Xavier University of Louisiana

This document has two supplements: Schools To Which XU Students Should Apply Based on State of Residence 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 nonresidents.
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 College Admissions Requirements 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 Medical Schools Admissions Requirements 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 (see table below):

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) and Emory. This group also includes Case-Western and Northwestern which would generally not be considered "Big Name" but which have had good experiences with XU students. Look in Medical Schools Admissions Requirements 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 did research 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). The exception might be Northwestern with which we have good connections and might take students from the Chicago area with slightly lower grades or MCAT scores.
More of the "Wild Card" schools above.

List of 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 (must apply through Austin), 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: LSU does not accept any nonresidents. Further, the criteria for determining residency for attending college is not the same as that for voting. (The former is covered by state law, the latter by federal.) Therefore, if you did not graduate from a Louisiana high school and have married someone who did, LSU will not consider you a resident and will reject you immediately. Translation: If you didn't graduate from a Louisiana high school, don't waste your money applying to LSU because attending Xavier for four years won't get you considered as a resident.
For students who are considering applying to the U of Mississippi Medical School: Mississippi is similar to Louisiana (see above), if you didn't graduate from a Mississippi high school, you are wasting your money applying. In addition, please note that we have been told that if you are a Mississippi resident, apply to a medical/dental etc. school in Mississippi and are turned down but get into another school, the State of Mississippi will pay your out-of-state part of your tuition. You can get details about this program AS WELL AS OTHER SPECIALIZED FINANCIAL AID FOR MS RESIDENTS by writing for "State Student Source Book" which is available from the Mississippi Office of State Student Financial Aid, 3825 Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS 39211-6453. We recommend all MS residents write for this booklet.