Partnership for Primary Care

ENTRY OPTIONS

Please Note: The Partnership for Primary Care Program for the 2022-2023 has been temporarily suspended or until further notice, this applies to Option A (High School) and Option B (TAMU College).

Option A

High School Senior

The program will select up to 5 students per year from a pool of scholars who are seeking enrollment to one of the Texas A&M University system campuses.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

• The application period will open on December 1 and closes February 1 each year
• Legal residence in a rural, medically underserved or health professional shortage area as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Permanent address must receive a Yes in Primary Care HPSA or MUA/P. Dental Health HPSA and Mental Health HPSA does not qualify.
• 3.50 overall GPA on a 4.00 scale at the time of application and through the end of high school
• Minimum 1200 SAT (Verbal & Math) OR 26 ACT equivalent at the time of application
• Prefer that the student be in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class at the time of application (If ranking is utilized)
• Demonstrated healthcare, community service, and leadership activities
• Will attend one of the Texas A&M University System campuses
• U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
• Texas resident

Option B

Texas A&M University System Students

The program will select up to 5 students per year per entry point from a pool of scholars who are seeking enrollment to one of the Texas A&M University system campuses.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

Suspended for 2022

• The application period will open on October 1 and closes December 1 each year
• Legal residence in a rural, medically underserved or health professional shortage area as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
• Permanent address must receive a Yes in Primary Care HPSA or MUA/P. Dental Health HPSA and Mental Health HPSA does not qualify.
• Must apply Fall semester of second-year
• Completed a minimum of 24 credit hours at one of the TAMU System Campuses
• 3.25 GPA or higher through the freshman year of college
• Completed Biology I & II and Chemistry I & II with lab with a B or better
• Minimum 1200 SAT or 26 ACT equivalent
• Attended high school in Texas
• U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
• Texas resident

THE APPLICATION

• See program options for application dates.
• IMPORTANT: The application must be filed online through the TAMHSC Admissions Processing Portal (APP), the health science center’s form processing software. Please visit website for application and selection timeline.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• Two individual letters of recommendation are required. One of those letters has to be from a science professor/teacher.
• Letters must be on official letterhead and addressed to Mr. Fernando Vasquez and uploaded into the application portal.

TRANSCRIPTS

Unofficial transcripts are required to make the application complete. These can be uploaded into the application portal.

REQUIRED FORM - HIGH SCHOOL OPTION ONLY

The following form must be completed, scanned and emailed to Crystal Perkkio. Please provide high school registrars office a copy of the form to submit.

• Validation of High School Academic Record (PDF)

APPLICATION AND SELECTION TIMELINE

Selection and Evaluation Process

After applications have been evaluated, the selection committee will choose a selected number of applicants to move forward in the process and will conduct interviews. From this pool, the final applicants will be chosen. Applicants are chosen for their communication skills, intellectual capacity, motivation for medicine as a career, service orientation, leadership and ethical responsibility to self and others. See website for Evaluation and Selection timeline.

Personal Interviews

Applicants will be invited for an interviews based upon their competitiveness in the pre-screening process. Each invited applicant is given a 30-minute panel interview by a combination of faculty admissions committee members, medical student admissions committee members, and faculty or administrator guest interviewers. The interview is required for possible selection, and the process of admitting applicants to the program is competitive.

Deadlines for Option A: Before entry into TAMU (Incoming Freshman Texas A&M Student)

• December 1: Application opens (8 a.m.)
• February 1: Application closes (5 p.m. & all supporting documents due)
• February 14-18: Applications screened
• February 21: Interview invitation and rejected emails sent
• March 7-9: Virtual Interviews will be held at the College of
• March 25: Admissions Committee deliberations
• By April 1: Acceptance/Alternate/Denial notifications sent

Option B: Current Second Year Texas A&M Students
(Suspended for 2022)

• October 1: Application opens (8 a.m.)
• December 1: Application closes (5 p.m. & all supporting documents due)
• December 9-15: Applications screened
• December 19: Interview Invitations sent
• December 29-January 3: Virtual Interviews will be held at the College of Medicine
• February 10: Admissions Committee deliberations
• By March 1: Acceptance/Alternate/Denial notifications sent

*Dates are subject to change.

REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission into the PPC Program, you MUST reside in a rural, or medically underserved, or primary care, or health professional shortage area as defined by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Please visit the HRSA website to verify your eligibility based on your permanent address.

Early Assurance Requirements

• Achieve a cumulative 3.50 OGPA and 3.50 BCPM GPA (biological sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics) each semester and by the time of enrollment into medical school
• Satisfy with a “B” grade or higher, the College of Medicine’s undergraduate course requirements totaling 47 semester hours
• Complete all remaining college coursework and earn a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University
• Score at least a 50%tile on the MCAT with no less than a 40%tile in each of the subsections; one retake is allowed
• Clinical experiences—participate in shadow and/or health care experiences devoting at least five hours per month OR a minimum of 60 hours per year
• Community service activities—participate in non-health care community service devoting at least five hours per month OR a minimum of 60 hours per year
• Participate in a 10-12 week Pathway to Medicine seminar course specifically designed to uncover the intricacies of the medical school application and interview processes and explore the lessons, medical school curriculum and issues that describe medicine as a practice and a career (course is held in the Spring semester)
• Participate regularly in end of semester advising sessions with the College of Medicine’s Admissions office
• Mandatory participation in the “On to Medicine” student organization for PPC students (TAMU-College Station only)
• Complete a bachelor’s degree within a standard time frame (for most, four years)
• Interview with the College of Medicine and be voted as approved to matriculate by the admissions committee
• Attend only the College of Medicine if offered matriculation in its entering class (students who apply to other medical schools will lose their assured place at the College of Medicine)

Securing Acceptance

Students accepted into the PPC Program must also apply to the College of Medicine through the TMDSAS

• Apply only to the College of Medicine through the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) by August 1
• Submit no later than August 1 prior to their senior year at one of the Texas A&M University System Campuses
• Attend only the College of Medicine if offered a place under EAP. If a student applies to other medical schools, the acceptance is rescinded. 

Pre-Med Course Requirements

**The statistics course should be taught in the math or statistics department. Statistics courses taught in other departments may be considered with appropriate documentation from faculty.