December 2, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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You’re interested in UT Austin’s Dell Medical School, but there’s a question you can’t shake: Do I actually have what it takes to get in? The UT Austin Medical School acceptance rate feels like a gatekeeper, and without knowing how your stats stack up or what Dell really looks for, it’s hard to tell if this dream is realistic or a long shot.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about getting into UT Austin Medical School. We’ll break down the acceptance rate, average GPA and MCAT scores, requirements, and what makes Dell Medical School stand out. You’ll also learn how to craft a powerful application, including the personal statement, secondaries, letters, interview prep, and how to know if Dell is the right fit for you.
But if you really want to set yourself apart, you need to see what a successful app actually looks like. That’s why at Premed Catalyst, we created our Application Database. You’ll get free access to a collection of 8 full AMCAS applications that earned real acceptances to top schools like UCLA and UCI. These apps show you exactly what above-average looks like, so you can build it for yourself.
Get your free resource here.
For the 2025 entering class, the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School received over 4,500 applications. Just 50 students matriculated.
That puts the Dell Medical School acceptance rate at around 1.1%.
In other words? It’s extremely competitive. Dell is one of the smallest med schools in the country, and with its mission-driven focus on innovation and community health, it draws high-achieving and purpose-driven applicants.
And being a Texas resident definitely helps. About 98% of matriculants are in-state, compared to just 2% from out-of-state.
Let’s talk numbers. For the most recent class, the average GPA of accepted students was 3.88, and the average MCAT score was 513.
To put that in perspective: the national average GPA for med school matriculants is about 3.77, with an average MCAT around 511.7. So Dell students are coming in with stats well above the national norm.
Dell doesn’t list a hard cutoff for GPA or MCAT, but realistically? If your numbers are significantly below those averages, you’re facing an uphill climb. Applicants with a GPA under 3.3 or MCAT section scores below 125 are generally not competitive.
To apply to Dell Medical School, you’ll need to meet these minimum prerequisite requirements:
You’ll also need to meet these general requirements:
At Dell Medical School, part of UT Austin, the cost of medical education is relatively affordable compared to national averages. For the 2025–2026 academic year, tuition is $22,074 for Texas residents and $37,138 for out-of-state students.
When you factor in living expenses, books, supplies, and other essentials, the total estimated cost of attendance reaches around $56,684 per year for in-state students and $71,748 for out-of-state students.
Over four years, that adds up to around $208,392 for Texas residents and $264,832 for non-residents.
Financial aid is available through the broader University of Texas system. Students are encouraged to use UT Austin’s net price calculator to estimate their personalized costs based on their financial background. Dell Medical students may qualify for need-based aid, state and federal grants, veteran benefits, and private scholarships.
The Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin doesn’t simply replicate a traditional med‑school model. Launched fairly recently (in 2016), Dell Med was built from the ground up for modern medicine with a mission to “revolutionize how people get and stay healthy.”
What sets it apart isn’t only the new buildings or technology, but a reimagined educational philosophy, curriculum, and community‑health orientation.
At the heart of Dell Med’s distinctiveness is the Leading EDGE curriculum. It’s a four‑year integrated curriculum designed to go beyond memorizing facts and instead build doctors who can lead, innovate, and serve complex communities.
From day one, students are immersed in a mix of basic science, clinical skills, and team‑based learning, replacing the traditional siloed pre‑clinical then clinical model. They undergo longitudinal training not just in medicine, but in leadership, interprofessional collaboration, and health‑system thinking.
The curriculum also offers flexibility: students can pursue dual‑degree tracks or concentrated paths tailored to their interests. For example, during the “Growth Year,” some opt for degrees such as public health, public affairs, or biomedical engineering.
Dell Med isn’t just about producing specialists. It’s about creating physician‑leaders committed to transforming health care delivery and equity. Its mission emphasizes “person‑centered, integrated care,” community engagement, preventative health, and innovation in health systems.
Because the school was built to tackle real-world health challenges in a fast-growing city, many of its programs focus on community health, public health, equity, and improving care systems.
This means that as a student at Dell Med, you’re likely to get experiences that go beyond traditional hospital rotations. For example, you may work with underserved populations, engaging in community health initiatives, or contributing to health‑system innovation.
Dell Med is part of UT Austin, a top-tier research university. That means students get access to a wide range of academic resources, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cutting-edge science.
Dell Med is housed in modern facilities built specifically for a contemporary medical school and connected to a teaching hospital, Dell Seton Medical Center. This means that students’ clinical training is grounded in a high‑quality, real‑world hospital environment.
Getting into Dell Medical School at UT Austin means more than just checking boxes. You need to show up with purpose. Dell is looking for future physicians who don’t just want to wear the white coat, but who understand the privilege and responsibility it carries. Your stats matter, but what matters more is your story: why you care, how you’ve shown up for others, and how you’ve grown through the process.
Dell Medical School uses Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS), not AMCAS. Applications are accepted beginning in May, and the school reviews applications on a rolling basis.
Below is an overview of the application timeline you need to follow to stay competitive for Dell Med
Your personal statement is your narrative. It’s your opportunity to show who you are, what you care about, and the kind of doctor you’re becoming. At Dell Med, where innovation and community impact matter, that story needs to be bold and real.
Use your experiences as your proof. If you say you care about underserved populations, then you should show experiences in free clinics and outreach programs. If leadership is your thing, we should see that in your mentoring, research, or advocacy.
Dell Med does not use a traditional written secondary for all applicants. Instead, they pre‑screen applications and invite a subset to complete a “video secondary,” typically around 3 short questions.
Because the exact questions for the video secondary are not publicly reused verbatim every cycle, here’s guidance keyed to the general areas Dell tends to probe (based on previous cycles and publicly shared prompts):
Teamwork / Collaboration: In a previous written cycle, Dell asked: “Please give examples that indicate your ability to function effectively, as a productive member of a team working towards a common objective. Discuss your role and contribution to those teams.”
When answering, pick a concrete example where you worked in a team (clinical or otherwise), describe what you did specifically, how you contributed, what the group achieved, but also reflect on what you learned about communication, leadership, or humility. Show you understand team‑based care, not just solo “hero doctor” stories.
Community Engagement: “Please give examples that indicate your active engagement in your community.”
Here, choose experiences that reflect more than résumé padding, maybe long‑term community service, sustained commitment, or a project where you saw impact. Talk about why you cared about that community, what you did, and how it shaped you. That alignment matters for Dell’s mission of improving community health.
Creative Problem Solving / Innovation: “Please give examples that indicate your ability to creatively solve problems for the betterment of others.”
Good responses show initiative and resourcefulness. Maybe you developed a small intervention, overcame resource constraints, or improved a process. Demonstrate your thought process, your empathy, and the benefit to others.
Overcoming Adversity / Resilience: “Please give examples that indicate your ability to overcome adverse situations.”
Use this to show maturity. Pick a meaningful challenge (academic setback, personal hardship, structural barrier, etc.), describe honestly what happened, how you responded, and what you’d do differently now. But be sure to emphasize growth, strength, and lessons learned, not victimhood.
Fit with Dell’s Mission through Video Secondary (Recent): “How does your background and experiences align with the mission of Dell Medical School?”
Know Dell’s mission (improving health locally, person‑centered care, value‑based multidisciplinary care, innovation, equity). Before recording, reflect on how your journey, your community work, resilience, perspective, cultural background, volunteerism, or unique lens, connects to that mission. Be genuine, succinct, and show humility and vision for how you’d contribute.
Dell Med uses TMDSAS for applications, and through that system, you’re expected to submit letters of evaluation. Unlike other schools, Dell Med does not prefer or even offer a committee letter option.
And if you’re an undergrad at UT Austin, the Health Professions Office doesn’t provide one either. That means you’re responsible for reaching out to your own individual letter writers.
Dell Med doesn’t have a strict minimum, but TMDSAS allows you to submit up to four letters or one Health Professions Committee packet.
Dell Med uses a hybrid interview format: a mix of traditional one‑on‑one interviews and Multiple Mini Interview (MMI / MMI‑style) stations.
In the traditional portion (30–45 minutes), you’ll likely be asked about your motivation for medicine, why Dell Med specifically (“Why Dell Med?”), and broader questions about healthcare, community, health equity, or leadership.
In the MMI‑style portion (6–8 stations), expect scenario‑based or role‑play stations. For example, you might be asked to design solutions for real problems (e.g., a mobile clinic for underserved communities) or do role‑playing around public health challenges (e.g., vaccine hesitancy).
Different schools suit different kinds of applicants. Dell Medical School can be a good fit, but that depends a lot on what you want out of medical school.
Dell Medical School is a good fit if…
Dell Medical School May Not Be a Good Fit If…
You’ve done the research. You know Dell Med’s acceptance rate is low, the competition is real, and the bar is high. You know what you need to do in your application, but then there’s the part of actually doing it. It’s one thing to have a good story. It’s another thing to know how to write about it.
That’s why we created our Application Database. It’s a free resource that lets you study 8 real AMCAS applications that got accepted to top-tier schools like UCLA, UCI, and more. These aren’t summaries. These are full apps with real essays. Use this access to reverse engineer what works.
Get your free resource here.
