Vaqueros MD is a Pre-Medicine Early Assurance Program (EAP) at UTRGV. The goal of the program is to increase the number of South Texas high-achieving students who enroll and complete their medical education at the UTRGV School of Medicine (SOM). Candidates for the program are selected through a competitive selection process that includes targeted recruitment of students at regional high schools every fall.

Up to six (6) applicants will be selected for admission to the program in summer 2023. Admitted students will begin their UTRGV undergraduate education in the Honors College in any major in fall 2024, and if the requirements for admission to the School of Medicine are met, students will have a conditional seat in the UTRGV School of Medicine’s entering class of 2026.

High school seniors and/or juniors (with advanced standing) in South Texas who are interested in applying to UTRGV and have an interest in an Early Assurance Program (EAP), attending medical school or other health professional program, after receiving their undergraduate degree.

Accepted applicants will automatically be enrolled in the Honors College and can graduate with any major, so long as they remain an Honors College scholar through graduation and UTRGV admission requirements to the School of Medicine are met.

To be eligible for the Vaqueros MD program, high school applicants must graduate from a South Texas high school or attend and graduate from an online high school, home school, or boarding school outside the South Texas Region: and reside in the South Texas Region (permanent/home address). The South Texas Region is defined as the following 13 counties: Webb, Zapata, Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Kleberg, San Patricio, Aransas, and Nueces.

For UTRGV School of Medicine requirements, visit the Admissions Requirements page.

Vaqueros MD is designed for high-achieving high school seniors (or juniors with advanced standing) who:

1. Attend and will graduate from a South Texas high school, or
2. Attend and graduate from an online high school, home school, or boarding school outside the South Texas Region; and resides in the South Texas Region (permanent/home address)
3. The South Texas Region is defined as the following 13 counties: Webb, Zapata, Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Brooks, Jim Hogg, Kleberg, San Patricio, Aransas, and Nueces.
4. Enter UTRGV as incoming first-year students.
5. Are accepted and officially enrolled in the Vaqueros MD program through the Honors College within any major.
6. Submit letters of recommendation from high school teachers, counselors, or administrators.
7. Complete interviews with UTRGV and SOM faculty and staff.
8. Demonstrate maturity, motivation, and other attributes reflecting exceptional leadership, character, and achievement through recommendation letters from school counselors, a personal written statement, a video essay, and interviews.
9. Have scored at the 90th percentile or above in one sitting on the SAT (math & critical reading) or the ACT. UTRGV will reevaluate the requirement for the future.
10. Rank in the top 5% of their high school graduating class and possess a minimum 3.8 GPA on a 4.0 scale and a 3.75 or higher cumulative GPA in science courses.

The competitive online application process is closed for fall 2022 and will re-open for fall 2023 on October 1, 2022, with completed applications due March 3, 2023.

Once the application is available, an “Apply Now” button will appear on the Vaqueros MD webpage and open to an online application link.

Students with financial need to attend UTRGV should complete their FAFSA/TASFA. If financial need is verified, students may be eligible for grants and loans to cover tuition, fees, and other costs of attending UTRGV.

Starting Fall 2020, students with a family adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less may qualify for UTRGV Tuition Advantage and have tuition and mandatory fees fully covered.

Thinking ahead to UTRGV School of Medicine, the cost of tuition and fees per year as of 2020-2021 is $19,639 for in-state tuition cost (second-lowest in Texas) and $32,739 for out-of-state students (third lowest in the nation). The SOM provides scholarships based on available funds to attract and sustain enrollment of students from the Rio Grande Valley.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), ranks third among public universities in Texas that provides the best value for college students and has been ranked as the fourth-best university in Texas, according to Best Colleges in Texas (2018). UTRGV is the second-largest Hispanic-serving institution in the nation and was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities for high school students in the Rio Grande Valley, including an all-new School of Medicine building with state-of-the-art classrooms, research labs, and library.

The UTRGV School of Medicine welcomed its charter class of 55 medical students in the summer of 2016. Today, the UTRGV School of Medicine has more than 200 medical students and over 200 medical residents and fellows serving in 13 hospital-based training programs throughout the Rio Grande Valley with more training programs on the horizon.

Using innovative competency-based medical education, the UTRGV School of Medicine is training the next generation of physicians committed to improving the lives and well-being of their community through research and compassionate, patience-centered care. The UTRGV School of Medicine is also developing biomedical scientists who will lead the charge in advancing research on diseases - diabetes and infectious diseases - that affect South Texas.

The UTRGV School of Medicine is dedicated to increasing the number of medical students from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, advancing research important to the community, and transforming the quality of patient care in the valley. Today, the UTRGV School of Medicine has four graduating classes with a total of 210 medical students, 32% of whom are RGV students. The University’s goal is to increase that rate to 50%, ultimately giving more South Texas students a direct path to medical school close to home.

With beautiful sunsets and subtropical coastal weather, the Rio Grande Valley offers a high quality of life for families and has consistently been ranked among the most secure and safest large metro areas to live in the country. The RGV is one of the most affordable areas in the nation to live in, with a large network of medical facilities, city parks, restaurants, rich bicultural traditions, and community events.

South Texas is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, with a current population of approximately 1.5 million, whose average age is below 30, with Hispanics comprising 85% of the population.

The mission of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) is to educate a diverse group of dedicated students who will become physicians and future biomedical scientists who will serve across all the disciplines of medicine; to bring hope to patients by advancing medical knowledge through research; to integrate education and research to transform the quality and accessibility of patient care in an integrated manner; and to engage with the Rio Grande Valley communities to benefit Texas and the world.

UTRGV SOM’s vision is to be the South Texas leader in providing physicians dedicated to practicing patient-centered medicine in underserved communities, increase the number of underrepresented minorities in medicine and educating the physician workforce of the 21st century in the Rio Grande Valley and beyond, and serve as a catalyst for change and betterment in our region, nationally, and globally.

Once you complete and submit your application, including all required documentation, you will receive an email or phone call from a School of Medicine Admissions representative. The communication may request additional information, invite you to an interview, or alert you to a decision regarding your application.