays.
- Zero AI during interviews: Any use of AI tools during interviews for med school is strictly prohibited.
Account Setup & Applicant Agreement
Sign up for a TMDSAS account well before applications open. We recommend signing up for convenient text messages in case you need to reset your password.
Your email address will be your username. Create a password. Answer three security questions, and you’ve signed in!
The first page you’ll see after setting your login is the Applicant User Agreement. It’s several sections of items you have to check off before clicking “I agree.”
Section 1: School Selection
Once the TMDSAS opens, you can fill out the School Selection section. List all the medical schools, special programs, or dual degree programs (MD/PhD) that you’re applying to.
You will indicate whether you’re applying through any special or assured-admission programs, such as JAMP. If you’re not applying through special or assured admissions, you may indicate whether you’re applying to an Early Decision Program, available for about half of the Texas medical schools.
You’ll also indicate whether you’re also applying to schools through the AMCAS application process.
Section 2: Applicant History
Here, you’ll answer the question, “Have you ever applied to a TMDSAS medical school?”
You’ll have to answer some short essay questions. For reapplicants, this is your opportunity to explain how you’ve strengthened your application since you last applied.
Section 3: Personal Information
This section requires you to fill in the following personal information:
- Name
- Contact info
- Residency status
- Demographic details
- Parental information
- Family background
- Educational history
Be accurate and consistent, especially with residency information. Texas schools have specific criteria for in-state applicants.
Section 4: Education History
List the high school(s) and college(s) you’ve attended, as well as any nontraditional training you’ve gone through.
In this section, indicate your high school GPA, SAT/ACT scores, how many terms, post-bacc studies, and disciplinary actions.
Read Next: What Counts Towards Your BCPM GPA?
Section 5: Coursework
Enter all coursework from each institution attended. Ensure accuracy, as TMDSAS will verify this information against your official transcripts.
The following courses do not need to be included:
- Courses worth zero credit hours
- Continuing Education courses
- Developmental courses
What’s the best undergrad GPA to get into med school? Learn more here.
Section 6: Personal Biography & Activities
In this critical section, list every relevant healthcare and non-healthcare activity or experience since high school graduation.
You may only enter each activity into one category – except for the Leadership category, which can be combined with any other category.
Uniquely, the same activity can be listed under the categories Healthcare and Employment, but add a different description for each that focuses on the category.
Here are the categories of TMDSAS activities, along with the character limits for their descriptions:
- Academic Recognition — 300 characters
- Non-Academic Recognition — 300 characters
- Leadership — 500 characters
- Employment — 300 characters
- Research — 500 characters
- Healthcare — 500 characters
- Community Service — 500 characters
- Extracurricular — 500 characters
Pick your three “Top Meaningful Activities.” You get an additional 500 characters (on top of the initial activity’s description) to describe how it was a most meaningful experience to you.
You can list “Planned Activities” that have not begun yet. You have 500 characters to describe what your future holds and why it matters. Just to be clear, don’t make up maybes and dreams; only list activities that are definitely set to happen in the near future that are relevant.
Unlike AMCAS, there is no limit to the amount of activities you can include in TMDSAS.
Free Guide: 5 Must-Have Activities for Med School Application
Section 7: Residency
TMDSAS requires a residency affidavit for applicants claiming Texas residency for admissions purposes only. Non-Texas U.S. citizens may still apply, but far fewer non-Texas residents are accepted than people who have lived in Texas for at least 12 months.
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must directly upload to TMDSAS a copy of their Permanent Resident card or Visa stamp in their passport.
Section 8: Essays
Here, you have an opportunity to represent yourself through expression and perspective, rather than data. Along with the Activities section, this is where you can inject the most personality and narrative. Essays cannot be altered after you submit your application.
These are the three essays on the TMDSAS:
- Personal Statement: This is your chance to explain your motivation for pursuing a career in medicine. Describe why you’re entering the medical field, what your professional plans are as a physician, how you’re different from others in the applicant pool, and what drives you to succeed. See our writing guide here. TMDSAS imposes a strict 5,000-character limit, including spaces, so concisely focus on impactful experiences that shaped your journey to becoming a physician.
- Personal Characteristics Essay: This newly required essay prompt asks you to describe yourself holistically, not just as a future physician. Detail the characteristics and lived experiences that might enrich the educational experience of others. This essay also has a 5,000-character limit, including spaces.
- Optional Essay: We recommend you take the opportunity to write about the unique circumstances or disadvantages you’ve faced that may not fit into the primary narrative of your personal statement. The optional essay has a 2,500-character limit.
There is an additional essay for dual degree program applicants (MD/PhD and DO/PhD) so that the applicant can describe why they’re pursuing the dual degree. You should discuss research experience and publications in this essay.
Craft your personal statement with 1-on-1 help from a Physician Advisor and a professional writer. No limits on messaging, hours, or edits.
Section 9: Letters of Evaluation
TMDSAS requires three letters of evaluation, or a Health Professions Committee Packet or Letter. With either option, you may submit one additional letter or evaluation form, but you must indicate in the TMDSAS that you’re submitting the additional letter.
Create an entry for each letter, which prompts an email to your letter writers, who directly upload their letters of evaluation. You may also use helpful services like Interfolio to submit letters.
Know that processing can take 10-14 business days for your letters to be processed, approved, and uploaded to your application.
The letters of evaluation (also known as letters of recommendation) should be from individuals who can speak to your academic abilities, character, and suitability for the program.
You can submit your TMDSAS application before individual letters are submitted.
Section 10: Transcripts
Transcripts are actually not due at the time that you submit your TMDSAS application. Transcripts may not be requested until after you’ve been accepted.
Save time and money by sending in transcripts only when requested by TMDSAS. If you send in your transcripts prior to a request, TMDSAS will not keep them on file.
Section 11: Test Scores
Input your MCAT scores if available. TMDSAS will verify these scores, so ensure that your official scores are sent directly to TMDSAS from AMCAS.
Entering your MCAT info into the application will not automatically release your scores to TMDSAS.
You must intentionally release your MCAT scores to TMDSAS, utilizing the MCAT Score Reporting System. You must request to release your scores to TMDSAS as soon as they’re available to you.
You don’t have to wait till you have your MCAT scores to submit your application. You can release your MCAT scores after submitting, and it won’t affect your spot in the application processing queue.
Section 12: Chronology of Activities
The Chronology of Activities serves only as a summary page. It will auto-generate after you’ve completed other sections.
You can edit this chronology, but it won’t edit the origin section of the auto-generated information.
Certification & Submission
Here, you must indicate that everything you’ve included is true and that you’ll inform TMDSAS if anything happens before matriculation that changes your answers on the application. Then, you’ll submit your $230 payment.
Before finishing this final step, we recommend downloading a copy of your application and reviewing it one last time.
Cost & Waivers
TMDSAS has a flat fee of $230 to apply. There is no difference in cost between in-state and out-of-state residents, and you don’t have to pay extra to apply to multiple schools.
The fee is payable only by credit card. This cost is non-refundable.
Unlike AMCAS or AACOMAS, TMDSAS does not grant any application fee waivers, regardless of your personal or financial circumstances.
Can I Add Information After Submitting My Application?
There is limited information you can add or change after submitting your TMDSAS application.
Here is what you can add or update:
- Adding/removing schools to apply to
- Certain aspects of your application history and application status
- Colleges attended
- College coursework
- Contact information
- Demographic info
- Education history
- Letters of evaluation, if not yet received
- Test scores
- Proof of residency
- Residency status
- Test scores
- Transcripts
- Upload photo, if the uploaded photo doesn’t meet TMDSAS standards
You cannot add or edit your essays or activities.
The TMDSAS Match Process
The TMDSAS uses a unique matching process that you need to know about if you’re applying in Texas.
The TMDSAS Match is the process by which applicants are matched into a medical school from which they received an acceptance letter from. The final outcome of the Match determines which Texas medical school you may attend.
Here’s how the TMDSAS Match works:
- Pre-Match offers are unique to TMDSAS. In November and December, particularly qualified applicants may receive “Pre-Match offers” from schools, which indicate a reserved spot if the applicant includes that program on their rank order list.
- All applicants submit a rank order list of the schools where they interviewed by mid- to late-January (dates vary annually). Applicants can rank schools in any order of Match preference, regardless of whether they received a Pre-Match offer.
- How the algorithm works: If an applicant ranks a school with a Pre-Match offer as their top choice, the Match algorithm guarantees them a spot at that school. If their first choice is a school without a Pre-Match offer, the algorithm attempts to match them there first. If accepted, the applicant will matriculate at that school; if not, the algorithm moves sequentially through the ranked list, following the same process.
- This matching process continues until a match is made or the list is exhausted, resulting in no match for the applicant.
- Schools may place applicants on a waitlist. If the algorithm encounters a waitlisted school, it keeps that school as the applicant’s top choice while continuing down the list to secure a confirmed match. If the waitlisted school later offers acceptance, the applicant will matriculate there; otherwise, they will attend the lower-ranked matched school or no school if no confirmed match exists.
While the TMDSAS match may seem convoluted, it plays a key role in facilitating the distribution, acceptance, and withdrawal of applications among med schools during the cycle. TMDSAS sets annual deadlines for the Pre-Match offer period, Match preference deadline, and Match results announcement.
Schools That Use TMDSAS
There are 14 Texas medical schools that use the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS):
- Baylor College of Medicine
- John Sealy School of Medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch
- Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio
- McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston
- Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine at Lubbock
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
- Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at University of Houston
- The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
- The University of North Texas Health Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
- The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine
Texas Schools That Don’t Require TMDSAS
Some private institutions in Texas don’t require the TMDSAS, including:
- Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University (TCU) uses AMCAS.
- University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) uses AACOMAS.
FAQs
No, the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) is a different medical school application system than the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), which is administered by AAMC.
While TMDSAS is for applying to the 14 medical schools in Texas, most American MD schools outside of Texas use the AMCAS application system.
These systems have similarities but differ in their requirements, format, and deadlines. Learn more about the AMCAS here.
Texas uses the TMDSAS system to benefit both applicants and institutions. The TMDSAS Match program ensures the right students enroll at the right school. Texas lawmakers and institutions were probably trying to encourage in-state training to promote in-state practice after licensure.
If you’re not a resident of the Lone Star State, it may be difficult for you to be accepted into a Texas medical program — but not impossible. The Texas legislature set a 10% cap on non-resident med school students. This cap is meant to address Texans’ healthcare and health education needs by giving preference to resident applicants.
Applying to medical schools in and outside of Texas means applying through two or three different application services.
There's not much that TMDSAS, AMCAS, or AACOMAS do to make it easier to apply through multiple services. However, you can simplify the process by reusing your personal statement, activities section details, and letters of recommendation.
If your AP credits are listed on your college transcript, they should count toward your TMDSAS prerequisites. Many schools do prefer college-level coursework to advanced placement classes in high school.
If the AP credit is represented as a lump sum (i.e., “Transfer exam credit: 16 hours”), a letter from your Registrar’s Office is required to break down the following specifics: prefix, course number, course name, credit hours.
How to enter non-lump AP credits into your TMDSAS Coursework Section:
- Academic Status — PF (Pre-Freshman)
- Course Type — (Advanced Placement)
- Grade — CR (Credit)
- Code — according to the standard coding guidelines
If you want to apply early decision, participating schools (8 out of the 14 TX medical schools) may have slightly different processes. But generally, the deadline for early decision or early admissions programs is August 1st.
Even if you’re not applying to an official early decision program, we still recommend you submit your applications by mid-June to take advantage of most schools’ rolling admissions process, which benefits earlier applicants, whether programs mean to or not.
Yes, you can submit your TMDSAS without an MCAT score. Your application will be put in a processing queue, but it will not be fully processed until MCAT scores are attached.
You can release MCAT scores as soon as they’re reported to you, and the MCAT score will be attached to your application without it going to the back of the line.
The TMDSAS does not allocate a specific part of the application to identifying the applicant’s disadvantages or disabilities. However, the optional essay, personal characteristics section, and personal statement are all valid places to mention your unique circumstances.
Build Your Application Alongside a Physician
After submitting your application, you can monitor your application status in your portal at tmdsas.com. Check back regularly for messages from your applicant liaison. Resolve any prescribed coursework deficiencies when they arise.
The TMDSAS application process is not complicated, but there are ways you can inadvertently ruin your submission. The most common errors include:
- Not giving yourself enough time to apply.
- Not preparing in the years leading up to your application.
- Not thoroughly triple-checking your application.
- Not providing correct information.
- Not seeking advice from expert application advisors.
You’ve spent so much time and money on the road to becoming a doctor. Don’t let a weak application cost you unnecessary time and money. Invest in application consulting at MedSchoolCoach.
Build your application alongside a doctor with admissions experience, and join the 95% of clients who get into medical school.
Sahil Mehta MD
Dr. Mehta is the founder of MedSchoolCoach and has guided thousands of successful medical school applicants. He is also a practicing physician in Boston where he specializes in vascular and interventional radiology.
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