UCSF School of Medicine: How to Get In

Mission Statement

The UCSF School of Medicine strives to advance human health through a four-fold mission of education, research, patient care, and public service.

Admissions Statistics and Eligibility

UCSF School of Medicine is one of the most competitive institutions of higher learning in the nation. Roughly 6% of applicants are interviewed, with a ~1.95% matriculation rate overall.

• Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.95%
• In-State Acceptance Rate: 2.86%
• Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.13%
• Average MCAT Total Score: 517
• Average GPA: 3.89

Eligibility

UCSF medical school welcomes applicants from all the United States, including US residents with a valid visa as well as individuals who’ve been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). UCSF School of Medicine doesn’t accept international students, including Canadian students.

Students must have completed a Bachelor’s degree at the time of matriculation. The MCAT is required and your MCAT must be written within two years of applying.

Selection Factors

The UCSF medical school prides on not solely admitting students based on academic achievement but personal characteristics that the admissions committee deems as desirable for future physicians.

Both the academic and other factors such as the applicant's medical school personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation will contribute to the selection process.

The selection process will be conducted on the following principles:

• To ensure that all accepted students have convincingly demonstrated the capacity to meet the academic challenges they will encounter at UCSF, based on their undergraduate or graduate school record, and/or MCAT performance.
• To value personal qualities that contribute to outstanding performance during a career in medicine including, but not limited to: intelligence, judgment, humility, maturity, selflessness, collaboration, etc.
• To value applicants who demonstrate the capacity and preparedness to take advantage of the many opportunities at UCSF to delve deeply into co-curricular activities such as research, collaborative programs, and community service.
• To value outstanding performance in the humanities as well as the ability to communicate in languages that are commonly used by non-English speaking populations in the United States.
• To uphold UCSF’s commitment to increasing the number of physicians from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic populations.
• To uphold UCSF’s commitment to diversifying the physician workforce in all domains of diversity.

MCAT and GPA

All applicants must complete the MCAT within the last three years and the test needs to be completed by September 15^th of the application year.

According to the latest data, the average MCAT of accepted applicants is 517and the average GPA of accepted applicants is 3.89. USCF Medical School does not set a minimum cut off, so if you fall slightly below this you can still apply. However, as it is a very competitive medical school you should make sure all other aspects of your application are stellar.

Prerequisites and Recommended Courses

The UCSF School of Medicine requires the following prerequisites from all applicants:

This formal course requirement is considered a basic foundation for all applicants, with successful applicants surpassing the prerequisites. This means taking advanced-level courses in biology and chemistry as well as a breadth of courses that may contribute to your success as a practicing physician (i.e. ethics, communication, foreign languages). 



Extracurriculars

The UCSF medical school has a goal of making an energetic, inspiring, and diverse community of students that would benefit not only from the academic rigor of UCSF but also take advantage of the many unique programs and initiatives they offer. One way to showcase you will be a good fit at UCSF medical school is by having a wide range of extracurriculars. Note that above all else research experience is in high demand at UCSF.

The most common premedical experiences for first-year students are:

As you can see, research experience is essentially mandatory for getting a spot in UCSF. Getting research experience in undergrad shouldn’t be overwhelming. Any research experience is a great addition to your medical school resume, but finding experiences that line up with UCSF’s mission and research specialties could give your application and edge.

However, just research experience won’t guarantee admissions. Both clinical experience and volunteering are highly sought after at UCSF medical school.

Personal Statement

Writing a personal statement requires a narrative that highlights your unique experiences, motivations, and qualifications for a career in medicine.

 It’s crucial to showcase your understanding of UCSF’s mission and values, and how your goals align with them. For example, UCSF places a high value on working with and in diverse communities. Your personal statement could highlight your life growing up in an underserved community or your experience volunteering with people of diverse backgrounds.

Ultimately, your personal statement should paint a picture of who you are and why you are an ideal fit for UCSF. Personal statements are inherently individual, but it is good to go through examples to get ideas on what to write about.

Check out these accepted medical school personal statement examples!

Technical Standards

All students entering the UCSF School of Medicine must meet the UCSF Technical Standards, including categories like motor function and ethics, with reasonable accommodation if necessary. Applicants will be expected to be able to certify that they meet this standard.

Recommendation Letters

You are expected to supply between three and five letters of recommendation, with the committee letters and letter packets being preferred, but also accepting individual letters of recommendation from a singular author.

Applicants are encouraged to request letters from committees in the prior academic institutions or other entities where they might have obtained practical or cognitive competencies that would be beneficial for their application.

When deciding who to pick as your letter writers, consider the principles of admission above and try to pick writers who can speak to how you meet one or more of these criteria. For example, given research excellence is favored, a professor who supervised a research project of yours would be ideal. Referees can also come from other fields if they can speak to your positive qualities such a volunteer supervisor or a manager who oversaw you in a leadership position.

Interview Format for MD and MD/Ph.D. Applicants

The interview format for all applicants consists of two blind panel interviews, each with a duration of forty minutes to one hour. A blind interview means they are conducted without a prior review from the interviewers of the applicant’s file. This means your interview preparation is vital; you need to make sure you hit all the strongest points of your application, and address potential weaknesses, without prompting from the interviewers.

One of the interviewers will be a member of the faculty with the other often being a medical student at the UCSF School of Medicine. Make sure you ask the student interviewer about their experience at UCSF. Demonstrate your interest and research by asking about unique aspects of UCSF such as specific research centers or campus life.

Given the short time span of the interview and the blind format, make sure you prepare for med school interview questions beforehand. Practice is even more important for UCSF interviews as you need to make sure you don’t forget anything from your application which your interviewers haven’t read. While you shouldn’t be memorizing and reading out your resume, you should be providing background and context with every answer.

Acceptance and Waitlist Information

UCSF medical school uses rolling admissions so acceptance letters are sent out as early as January and as late as July. Students who received an acceptance have up to two weeks to acknowledge receipt of the offer of admission through the electronic system. You can defer entrance requests.

Every year, the UCSF School of Medicine has approximately 150 waitlist positions of which 50 spots are usually opened. Generally, offers of admissions are sent out from the waitlist to acceptable candidates in late April until the class size is filled. Don’t stress if you’re on the waitlist, there are ways to get off of it and enter your program of choice. 

Application Timeline

UCSF Medical School uses AMCAS for all primary application materials. 

Tuition

According to the LCME Student Financial Aid Questionnaire from, the percentage of students attending the UCSF School of Medicine that are receiving some kind of financial aid is 86%. The average indebtedness of graduates is $135,487. 

Funding Opportunities

The UCSF medical school offers several grants either through the Student Financial Aid Office (SFAO) or via private grants, loans, and medical school scholarships. Eligible students are also welcome to take subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans, as well as other means of financing that may be available to them.

For some courses, the UCSF School of Medicine will forgo tuition fees for exemplary students that engage in classes that are proven to benefit the institution, the community, or the medical sciences in general.

For more information see the UCSF financial aid website.

Residency Match Rates

Match rates at UCSF are generally very high. Over 95% of students are matched into residency, although numbers are not provided on those who chose to not apply for residency or left the field.

The top specialty for UCSF residencies matches was Primary Care, with ~1/3 of all residents matching Primary Care residencies. If you want to practice in California, UCSF is definitely a good option for you as in recent years 75% of residents were located in California and 30% stayed within the UCSF system for residency.

Available Programs

The institution offers a wide range of programs, including Post Baccalaureate programs, as well as MD-Ph.D. and research programs. This includes four fields of focus with specialized programs that are meant to both educate students with the latest advancements in medical science and technology and to prepare them for the work in their desired field. The programs are:

• MD/Masters in Advanced Studies
• MD with Dissertation
• MD/Masters of Public Health (MPH)
• MD/PhD in History of Health Sciences

For more information please see the UCSF programs website.

Academic Curriculum

The UCSF School of Medicine educates MD graduates to excel as modern doctors and physicians. The MD program objectives consist of seven core MD competencies: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration.

As noted above there are several program options for MD students at UCSF. These include unique options like the MD with dissertation, which allows students who are interested in research to pursue 12-month research projects. Programs like this are good alternatives to those who are interested in research but do not want to commit to an intensive MD/PhD program.

Campus and Faculty

UCSF School of Medicine is primarily located in the Parnassus Heights neighborhood, which is situated on a hill with views of downtown San Francisco. This location is a part of UCSF’s main campus and includes several key facilities such as the UCSF Medical Center, research labs, and educational buildings.

The Parnassus Heights campus is home to the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center and the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, making it a hub for clinical training and patient care. The campus also features the UCSF Library, one of the largest health sciences libraries in the United States, providing essential resources for students and faculty.

UCSF is the perfect campus for you if you want to live in the center of action in a world-class city! Considering so many UCSF medical school alumni practice in San Francisco and California it is a great option if you want to live the West coast lifestyle.

Affiliated Teaching Hospitals

The UCSF School of Medicine is affiliated with several prestigious teaching hospitals that can provide you with clinical training and research opportunities. The primary teaching hospital is UCSF Medical Center, which operates at Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay, and Mount Zion neighborhoods. Other key affiliates are UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, San Francisco General Hospital, and the San Francisco VA Medical Center, which are critical for training in various specialties such as emergency medicine, trauma, and internal medicine.

Research Fields

The UCSF School of Medicine is renowned for its cutting-edge research across a variety of fields. Key research areas include:

Familiarizing yourself with one or more of these specialized centers is a great way to stand out in your application or interview. Showing interest in an area of research at UCSF will showcase your drive and research skills.

Notable Faculty

UCSF School of Medicine has many world-leaders in various research areas. This includes two Nobel laureates: Dr. Harold Varmus (Physiology or Medicine 1989), Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn (2009 Physiology or Medicine), and Shinya Yamanaka (2012 Physiology or Medicine).

Identifying Faculty at UCSF who align with your clinical or research interests is a great way to show the admissions committee you would be a good fit for medical school there.

Contact information

Official website

Email: [email protected]

FAQs

To your success, 

Your friends at BeMo 

BeMo Academic Consulting

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