UCSF School of Medicine does not publish an acceptance rate based on offers of admission. The figure it does publish is how many applicants enrolled: for the class that entered in fall 2025, 161 of 10,300 applicants matriculated, about 1.6% (matriculants divided by applications), and 584 applicants, or 5.7%, were interviewed (UCSF Admissions Data, Fall 2025). Accepted applicants for that class had a median MCAT of 517 and a median GPA of 3.93.
The UCSF School of Medicine is among the most selective MD programs in the United States. Applications reached 10,300 for fall 2025, up from 8,774 for fall 2023, while the entering class held at 161 students. Those numbers are stark, and they should be taken seriously. But selectivity alone does not tell you whether UCSF is a realistic target or how to build a competitive application. What follows covers the actual data, what UCSF values in its holistic review, and the practical steps you can take well before you submit your primary application. For the full application process, including secondary essays, interviews and every MD pathway, see our guide on how to get into UCSF School of Medicine.
These figures cover the UCSF School of Medicine MD program, not the UCSF School of Dentistry or the other professional schools on the same campus. UCSF posts one entering class at a time, and fall 2025 is the latest class on its admissions data page. Applicants in the 2026-2027 cycle are applying for the class that starts in August 2027.
UCSF Medical School Acceptance Rate and Class Profile
The raw acceptance rate is the number that gets attention, and at UCSF it tells a clear story: this is an extraordinarily competitive program. For fall 2025, the MD program received 10,300 applications, interviewed 584 applicants and enrolled 161 students, so about 1.6% of applicants enrolled and about 5.7% reached the interview stage (UCSF, 2025). UCSF does not publish 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 1.6%. The MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program is much smaller: it enrolls about 12 trainees a year and matriculated 11 in 2026 (UCSF MSTP, 2026).
For context, the AAMC’s national applicant and matriculant data shows that 23,440 of the 54,699 people who applied to U.S. MD-granting schools for fall 2025 enrolled somewhere, about 43% (AAMC FACTS Table A-16, 2025-2026). That national figure counts applicants who enroll at any school, so it is not a per-school acceptance rate. UCSF is far below it, and the competition is concentrated among already strong applicants. Most people applying to UCSF have high academic credentials and substantial extracurricular profiles.
How has the UCSF acceptance rate changed over time?
UCSF School of Medicine has grown harder to enter because applications have risen faster than the class. Applications climbed about 31%, from 7,846 for fall 2019 to 10,300 for fall 2025, while the entering class stayed between 155 and 187 students. Over the same period, the share of applicants who enrolled fell from about 2.0% to about 1.6%. The table below uses the figures UCSF published for each entering class.
| Entering class (fall) | Applications | Interviewed | Matriculated | Enrolled per application | Californians | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10,300 | 584 (5.7%) | 161 | 1.6% | 71% | UCSF, 2025 |
| 2023 | 8,774 | 525 (5.9%) | 161 | 1.8% | 71% | UCSF, 2023 |
| 2022 | 9,090 | 544 (5.9%) | 187 | 2.0% | 71% | UCSF, 2022 |
| 2019 | 7,846 | 468 (6.0%) | 155 | 2.0% | 77% | UCSF, 2019 |
The interview stage is the narrowest gate. UCSF has interviewed between 5.7% and 6.0% of applicants in every class it has reported, so about 94 of every 100 applicants never reach an interview. Once you do interview, your odds change sharply: 161 of the 584 applicants interviewed for fall 2025 enrolled, a ratio of about 1 in 3.6.
Average MCAT and GPA for Accepted Students
Applicants accepted to UCSF for the 2025 entering class had a mean MCAT of 516.7 and a median of 517, with median section scores of 130 in Chemical and Physical Foundations, 128 in Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, 129 in Biological and Biochemical Foundations and 130 in Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations. Their mean overall GPA was 3.90 (median 3.93), and their mean science GPA was 3.87 (median 3.91). These are among the highest figures at any U.S. medical school. For comparison, students who enrolled at any U.S. MD school in 2025-2026 averaged a 512.1 MCAT and a 3.81 GPA (AAMC FACTS Table A-16, 2025-2026). The AAMC’s school-by-school admissions data is the most reliable source for year-by-year breakdowns of these figures, and it is worth consulting before you finalize your school list.
It is important to understand what these averages mean in practice. They are not cutoffs. UCSF does not publish a minimum MCAT or GPA requirement, and when an applicant has taken the MCAT more than once, it uses the most recent score (UCSF MD Program FAQ). Some accepted applicants fall below the average in one metric and compensate with exceptional strength elsewhere. But falling significantly below both averages without a compelling story and strong non-academic credentials makes an already difficult application substantially harder.
The 2025 entering class also shows that the path to UCSF is not only a straight line from college. About 12% of matriculants held a graduate degree, 15 entered from postbaccalaureate programs, and 68% majored in science or math, which leaves roughly a third of the class from other majors. The average age at matriculation was 23.
The California Residency Advantage
UCSF is a public university, and California residents receive meaningful preference in admissions. Californians made up 71% of the fall 2025 entering class, and 77% of the fall 2019 class (UCSF, 2025). Because more than half of applicants come from out of state, the effective acceptance rate for non-California residents is notably lower than the already slim overall figure.
AAMC counts for the 2025 entering class show how wide that gap is. Of 4,761 California applicants, 342 were interviewed (about 7.2%) and 126 enrolled (about 2.6%). Of 5,482 applicants from other states, 242 were interviewed (about 4.4%) and 49 enrolled (about 0.9%). An out-of-state applicant was therefore about a third as likely to enroll as a Californian. UCSF considers applications only from U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents and applicants with DACA, so international applicants are not eligible (UCSF MD Program Application Process).
If you are an out-of-state applicant, this does not mean UCSF is off limits. It means your application needs to be particularly strong, and you should have a clear, honest reason for wanting to attend a California public medical school. Admissions committees can tell when someone has added UCSF to a list simply because of its ranking.
How much does UCSF School of Medicine cost?
For 2026-27, annual tuition and fees at the UCSF School of Medicine are $55,959 for California residents and $68,204 for nonresidents, who pay an extra $12,245 in nonresident supplemental tuition. Both totals include the $11,914 student health insurance premium (UCSF Registrar, 2026-27). The estimated first-year cost of attendance, with living costs, books and commuting, is $89,634 for residents and $101,879 for nonresidents (UCSF Student Financial Services, 2026-27). About 85% of UCSF medical students receive some type of aid in the form of scholarships, loans or both, and entering students receive scholarships primarily on the basis of need.
What UCSF Holistic Review Actually Means
UCSF uses a holistic review process, and that phrase gets used so often across medical school websites that it can start to sound like marketing language. At UCSF, it carries specific weight. The admissions committee evaluates academic metrics alongside research experience, clinical exposure, leadership, service, life experiences, and a demonstrated commitment to UCSF’s institutional priorities: serving diverse and underserved populations, advancing health equity, and contributing to scientific discovery. UCSF describes its goal as a class with a mix of future clinicians, scientists and health policy leaders, with no single mold that defines a UCSF student.
This means that a 520 MCAT alone will not earn you an interview if the rest of your application is thin or unfocused. It also means that a slightly lower score paired with sustained, meaningful engagement in research, clinical settings, and community work can still result in an invitation to interview. The key word is “meaningful.” Admissions reviewers at schools like UCSF are experienced at distinguishing between genuine engagement and resume padding.
Research Matters More Here Than at Most Schools
UCSF is one of the top biomedical research institutions in the world, and its admissions process reflects that identity. While research experience is encouraged at most medical schools, at UCSF it carries particular importance. This is especially true for the MD/PhD program, but even MD-only applicants benefit from demonstrating intellectual curiosity through research. Every UCSF medical student also completes mentored scholarly work through the Inquiry Curriculum, part of the Bridges Curriculum the school launched in 2016.
Research does not have to be bench science. Clinical research, public health investigations, community-based participatory research, and health policy work all count. What matters is that you can articulate what you did, what you found (or tried to find), and what the experience taught you about inquiry and evidence.
Clinical Experience and the Role of Observation
Every serious medical school application requires clinical experience, and UCSF is no exception. UCSF does not require shadowing, but it states that applicants should have clinical experience that illustrates their interest in and knowledge of medicine (UCSF MD Program FAQ). The committee wants to see that you have spent real time in clinical environments, taking part in and observing patient care, understanding the daily realities of medicine, and reflecting on what you experienced. Shadowing, volunteering in clinical settings, and working as a scribe or medical assistant are all common pathways.
What distinguishes a strong clinical narrative from a weak one is depth of reflection. It is not enough to list hours. You need to be able to describe specific moments, patients (without identifying information), or clinical situations that shaped your understanding of medicine. This applies whether your clinical experience was gained at a teaching hospital in San Francisco or through a structured program abroad. The AAMC’s overview of the medical school application process outlines how clinical experience fits into the broader application, and it is a useful reference for mapping out your timeline.
MD vs. MD/PhD: Understanding the Two Tracks
UCSF offers both an MD program and a combined MD/PhD program, and the admissions processes, while related, are distinct. The MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program enrolls about 12 new trainees each year and is designed for applicants who intend to pursue careers as physician-scientists. For the class that entered in 2026, it received 840 applications, interviewed 57 applicants and matriculated 11, with an average GPA of 3.97 and an average MCAT at the 98th percentile (UCSF MSTP, 2026). Applicants to this track need strong research backgrounds, usually including at least one to two years of dedicated research experience and, in many cases, a published or submitted manuscript. The program is funded by the National Institutes of Health, which provides full tuition support and a stipend, and that funding limits it to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The MD program is broader in scope. While research is valued, the committee also places significant emphasis on clinical commitment, leadership, community engagement, and alignment with UCSF’s mission around health equity and public service. UCSF also offers the five-year UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, which admits 16 students per class, and PRIME-US, a five-year track for students committed to urban underserved communities that admits 11 students at UCSF and 4 through the Joint Medical Program. If you are unsure which track is right for you, consider whether your long-term career vision centers on running a research lab, practicing clinical medicine, or blending both. The MD/PhD track is a serious commitment, adding several years to your training, and should not be chosen solely because you think it improves your odds.
Building an Application That Fits UCSF’s Mission
UCSF’s admissions materials consistently emphasize a few themes: commitment to underserved populations, interest in health disparities, cultural humility, scientific rigor, and collaborative spirit. If your experiences genuinely align with these themes, your application will naturally speak to the committee. If they do not, forcing the connection will not help.
Writing About Clinical and Global Health Experiences
One of the most common application missteps is describing clinical or service experiences in vague, self-congratulatory terms. Admissions readers at UCSF have seen thousands of essays about “learning the importance of empathy.” What they respond to is specificity: a particular interaction, a specific challenge, a concrete observation that led to genuine reflection.
If you have taken part in a structured global health program, such as our international medical internships, the same standard applies. Supervised clinical work in a resource-limited setting, from taking vitals to helping with patient intake and triage, has real value, but only if you can articulate what you actually learned, how it changed your understanding of healthcare systems, and how it connects to your goals. Experiences in settings where clinical officers, community health workers, and nurses carry a broader scope of responsibility can offer valuable perspective on healthcare delivery models, workforce challenges, and the social determinants of health. What matters is that you engaged ethically, worked carefully under supervision, and reflected honestly.
UCSF’s secondary application is sent only to applicants who pass a preliminary screen. For the 2026-2027 cycle, applicants report three prompts: an optional 500-word space to update or expand on your activities, a 350-word question for 2025-or-earlier graduates about what you have done since college, and a 500-word essay on how you will contribute to and support UCSF’s PRIDE values (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence). These prompts reward genuine stories over polished performances. If you have worked across cultural or linguistic barriers, confronted your own assumptions, or seen how structural inequity affects patient outcomes, those experiences belong in your application, provided you write about them with honesty and nuance.
Letters of Recommendation and Timing
Strong letters from faculty or clinicians who know you well carry more weight than generic letters from prominent names. UCSF asks for three to five letters through the AMCAS Letters Service, including at least two from instructors, and it prefers a committee letter or letter packet when your school offers one (UCSF, 2026-2027). Whatever the format, your recommenders should be able to speak in detail about your abilities, character, and potential.
Timing also matters. UCSF participates in the AMCAS application system. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the earliest submission date was May 28, 2026, and the AMCAS deadline is October 15, 2026, with no extensions. Secondary invitations typically arrive 3 to 10 weeks after UCSF receives your verified AMCAS application, interviews run from late September to early February, and post-interview decisions go out from February to April. All 2026-2027 interviews are virtual: you are usually scheduled for two interviews, each averaging about 40 minutes, and interviewers do not review your application beforehand. Submitting a complete, polished application early in the cycle is advantageous. This does not mean you should rush a weak application to meet an early submission date. A complete, well-written application submitted in June or July is better than a careless one submitted on day one. The UCSF School of Medicine admissions page provides the most current deadlines and requirements, and you should check it directly rather than relying on third-party summaries.
Realistic Expectations and What to Do If UCSF Is Your Reach
For most applicants, UCSF is a reach school. That is not a discouraging statement; it is a factual one. With about 1.6% of applicants enrolling, even applicants with strong credentials face long odds. The practical response is to build a balanced school list that includes programs where your stats fall at or above the median, programs where your mission and interests align closely, and a handful of aspirational targets like UCSF. Our overview of medical school acceptance rates can help you compare UCSF with other programs, and California applicants weighing several UC schools can see how the numbers look at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
If UCSF is on your list, treat the secondary application with particular care. Many applicants invest heavily in the primary AMCAS application and then treat secondaries as afterthoughts. At a school with this level of competition, a thoughtful, specific secondary essay can be the difference between an interview invitation and a quiet rejection.
Rejection from UCSF is not a reflection of your potential as a physician. Many outstanding doctors trained at schools that are less selective but equally rigorous in their clinical and scientific preparation. The goal of the application process is not to attend the most prestigious school possible; it is to find the program where you will train well, grow as a clinician and person, and be supported in pursuing the kind of medicine you want to practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate for UCSF School of Medicine?
UCSF School of Medicine does not publish an offer-based acceptance rate. For the class that entered in fall 2025, 161 of 10,300 applicants enrolled, about 1.6% (matriculants divided by applications), and 584 applicants, or 5.7%, were interviewed (UCSF, 2025). Because some admitted students choose other schools, the share of applicants who receive an offer is somewhat higher than 1.6%.
Does UCSF accept many out-of-state medical school applicants?
UCSF does accept out-of-state applicants, but Californians made up 71% of the fall 2025 entering class. AAMC counts for that class show about 0.9% of out-of-state applicants enrolled, compared with about 2.6% of California applicants, and 4.4% of out-of-state applicants were interviewed, compared with 7.2% of Californians. Out-of-state applicants should have strong credentials and a genuine, articulated reason for wanting to train at UCSF specifically.
What MCAT score do I need to be competitive at UCSF?
Applicants accepted for the 2025 entering class had a median MCAT of 517 and a mean of 516.7. There is no published minimum, and UCSF uses holistic review, so a slightly lower score can be offset by exceptional experiences and a compelling narrative. However, scores significantly below this range will make an already competitive process harder. UCSF uses your most recent score if you have taken the exam more than once.
What GPA do you need for UCSF medical school?
Applicants accepted for the 2025 entering class had a median overall GPA of 3.93 (mean 3.90) and a median science GPA of 3.91 (mean 3.87). UCSF does not set a minimum GPA, and it does not limit applicants based on GPA from any institution, but most admitted students are well above the 3.81 national average for students who enrolled in U.S. MD schools in 2025-2026.
How many students does UCSF School of Medicine accept each year?
UCSF School of Medicine enrolled 161 students in its fall 2025 entering class, the same number as in fall 2023 (UCSF, 2025). The MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program adds about 12 trainees a year and matriculated 11 in 2026. UCSF does not publish the number of offers it extends.
How important is research for getting into UCSF School of Medicine?
Research is highly valued at UCSF, particularly given the institution’s identity as a leading biomedical research center. For the MD/PhD program, extensive research experience is essentially required. For the MD program, research is not mandatory in the same way, but meaningful involvement in research, whether clinical, basic science, or public health, strengthens an application considerably and signals alignment with UCSF’s institutional priorities.
How much does UCSF medical school cost per year?
For 2026-27, UCSF School of Medicine tuition and fees are $55,959 for California residents and $68,204 for nonresidents, including student health insurance. The estimated first-year cost of attendance is $89,634 for residents and $101,879 for nonresidents (UCSF, 2026-27). About 85% of UCSF medical students receive scholarships, loans or both.
