Admission Policies
This is an archived copy of the 2023-24 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.
The Admissions Policies are guidelines to help navigate the admissions process.
Admissions Selection Policy
Scope
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School will strive to admit applicants and matriculate a class best suited to contribute to the mission and vision of the Dell Medical School while assuring equity, impartiality, and excellence in the admissions process.
Successful candidates for admission to the Dell Medical School must have a citizenship or residency status that allows them to obtain employment in graduate medical education upon graduation in order to be licensed to practice medicine and must meet certain standards of capability and perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations to be considered for admission.
The University of Texas at Austin is committed to Equal Educational Opportunity and Non-Discrimination as outlined in UT Austin policy.
Policy
The Admissions Selection Committee shall make all selection decisions and will function free from any political, financial, or personal pressures. Members of the Admissions Selection Committee will be appointed by the Dean, and shall be comprised of at least 2/3 faculty members and may include community leaders, students, and others.
To be considered for admission to the Dell Medical School, applicants must:
- Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
- Meet certain standards of capability and be able to perform essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations as referenced in the Technical Standards and Essential Functions Policy.
- Meet pre-requisite course requirements.
Selection decisions will be based on a holistic review of each applicant and will take into consideration the following criteria:
- Personal Attributes: Including, but not limited to, integrity and ethics; reliability and dependability; service orientation; social and interpersonal skills; teamwork; capacity for improvement; resilience and adaptability; cultural competence; and oral communication skills.
- Personal Experiences: Including, but not limited to, public service; leadership; extracurricular activities; work history; geographic diversity; diversity of experience and background; history of overcoming disadvantage or adversity; and other experiences that may contribute to unique perspectives.
- Academic Competence: As reflected by the applicant’s official transcripts, graduate study (if any), and the Medical College Admissions Test with consideration for the rigor of the previous course(s) of study.
- Mission Contribution: Qualities, including but not limited to, leadership, creativity, teamwork, community engagement, and resilience that uniquely relate to and could contribute to the mission of the Dell Medical School.
Technical Standards and Essential Functions Policy
Scope
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School has a responsibility to current and future patients to train qualified Dell Medical School students that are capable of providing a standard of care incumbent upon a well-trained, competent physician. For this reason, the Dell Medical School requires students to participate in and demonstrate certain standards of capability necessary to the education process and/or the practice of medicine.
Accepted students must meet certain standards of capability with or without reasonable accommodations for matriculation, continued enrollment, and graduation with the MD degree.
The University of Texas at Austin is committed to maintaining Equal Educational Opportunity and Non- Discrimination as outlined in UT Austin policy.
Policy
Accepted applicants and students must meet certain standards of capability with or without reasonable accommodations.
Technical Standards and Essential Functions
Observation: A medical student must be able to demonstrate adequate sensory function (e.g., vision, hearing and touch) to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.
Communication: A medical student must be able to communicate effectively in both oral and written form. The student must also be able to perceive communication from others whether it be written, verbal, or non-verbal including intonation, changes in mood, activity, and posture.
Psychomotor Skills: A medical student must be able to perform the maneuvers necessary to perform a physical exam, render routine and emergent care, and safely execute the motor movements required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, palpation, auscultation, percussion, application of pressure, movement around the immobile patient as needed to perform procedures such as maintaining a sterile field and surgical and non-surgical procedures.
Intellectual and Cognitive Abilities: A medical student must be able to problem-solve effectively and rapidly; learn; reason; calculate; formulate and test hypotheses; memorize; process; analyze; rapidly integrate and synthesize information; and apply information in an environment of high stress and distraction.
Behavioral and Social: A medical student must exercise professional judgment and promptly complete all responsibilities attendant to his or her academic work, teamwork, and patient care. The student must possess the ability to develop mature, sensitive and effective professional relationships with peers, faculty, staff, and members of the healthcare team. The student must be able to give and receive constructive feedback. The student must demonstrate the ability to process feedback and utilize it to conform his or her behavior to expected professional standards. The student must manage adversity and stress in order to prevent its impacting his or her abilities in these competencies.
Any student that would like accommodations in order to meet the technical standards should contact the University of Texas Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.
Transfer Policy
Scope
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School will strive to admit applicants and matriculate a class best suited to contribute to the mission and vision of the Dell Medical School while assuring equity, impartiality, and excellence in the admissions process.
The University of Texas at Austin is committed to maintaining Equal Educational Opportunity and Non-Discrimination as outlined in UT Austin policy.
Policy
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School permits medical students to apply for transfer into the medical education program if: 1) positions are available; 2) the transfer applicant is in good standing at a medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; 3) the transfer applicant has successfully passed Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam; and 4) the transfer applicant demonstrates academic achievements and other attributes comparable to students admitted to the Dell Medical School.
Transfer applicants successfully admitted to the Dell Medical School must start at the beginning of the second year of the medical education program. There will be no transfer applicants considered for entry into the Dell Medical School in the third or fourth years of the education program.
Applicants for transfer admission should contact the office of admissions. The final decision on transfer applications is made by the Admissions Selection Committee.
Current students that wish to transfer to another medical school should meet with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
Visiting Student Clinical Elective Policy
Scope
The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School will strive to admit applicants and matriculate students best suited to contribute to the mission and vision of the Dell Medical School while assuring equity, impartiality, and excellence in the admissions process.
Applicants for visiting student rotations must demonstrate academic achievements and other attributes comparable to students admitted to the Dell Medical School.
The University of Texas at Austin is committed to maintaining Equal Educational Opportunity and Non-Discrimination as outlined in UT Austin policy.
Policy
The Dell Medical School permits visiting medical students to apply for no more than 8 weeks of advanced clinical electives in the Dell Medical School’s medical education program provided:
A: Application through VSLO
- that advanced clinical elective positions are available;
- the visiting student applicant is in good standing at an accredited medical school;
- the visiting student applicant has successfully passed Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam;
- the visiting student applicant has completed all required core clerkships; and
- the visiting student applicant is enrolled in an LCME or AOA-accredited medical school.
B: The Dell Medical School currently only accepts international medical students through a formal MOU with The University of Texas and AMPATH Consortium, Indiana University School of Medicine, or The University of Texas at Austin and Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla, Mexico. These international students utilize a limited course catalog.
Applications through VSLO are screened and processed in accordance with the procedures published on the VSLO web page for Dell Medical School.
Visiting medical students accepted and registered in a Dell Medical School clinical elective position are subject to all applicable university and UT System policies and procedures.