MD · La Jolla, CA · public · applies through AMCAS
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Known as UC San Diego
Prerequisite coursework
Verify with the school| Course | Status | Hours | Lab | Pass/fail | AP credit | Online | Community college | Notes from the school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry CHEM | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case We will accept pass/fail grades for coursework, but recommend against taking more than 3 total sciences courses as pass/fail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Biology BIOL | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case We will accept pass/fail grades for coursework, but recommend against taking more than 3 total sciences courses as pass/fail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Chemistry CHEM | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case We will accept pass/fail grades for coursework, but recommend against taking more than 3 total sciences courses as pass/fail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Mathematics MATH | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Physics PHYS | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case We will accept pass/fail grades for coursework, but recommend against taking more than 3 total sciences courses as pass/fail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Statistics MATH | Recommended | — | No | Case-by-case We will accept pass/fail grades for coursework, but recommend against taking more than 3 total sciences courses as pass/fail | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Biochemistry CHEM | Required | — | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | One (1) semester or quarter of colleve-level Biochemistry. |
Community-college pathways
At the UCSD School of Medicine, we understand there are many valid reasons why an applicant would take coursework at a community college. Any and all community college coursework is accepted by our committee.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Premed Course Requirements 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Admission policies, in the school's words
TRANSFER STUDENTS UC San Diego School of Medicine does not accept students in transfer from other medical schools. --CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT The UC San Diego School of Medicine will consider applications from U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the U.S. (green card holders), and DACA recipients. Applicants that do not satisfy one of these three eligibility requirements will not be considered. --COURSEWORK RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that students enter medical school after four years of undergraduate study; the absolute minimum requirement is attendance for three academic years at an accredited college of arts and sciences, with at least one full year at an accredited 4-year institution in the United States. Students who have attended a foreign school must have completed at least one year of study at a four-year college in the United States prior to applying. Exceptions may be made for students from Canadian schools - please contact somadmissions@ucsd.edu to inquire. UCSD does not have requirements regarding coursework that must be completed. The following courses are recommended to make our evaluation of your application easier, and to better prepare you for the MCAT and for medical school: One academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) of college-level Biology One academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) of college-level General Chemistry One term (1 semester or 1 quarter) of college-level Biochemistry One academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) of college-level Organic Chemistry. One academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) of college-level Physics. One academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) of college-level Calculus or Statistics Laboratory coursework for all courses that offer corresponding labs. Applicants that are missing any of these courses will still be considered. --Policy regarding Pass/No Pass and On-Line coursework due to COVID-19 impact The UCSD School of Medicine will accept, without prejudice, grades of Pass/No Pass for all coursework for Winter 2020, Spring 2020, the entire 2020 - 2021 academic year, and Summer 2021 For coursework outside of these time frames, Pass/No Pass are accepted but we would not recommend more than one course per academic year be taken Pass/No Pass. We have always accepted grades from on-line courses and will continue to do so. --MCAT Policy – updated February 2026 MCAT "Expiration": We will accept MCAT scores from January 2023 through December 2026. Applicants that only have scores from prior to 2023, we will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis. Please contact somadmissions@health.ucsd.edu and include your MCAT scores. We will not consider MCAT scores taken in early 2027 Applicants will not be invited to submit a secondary application unless they have an MCAT score available For all applicants, we will make decisions regarding interviews without consideration of the MCAT score (i.e. the MCAT score will be hidden from the applications that our screeners will review) If an applicant was able to sit for an MCAT exam but feels their MCAT performance or ability to take the MCAT was significantly adversely affected by a pandemic-related issue, we will allow a short statement describing that hardship or adversity to be appended to their secondary application.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Admission Policies and Information 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Who can apply
- Out-of-state applicants
- Yes All applicants
- Canadian applicants
- Case-by-case Coursework from Canadian universities is accepted. Applicants still must meet our criteria re: citizenship as detailed in the "International Applicants" section
- International applicants
- No The UCSD SOM will consider applicants from US citizens, permanent residents of the US (green card), and DACA recipients. Applicants that do not satisfy one of these requirements won't be considered
- DACA applicants
- Yes https://medschool.ucsd.edu/admissions/Pages/ApplicationProcess.aspx
- DACA details
- https://medschool.ucsd.edu/admissions/Pages/Application-Process.aspx
- Residency preference (school's page)
- No residency preference is stated; the page reports 76% of the incoming class are California residents and says the process complies with Proposition 209 (race/ethnicity not considered).
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Interview
- Format
- The 4-year M.D. program, PRIME-HEq, PRIME-TIDE, and GHAC programs utilize Multiple Mini Interviews with faculty and 4th-year medical students. The MD-Phd program utilizes both one on one and Multiple Mini Interviews.
- Invitations sent
- In August of the year preceding matriculation.
- Typical interview day
- All sessions will be run via Zoom video conferencing. Students receive a orientation at 8 AM in the morning. MMI interviews occur until noon. Applicants have a 1 hour Q & A session with current medical students, and then debrief with admissions staff.
- Regional interviews
- Regional interviews are not available.
- Video interviews
- For the 2026-2027 application cycle, UCSD plans to use only remote video interviews (via Zoom)
Tags are derived from the text above by keyword; read the text before relying on a tag.
Source: MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Interview Procedures 2027 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Situational-judgment tests and MCAT dates
- Casper
- Not on official list source
- AAMC PREview
- Exploring (not used in decisions) "Exploring PREview for Future use – will not be used in this cycle’s admissions decisions" source
- Latest MCAT considered
- December 31, 2026
- Oldest MCAT considered
- January 2023
Casper status comes from the school's own admissions page where it states one, otherwise from published requirement lists; PREview from the school's page or the AAMC PREview policies report. Both change between cycles. Verify with the school.
Secondary application
- Required
- Yes
- Fee
- $135
- Fee waiver available
- Yes
- Deadline
- The deadline is one month after the applicant is invited to submit the secondary application
- Who receives it
- Screened applicants
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Letters of evaluation
- Committee letter
- Accepted
- Letter packet
- Accepted
- Individual letters
- Accepted
Source: (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13). Verify with the school.
Waitlist and deposit
- Typical waitlist positions
- 300
- Offers made from the waitlist
- 30
- Procedure
- Applicants are typically informed of the admission committee's decision on their application within six weeks of their interview. Those on the waitlist are re-evaluated for possible admission.
- Deposit required
- No
Cost of attendance and debt
| In state | Out of state | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | $45,956 | $58,201 |
| Health insurance | $5,820 | $5,820 |
| Total cost of attendance, year 1 | $75,043 | $87,288 |
85% of students receive aid. Average indebtedness of indebted graduates: $163,679.
Official AAMC counts, 2025-2026
- Applications
- 10,400 (53.6% in-state)
- Matriculants
- 140 (74.3% in-state, 25.7% out-of-state; 63.6% women)
- Applications per seat
- 74
Source: AAMC FACTS Table A-1: Applications and Matriculants by School, State of Legal Residence, and Gender, 2025-2026 (AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13).
Entering class 2026
- Applicants
- 10,874
- Interviewed
- 973
- Matriculated
- 140
- MCAT (mean)
- 514.6
- GPA (mean)
- 3.86 · science 3.82
- In-state
- 76%
- First generation
- 23%
Source: the school's published class profile (page), retrieved 2026-10-13. Statistics describe one entering class and are not cutoffs.
Transfer applications
No
Mission statement
The mission of the UC San Diego School of Medicine is to provide skilled, compassionate physicians well-trained to practice medicine who are sensitive to the needs of the special populations of our region and the nation. In addition, we strive to build on our exceptional biomedical, behavioral and health services research strengths to extend the boundaries of the art and science of medicine through continued research and the preparation of future academicians. In these ways, we also strive to improve the overall health of the population.
Notes
'By the Numbers' page for the Incoming Class of 2026: 10,874 applicants, 973 interviews, 140 matriculated; average undergraduate GPA 3.86, science GPA 3.82, MCAT 514.6; 23% first-generation; 76% California residents; 71% earned undergraduate degrees in California; 21 UC San Diego alumni; age range 21–39; 34 languages. WebFetch failed twice on a certificate-chain error for medschool.ucsd.edu; the page was retrieved with curl instead.
Sources for this page
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Premed Course Requirements 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Admission Policies and Information 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- MSAR Report for Applicants and Advisors: Interview Procedures 2027 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- School website (class profile and admissions pages)
- LCME Directory - Accredited Programs
- AAMC FACTS Table A-1: Applications and Matriculants by School, State of Legal Residence, and Gender, 2025-2026 · AAMC, retrieved 2026-10-13
- https://medschool.ucsd.edu/education/md-combined/admissions/by-the-numbers.html · school website, retrieved 2026-10-13
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