UC San Diego School of Medicine Admissions Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Entry cycle: Fall 2027; AMCAS is accepted from May 28 through October 15, 2026. Application process
• MCAT: scores from January 2023 through December 2026 are accepted; early 2027 tests are not. A score must be available before a secondary invitation. Application process
• Coursework: no individual prerequisite courses are mandatory, but three academic years at an accredited arts-and-sciences college and one full year at a U.S. four-year institution are normally required. Application process
• Eligibility: U.S. citizens, permanent residents and DACA recipients only. Application process
• Interview: virtual MMI with eight stations, two minutes to read and eight minutes to discuss each vignette. Application process
• Location: the school uses the UC San Diego identity; its official mailing address is in La Jolla, within San Diego. Admissions

Admission requirements

Applicants are normally expected to complete four undergraduate years. The absolute minimum is attendance for three academic years at an accredited college of arts and sciences, including at least one full year at an accredited four-year U.S. institution. Applicants who studied outside the United States must complete that U.S. year before applying; eligible applicants from Canadian schools may receive an exception by contacting Admissions. Application process

UC San Diego does not require specific prerequisite courses. It recommends one academic year each of biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics and calculus or statistics; one term of biochemistry; and laboratory work wherever offered. Missing a recommended course does not make an applicant ineligible. Online-course grades are accepted. Application process

For the 2026–27 application cycle entering Fall 2027, accepted MCAT dates are January 2023 through December 2026. Early 2027 tests are not considered. Applicants need an MCAT score before receiving a secondary, while reviewers deciding whom to interview evaluate the application with the MCAT hidden. The current page does not publish a minimum GPA or MCAT score. Application process

The MD secondary requires three to five letters, or a single committee letter in place of the three-letter minimum. UC San Diego does not require specific evaluator categories. The secondary also collects a biographical sketch, background information, activities, publications, clinical and service experience; its fee is $135 subject to change. Application process

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents or DACA recipients. Applicants outside those categories are not considered. Transfer applicants are not accepted. The school does not publish a California-residency eligibility rule on the current admissions pages. Application process

Important dates

The Fall 2027 primary-application window is May 28 through October 15, 2026. Applicants may begin working on AMCAS earlier in May, but October 15 is firm and extensions are not granted. Application process

Secondary activity runs from mid-July through November. The school describes the secondary as time-sensitive but does not publish a universal Fall 2027 secondary due date or turnaround interval. Applicants without an initial secondary invitation are reconsidered in January. Application process

Interview scheduling typically runs through the end of March. Applicants receive virtual-MMI connection instructions about two to three days before their scheduled interview. Approximately four weeks after interview, the school reports acceptance, placement on an unranked waiting list or no further consideration. Offers begin after October 15, and most wait-list offers occur after May 1. Application process

The current official pages do not publish Fall 2027 Plan to Enroll, Commit to Enroll, orientation or first-day-of-class dates. The FAQ retains a stale May 2025 wait-list reference; the packet does not use that date. Admissions FAQ

How selection works

UC San Diego first reviews AMCAS and an available MCAT score to determine whether to invite a secondary. It then reviews the completed secondary for interview, interview hold or no further consideration. Applicants placed on interview hold may later be invited, and no applicant updates outside the formal primary and secondary process are accepted. Application process

For the Fall 2027 cycle, the MCAT is hidden from reviewers when they decide whom to interview. This is a published process control, not a statement that the MCAT is excluded from every later decision. The secondary captures background, extracurricular, research, publication, clinical, volunteer and community-service evidence. Application process

After the virtual MMI, applicants normally receive acceptance, an unranked waiting-list position or no further consideration in about four weeks. UC San Diego describes rolling admissions as a small number of offers spread through the year and states that review timing does not disadvantage later complete applicants. Application process

The current page does not publish numerical weights, MMI scoring anchors, interviewer file access beyond the written vignette, committee voting mechanics, or the relative role of geography, MCAT, experiences and MMI in final decisions.

Interview details

Confirmed

UC San Diego conducts a virtual Multiple Mini Interview. Applicants rotate through eight virtual rooms. At each station they receive a written vignette involving a problem, ethical dilemma or patient case, have two minutes to read and think, then discuss it for eight minutes with a member of the Admissions Committee. Application process

Two applicant groups alternate through the MMI, producing approximately 90 minutes of downtime before or after the active stations. The school sends virtual-connection instructions and the expected interview-day time commitment about two to three days beforehand. Application process

Not published

The current page does not publish the virtual platform, exact total start-to-finish duration, transition timing, interviewer continuity, whether interviewers see any application material, rating dimensions or anchors, numerical interview weight, committee-vote mechanics or accommodations workflow beyond contacting Disability Services. Invitation materials control candidate-specific logistics.

Who this program may suit

UC San Diego School of Medicine is an independent UC medical school with its official mailing address in La Jolla, part of the City of San Diego. The school's admissions overview describes an educational ecosystem connected to multicultural communities across the surrounding bi-national region. Application process

Applicants can express interest in programs such as PRIME-Health Equity, PRIME-Transforming Indigenous Doctor Education and academic concentrations during the secondary. These are options inside the UC San Diego admissions identity, not separate first-year MD schools. Admissions FAQ

A strong fit statement should connect one sustained experience to a population, community or systems problem and explain why UC San Diego's regional setting or an identified program would help the applicant contribute. It should not imply that California residence is required when the current page does not publish such a rule.

Practice and next step

Practise the confirmed MMI timing exactly: take two minutes to read a problem, ethical dilemma or patient case, then record an eight-minute discussion. Define the problem, identify affected people, surface competing values, consider reasonable options and explain a practical next step.

Review whether the response stays organized for eight minutes, acknowledges uncertainty and communicates with empathy. Choose one weakness, record the station again and compare both attempts. Then reset and repeat with a new vignette so the practice reflects eight distinct conversations rather than one long interview.

Frequently asked questions

What MCAT dates does UC San Diego accept for Fall 2027?

Scores from January 2023 through December 2026 are accepted; early 2027 tests are not. A score must be available before a secondary can be offered. Application process

Are specific prerequisites required?

No individual courses are mandatory, but the school publishes recommended biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics or statistics and laboratory preparation. Application process

What is the interview format?

A virtual eight-station MMI. Each station provides two minutes to read and eight minutes to discuss a problem, ethical dilemma or patient case. Application process

Can international applicants apply?

Only U.S. citizens, permanent residents and DACA recipients are eligible. Canadian-school study can affect the U.S.-coursework rule but does not replace the citizenship requirement. Admissions FAQ

Sources

Verified August 11, 2026. Current official sources used:

• Application process — explicit 2026–27/Fall 2027 MCAT policy, eligibility, education, AMCAS, secondary, letters, virtual MMI, decisions and wait list.
• Admissions FAQ — review timing, Canadian and foreign education, applicant-status rules and special-program choices.
• Admissions overview — independent UC San Diego School of Medicine identity.
• School contact block — official La Jolla mailing address.