Early Decision Program
Summary:
The UTRGV School of Medicine Early Decision Program (EDP) was established to attract, recruit and enroll applicants from the Rio Grande Valley. For the School of Medicine, the priority is to establish an early application process, with emphasis on attracting the best and brightest from the Rio Grande Valley.
Purpose:
To provide an early admission decision for Rio Grande Valley students who currently reside and/or study in the RGV, as well as those who have chosen to leave the RGV to study at other educational institutions.
Application:
- Applications via TMDSAS start on May 1, 2025, for the Class of 2030, entering July 2026.
- Students applying to this program are restricted to UTRGV SOM only – no other application may be made until UTRGV releases the student. Admissions decisions are binding.
- Process and review of credentials will begin immediately by a special admissions sub-committee, upon receipt of application – August and September.
- The Admissions Early Decision Sub-committee (EDSC) will review and conduct interviews in September.
- If accepted, the offer may be made with or without contingencies, at the discretion of the admissions committee. The acceptance offer is a binding contract.
- If a student is not accepted, he or she is then released to the general application pool, on or before October 1st. The applicant is then able to apply to other medical schools before the end of the admissions cycle.
Requirements:
- Applicants must currently reside or be originally from the Rio Grande Valley or UTRGV
- Qualifying metrics and requirements are as follows:
- MCAT scores and supporting documents must be received by August 15,2025.
- MCAT minimum score at or above the 60th percentile
- GPA overall minimum 3.2
- GPA science minimum 3.5
- All grades must be at or above “C”
- No felony convictions
- Applications deadline is August 1st to give the Admissions Committee enough time to process and review the credentials, and also to give applicants sufficient time to apply to other schools if they are not accepted.
- Other requirements remain the same as regular applicants (please see requirements section on the website).
- Applicants will be evaluated through a holistic review process.
- All interviews for the EDP applicants will be held during July-September. Acceptances will be determined by the Admissions sub-committee for the EDP program and results forwarded to TMDSAS no later than October 1, 2025.
View EY 2026 Application Timeline
Scholarships:
The cohort of EDP students applying in 2025 will be entering in July 2026, with the Class of 2030. Scholarships may be provided on the basis of need, merit and/or special qualifications such as research, advanced degree, etc.