Applicant Support
REGISTER HERE to begin HPAC Applicant Support for Entry Year 2026.
Follow THESE STEPS to continue the process.
Applicant Support WORKS! Students who complete Applicant Support gain admission to health professions at double the rate of students who do not participate!
Questions? Contact HPAC.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I apply to professional school?
Usually May or June of the year before you hope to enter. i.e. applicants for Entry Year (EY) 2026 will apply in summer 2025.
When do I take admissions tests?
After you’ve prepared, and not before. The 20-minute video Director Rainey’s Recommended MCAT Prep offers some tips. HPAC recommends that you prepare to take admissions tests no later than May or June of the year you apply.
Recommendation letters?
During the spring of your application year, request recommendation letters from 3-5 people who have witnessed your pre-health competencies.
Applicants to medical and dental schools can have HPAC collect and distribute their letters (which is required for Applicant Support STEP 5: COMMITTEE LETTER); give each writer a Letter of Evaluation Form. Writers submit their letters to prehealth@utdallas.edu.
Applicants to other professions should enter each writer’s name directly into the online application in summer 2025.
HPAC recommends that you request letters from…
- At least one healthcare provider. Dental applicants MUST include a dentist.
- At least one letter from a science professor. Some schools still require two.
- A letter from any research, work, or volunteer setting where you worked for a year or more. A long-time supervisor can credibly attest to your competencies.
- No more than 5 letters total.
What is a “committee letter”?
Most medical and dental schools recommend, but do not require, that you get a committee letter if your school offers one. It doesn’t make you a stronger applicant, but can help admissions deans to understand you. You can apply to professional schools without a committee letter.
At UT Dallas, any medical or dental student who completes the Applicant Support steps can receive a committee letter. There is no minimum GPA or MCAT score, but there are deadlines to meet and Steps 4 and 5 have limited seating. Complete Steps 1-3 early to reserve your seat in Steps 4-5.
HPAC writes committee letters only for medical and dental applicants because applicants to other health professions benefit more from having each recommendation letter writer upload their letter individually to the application service in summer.