Updated at: 13-03-2023 - By: Eden Wise

Overview

Because of its abundance of quality medical schools, Texas consistently ranks among the top states in which to pursue a doctorate.

Considering that the Lone Star State is home to nearly 30 million people, it is a prudent choice to pursue a medical education in Texas.

Both theoretical and practical training are emphasized at the top medical schools in Texas and elsewhere. Numerous significant discoveries have been made in Texas’ medical universities, which have contributed to the improvement of medical care and pharmaceuticals.

To compile this ranking, we considered such factors as research innovation, competitive admissions, grade point average, Medical College Admissions Test scores, and more.

Both the quality and influence of the medical centers associated with the separate medical schools were evaluated.

How about the best primary and secondary care programs in the state of Texas? Today, we present a ranking of the top Texas medical schools.

Best Medical Schools In Texas

Best medical schools in texas

Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine

U.S. News placed Texas A&M and the University of Missouri at a tie for 80th among the best medical schools for research. It also placed between #94 and #124 on the list of top primary care medical schools.

Numerous illustrious institutes and laboratories are supported by this university, allowing for a great deal of important research to be conducted. The Texas Brain and Spine Institute, the Cardiovascular Research Institute, and many others fall into this category.

The research facilities at Texas A&M University have developed cutting-edge methods for restoring facial features, cleaning water on the go for the military, and diagnosing tuberculosis.

More than a million people a year are treated at their health science center.

The university offers dual degree programs, which some students may choose to participate in. Some examples of these degrees are a combined M.D./M.S./M.B.A./M.P.H./Ph.D.

With 164 permanent faculty members and 663 regular students, the faculty to student ratio is 0.21 to 1.

Tuition for full-time residents is $16,220 and for non-residents it is $29,320. The application deadline is November 1 and the application fee is $200.

University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio

U.S. News and World Report ranked this institution at #47 among the best medical schools in the country for research. It finished in a tie for fourth place with Dartmouth (Geisel), Wake Forest, and UMass Medical School at Chan.

The primary care program at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, is ranked #36 among the best in the country. It finished in a tie for first place with the universities of Boston, Dartmouth (Geisel), Mayo Clinic (Alix), and Arkansas. The University of North Texas Health Science Center was also a tiebreaker.

Mays Cancer Center at this university collaborates with MD Anderson Cancer Center. Combined, they meet the criteria for classification as cancer by the National Cancer Institute.

One of the world’s largest oncology clinical drug trials is conducted at the Institute for Drug Development within the Mays Cancer Center. Fifteen cancer drugs on the market today went through testing there before being approved.

There are 1,002 full-time faculty members and 857 full-time students, for a faculty to student ratio of 1.2:1.

Price per year for in-state full-time students is $17,581, while the price for students from other states is $34,763.

Those interested in applying to this institution must do so by October 1st. All applicants must pay a $150 application fee.

Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine is Texas’ top medical school. This institution is tied for #22 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top medical research universities with Emory University of Georgia.

Primary care medical schools also ranked it highly, at #16. As previously stated, it was in order to improve our standing with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition to the University of Iowa (Carver) and the University of New Mexico, they were also tied.

14 members of the Institute of Medicine, 7 members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 3 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute make up their faculty.

There has been a huge amount of research produced thanks to the university’s efforts. It is also well-known for pioneering the world’s largest HIV/AIDS treatment program for children and their families at a university.

In fact, the university has over 800,000 square feet of state-of-the-art research facilities. Human Genome Sequencing Center, Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and many more laboratories are available.

They also boast the sole tropical medicine school in the country, the National School of Tropical Medicine.

Baylor also offers a number of dual degree programs for qualified students. You can find a J.D./M.D., M.D./MBA, M.D./M.P.H., and M.D./Ph.D. among them.

The ratio of Baylor’s faculty to students is among the best in the country at 3.7 to 1. They have 2,648 permanent faculty members for their 721 permanent students.

The annual fee to attend full time is $19,425. Baylor is notable for having the lowest tuition of any private medical school, despite its prestigious reputation and ranking.

There is a $100 application fee, and the deadline to submit an application is November 1.

The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School (Austin, TX) 

Only four years old, Dell Medical is one of the newest medical schools in Texas. This institution may be young, but it has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.

There is no better medical education than that offered at UT Austin’s Dell School of Medicine. The first year of a pre-clinical program is spent learning the fundamentals of the field. In the second year, students spend eight weeks rotating through medical facilities in the Austin area.

During their final year of medical school, students can specialize in a field of medicine and provide care to people in need all over Central Texas. By the end of their fourth year, students should be ready to make the jump to a medical residency.

Despite its relative youth, the admissions process at Dell Medical is highly competitive. With a total of 5,000 applicants in its first year, Dell Medical accepted 50 students, or 1%.

University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine (Galveston, TX)

According to Wikipedia, 1 in 6 Texas doctors were educated at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) School of Medicine, making it the state’s oldest and most prestigious medical institution.

In 2019, an unprecedented $560 million was endowed to the University of Texas Medical Branch. These funds will be used to improve the institution’s healthcare and infrastructure.

The Medical Center at UTMB is a massive campus with 70 buildings and over 2,500 students and 1,000 teachers. One could confidently call UTMB a medical school that is changing the world, given its enormous impact on the health profession throughout Texas and the United States.

More than $1 billion dollars in funding is allocated each year for research and other medical endeavors at UTMB.

The Texas Medical Center, which includes UTMB, is the largest medical complex in the world and spans an area of 2.1 square miles in Houston.

University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Worth, TX)

In 2021, US News ranked the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine as one of the top 75 primary care medical schools in the country. TCOM ranks in the top 17 for the number of primary care residents it has produced.

There are more than 2,200 post-graduates enrolled in one of the five colleges at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. These students come from fields as diverse as public health, pharmacy, physical therapy, and other medical sciences. The UNT Health Science Center has more rapidly expanding research programs than any other Texas medical school.

The mission of UNTHSC is centered on service to others. The medical center hosts a variety of community events such as the Hispanic Wellness Fair and the renowned Cowtown Marathon, a multi-day competition that features a 5K, 10K, and full Marathon.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX)

University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, TX)

Approximately 230 students are accepted each year into The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, making it one of the most selective medical schools in the country. This highly competitive medical school accepts only one in twenty applicants.

Over thirteen thousand people call the medical center and school home. There are nearly 2,500 doctors and other medical professionals who teach at the university. In a typical year, this medical institution produces almost four thousand graduates.

Students at Southwestern Medical School have unprecedented access to clinical practice, as the entire Southwestern Medical system treats more than 2 million patients annually.

To put it simply, Southwestern’s student body represents some of the most accomplished Texans of any educational institution. This medical school has an impressive 3.84 average GPA for first-year students. What is the average MCAT score? A 515 that ranks among the best in the world.

Southwestern is consistently ranked among the top medical schools in the world by reputable publications like US News, which placed it in the top 30 of all U.S. medical schools for 2014, ahead of even some prestigious Ivy League institutions.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine – Lubbock

In Texas, you need more than just medical know-how to become a doctor; you also need to be able to work well with other medical professionals. The best Texas medical schools give you a solid grounding in medical knowledge and a broad exposure to interdisciplinary learning experiences, allowing you to face the many challenges of patient care with confidence. Since its founding in 1969, the School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has been producing qualified and caring doctors to help alleviate the region’s physician shortage. Primary care is the main focus of medical education here, with an emphasis on teamwork between different medical specialties. Additionally, the college’s partnership with clinical affiliates, which serve as sites for clinical training and improve rural healthcare, is a significant contributor to rural health. Furthermore, as a graduate of medical school, you will leave with exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills to influence health at all levels, in addition to a future-ready skillset.

The first two years of this four-year program are dedicated to learning the foundational principles of the medical sciences. These sections will guide you through the study of cell and tissue biology, the anatomy and physiology of the body’s major organ systems, the basics of infectious disease, the science of immunity, the study of multisystem disorders, the integration of neuroscience, and the study of systemic illnesses. A Step 1 Enhancement course and a foundational Medical Spanish course are required near the end of the second year. You will gain experience in a variety of clinical settings during your third and fourth years of study. Internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and family medicine are just some of the specialties you’ll get to learn about during these clerkships or rotations. Before starting residency, most medical students spend their fourth year doing rotations in intensive and primary care.

Similar to other Texas medical schools, applicants must have earned at least 90 semester hours from a college or university with regional accreditation. The university also expects you to pass all prerequisite classes with a C average or better. You will also need to take the CASPer online assessment and provide your MCAT score.

University of Houston College of Medicine – Houston

University of Houston College of Medicine - Houston

The University of Houston College of Medicine is a good option if you’re looking for a primary care-focused medical school in Texas. With the help of its graduates, this medical school hopes to fill the critical primary care physician shortage that exists in the United States. The college will help you get ready for this position by requiring you to spend one-half of a day per week in a primary care clinic during your studies. The college has made a sizable contribution to enhancing primary care in the state, particularly for the underserved and rural populations. In this program, you will learn to place equal emphasis on both disease diagnosis and disease prevention. Expertise in patient care, knowledge for practice, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice, interprofessional collaboration, and personal and professional development are just some of the other areas you’ll strengthen.

This is a four-year course designed to get you ready to provide excellent, risk-free care to patients in the dynamic healthcare environment of the future. The program is highly immersive and combines the fields of biomedical, clinical, behavioral & social, health systems, and population health science with the goal of improving health outcomes by considering social determinants. The curriculum consists of three distinct stages: pre-clerkship education, core clerkships, and advanced clerkships. Pre-clerkship training lasts for 18 months, during which time you’ll focus on acquiring and enhancing your scientific and clinical foundations. Over the course of the next 11 months, you’ll learn about and interact with patients in the fields of surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, family medicine, and psychiatry. The last 15 months of medical school are spent on advanced rotations, elective experiences, and the USMLE Step 2 exams before graduating and beginning residency. The primary care longitudinal course is intertwined across all three stages.

You need 90 credits from an approved college or university to be admitted. The college does not require a specific GPA from applicants, but it does give preference to those with exceptional potential. To meet the minimal requirements, you’ll also need to take the MCAT, finish any necessary prerequisites, and submit both a primary and secondary application.

Conclusion

Texas is home to some of the best medical schools in the country, and for good reason: both in-state and international students can get a solid education there on a reasonable budget. It is important to take into account not only your statistics but also your compatibility with each Texas medical school’s ideal student when making your final decision about which schools to apply to. The best way to increase your chances of acceptance is to show your passion for the institution and the people it serves in your application essays and interviews.