Xavier University of Louisiana

This document has two supplements: Selecting the Schools to Which You Apply and Special Info for Students from CA, LA, MS or TX.

This handout is intended to assist students from Xavier University choose the medical, dental, etc. schools to which they will apply.

General categories of schools to which you MUST apply:

All of the schools in your home state. Because all public institutions give preference to state residents (whose parents are paying the taxes which fund the schools) and many accept NO non-residents.
State schools in your region which have a reputation for accepting out-of-state students. Examples are: a) The University of Tennessee-Memphis will accept students from any state which borders on Tennessee. b) The University of South Alabama will accept students from the Gulf Coast Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida. You should check residency requirements for admission in the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book for details regarding other schools. Note: Even though some state schools accept out-of-state students, they all give preference to residents generally expect nonresidents to have higher GPA's and MCAT scores than state residents. Check MSAR to see residency requirements of various schools.
At least one "Wild Card" school. These are schools which have a good reputation for enrolling minorities OR are making efforts to increase minority enrollment, have graduated XU students in the past, and do not currently have very many XU students enrolled. Examples are the University of Iowa, the U of Louisville, the U of Kentucky, Medical College of Wisconsin, St. Louis University, Loyola-Stritch (Chicago), Wright State (Dayton), Wayne State (Detroit), and Rush. Look in the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book to see which others take appreciable numbers of out-of-state residents as well as those which have appreciable numbers of minority students.

Other schools to which you MIGHT apply to get the minimum number required:

Private schools which are NOT in the "Big Name" range or with which XU has connections. Private schools generally do not receive state aid and are thus able to accept students from all areas of the country. However, because they accept students from the entire country, they are generally more competitive so you need higher grades (GPA greater than or equal to 3.0) and MCAT scores ( greater than or equal to 21) to get in. Some schools in this category include Rochester, Temple, St. Louis, Tulane, Jefferson (in Philadelphia), and Drexel (in Philadelphia). Look in the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) book for others.
Schools in states where you already have connections (such as if you were raised in Chicago but have been living in Atlanta for the past four years), you might apply to Chicago schools OR a school at which you attended a research or enrichment program and were encouraged to apply.
"Big Name" schools (OPTIONAL AND NOT WORTH WHILE IF YOUR GPA<3.5 OR YOUR MCAT SCORES <24). If your GPA greater than or equal to 3.5 (both overall and in BCPM) AND your MCAT scores are greater than or equal to 24 (with no score below an "8"), you might consider applying to a "Big Name" school such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, UCSF, and others with very high research rankings (See latest US News & World Report rankings).
More of the "Wild Card" schools above.

List of Medical Schools to Which Students From States with Sizeable XU enrollments MUST Apply as Well as the Total Number to Which They Should Apply

Alabama: Must apply to at least 10 including UAB, South Alabama, Meharry, Howard, Morehouse, Tennessee, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Arkansas: Must apply to at least 10 including Arkansas, Meharry, Howard, Morehouse, Tennessee, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
California: Must apply to at least 12 including Howard, Meharry, Drew/UCLA, UCLA, UCSD, UCSF, USC, U Washington, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
DC: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Temple, Maryland, EVA, Emory, Med College VA, Drexel, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Florida: Must apply to at least 10 including Florida, South Florida, USA (if from panhandle), Miami, Morehouse, Meharry, Howard , at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Georgia: Must apply to at least 10 including Emory, MCG, Meharry, Howard, Morehouse, Mercer, Tennessee , at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Illinois: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Meharry, Illinois, Rush, Chicago Med, Case, Northwestern, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Indiana: Must apply to at least 10 including Indiana, Cincinnati, Wright State, Howard, Meharry, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Louisiana: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Meharry, LSU-New Orleans, LSU-Shreveport, Morehouse, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Maryland: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Meharry, EVA, Drexel, Maryland, Med Coll VA, Temple, at least one "Wild Card" (above), and others in your region of the country
Michigan: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Meharry, Michigan, Mich State, Wayne State, Case, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Missouri: Must apply to at least 10 including Missouri-Columbia, St. Louis, Meharry, Howard, Wash U, Kansas , at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Mississippi: Must apply to at least 10 including Mississippi, Meharry, Howard, Morehouse, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, USA (if from Gulf Coast), at least one "Wild Card" (above)
New York: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, SUNY-Brooklyn, NYU, Morehouse, NY Med, Rochester, Tulane, Temple, Drexel, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Tennessee: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Tennessee, Meharry, Vanderbilt, E Tennessee, at least one "Wild Card" (above)
Texas: Must apply to at least 10 including Howard, Meharry, 4 in UT system and Texas Tech, at least one "Wild Card" (above)

Additional advice for selected students:

A special note for California residents: The University of California medical schools are public schools but, because of the competition are as hard to get into as are "Big Name" schools. Therefore, California residents MUST apply to schools outside the state.
For students who are considering applying to LSU Medical School: In the past, LSU New Orleans did not accept non-LA residents. However, they now allot a certain number of spots in each class to non-LA residents.
For students who are considering applying to the U of Mississippi Medical School: Mississippi generally only accepts students who are residents of the state of Mississippi.