TMDSAS Data Highlights Sustained Growth and a More Competitive Applicant Pool

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Application data shared during the 2026 Texas Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (TAAHP) Conference points to a clear pattern across recent cycles: interest in health professions education continues to grow, and the applicant pool is becoming increasingly competitive.

During the session, leaders from the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), administered by the Texas Health Education Service (TXHES), shared a high-level look at application trends shaping the health professions pipeline across Texas as part of ongoing engagement with advisors across the state.

The data reflects more than a single year of growth. Instead, it shows a multi-year pattern of increasing participation alongside gradual increases in academic metrics and evolving applicant behavior.

Together, these trends provide insight into how future health professionals are preparing for the path to professional school—and how advisors and institutions can support them along the way.

A Multi-Year Pattern of Growth

Application volume through TMDSAS has steadily increased across recent cycles, reflecting continued interest in careers in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.

Medical continues to represent the largest share of applicants, while dentistry has experienced particularly strong year-over-year growth in recent cycles. Veterinary medicine and podiatric medicine also contribute to the expanding applicant pool.

This pattern aligns with broader workforce needs across Texas, where healthcare demand continues to grow across many regions of the state.

While year-to-year fluctuations are expected in any application cycle, the broader trajectory suggests sustained interest in health professions education rather than a short-term spike in applications.

For advisors and institutions, the trend reinforces the increasingly competitive nature of the application landscape while also highlighting the strong motivation many students have to pursue careers serving their communities.

Academic Metrics Reflect a Strengthening Applicant Pool

In addition to growth in application volume, the data also highlighted steady increases in academic indicators across the applicant pool.

Across recent cycles, averages for overall GPA, MCAT scores among medical applicants, and DAT scores among dental applicants have gradually increased, suggesting stronger academic preparation among applicants entering the cycle.

For context, recent data show that accepted applicants to Texas medical programs typically report average GPAs around 3.8 and MCAT scores near 510 or higher, while accepted applicants to Texas dental programs report similar GPAs near 3.8 along with DAT scores averaging about 21 in Perceptual Ability and 22 in Academic Average, reflecting the rigorous academic expectations associated with both medical and dental education.

The upward trend in academic metrics, combined with continued growth in application volume, indicates that the TMDSAS applicant pool is becoming both larger and more academically competitive over time.

How Applicants Are Approaching the Process

The data shared during the session also highlighted shifts in how applicants move through the application cycle.

One notable pattern involves submission timing. In recent cycles, a larger share of applicants has submitted earlier in the application window compared to previous years.

Applicants are also applying to a broader range of schools within the TMDSAS system. In addition, the data reflects the continued presence of both first-time applicants and reapplicants who return to the process after strengthening their academic credentials or experiential preparation.

Together, these patterns illustrate how application timing and school selection have evolved across recent TMDSAS cycles.

Preparation Pathways Are Expanding

The TMDSAS applicant pool also reflects a wide range of educational and experiential pathways.

Many applicants are entering the application cycle with a mix of experiences, including clinical exposure, community service, research engagement, and leadership activities.

Data shared during the session also reflected the presence of applicants who pursue additional preparation before applying, including time between undergraduate study and application cycles.

Key Takeaways from the TMDSAS Data

Application growth continues.
Recent cycles show sustained increases in TMDSAS applications, reflecting continued interest in health professions education across Texas.

Applicants are submitting earlier and applying more broadly.
More students are submitting earlier in the cycle and applying to a broader range of schools through the TMDSAS platform.

The applicant pool is becoming more competitive.
Average academic metrics—including GPA, MCAT, and DAT scores—have gradually increased across recent cycles.

Preparation pathways are diversifying.
Applicants increasingly enter the cycle with clinical, service, research, and leadership experiences, often following gap years or additional preparation.

Why These Trends Matter for Texas

For advisors, admissions leaders, and statewide partners, application data provides more than a snapshot of numbers—it offers insight into how the health professions pipeline is evolving across Texas.

Texas continues to face growing demand for healthcare professionals across many regions of the state. Understanding application trends helps institutions and partners better align advising, recruitment, and pathway programs with the realities students face as they navigate the journey to professional school.

Through initiatives coordinated by TXHES, including TMDSAS and the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP), statewide partners work together to strengthen pathways into health professions education and support future healthcare professionals serving communities across Texas.

The conversations at TAAHP reflected a shared understanding that supporting the future health workforce requires coordination across the pipeline—from undergraduate advising and preparation to admissions processes and statewide initiatives designed to expand opportunity.

TMDSAS also publishes historical application data through its public Data Reports dashboard, where advisors, applicants, and institutions can explore additional trends across recent application cycles.

As application patterns continue to evolve, continued collaboration between advisors, institutions, and statewide programs will remain essential to helping aspiring health professionals successfully navigate the path to professional school.

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Inside Health Education

• Topics: TMDSAS
• Authors: TMDSAS Admin
• Date:  March 9, 2026