UC San Diego School of Medicine does not publish an acceptance rate based on offers of admission. For the incoming class of 2026, the school received 10,874 applications, held 973 interviews and enrolled 140 students, so about 1.3% of applicants enrolled (matriculants divided by applicants) and about 8.9% were interviewed. The class averaged a 3.86 undergraduate GPA and a 514.6 MCAT (UC San Diego School of Medicine, By the Numbers, 2026).
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine, the region’s only medical school, is among the most selective medical schools in the United States, and it is important to distinguish its numbers from UC San Diego‘s undergraduate acceptance rate, which is an entirely different metric. The school’s official name is the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. It is not the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which is part of the University at Buffalo in New York. At UC San Diego, the Jacobs name belongs to Jacobs Medical Center, a La Jolla hospital named for Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and to the separate Jacobs School of Engineering. If you are a pre-med student considering UCSD for medical school, the data below will help you understand exactly what you are up against, where you stand, and how to strengthen your candidacy for the class that enters in fall 2027. For the full application process, including every secondary prompt, the MMI and each concentration, see our guide on how to get into UC San Diego School of Medicine.
UC San Diego updates its class profile each fall, and the incoming class of 2026 is the latest it has published. AAMC data for the 2025 entering class add medians, section scores and in-state and out-of-state counts that the school’s profile does not show. Admissions statistics shift slightly each cycle, so treat these figures as benchmarks for where admitted students land, not as cutoffs.
UCSD Medical School Acceptance Rate and Class Profile
For the incoming class of 2026, UCSD received 10,874 applications. Of those applicants, 973 were interviewed, and the final matriculating class was 140 students (UCSD, 2026). When you calculate the ratio of matriculants to total applicants, the figure comes out to roughly 1.3%. The school does not report how many offers it made, so a true offer-based acceptance rate cannot be calculated from its own figures. Because some admitted students enroll elsewhere, the share of applicants who receive an offer is somewhat higher than 1.3%, but by any measure the selectivity is stark.
The average undergraduate GPA for the 2026 class was 3.86, the average science GPA was 3.82, and the average MCAT score was 514.6. These numbers place UCSD’s students well above the national averages for medical school matriculants, which, according to AAMC applicant and matriculant data, were a 3.81 GPA and a 512.1 MCAT for students who enrolled at U.S. MD schools in 2025-2026 (AAMC FACTS Table A-16). That gap matters. Competitive applicants to UCSD are not simply meeting national averages; they are meaningfully exceeding them. Nationally, 23,440 of 54,699 applicants enrolled at some MD school for fall 2025, about 43%, which shows how far below the national picture a single school like UCSD sits.
Alongside the four-year MD, UCSD trains physician-scientists through its MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), which enrolls about 10 to 13 students a year and has about 90 students in total (UCSD MSTP). The MSTP has been funded through the NIH since 1974, with full stipend, tuition and health insurance support, making it a prestigious and competitive route for students committed to careers in physician-science. If you are applying to the MD/PhD specifically, know that the applicant pool is smaller but highly specialized, and your research profile will carry significant weight.
How has the UCSD School of Medicine acceptance rate changed over time?
UC San Diego School of Medicine has become harder to enter over the last three cycles because applications grew while the class did not. Applications rose about 17%, from 9,267 for the 2024 incoming class to 10,874 for 2026, while the class shrank from 152 to 140 students, so the share of applicants who enrolled fell from about 1.6% to about 1.3%. Class averages crept up at the same time, from a 3.81 GPA and 514.1 MCAT in 2024 to a 3.86 GPA and 514.6 MCAT in 2026. The table below uses the figures UCSD published for each incoming class.
| Incoming class (fall) | Applicants | Interviews | Matriculated | Enrolled per applicant | Average GPA | Average science GPA | Average MCAT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,874 | 973 (8.9%) | 140 | 1.3% | 3.86 | 3.82 | 514.6 | UCSD, 2026 |
| 2025 | 10,400 | 1,002 (9.6%) | 140 | 1.3% | 3.83 | 3.78 | 514.4 | UCSD, 2025 |
| 2024 | 9,267 | 979 (10.6%) | 152 | 1.6% | 3.81 | 3.75 | 514.1 | UCSD, 2024 |
Reaching the interview is the hardest step, and it is getting harder: the interview rate fell from about 10.6% for the 2024 class to about 8.9% for 2026, so about 91 of every 100 applicants in the latest cycle were never interviewed. Once you are interviewed, the odds improve sharply: 140 of the 973 applicants interviewed for 2026 enrolled, about 1 in 7.
In-State vs. Out-of-State: What California Residency Means for Your Odds
Like all University of California medical schools, UCSD heavily favors California residents. For the incoming class of 2026, 76% of students were California residents, and 71% had earned their undergraduate degrees in California (UCSD, 2026). This is not a soft preference; it is a structural feature of UC admissions.
Out-of-state applicants are not excluded, but the math is unforgiving. AAMC counts for the 2025 entering class show 5,548 California applicants and 4,799 from other states. About 11.6% of California applicants were interviewed and about 1.9% enrolled (103 students), while about 7.2% of out-of-state applicants were interviewed and about 0.8% enrolled (36 students). If roughly a quarter of seats go to non-residents, and the applicant pool is national, your application needs to be exceptionally strong to earn one of those limited spots. Out-of-state applicants who are successful tend to have GPA and MCAT scores at or above the matriculant averages, along with compelling research, clinical experience, and a clearly articulated reason for wanting to train at UCSD specifically. The school considers applications only from U.S. citizens, permanent residents and DACA recipients.
For California residents, the in-state advantage is meaningful, but it does not make the process easy. You are still competing against a large pool of strong California applicants. The advantage is access, not a guarantee. If you are a California resident, this is one of several UC medical schools you should consider applying to, and your application strategy should account for each school’s particular strengths, mission, and secondary essay prompts. The UCSF School of Medicine, for example, enrolled about 1.6% of its applicants for fall 2025.
GPA and MCAT Benchmarks: Where You Need to Be
A 3.86 GPA and a 514.6 MCAT are the averages for the students who enrolled in 2026. Medians for the applicants UCSD accepted for the 2025 entering class run a little higher: a 3.92 overall GPA, a 3.88 science GPA and a 516 MCAT, with section medians of 129 in Chemical and Physical Foundations, 128 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, 130 in Biological and Biochemical Foundations and 130 in Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations. A median means half of accepted applicants scored at or below that mark and half at or above it. There is a range, but it is not a wide one at a school this selective.
If your GPA is below 3.7, you are likely below the competitive floor for UCSD, though a very strong upward trend, post-bacc performance, or a master’s degree can sometimes offset a lower cumulative GPA. If your MCAT is below 510, the same logic applies. These are not hard cutoffs published by the school, but they reflect the reality of who actually gets admitted. Students who apply with scores significantly below these averages without compensating strengths in other areas are unlikely to receive an interview invitation. UCSD accepts MCAT scores from January 2023 through December 2026 for the 2026-2027 cycle.
It is worth emphasizing that UCSD, like other top-tier medical schools, uses a holistic review process. That means your GPA and MCAT are necessary conditions, not sufficient ones. The school evaluates research, clinical experience, leadership, community service, personal background, and the quality of your written and interview responses. A 520 MCAT with thin clinical exposure and no research will not automatically outperform a 516 MCAT paired with substantial research, meaningful volunteering, and strong letters of recommendation.
One common mistake is treating GPA and MCAT as the only variables that matter. They are screening tools. Once you clear the threshold, everything else in your application determines whether you receive an interview and, ultimately, an offer. The AAMC’s school-by-school admissions data is the best source for verifying the most current GPA and MCAT ranges for any school, including UCSD.
What UCSD Looks for Beyond the Numbers
UCSD School of Medicine has a strong institutional identity centered on research, innovation, and service to diverse communities. Understanding this identity is key to presenting a coherent application.
Research Matters Here
UCSD is a research-intensive institution. The school’s faculty includes members of the National Academy of Sciences, six Nobel laureates in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the school, and the campus is home to major NIH-funded research centers. If you have meaningful research experience, particularly in the biomedical sciences, this is a school where that experience will be valued. You do not need to have published a first-author paper, but you should be able to discuss your research with specificity: your question, your methods, your results, and what you learned from the process.
For MD/PhD applicants, research is the centerpiece. UCSD’s MSTP expects applicants to demonstrate sustained, independent research engagement and a clear vision for how they will integrate research with clinical practice, and MD/PhD applicants need at least one letter from a research mentor. If you are considering the MD/PhD route, start building a serious research portfolio early, ideally by your sophomore or junior year of college.
Clinical Experience and Reflection
Clinical exposure is non-negotiable. Medical schools want to know that you have spent time in clinical settings, that you have seen and taken part in patient care firsthand, and that you have reflected on what you saw. This does not mean you need thousands of hours. It means you need experiences that you can discuss with depth and honesty.
Structured programs that provide supervised clinical experience, mentorship, and guided reflection can help you build the kind of exposure admissions committees value. Whether that experience is domestic or international, what matters is that it was ethical, supervised, and that you can articulate what it taught you about medicine, about patients, and about yourself.
When writing about clinical experiences on your AMCAS application, focus on specific moments and what they revealed. A single well-described patient encounter that taught you something real will carry more weight than a paragraph summarizing 200 generic hours. UCSD’s secondary essays often ask about your motivations, your understanding of healthcare challenges, and how your experiences have prepared you. Strong answers are specific, reflective, and grounded.
Service, Leadership, and Personal Background
UCSD serves a diverse patient population, and the school values applicants who bring diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and commitments to service. In the 2026 class, 23% of students were the first in their families to graduate from college, and students spoke 34 languages. If you have a history of sustained community involvement, particularly in underserved or under-resourced settings, this is worth highlighting. Leadership does not have to mean holding a title; it can mean taking initiative, organizing a project, or mentoring others in a meaningful way.
The school’s official admissions page outlines its mission and values. Reading it carefully, and reflecting on how your own experiences align, will help you write stronger secondary essays and prepare for interviews.
Building Your Application Strategy for the 2026-2027 Cycle
Applying to UCSD requires precision and self-awareness. Here is how to think about your approach.
Apply Broadly but Strategically
With about 1.3% of applicants enrolling, no single school should be your only target. Most successful medical school applicants apply to 15 to 25 schools, and their lists include a mix of reach, target, and likely-admit institutions. UCSD is a reach for virtually everyone. Build a balanced list that reflects your stats, your state of residence, and the type of training environment you want. Our overview of medical school acceptance rates can help you compare programs.
Start Early on Secondaries
UCSD sends secondary applications by email after a screen of your AMCAS primary, so not every applicant receives one; applicants who are not invited at first are re-evaluated by the admissions committee in January. The secondary fee is $135, and the school treats the secondary as time-sensitive. Pre-writing your secondaries based on prior years’ prompts (which are often recycled or only slightly modified) can save you critical time. Fast turnaround on secondaries signals genuine interest and keeps your application moving through the review process.
Get Feedback on Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement is your chance to show who you are beyond numbers. Have it reviewed by pre-health advisors, trusted mentors, or peers who will give honest feedback. Avoid cliches about wanting to help people; instead, show the specific experiences that shaped your decision to pursue medicine and what you bring to the profession.
Prepare for the Interview
If you receive an interview invitation, take it seriously. UCSD uses a virtual multiple mini-interview (MMI) format: you rotate through 8 stations, with 2 minutes to read each prompt and 8 minutes at each station. Practice with mock MMIs, focus on ethical reasoning, communication skills, and the ability to think clearly under time pressure. Offers of acceptance are not made until after October 15, and applicants usually hear about four weeks after the interview. The interview is where you become a person to the admissions committee, not just a file.
What does UCSD School of Medicine cost?
For 2026-27, registration fees at the UC San Diego School of Medicine total $54,300.17 for California residents and $66,545.17 for nonresidents, including $6,660 for mandatory health insurance and $12,245 in nonresident supplemental tuition for out-of-state students (UC San Diego Registrar, 2026-27). The school’s 2026-2027 first-year budget is $75,995 for students living on or off campus, or $63,994 for students living with family (UCSD School of Medicine budgets, 2026-2027). The average debt for the graduating class of 2026, including debt from before medical school, was $174,007, and 70% of students receive scholarship or stipend support.
How International Clinical Exposure Fits Into a Strong Application
For students looking to strengthen their clinical and global health experience, structured international programs can provide exposure to healthcare systems, patient populations, and clinical challenges that differ significantly from what you would see in a U.S. setting. Taking part in care in a resource-limited environment can deepen your understanding of health equity, cultural competency, and the social determinants of health. UCSD itself runs a Global Health Academic Concentration with sites that include Migori, Kenya and Huanchaco, Peru.
Our international medical internships for pre-health students combine supervised clinical work, professional mentorship, and guided reflection. Interns work under the supervision of licensed local healthcare professionals and, within their training level, take vitals, help with patient intake and triage, interview patients, and assist with noninvasive tasks. Every placement is built around ethical engagement with the patients and communities involved.
The value of this kind of experience for your application depends entirely on how you engage with it and how you write about it afterward. An admissions committee at a school like UCSD will not be impressed by a line on your activity list that says you “shadowed doctors in Kenya for two weeks.” They will be interested if you can describe what you saw and did, how it challenged your assumptions, what you learned about healthcare delivery in a different context, and how it connects to your goals as a future physician. The experience matters; the reflection matters more.
If you are a student comparing programs or weighing how international clinical exposure fits into your pre-med plan, our guide to the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine offers a useful example of how to think about institutional fit and application strategy across different schools. For students weighing all their options, including less traditional paths, we also cover Caribbean medical school considerations for students concerned about stats, which can help frame the broader landscape. And because the medical education environment itself keeps shifting, it is worth understanding how changes like the USMLE Step 1 transition to pass/fail scoring affect how schools evaluate applicants and how students plan their training.
Realistic Expectations and Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake pre-med students make when targeting a school like UCSD is assuming that any single factor, whether it is a high MCAT, a prestigious research lab, or an international experience, will carry their application. It will not. UCSD’s holistic review means every component matters, and weaknesses in one area are rarely offset by strength in another unless the overall picture is compelling.
Another common error is underestimating the in-state advantage. If you are not a California resident, be honest with yourself about the odds and make sure your school list includes strong options in your home state or at private institutions that do not have a residency preference.
Finally, do not treat your application as a performance. Admissions committees read thousands of applications and can spot inauthenticity quickly. Be honest about your experiences, your motivations, and your uncertainties. A student who can articulate genuine questions about medicine and a thoughtful approach to finding answers is far more compelling than one who pretends to have it all figured out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate for UCSD School of Medicine?
UC San Diego School of Medicine does not publish an offer-based acceptance rate. For the incoming class of 2026, it received 10,874 applications, held 973 interviews and enrolled 140 students, so about 1.3% of applicants enrolled (matriculants divided by applicants) and about 8.9% were interviewed (UCSD, 2026). Because some admitted students choose other schools, the share who receive an offer is somewhat higher than 1.3%.
Is UCSD’s medical school acceptance rate the same as the undergraduate rate?
No. The medical school figure of about 1.3% of applicants enrolling refers specifically to the MD program at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. UC San Diego’s undergraduate acceptance rate is a separate, much higher figure. These are distinct admissions processes with different applicant pools and criteria.
Is UCSD School of Medicine the Jacobs School of Medicine?
No. Its official name is the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is part of the University at Buffalo. At UC San Diego, the Jacobs name belongs to Jacobs Medical Center, a hospital named for Joan and Irwin Jacobs, and to the Jacobs School of Engineering.
Do out-of-state applicants have a realistic chance at UCSD School of Medicine?
Out-of-state applicants can and do gain admission, but the odds are significantly lower. California residents made up 76% of UCSD’s 2026 incoming class. AAMC counts for the 2025 entering class show about 0.8% of out-of-state applicants enrolled, compared with about 1.9% of California applicants. Non-resident applicants who are accepted typically have very strong metrics, compelling research or clinical profiles, and a clear reason for wanting to attend UCSD specifically.
What MCAT and GPA should I aim for to be competitive at UCSD?
The 2026 incoming class averaged a 3.86 GPA, a 3.82 science GPA and a 514.6 MCAT (UCSD, 2026). Applicants accepted for the 2025 entering class had a median GPA of 3.92 and a median MCAT of 516. These are averages and medians, not minimums, but applicants with scores significantly below these benchmarks will face an uphill battle. Strong performance in other areas of your application can help, but academic metrics remain an important screening factor at this level of selectivity.
How many students does UCSD School of Medicine accept each year?
UC San Diego School of Medicine enrolled 140 students in its incoming class of 2026, the same number as in 2025 (UCSD, 2026). The school does not publish how many offers it extends. Its MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program enrolls about 10 to 13 students a year.
How much does UCSD medical school cost?
For 2026-27, UC San Diego School of Medicine registration fees are $54,300.17 for California residents and $66,545.17 for nonresidents, including mandatory health insurance. The school’s 2026-2027 first-year budget is $75,995, and the graduating class of 2026 left with average debt of $174,007, including debt from before medical school (UCSD, 2026).
