Medical Schools in New Mexico: How to Get In (2024)
/Learn how to get into medical schools in New Mexico, including rankings, tuition, and admissions stats and strategies
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in New Mexico: 2024 rankings, tuition, and admissions statistics
Part 3: New Mexico medical school profiles
Part 4: New Mexico medical school admissions strategies
Final Thoughts
Appendix A: New Mexico medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: New Mexico medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: New Mexico medical schools by region
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Part 1: Introduction
Home to 15 national parks and national monuments, New Mexico is an ideal location for future med students looking to spend their free time exploring magnificent geological and historical sites—such as White Sands National Park, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, and Petroglyph National Monument, to name just a few. New Mexico is also home to Roswell, where extraterrestrial enthusiasts from around the world visit to learn about the site of an alleged mid-20th-century UFO crash.
Medical school applicants intending to obtain their degree in New Mexico will have the choice between two schools: the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, which grants only allopathic (MD) degrees, and Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University, which grants only osteopathic (DO) degrees.
This guide will cover all you need to know about how to get into medical school in New Mexico—including rankings, admission statistics, and strategies for crafting the most competitive application possible. You’ll also learn about the specific curricular and extracurricular opportunities available to students at each of New Mexico’s two medical schools so you can begin envisioning exactly what your time as a medical student will look like.
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Part 2: List of medical schools in New Mexico: 2024 admission stats and strategies, rankings, and tuition
University of New Mexico School of Medicine (MD)
Since welcoming its first class in 1964 with the goal of improving access to healthcare in communities across New Mexico, the University of New Mexico School of Medicine has stayed true to that goal up to the present. In recent years, 87 to 97 percent of accepted students have been NM residents, and over 40% of currently-practicing physicians in the state graduated from this institution and its residency programs. This drives the overall acceptance rate down to about 7.1%, but it can be assumed that the acceptance rate for NM residents is significantly higher.
Adcoms at UNM School of Medicine use a unique application review process to ensure that their incoming classes reflect their institutional mission and values: 50% of your application will be evaluated based on your academics (matriculants in the fall of 2024 had an average GPA of 3.76 and an average MCAT of 505), while the other half will be based on your AMCAS, clinical and community service experience, and other holistic factors—including the likelihood that you’ll practice medicine in New Mexico after graduating.
And as a public institution, tuition is far more affordable for in-state students than out-of-staters: $15,328 versus $44,023.
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University (DO)
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM), located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, opened in 2016, and its short history has already yielded significant growth and achievement.
As with most Osteopathic medical schools, the bar to admission is slightly lower (with an average MCAT of 500 and average GPA of 3.48 among students who matriculated in 2023-24), but you’ll still need to work hard to craft a strong application in addition to these stats.
Although BCOM is located on the New Mexico State University campus, it’s actually a private institution, so even as a New Mexico state resident, you should be prepared to pay a significant amount in tuition costs—at $66,249 for both the Las Cruces, NM and Melbourne, FL campuses.
Regardless of which of New Mexico’s medical schools you choose to apply to, you’ll need to carefully consider each component of your application in order to improve your chances of admission. Read on to learn how to put together an application that will catch the attention of UNM School of Medicine or Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine adcoms and convince them that you deserve a spot among their next incoming class.
| New Mexico Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine | Tier 3 (Research) Tier 1 (Primary Care) |
$44,023 (Out-of-State) |
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| Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at NM State University | Unranked |
*Note: This number reflects the most recently available data on first-year class size from 2022-23.
**Note: This number reflects the total number of first-year students at the Las Cruces, NM and Melbourne, FL campuses.
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Part 3: New Mexico medical school profiles
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Located in Albuquerque, NM, an area rich in cultural diversity, University of New Mexico School of Medicine proudly sits in the country's top 5 most diverse medical schools. This program also sets itself apart from many other MD programs in the country by accepting applications from DACA students (although they must fulfill New Mexico residency requirements). So, if you’re looking to earn your MD in an environment where you’ll be surrounded by people from various backgrounds and walks of life, UNM SOM could be the perfect fit.
Degree programs at University of New Mexico School of Medicine
U.S. News and World Report has ranked the MD program Tier 1 for Primary Care in 2024-25, placing it within the top 20 best Family Medicine programs in the country. It received a Tier 3 ranking for Research, but don’t let that deter you if you’re eager to engage in research as a medical student; UNM SOM offers a comprehensive MD/PhD program. The full list of degree offerings (including both MD-granting and other graduate-level health professions programs) is as follows:
- BA/MD
- MD
- MD/PhD
- MS in BSGP (Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program)
- MS in Anesthesiology
- MS in Pathology
- MS Physician Assistant
- DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy)
- PhD in BSGP
Whichever path you choose, you’ll want to closely examine the curriculum so you can start envisioning what the next few years of your life will look like as a med student in Wisconsin.
Curriculum at New Mexico School of Medicine
The University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s MD program follows a Three Phase structure to ensure medical students stay on track to gain a balance of foundational science, research, and clinical experience before graduating and donning their white coats. Each phase covers the following:
Phase 1: Medical students spend the first 21 months developing a wide knowledge base in the foundational sciences organized by organ systems. In addition to exams testing your knowledge of the structure and function of these systems, you’ll also be evaluated on your ability to effectively apply this knowledge and communicate with patients and colleagues in a clinical setting.
Phase 2: The following year, medical students engage in clinical clerkships across various specialties—Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Practice, Surgery, Neurology, and Psychiatry.
Phase 3: In the final year, medical students draw on their diverse clerkship experiences to narrow their interests and career goals through electives, a sub-internship, an ICU rotation, and various clinical experiences.
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University (DO)
Although it’s a private university, BCOM is located on the New Mexico State University campus. Additionally, clinical training centers have been established in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Artesia, Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington, and Roswell, NM—as well as El Paso, TX and Tucson, AZ. In 2024, BCOM also matriculated its first class of students at its new campus at Florida Tech’s campus in Melbourne, Florida. So, as a BCOM medical student, you’ll have a wide swathe of options to choose from when deciding what types of communities you’re most passionate about serving.
Degree programs at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University
At this time, BCOM offers just one program—the Doctor of Osteopathy degree—focusing its energy entirely on producing the next generation of bright and promising osteopathic doctors. It was granted the highest level possible, “Accreditation with Exceptional Outcome,” by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) in 2024. As an osteopathic medical student here, you can rest assured that you’re receiving top-quality training as you progress toward your future as an osteopathic doctor.
Curriculum at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University
Burrell’s curriculum is founded on seven key educational objectives, which can be summarized as follows:
Objective I: Foundational knowledge in biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social science
Objective II: Osteopathic philosophy
Objective III: Professionalism, integrity, and empathy
Objective IV: Communication with patients, families, and colleagues
Objective V: Patient care and research
Objective VI: Individual- and community-focused patient care
Objective VII: Community-specific healthcare needs
And the four-year curriculum is structured as follows:
Years 1 and 2: Students engage in preclinical experiences, including case discussions, small group problem-solving focused on foundational biomedical sciences, clinical care, ethics, and medical informatics.
Year 2: Students develop skills in differential diagnosis and clinical medicine, in addition to preparing for the COMLEX-USA Level 1 exam before entering Year 3.
Year 3: Students gain more extensive clinical experience in various core rotations, including Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, OBGYN, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine.
Year 4: Students take on clerkships in areas of specialization including Emergency Medicine, ICU, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine IV
In addition to this well-rounded curriculum, throughout their time at Burrell, students are encouraged to engage in abundant research opportunities based in areas such as Clinical Science, Medical Education, and Population Health.
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Part 4: New Mexico medical school admissions strategies
Gaining admission to medical school requires extensive preparation, dedication, and patience. If you intend to apply to medical school in New Mexico, whether you’re opting for the MD or DO route, you’ll need to have a clear strategy as you approach the various components of the process—including secondary essays and interviews.
Strategy 1: Write compelling, unique secondary essays for New Mexico medical schools.
Each medical school has its own set of required secondary essays, and depending on the amount of them, you might need to spend up to several weeks drafting and revising them until they’re strong enough to submit to adcoms. After all, no matter how impressive your MCAT, GPA, and extracurriculars might be, your secondary essays can make or break your application. One of the most important factors in the writing process is research. Before secondary prompts are even released for your admissions cycle, you should start brainstorming and prewriting responses based on the previous year’s prompts.
As you prewrite, remember that demonstrating your fit with a given medical school is the best way to convince a medical school that you deserve a spot in their incoming class. Whenever possible, mention specific aspects of the medical school’s unique curriculum, campus environment, research and clinical opportunities, or initiatives that align closely with your values and career goals.
For example, if applying to the UNM School of Medicine, you might mention how you would benefit from and contribute to the programming offered through the Office of Professional Wellness, which hosts workshops and resources designed to help faculty and students look after their own physical and mental wellbeing—as well as that of their colleagues and patients—within both the medical school environment and professional clinical settings.
Or, if you’re applying to BCOM, you might describe how specific patient interactions or other extracurricular experiences reflect their institutional values of Service, Excellence, Community, Inclusion, and Integrity.
| New Mexico Medical Schools | |
|---|---|
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine | 1 if applicable |
| Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at NM State University |
Looking for secondary essay examples? Click below to access sample secondary essays for every prompt required by each med school in New Mexico, as well as every MD and DO program in the United States and Canada. 1500+ essays and counting.
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Strategy 2: Practice your interview skills for New Mexico medical schools.
If you’re selected for an interview with a medical school, you can be confident that they are very interested in your application and eager to learn more about you as an individual and a future doctor.
As with your secondary essays, you should prepare for your interviews with each school by researching the types of questions they typically ask and learning all you can about their unique institutional mission.
For example, if you’re interviewing with the UNM School of Medicine, you should keep in mind that they strongly favor NM residents and applicants who can demonstrate a genuine desire to practice medicine in New Mexico. Their website states that, in your interview, you’ll need to demonstrate your connection to New Mexico, your knowledge of specific issues that communities within the state face, and your understanding of how those issues influence patients in a clinical setting.
And at Burrell, you should be prepared to discuss why you chose to pursue a DO degree and how you plan to serve some of the specific communities within their affiliated clinical programs mentioned above.
Invited to a med school interview? Congrats! Learn how to prepare for any question the interviewers throw your way using the resource below.
Gain instant access to the most common traditional and MMI interview questions, plus sample responses for each, to help you craft responses that lead to acceptances. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.
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Final Thoughts
If you intend to apply to medical schools in New Mexico, you’ll have the option of choosing between either an MD or a DO route. You’ll also need to seriously consider whether you plan to practice medicine in New Mexico after graduation, and be prepared to describe your connection to the specific communities that these institutions serve as you approach your secondary essays and interviews.
The admissions process will be long and strenuous, but our optimal medical school application timeline, paired with the strategies outlined in this guide, will set you on a path toward your goal of becoming a physician in New Mexico.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix A: New Mexico medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in New Mexico (MD)
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Osteopathic medical schools in New Mexico (DO)
Burrell College of OsteopathicMedicine at New Mexico State University
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Appendix B: New Mexico medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in New Mexico
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Private medical schools in New Mexico
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at NM State University
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Appendix C: Wisconsin medical schools by region
Medical Schools in northern New Mexico
There are no medical schools in northern New Mexico.
Medical Schools in central New Mexico
University of New Mexico School of Medicine is located in Albuquerque, NM.
Medical Schools in southern Wisconsin
Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at NM State University is located in Las Cruces, NM.
