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University of California San Diego School of Medicine

La Jolla, CA Class Size: 140 Visit School Website →

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Statistics Tuition Friendliness Mission Statement

Situational Judgement Tests Dates, Deadlines, and Fees Prerequisite Courses Dual Degree Tracks

Contact Information Secondary App Questions Interview Questions

Gaining admission to University of California San Diego School of Medicine is Very Competitive. Applicants typically have an average GPA of 3.77 and an average MCAT score of 516.

📊 STATISTICS

To summarize, listed below are the most important academic statistics for University of California San Diego School of Medicine applicants:

Average GPA: 3.77

Average MCAT: 516

Competitiveness: Very Competitive

Note: Competitiveness is assessed based on the school's acceptance rate, average MCAT, and average GPA.

💸 TUITION

Affording medical school can be tough, often requiring students to take on significant loans. Information about the yearly tuition for University of California San Diego School of Medicine is below.

In-State Tuition: $41000

Out-of-State Tuition: $53000

For more information about tuition at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, visit the following link: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/admissions/financial-aid/Documents/23-24%20SOM%20Public.pdf

😀 FRIENDLINESS

Some schools prefer in-state candidates, while others are more receptive to out-of-state or international applicants. View our school "friendliness" scores for University of California San Diego School of Medicine below:

🏠 IN-STATE

In-State Friendliness: Very Friendly

🚗 OUT-OF-STATE

Accepts Out-of-State: Yes

Out-of-State Friendliness: Friendly

✈️ INTERNATIONAL

Accepts Canadian: No

Accepts International: No

International Friendliness: Not Friendly

Note: Most schools will be labelled "Neutral" for In-State Friendlines because they don't have a strong bias for in-state applicants compared to out-of-state applicants. In other words, we believe these schools view In-State and Out-State applicants more or less equally. Schools labelled as "Out-of-State Friendly / Very Friendly" have a high proportion of their class filled with Out-of-State applicants.

⭐️ MISSION STATEMENT

It is always important to read and understand a medical school's mission statement before applying. Often, you will find out what the medical school stands for, and if you fit in with the general "vibe" of the medical school. However, being honest, most medical schools have the same run-of-the-mill mission statement as everybody else. Anyways, you can be the judge. Below you can find the mission statement for University of California San Diego School of Medicine:

University of California San Diego School of Medicine Mission Statement:

As a top-tier academic medical center, our role is to improve health through innovative research, education and patient care.

For more information on the mission statement for University of California San Diego School of Medicine, visit the following link: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/about/Pages/by-the-numbers.aspx

🤷‍♂️ SITUATIONAL JUDGEMENT TESTS

University of California San Diego School of Medicine requires the completion of the AAMC PREview™ examination.

CASPer®: No

AAMC PREview™: Yes

PREPARING FOR PREview™?

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📅 DATES, DEADLINES, AND FEES

Throughout your application cycle, there are many dates to be cognizant of in order to ensure the successful completion of your application.

Primary Application Deadline: October 16

Secondary Application Deadline: Nov 1

Secondary Application Deadline: $135

Note: The primary application deadline refers to when your primary application (i.e., the initial AMCAS/AACOMAS/TMDSAS application) needs to be completed. Please be aware that there are processing times associated with primary applications—for instance, there can be a several week processing time associated with verifying your acadmic transcripts when initially submitting the AMCAS application. Upon receipt of the primary application, most schools will then shortly send you a secondary application with targeted essay questions relevant to the specific school.

The secondary application deadline is the final day for all your application materials to be together, which includes submitting the secondary essays, all letters of recommendation, all test scores, etc. Sometimes, schools may have earlier deadlines for letters of recommendation. However, note that for the vast majority of schools it is best to submit your secondary application as soon as possible: within 2 weeks of receiving the secondary application is a good rule-of-thumb.

Below are some other helpful dates:

Interview Cycle Start: NA

Interview Cycle End: NA

INTERVIEW COMING UP?

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📚 PREREQUISITE COURSES

Most schools have a list of prerequisite courses that you need to have completed before matriculating. View information provided for University of California San Diego School of Medicine below:

Interpreting Semester Hours

Typically,

3 Semester Hours = A single semester-long course = 1 or 2 quarters

4 Semester Hours = A single semester-long course + associated lab unit

6 Semester Hours = Two semester-long courses = 3 quarters

8 Semester Hours = Two semester-long courses + two associated lab units

⚙️ PHYSICS

Semester Hours:

Lab?

Not Required

Physics with Labwork Recommended.

🧪 CHEMISTRY

GenChem = General Chemistry

OChem = Organic Chemistry

Biochem = Biochemistry

GenChem Semester Hours:

GenChem Lab?

Not Required

OChem Semester Hours:

OChem Lab?

Not Required

Biochem Semester Hours:

Biochem Lab?

Not Required

General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry with Labwork Recommended. Biochemistry Recommended.

🫀 BIOLOGY

GenBio = General Biology

HL Bio = Higher Level Biology

GenBio Semester Hours:

GenBio Lab?

Not Required

HL Bio Semester Hours:

HL Bio Lab?

Not Required

Biology with Labwork Recommended.

🔍 HUMANITIES & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Semester Hours:

✍️ ENGLISH/WRITING

Semester Hours:

📈 MATHEMATICS/STATISTICS

Mathematics Semester Hours:

Statistics Semester Hours:

Calculus or Statistics Recommended.

OTHER REQUIRED COURSES

OTHER RECOMMENDED COURSES

SOURCE: https://medschool.ucsd.edu/admissions/Pages/Application-Process.aspx

🎓 SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Many schools have dual-degree programs for motivated applicants. View the ones offered at University of California San Diego School of Medicine below:

MD+PhD (MSTP - Medical Scientist Training Program):

Yes

MD+MPH (Public Health):

Yes

MD+MBA (Business, Healthcare Administration):

MD+JD (Law):

MD+MA (Master of Arts):

MD+MS (Master of Science):

📲 CONTACT INFORMATION

View contact information (phone and email) available to contact University of California San Diego School of Medicine below:

CONTACT #1

Title

E-mail

somadmissions@ucsd.edu

Phone

CONTACT #2

Title

E-mail

Phone

📝 SECONDARY APPLICATION ESSAY PROMPTS

Below are the past secondary (supplemental) application essay prompts for University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

This should be a true autobiographical statement. Topics to be included are family, childhood, primary and secondary school years, undergraduate years, and, if applicable, what you’ve done since completing your bachelor’s degree. You should also discuss the motivational factors which led you to a career in medicine, including any disadvantages or obstacles which might put your accomplishments into context. A repeat of your AMCAS statement will not be acceptable. Please note: if you are applying to the MD/PhD program, please include why you are specifically interested in seeking MD/PhD training at UCSD. (6000 characters)

(OPTIONAL) Please describe how educational disparity, health disparity and/or marginalization has impacted you and your community? (4800 characters)

On your AMCAS Application, you were asked to identify your three “most meaningful” experiences. These activities have been auto-filled in your secondary application. In addition to the information you provided on the AMCAS application, we would like to know if there are any additional activities you would consider among your most meaningful. This may include activities that you’ve already completed but couldn’t include as you were limited to three selections on the AMCAS application, or it may include a new activity that began after your initial AMCAS application was submitted. Use the “Add” button below to enter a new activity. We would also like to know if a letter of recommendation has been submitted on your behalf by somebody you worked with through this experience. If you do not have a letter from this experience, simply type N/A. This information allows Admissions Committee members reviewing your application to more readily match your letters to your experiences and thus facilitates the review of your application. DO NOT LIST ANY ACTIVITY MORE THAN ONCE. (For each activity you add, there is a 100-character limit.)

Some medical school applicants are already focused on pursuing a particular career pathway in medicine. While many students will change from this pathway during medical school, knowing of your potential interests does help us to assign interviewers. Your choice below does not influence how the Admissions Committee selects students to interview. Please select from one of career pathways listed below. In addition to this selection, please provide a brief description of your future career goals. (400 characters)

Academic Medicine (Working as a faculty member at a School of Medicine either as a clinician, a clinician-educator, or a clinician investigator. This could be in any field of medicine)

Primary Care and/or work in underserved communities (Working as a general internist, a pediatrician, or a family medicine physician and/or spending the majority of your time working in a community currently underserved by the medical profession)

Public Health, administrative leadership in medicine (Pursuing an MPH and/or working for a public health department or organization; working in health care policy; working as a hospital administrator)

Specialist in private practice (Working in a private practice or managed care setting as a subspecialist. Examples include cardiologist, infectious disease specialist, obstetrician, orthopedic surgeon, general surgeon, anaesthesiologist, radiologist)

Other/undecided

For special programs:

PRIME - HEq

The goals of PRIME - HEq are: To increase the number of clinicians, research scientists, and advocates addressing minority health and health disparities; to create a diverse community of scholars that develop, transmit, and apply new knowledge in minority health and health disparities; and to promote a multidisciplinary community/university partnership to eliminate health disparities. The program utilizes existing opportunities to allow enrollees to obtain a master's degree emphasizing minority health and health disparities, tailored to student's interest (MPH, MBA, MAS, MS) Applicants indicating an interest in PRIME are required to write an additional essay detailing their qualifications and reasons for interest in the program.

Please describe your interest in the PRIME-HEq program. Topics to include are longitudinal experiences that you’ve had with underserved communities, including the type of community that you’ve worked with and your level of involvement. Additionally, you should discuss the length of time that you’ve spent working in these communities. (4800 characters)

GHAC

Applicants to the UCSD School of Medicine may apply for admission to the GHAC. This track is available to five medical students per class per year, and will provide mentored research and clinical experiences in Global Health. The GHAC has four goals: 1) to prepare young physicians to engage with the global community to address health disparities; 2) to provide experiences and training in academic Global Health research; 3) to provide field experiences in Global Health delivery; and 4) to facilitate education about structural and social factors that create and propagate health disparities. Students in this concentration will undertake an additional curriculum that exposes them to Global Health topics throughout all four years of medical school. This track is appropriate for applicants hoping to pursue an academic medical career in Global Health. Students accepted into the GHAC will be provided with financial support for two international rotations (up to $5000 for both). Applicants interested in applying for the GHAC are required to write an additional essay detailing their qualifications and reasons for interest in this program.

Please describe your interest in Global Health. The term Global Health can have many meanings; for our purposes, we find the definition provided by Koplan et. al. in their 2009 Lancet publication useful: “the area of study, research and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide”. In your essay, be sure to describe any personal or professional experiences that have shaped your interests, and how Global Health issues have influenced your decision to pursue a career in medicine. (4800 characters)

PRIME-TIDE

Applicants to the UCSD School of Medicine may apply for admission to the Program in Medicine - Transforming Indigenous Doctor Education (PRIME-TIDE), which is available to six medical students per class per year. The educational objectives of the PRIME-TIDE are to: 1) teach medical students the appropriate management and treatment of diseases common in AI/AN communities with a focus on culturally sensitive care via a mentored clinical experience in local, regional or national tribally-operated Indian Health Service (IHS) ambulatory clinics; 2) understand the opportunities for community-based research with AI/AN communities through the California Native American Research Center for Health (CA-NARCH); 3) engage in preventive medicine and public health in a tribal healthcare setting; and 4) understand the social, environmental, economic and political issues related to providing healthcare to tribal communities, as well as the limitations/adaptations to the delivery of IHS care. These objectives will be met by completing didactic coursework, as well as mentored research and clinical experiences. (4800 characters)

🙋‍♀️ INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Below are common interview questions that you might encounter on your important day for University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

How would you finance your medical school education?

Explain your research and its implications.

What are the three most important traits for a good doctor?

What is a regret you have in your life so far?

How do you handle the chaos and lack of time off in medicine?

How do you handle stress?

What do you want to achieve as a doctor?

(If you are an out-of-state applicant) Why do you want to study medicine in California as an out-of-state resident?

Talk about a challenging situation you faced in a leadership position.

How would you handle the restrictions in patient care imposed by health insurance companies?

Why did you choose medicine and why UCSD?

Who were your mentors?

Discuss a time when you faced a challenging situation and how you overcame it.

How would you deal with difficult patients?

Tell me about your family.

Describe a time when you used leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills to fix a problem.

What qualities are you looking for in a medical school?

What do you see yourself doing in medicine in 10 years?

Why didn't you have a lot of clinical experience?

What are two values you want to work towards in your life, and how will medicine enable you to achieve them?

What would you change about society if you could change one thing?

Describe your favorite class in college.

Tell me about your background.

What do you think about alternative medicine?

Where do you envision yourself practicing in 10-15 years?

Describe yourself in a few sentences.

How do you plan to manage the challenges of balancing a career in medicine with other aspects of your life?

What do you think are the problems in the healthcare system?

What makes you think you can handle the demands of medicine?

What makes UCSD a good fit for you?

How did you develop your motivation to study medicine?

(If you have a family) How do you plan to balance your career and family?

Describe your research in detail.

What is one thing your friend would like to change about you?

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