What You Need to Know About Pre-Match Offers
Medical schools send out Pre-Match offers to Texas resident medical applicants beginning
on October 15th. This concept can be confusing, but don’t sweat it! Here is everything
you need to know about Pre-Match offers.
Note: Only Texas resident medical applicants are eligible to receive Pre-Match offers.
Non-Texas resident medical applicants will receive admissions decisions from October
15th – April 30th.
Background Information
TMDSAS has a unique process that allows medical schools to admit a large group of
Texas resident applicants through the TMDSAS Match. This method is used to limit the
number of positions an applicant may hold at one time. The process is conducted in
a spirit of cooperation and trust among the participating schools as well as respect
and consideration for the applicants and their choice of schools.
Once a Texas resident medical applicant interviews at a medical school and is deemed
highly competitive, that school may reach out with a Pre-Match offer.
What is a Pre-Match offer?
A Pre-Match offer is a non-binding acceptance offer given to Texas resident medical
applicants. A Pre-Match offer indicates that the applicant has ranked very high on
a particular school’s list and will match to that school if the applicant ranks the
school favorably.
Who is eligible to receive Pre-Match offers?
Only medical applicants who are Texas residents are eligible to receive Pre-Match
offers.
When can I receive a Pre-Match offer?
Timeline: Applicable only to Texas resident medical applicants
October 15 – January 31: Texas resident applicants can receive Pre-Match offers during this time.
February 2: The School Rank Preference for the Match is due by 5 p.m. CST. As a Texas resident
applicant, you can rank ALL the schools where you have interviewed whether you received
a Pre-Match offer or not by logging into the TMDSAS Application Portal.
You can make changes to your ranking up until the February 2nd deadline.
February 16: TMDSAS Match Day results are released at 8 a.m. CST. The Match pairs applicants
with schools and the rolling admissions begins!
April 30: If you received multiple offers after February 16th, you must decide which program
to attend and withdraw from all other schools by this date.
Review Deadlines & Important Dates
What do I do after receiving a Pre-Match offer?
- You can accept and hold multiple Pre-Match offers from more than one medical school
during the pre-match offer period.
- Offers are non-binding, and accepting a Pre-Match offer will not affect your chances
of receiving future offers.
- An applicant who receives more than one offer should decline any offer from a school
that they do not plan to attend as soon as that decision is made.
- Offers of acceptance should only be considered valid if an acceptance letter is received.
- Make sure to follow the instructions the schools have given you. A deposit may be
needed if you wish to hold a spot as instructed by your school.
- Although schools can see your Pre-Match offers from other schools, they do NOT see
your rankings - this will not affect your chances of receiving additional offers.
For example: School A can see that School B extended a Pre-Match Offer, even if School A hasn't extended an offer yet. School A can still extend an offer.
Review the articles on the left-hand side for more information.
What if I don’t receive a Pre-Match offer?
Don’t worry! Schools extend a small number of Pre-Match offers from Ocotber 15ht .
Remember: of the small number of Pre-Match offers going out, they do not all go out
on October 15.
You could receive a Pre-Match Offer anywhere between October 15 – January 31st. You
are also still eligible to gain admission at your school of choice on Match Day AND
after the Match once rolling admissions begin!
Watch the TMDSAS Office Hour: Medical Acceptances with TMDSAS Director, Enrique Jasso, to learn more about this process and to see
the FAQs from other applicants who are also going through this process, just like
you.
Good luck!
About the author: The TMDSAS Support team is here to help address your questions about how to get through the application to the schools quickly and easily.