Incoming Students

No. Baylor College of Medicine does not own or manage housing facilities for medical students. 

Many medical students choose to live in surrounding neighborhoods, including the Medical Center, Museum District, and Montrose. Baylor College of Medicine does not endorse specific apartment and property management companies. Students are encouraged to use online resources such as Apartments.com, Rent.com, and Realtor.com to find the best accommodation to fit their needs. Students can also ask classmates for suggestions and share opinions with each other through class groups in GroupMe. 

The BCM-Temple Campus is centrally located near the Baylor Scott and White Medical Center. Multiple apartment complexes are available within walking distance, popular among medical students, residents, and fellows. Rental homes are available across the city with travel times less than 15 minutes away from campus. Baylor College of Medicine does not endorse specific apartment and property management companies. Students are encouraged to use online resources such as Apartments.com, Rent.com, and Realtor.com to find the best accommodation to fit their needs. Students can also ask classmates for suggestions and share opinions with each other through class groups in GroupMe. 

As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a "person with a disability" is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as walking, seeing, hearing, or concentrating.

It is important to know that an impairment or diagnosis in and of itself does not necessarily constitute a disability. The degree of the impairment must be significant enough to "substantially limit" one or more major life activities.

Current learners and program applicants bear the burden of requesting reasonable accommodation and must produce supporting documentation sufficient to substantiate their disability-based accommodation requests. Supporting documentation submitted by a learner/applicant must address the substantial limitation on major life activities posed by the disability for which an accommodation is being requested. 

Accommodations requests are reviewed and approved by the Office of Student & Trainee Disability Services (STDS) for each learner/applicant on a case-by-case basis. It is important to keep in mind that this is an interactive process. Accommodations are best established and appropriately implemented when there is a collaboration between the instructor, learner, and STDS. Contact the STDS at disability@bcm.edu to begin this interactive process.

Once STDS determines reasonable accommodations, it is the learner/applicant's responsibility to share their approved accommodation letter with the school's designated accommodations liaison as well as any faculty and course administrators who need to know.

No. Student & Trainee Disability Services (STDS) is the only entity who can approve accommodations on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). BCM does not allow faculty and staff outside of STDS to approve accommodations. However, BCM does require faculty and staff to implement STDS-approved accommodations when a student makes a timely request to use those accommodations for a particular course assessment or learning activity.

An accommodation request is considered unreasonable if it:

• Would fundamentally alter the essential nature of a program or element of the curriculum,
• Poses an undue hardship to the institution, or
• Creates a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

Production of supporting documentation is the sole responsibility of the learner/applicant. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require colleges or universities to conduct or pay for medical or cognitive evaluations that may be necessary to generate supporting documentation that substantiates a disability accommodation request. Student & Trainee Disability Services (STDS) is not authorized to provide any financial assistance for this purpose.

It is important that learners have a good understanding of what their course/program obligations and expectations will be prior to requesting accommodations. Contact STDS immediately after you have completed the onboarding process of your program. Requests that are received prior to the start of the term or as early as possible will allow STDS to adequately process services and provide learners an opportunity to provide faculty or necessary administrators with reasonable notice.

Students and trainees should notify the program administrators of their need for accommodations at least 30 days prior to the start of a term to avoid implementation delays. Students and trainees have sole responsibility for ensuring provision of their Accommodation Letter to the school's disability accommodation liaison and/or program administrators. 

Yes. The needs of a learner may vary according to course requirements, format, and course content. Depending on the documented limitations, accommodations may vary by course or term. 

No. Learners are not obligated to disclose that they have a disability or request accommodations. However, Student & Trainee Disability Services (STDS) recommends that learners with disabilities that have utilized educational accommodations in the past proactively establish and use accommodations. Learners/applicants may opt out of using their accommodations at any time. 

Note: It is advantageous to establish accommodations at the beginning of the program or activity, and easier to determine that there is no need to use them than to need the accommodations and not have them established.

The learner is responsible for notifying STDS regarding any changes to the academic environment or accommodations that are needed. Learners have the right to request additional accommodations for which they are eligible at any time. However, it is the learner's responsibility to provide STDS with "reasonable notice" of perceived ineffectiveness and inform STDS as soon as you become aware that a change is needed. It may be challenging and take more time to correct a long-standing problem. Learners and STDS designee(s) will work collaboratively with school officials as appropriate to resolve the concern.

Timely notice to STDS results in reassessment and if necessary, determination of new or alternative accommodation(s). If the documentation on file does not support the request, a learner may be required to provide additional documentation. The learner's file will be re-evaluated by the STDS designee to determine if the new request is reasonable.

A learner's timely disclosure of new or alternative accommodations to program faculty/staff will minimize or eliminate delay in implementation. Program faculty/staff will endeavor to implement such accommodations within the desired time frame or by an anticipated event whenever possible.

No. Learners are not required to use approved accommodations during every course or learning experience. Learners have the right to assert/discontinue their accommodations on a case-by-case basis. To activate accommodations for a specific course or learning experience, the learner must provide their Accommodation Letter directly to the designated liaison for their school / program, or the course faculty or program director via email in a timely manner.

Oftentimes these situations arise due to miscommunication. If any issues arise, please contact STDS immediately at 713-798-2528 or STDServices@bcm.edu. 

Yes. Learners can bring Service Animals into any areas on BCM campuses that are open to the public, as well as any areas the learners must enter to complete their training program. Learners with Service Animals that must enter a clinical setting should consult with and abide by the Service Animals in a Clinical Setting Policy (26.1.31).

The Americans with Disabilities Act (see Sec.36.306 Personal devices and services) does not require a public accommodation to provide its customers, clients, or participants with personal devices, such as wheelchairs; individually prescribed devices, such as prescription eyeglasses or hearing aids; or services of a personal nature including assistance in eating, toileting, or dressing.

For example: Harold, who has provided adequate supporting documentation of his disability, has recently noticed that the wheelchair he has used for years at home and in school has become difficult to operate and needs new wheels. Harold submits a request for a new wheelchair to BCM's Student and Trainee Disability Services (STDS). Because the applicable law does not require the provision of personal devices and services, BCM STDs can deny the request and still be in ADA compliance. However, Harold could obtain the new wheelchair he needs through his insurance plan, which should cover medically necessary medical devices such as wheelchairs.

According to Equal Access for Students with Disabilities - The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education, it is important to consider the following best practices when applying for testing accommodations for a Third-Party or Board exams:

• Requirements are typically outlined by the administrator's website, for example: USMLE, NPTE
• It is recommended that requestors attend to all deadlines and guidance regarding the expected turnaround time.
• Generally, an agency's decision time is 60-120 days.
• Preparing a suitable submission can take 3-6 months to gather the following information:
  • Develop a personal statement.
  • Collect documentation that shows a history of receiving accommodation for school and standardized testing; with the most recent being within 3 years.
  • Detailed evaluation containing diagnostic process, limitations, and recommendations.
  • Letter of support from a qualified professional and a school counselor or instructor.

All first-year students follow the Foundational Sciences Curriculum and are automatically registered for courses. While not required, most students also choose to enroll in Foundational Sciences electives. You can earn up to 6 elective credits towards graduation before you start clerkships. Registration for electives will occur around the second day of classes. You will receive a list of courses being offered for the term and specific instructions on how to register. Student Affairs and the Registrar will guide you on searching the elective catalog and choosing wisely during orientation. Additionally, you’ll receive elective counseling from a Learning Community Advisor, Specialty Specific Mentor, or Student Affairs Dean.

That can be done after classes start. Complete the “How May I Help?” form under “Student Resources” in the CAMS student portal. The certification will be mailed within 24-48 hours. Please note the Office of the Registrar only requires official transcripts from universities/colleges where degrees were conferred. This includes any type of degree (i.e., associates, bachelors, masters, etc.) that you would like to be included on your official transcript while here at Baylor College of Medicine. Transcripts can be sent electronically through Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, etc. to registrar@bcm.edu. If you are having your transcript mailed, please send it to:

Attn: Abigail Sube
Office of the Registrar
One Baylor Plaza, DeBakey 210 MS. 365
Houston, TX 77030

If you are a participant in a military HPSP program, provide Student Account Services (sas@bcm.edu; 713-798-4322) a copy of your contract, military orders, etc., so they may bill the government for your tuition/fees.  

If you are eligible for VA education benefits, please contact the Registrar’s Office (registrar@bcm.edu) to determine the documents required to certify your enrollment to the VA.

You will receive an email in mid-June with instructions to activate your BCM email and login account. Once established, you will have access to SuccessFactors to complete required compliance modules, and student resources available in the BCM intranet and Blackboard. 

No, BCM does not provide laptops. However, we include in every first-year student’s financial aid allocation $2,000, which can be used to purchase a new laptop. If you already own a laptop or can purchase one for less than $2,000, you should decline all or part of your financial aid allocation, so you only borrow what you need. Be aware that half your financial aid award is available in August and half in January.  

The classes that you take at BCM are paperless so you must have a computer to access class materials including course notes, presentations, and streaming videos. In addition, some exams at BCM are administered over wireless networks at the College. Many students use both a laptop and a tablet – the laptop for note-taking and the tablet for studying on the go.

We support both Apple and Windows-based devices. Please do not purchase a Chrome Netbook because it will NOT work for your wireless exams. For further guidance on appropriate computers, refer to the Minimum Computer Requirements.