HPAC Eligibility Requirements
This page is being updated to reflect HPAC 2026 requirements for the 26-27 Cycle; we reserve the right to make small changes through September 17. Please refer to information from the HPAC Orientation for final information.
To be undergo the HPAC evaluation, you must meet the following minimal eligibility requirements. (JAMP students are exempted from these requirements. Graduate BMS students are also exempted from these requirements, but will not be reviewed until their final grades post in May.)
HPAC Minimum Eligibility Requirements:
- Plan to apply to medical or dental school in upcoming application cycle.
- 30 hours of coursework completed at UH. (In progress Spring 2026 courses will not count towards the 30 hour minimum, with the exception of students in the BMS graduate program.)
- Complete the following prerequisite coursework with at least C (not C-) or better:
- Completion of freshman year science-major biology lectures and labs (BIOL 1306/1106, 1307/1107), chemistry lectures and labs (CHEM 1311/1111, CHEM 1312/1112) and physics lectures (PHYS 1301 and PHYS 1302; or PHYS 2325 and PHYS 2326). PHYS labs are not required to be completed, but completion is strongly suggested prior to application.
- Completion of Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 2323/2123).
- Completion of or Spring 2026 enrollment in Biochemistry (BCHS 3304).
- Completion of at least 3 hours of advanced biology coursework (e.g., Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology, Cell Biology, etc.).
- Minimum overall GPA of 3.5.**
- Minimum science (BCPM) GPA of 3.4.**
- Attendance at the three following events (must attend each event once):
- HPAC Orientation
- Personal Statement Orientation
- Personal Statement Workshop
- Current student at UH, or graduated from UH no more than one year ago. (Ex. if you graduated in Spring 2025, you can still do HPAC in Spring 2026.)
- All HPAC Application materials must be completed and submitted before deadline. Applications will be accepted starting January 12, 2025. Please see HPAC Application materials link for more information on submission and deadlines.
HPAC will consider exception requests for students who do not fully meet eligibility requirements. These requests must be submitted by November 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm; decisions will be made by December 10 and students will be notified no later than December 12.
**Please use the GPA Calculator provided by Health Professions Advising to calculate your overall and science GPA. GPA should be calculated using TMDSAS guidelines: all college-level coursework should be included (even non- UH courses), pluses (+)/minuses(-) should be removed from letter grades, and science GPA should follow the BCPM conventions. BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) is defined as coursework designated with BIOL, BCHS, CHEM, PHYS, or MATH prefixes. Coursework in non-science, engineering, health, kinesiology, and technology majors should not be included in these calculations unless listed here. IDNS and HONS courses should also not be included. If you have a question about inclusion of a specific course, you may contact our office.
Questions can be directed to the Health Professions Advising Center.
A reapplicant is any student who has applied to a medical or dental program in a prior application cycle.
All reapplicants seeking an HPAC evaluation are required to meet the current requirements and submit all current paperwork, even if an evaluation was completed for a prior application year.
- If you have not previously completed the HPAC Review:
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- Begin completing the required HPAC Application and associated materials.
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- Submit a reapplicant statement with your HPAC materials explaining why you believe you were not accepted into medical or dental school during the previous application cycle and what you have done to improve the strength of your new application. The statement should show introspection as well as action taken to improve yourself. The statement should be about half a page.
- If you have previously completed the HPAC Review:
- Begin completing the required HPAC Application and associated materials using updated information including any new grades received, new MCAT/DAT scores, and revised versions of your personal statement and activities/experiences. New (or updated) Letters of Evaluation must be submitted to be reviewed again. Previously submitted letters cannot be used for a new HPAC review.
- Submit a reapplicant statement with your HPAC materials explaining why you think you were not accepted into medical or dental school during the previous application cycle and what you have done to improve the strength of your application. The statement should show introspection as well as action taken to improve yourself. The statement should be about half a page.
- Note: Students are now allowed to utilize HPAC letters/letters of evaluation from the year before, per the TMDSAS Letters of Evaluation policy. However, we would have to submit your full packet (HPAC letter and letters of evaluation) if you want to take this option; dates cannot be updated, and letters cannot be updated. This would mean your letters are older and don't reflect what you have done in the last year; our general advice is to submit newer, updated letters for this cycle.
A post-baccalaureate (“post-bacc”) is a student who has graduated with a bachelor’s degree and is actively attending UH and taking undergraduate classes, but is not necessarily pursuing a degree. A graduate student includes any student pursuing an MS or PhD at the University of Houston.
HPAC will evaluate post-bacc or graduate student applicants if they meet the above eligibility requirements, including the 30 hours of coursework completed at the University of Houston. Students in the Biomedical Sciences MS program are exempted from the 30 hours completion requirements, and will be evaluated after their final grades are posted in May and their 30 hours at UH are complete.
Applicants who have already graduated from the University of Houston are not obligated to undergo the HPAC evaluation or obtain a Committee Letter of Evaluation. However, alumni of the University of Houston are eligible for an HPAC evaluation for one year post-graduation.