The School of Medicine accepts 10 percent of its applicants every year.
Medical student Christine Lovato was accepted on her first try, but has friends who tried several times and were turned away.
"It's kind of tough," Lovato said. "It's highly competitive."
From June to Nov. 15, applications are submitted to the admissions office.
Assistant Dean of Admissions Roger Radloff said a committee makes admission decisions. Of the students accepted, more than 95 percent are from New Mexico.
Of this year's 750 applications, 250 were New Mexico residents and 500 were out-of-state. Of the 75 students accepted, three were accepted to the doctorate program.
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"The committee really only deals with the 250 from New Mexico," Radloff said.
Applicants who have ties to the state are also considered, he said.
Regent Jamie Koch mentioned at a Sept. 14 board meeting that he often receives calls from parents asking for assistance in getting their son or daughter into the program.
"You can imagine whenever you have a program with more applicants than seats, we would have pressure," Radloff said.
Although there are pressures from outside sources, Radloff said the dean does a good job of shielding the committee from those pressures.
"We try to do things in a fair and honest way," Radloff said.
Regents asked the School of Medicine to report on admissions criteria for the next Board of Regents meeting so they can better inform callers.
The admissions committee evaluates applicants by their residency status and looks for a GPA of 3.0 or better, an MCAT score of 22 or better, letters of recommendation and experience with medicine.
"I wish I would have known that," Koch said. "It would have helped me to say no so many times."
Students who meet the criteria have two interviews with the committee.
Radloff said committee members look for applicants who have a commitment to service and will add diversity to their class. They also look at an applicant's background, motivation and whether they feel the student possesses compassion and empathy, he said.
The 18-person committee consists of medical school faculty, three community physicians and two medical students.
Medical student Adrian Maestas said the admissions process was not as difficult as he thought it would be. He applied to the school through the early-decision program.
The program is for students who apply only to UNM and agree to attend if accepted.
Although Maestas got in on his first try, he knows others who were rejected although they were New Mexico students who did well in school.
"I just did the right things," he said.
Maestas said it makes sense to choose New Mexico students.
"They're putting a large investment in you," Maestas said. "If they invest in you, they want you to invest in New Mexico."
The medical school was ranked No. 2 in rural medicine, No. 12 in primary care and No. 10 in family medicine by the 2005 U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools edition.
