University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston
Galveston, TX
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School Detail
APPLICATION FEE
$70
Tuition In State
$27,000
Tuition Out of State
$42,014
Average GPA
3.8
AVERAGE MCAT
511
School Overview
- Degrees
- MD
- Ownership
- Public Non-Profit
- Program Length
- 4 years
- Total Enrollment
- 230
- Founding Year
- 1891
- Accreditation Year
- 1942
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SDN Insights
Cost of Attendance: $279,453
Estimate repayment
Estimated loan burden for UTMB using 4 years of in-state tuition, $1,500 annual fees, $3,000 monthly living expenses, government-derived local cost-of-living adjustment, $1,000 loan fees, and an 8.5% interest assumption.
Cost of Living: Near national average cost of living
Galveston, TX is close to the national average for cost of living. In the debt estimate, the government-derived local cost adjustment keeps the $3,000 monthly allowance at about $2,970 per month. Treat this as a city-level budgeting estimate, not the school's official cost of attendance.
Environment: Large Rural
Nestled in an area with excellent walkability and strong biking infrastructure, UTMB offers students flexibility in how they get around. Whether on foot or bike, most destinations are easily accessible, making for a convenient daily routine.
Interview Feedback
Overall, applicants ranked the school in the top 30% of interviews, indicating it is moderately regarded. They found the interview generally impressive with a low stress level and felt they did well.
Secondary Essays for UTMB
1. Motivation and Fit
Choose two of the following prompts to respond to: Describe a time when you learned in a team, a time when you made a mistake, a time of scientific inquiry, or attributes you look for in a physician....
2. Leadership and Teamwork
Describe a time when you learned in a team. How will this experience help you as a medical student? 2. Describe a time when you made a mistake. How did you acknowledge it, respond to it, and...
3. Community, Diversity, and Equity
Describe a time when you advocated for someone whose social identity (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, ability status, etc.) differed from your own. Explain the...
4. Personal Experiences and Challenges
Describe a time when you were wrong. Why were you wrong, and how did you respond?
5. Personal Attributes and Characteristics
How do you define curiosity? Provide an example of how curiosity helped you solve a problem or expand your knowledge and experience outside of an academic environment.
About the School
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, established in 1891, is the oldest medical school in Texas. It has expanded from a single building to a comprehensive health sciences center with over 70 buildings, more than 2,500 students, and over 1,000 faculty members. UTMB comprises five schools: Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions, Public and Population Health, and Graduate Biomedical Sciences. The institution is part of the University of Texas System and a member of the Texas Medical Center.
Curriculum
There are three major characteristics of the Integrated Medical Curriculum that are designed to aid learning and build life-long learning skills. 1. Basic science material is integrated across disciplines. For example, rather than learning about membranes in one course (Physiology) and cell signaling in another course (Biochemistry), material will be presented in Molecules Cells and Tissues that integrates membrane structure and function with cell-signaling concepts. This holistic approach should make it easier for students to understand and learn the material. 2. Basic science material is integrated with clinical science material. Each week's topic is linked to one or more clinical cases that may be presented as problems to solve. Thus, students immediately use the basic science material in a clinical setting, applying it in a problem-solving mode. This will not only make learning more interesting, it will aid retention of the material. As the curriculum progresses into the second year, the clinical cases become more complex, enabling students to both review and build their knowledge base. 3. The problem-solving challenges are designed to foster independent learning and build life-long learning skills. The more actively involved students are in the learning experience, the more they will retain. This will serve students well as they continue to learn throughout their careers.
Facilities
UTMB's Galveston campus features four hospitals: Jennie Sealy Hospital, John Sealy Hospital, Children's Hospital, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Hospital. The campus also houses the Galveston National Laboratory, a Biosafety Level 4 facility dedicated to infectious disease research. Additionally, UTMB includes a major medical library and numerous research facilities, supporting its mission in education, research, and patient care.
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2025