TMDSAS Overview
TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service) is the centralized application used by most Texas public medical, dental, and veterinary schools. It is free, separate from AMCAS and AADSAS, and has its own essay structure and GPA calculation.
Schools using TMDSAS include UT Southwestern, Baylor (alongside AMCAS), UT Houston, UT San Antonio, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UTHSC, and others.
TMDSAS GPA Categories
- Overall GPA: All undergraduate coursework
- BCPM (Science) GPA: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math
- Non-Science GPA: Everything else
- By Year: Sub-GPAs by academic year
- Graduate GPA: Separately reported if applicable
How TMDSAS Differs from AMCAS
- Course classification: TMDSAS uses its own rules and occasionally classifies courses differently from AMCAS. Verify your science classifications.
- Repeats: Like AMCAS, TMDSAS counts every attempt. No grade replacement.
- Essays: TMDSAS has three essays (personal statement at 5,000 chars, personal characteristics at 2,500 chars, optional at 2,500 chars). AMCAS has only the 5,300-char personal statement.
- Deadline: TMDSAS regular deadline is October 1 — much earlier than AMCAS rolling submission. Early Decision is August 1.
- Application fee: TMDSAS is free; AMCAS charges per school.
In-State Preference and GPA
Texas state law requires Texas medical and dental schools to maintain at least 90% Texas residents in entering classes. This creates two effectively separate applicant pools:
- Texas residents: The competitive pool. Matriculant GPA ranges are competitive but not extreme — many Texas state schools have median matriculant GPAs in the 3.7–3.8 range.
- Out-of-state applicants: Compete for ~10% of seats. Stat requirements are much higher because programs select very few. OOS applicants to Texas typically need top-decile MCATs.
If you grew up in Texas but attended college elsewhere, verify your residency status carefully with TMDSAS — rules differ by state and circumstance.
