Graduate Medical Education Expansion Programs (GME Expansion)

Intent

The Graduate Medical Education (GME) Expansion Program provides funding to establish or expand nationally accredited residency programs in Texas, increasing the number of first-year residency positions available across the state. The program supports the Texas goal of maintaining at least 10 percent more first-year residency positions than the number of graduating Texas medical students.

Through these efforts, the GME Expansion Program strengthens the state’s physician workforce pipeline by enabling more medical graduates to remain in Texas for residency training and future practice. Since 2014, the program has supported the creation of 508 new first-year residency positions.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include Texas-based sponsoring institutions of nationally accredited Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. Programs must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) graduates, or by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) for Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.) graduates.

Eligible entities may include health-related institutions, nonprofit or for-profit hospitals, and approved consortia or partnerships actively engaged in developing or expanding residency programs in Texas.

Projects must support one or more of the following:

• Create or expand accreditor-approved first-year (PGY1) residency positions in Texas;
• Establish new GME programs with accreditor-approved PGY1 positions; or
• Maintain existing residency positions previously funded through the GME Expansion Program.

How to Apply

Accepting Applications

To apply for the Graduate Medical Education Expansion Grant Program(GME), click on the link below and review the information outlined in the Grant Announcement. All submittals must be complete (inclusive of required signatures, acknowledgments, required attachments, etc.) and received by the posted due date. Incomplete and late submittals will not be considered for award.

Application Information

• Applications must be submitted by the sponsoring institution of the eligible Graduate Medical Education (GME) program in accordance with this RFA.
• Each eligible program must submit one application through an authorized representative of the applicant entity.
• Programs must either:
  • Maintain previously funded residency positions, or
  • Create new first-year (PGY1) positions in Texas by establishing or expanding a nationally accredited GME program.
• All applications must be submitted through the agency’s Grant Management System (GMS).

Important Dates

Rules and Regulations

The statutory authority for the GME Expansion Program is found in Texas Education Code, Chapter 58A, Subchapter B, Graduate Medical Education Residency Expansion, Section 58A.021, and 58A.023-58A.026. GME Expansion Program grants are administered by the THECB under Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part I, Chapter 6, Subchapter G, Rules 6.120-6.125 and Subchapter H, Rules 6.135-6.140. The 89th Legislature, Regular Session, appropriated funding in the General Appropriation Act, Senate Bill 1, and provided direction on program administration and funding in Article III, Riders 29, 35, and 41.

Impact

The Graduate Medical Education (GME) Expansion Program was established by the 83rd Texas Legislature to address the state’s need for additional first-year residency positions. Since its launch in 2014, the program has supported the creation of 508 new first-year residency positions across Texas.

Continued legislative investment demonstrates the state’s commitment to strengthening the physician workforce. For the 2026–2027 biennium, the Texas Legislature appropriated $303,946,310 in funding to support GME expansion efforts administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Grant Cycle