SHSU COM (DO) Medical School - 2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (SHSU COM) is Texas's public DO medical school, located in Huntsville in the Piney Woods region of East Texas. Opened in 2020 as part of Texas's initiative to address physician shortages in rural and underserved areas, SHSU COM is the first medical school at SHSU and uses the Texas-specific TMDSAS application system. The school has a strong mission to train physicians who will serve East Texas and rural Texas communities, which face significant primary care shortages.
Entry Requirements
What you need to apply to SHSU COM (DO).
Admission overview
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Texas public DO school — applications via TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service), not AACOMAS. Very strong in-state preference; approximately 90% of seats filled by Texas residents. Healthcare shadowing with a DO physician strongly recommended. Commitment to rural or underserved East Texas communities highly valued.
MCAT median
506 (range 498–510)
GPA median
3.75 overall / 3.45 science (BCPM)
Acceptance rate
9.0%
Class size
162
In-state preference
Strong — primarily in-state
In-state matriculants
90%
CASPer
Not required
Holistic review emphasis
Osteopathic philosophy, rural East Texas commitment, DO shadowing, Texas residency.
Notes
Texas public DO school using TMDSAS. Estimates from publicly available SHSU COM data; newer school — verify current cycle figures carefully.
Specialities offered
Rural Medicine, Primary Care, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Family Medicine, East Texas Community Health
Interview Format
How SHSU COM (DO) interviews applicants.
Format
Traditional faculty and student interview
Interview window
September–February
Decision date
Rolling admissions
Post-interview chances
Approximately 35–50% post-interview for Texas residents (estimated).
What to expect at a SHSU COM (DO) interview
SHSU COM conducts traditional interviews at its Huntsville campus, typically consisting of faculty and student sessions each approximately 30 minutes. The interview day includes a campus tour, programme overview, and financial aid presentation. As a Texas public DO school using TMDSAS, interview questions cover osteopathic philosophy, DO shadowing, commitment to East Texas and underserved rural communities, and the applicant's understanding of Texas's unique healthcare challenges. Strong in-state preference means interviews are predominantly with Texas residents, and interviewers probe commitment to rural and underserved Texas communities.
What makes SHSU COM (DO) different
TMDSAS application (not AACOMAS) — Texas public schools use TMDSAS, making SHSU COM administratively distinct from most DO programmes. Approximately 90% of seats are reserved for Texas residents, making this one of the most in-state-focused DO schools in the country. SHSU COM is one of the newest DO schools in the US (opened 2020), with a developing clinical infrastructure and a strong East Texas community health mission; its entering class is now approximately 160 students.
Tutor insight
TMDSAS submission is mandatory for Texas public DO schools — out-of-state applicants are very rarely accepted and should not prioritise this school unless they have Texas residency. For Texas residents, the TMDSAS personal statement (which differs from AACOMAS format) requires specific attention. Research East Texas healthcare: the Piney Woods rural community, the I-45 corridor, and the distinct health challenges of East Texas's aging and rural population. Demonstrating prior East Texas or rural Texas healthcare engagement is a strong differentiator.
PrometheusQuestion Bank
595 medicine questions inside
Interview questions matched to SHSU COM (DO)
Two questions our tutors flagged as a strong fit for SHSU COM (DO)’s interview style. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
Easy·PanelQ1
AAMC Core Competency: Commitment to a Physician's Lifelong Learning
Medical knowledge doubles approximately every 73 days by some estimates. A treatment standard you learn in your first year of medical school may be obsolete by your fifth year of practice. How do you think about lifelong learning as a professional commitment, and what habits and systems will you build to ensure your practice remains current over a 30-year career?
Likely follow-up · What is maintenance of certification (MOC), and how do you feel about the current debates over its requirements and burden?
3 expert tips in Prometheus
Hard·Panel · MMIQ2
US Healthcare Ethics: Abortion Access Post-Dobbs
In 2022, the US Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, returning abortion regulation to individual states. Physicians in some states now face criminal liability for providing abortion care that would be considered standard medical treatment elsewhere. You are a resident in an OB/GYN programme in a state with a near-total abortion ban. A patient presents with an ectopic pregnancy -- a life-threatening condition in which the foetus cannot survive. Your attending advises you to wait for more clinical deterioration before intervening, citing legal ambiguity. What are the ethical tensions here, and how do you respond?
Likely follow-up · What is the clinical standard of care for ectopic pregnancy, and how does delaying treatment affect maternal mortality risk?
Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. Texas public DO school — applications via TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service), not AACOMAS. Very strong in-state preference; approximately 90% of seats filled by Texas residents. Healthcare shadowing with a DO physician strongly recommended. Commitment to rural or underserved East Texas communities highly valued.
Traditional faculty and student interview. SHSU COM conducts traditional interviews at its Huntsville campus, typically consisting of faculty and student sessions each approximately 30 minutes. The interview day includes a campus tour, programme overview, and financial aid presentation. As a Texas public DO school using TMDSAS, interview questions cover osteopathic philosophy, DO shadowing, commitment to East Texas and underserved rural communities, and the applicant's understanding of Texas's unique healthcare challenges. Strong in-state preference means interviews are predominantly with Texas residents, and interviewers probe commitment to rural and underserved Texas communities.
SHSU COM (DO) typically interviews in September–February.
Decisions are released Rolling admissions.
TMDSAS application (not AACOMAS) — Texas public schools use TMDSAS, making SHSU COM administratively distinct from most DO programmes. Approximately 90% of seats are reserved for Texas residents, making this one of the most in-state-focused DO schools in the country. SHSU COM is one of the newest DO schools in the US (opened 2020), with a developing clinical infrastructure and a strong East Texas community health mission; its entering class is now approximately 160 students.
