UCSF Acceptance Rate 2024| All Admission Requirements

The University of California San Francisco is one universal lot of students apply to get admitted to but many do not know the UCSF acceptance rate. 

In this article, we won’t just show you the UCSF acceptance rate but we will also give in detail the programs offered by this university, the requirements needed to be admitted, the schools the UCSF is subdivided into and so many more.

Learning about the UCSF acceptance rate and its requirements will help you as a potential student gain a better understanding of the school admission process.

A Brief History About UCSF University

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is a public research university situated in San Francisco, California, United States. It has three main campuses namely: Parnassus Heights, Mission Bay, and Mount Zion.

This University was founded in 1864 and was formerly named Toland Medical College and affiliated with the University of California in 1873, the world’s premier public research university system.

The UCSF is a renowned and globally recognized health science university that only offers graduate and postgraduate degrees. What this means is that it does not offer undergraduate programs.

These are the professional schools available in UCSF:

• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Pharmacy.

Additionally, the UCSF has a graduate division with globally recognized programs in basic science, social/populational sciences, and physical therapy.

Some graduate programs are also offered through UCSF Global Health Sciences. This is an institute that focuses on the improvement of health and the reduction of the burden of disease in the world’s most vulnerable population.

UCSF Acceptance Rate

The University of California San Francisco has a very low acceptance rate, making it one of the most selective universities in the United States. The general rate of the UCSF is 69.6%.

But please know that each professional school at UCSF has its acceptance rate and it changes each year depending on the level of competition.

Let’s start with the School of Dentistry

• UCSF School of Dentistry Acceptance Rate:

Gaining admission into the UCSF School of Dentistry is extremely competitive. Just in 2021, 1,537 students applied for the DDS program, and only 99 applicants out of this number were admitted.

Taking a look at the above admission statistics, the UCSF School of Dentistry’s acceptance rate for the DDS program is 6.4%.

• UCSF School of Medicine Acceptance Rate:

The UCSF School of Medicine is one of the most selective medical schools in the United States. Each year, this medical school’s acceptance rate is usually below 3%.

Using 2021 as a case study, 9,820 students applied, only 547 applicants were interviewed and only 161 students were enrolled.

• UCSF School of Nursing Acceptance Rate:

The UCSF School of Nursing is not left out of the university’s competitive nature as it is also difficult to gain admission. Just in 2021, 584 students applied for a MEPN program, but only 89 students were admitted.

With these admission statistics, the acceptance rate of UCSF School of Nursing for the MEPN program is 15%.

Still taking 2021 as a case study, 224 students applied for a MS program and only 88 students got admitted. Using these admission statistics, the UCSF School of Nursing’s acceptance rate for the MS program is 39%.

• UCSF School of Pharmacy Acceptance Rate:

The University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy’s admission rate is usually less than 30%. Each year, this school of Pharmacy admits 127 students from about 500 applicants.

UCSF Academic Programs

As pointed out at the beginning of this article, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has five professional schools, a graduate division, and an institute for global health education.

UCSF Academic Programs are divided into five categories:

• Dentistry Academic Programs
• Medicine Academic Programs
• Nursing Academic Programs
• Pharmacy Academic Programs
• Graduate Division Programs.

1. UCSF School of Dentistry Academic Programs

Founded in 1881, UCSF School of Dentistry is one of the leading institutions of oral and craniofacial health.

This school of dental is always ranked among the top dental schools in the United States. There are a lot of graduate and postgraduate degree programs offered in this school, some of which are:

• DDS program
• DDS/MBA
• DDS/PhD
• The International Dentist Pathway (IDP) program
• Ph.D. in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
• Interprofessional Health Post-Bac Certificate Program
• UCSF/NYU Langone Advanced Education in General Dentistry
• Post-graduate programs in Dental
• Public Health, Endodontics, General
• Practice Residency, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontology, and Prosthodontics
• Continuing Medical Education Courses.

2. UCSF School of Medicine Academic Programs

UCSF School of Medicine is no doubt one of the top medical schools in the US.

Below are the programs offered in this medical school:

• MD program
• MD/Masters in Advanced Studies (MD/MAS)
• MD with Distinction
• Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) – a combined MD/Ph.D. program
• UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program (MD, MS)
• Joint UCSF/UC Berkeley MD/MPH program
• MD-PhD in History of Health Sciences
• Post Baccalaureate Program
• UCSP’s Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US)
• San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education (SJV PRIME)
• Doctor of Physical Therapy: a joint degree offered by UCSF and SFSU
• Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science
• Continuing Medical Education Courses.

3. UCSF School of Nursing Academic Programs

The UCSF School of Nursing is not left out on the excellence of the UCSF professional schools. This school is consistently recognized among the best nursing schools in the US. It also has one of the highest NCLEX and National Certification Exam pass rates.

UCSF School of Nursing offers the following programs:

• Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (for non-RNs)
• Master of Science program
• MS Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership
• Post-Master’s Certificate Program
• UC Multi-Campus Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Post-Master’s Certificate
• Ph.D., Nursing Doctoral Program
• PhD, Sociology Doctoral Program
• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Doctoral Program
• Postdoctoral Studies, including Fellowship Programs.

4. UCSF School of Pharmacy Academic Programs

This professional school was founded in 1872, it is the first college of pharmacy in the western United States and it also ranks high among rankings in the US.

It offers a lot of programs, which include:

• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program
• PharmD to Ph.D. career path
• PharmD/Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR)
• Ph.D. in Bioengineering (BioE) – UCSF/UC Berkeley Joint Ph.D. program in Bioengineering
• PhD in Biological and Medical Informatics
• Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB)
• PhD in Biophysics (BP)
• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG)
• Master of Translational Medicine: a joint UCSF and UC Berkeley program
• Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT) Postdoctoral Training Program
• Pharmacy Residency Program
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Regulatory Science (CERSI)
• PrOPEPS/Biogen Pharmacoeconomics Fellowship
• Postdoctoral Scholars program, including fellows
• UCSF-Actalion Clinical Research and Medical Communications Fellowship Program
• UCSF-Genentech Clinical Development Fellowship Program
• UCSF-Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT) Postdoctoral Training Program
• Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life-science Partnership
• Career development and leadership courses.

5. UCSF Graduate Division

Welcome to the UCSF Graduate Division. This division offers 19 Ph.D. programs in basic, translational, and social/population sciences; 11 master’s degree programs; and 2 professional doctorates.

Let’s start with the Ph.D. programs

Ph.D. Programs:

The following Ph.D. programs are offered at this university:

i) Basic and Biomedical Sciences

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Tetrad)
• Bioengineering (joint with UC Berkeley)
• Biological and Medical Informatics
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biophysics
• Cell Biology (Tetrad)
• Chemistry and Chemical Biology
• Developmental and Stem Cell Biology
• Epidemiology and Translational Science
• Genetics (Tetrad)
• Neuroscience
• Oral and Craniofacial Sciences
• Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics
• Rehabilitation Science

ii) Social and Population Sciences

• Global Health Sciences
• History of Health Sciences
• Medical Anthropology
• Nursing
• Sociology

Master’s Programs:

Here’s a list of the master programs offered at UCSF

• Biomedical Imaging MS
• Clinical Research MAS
• Genetic Counseling MS
• Global Health Sciences MS
• Health Data Science MS
• History of Health Sciences MA
• Health Policy and Law MS
• Nursing MEPN
• Oral and Craniofacial Sciences MS
• Nursing MS
• Translational Medicine MTM (joint with UC Berkeley)

Professional Doctorates:

Below are the professional doctorates available:

• DNP: Doctor of Nursing Practice
• DPT: Doctor of Physical Therapy

Certificate Programs:

The certificate programs offered here include:

• Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate
• Health Data Science Certificates
• Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Summer Research:

There’s also a summer research program for undergraduates and it is:

• Summer Research Training Program (SRTP) for undergraduate students

UCSF Admission Requirements

As one of the US’s top medical schools, the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) has a very competitive admission process.

Each professional school listed above has its admission requirements, which vary depending on the program.

Below are UC SF’s requirements based on professional school:

UCSF School of Dentistry Admission Requirements

The general entry requirements for UCSF dental programs are:

• Bachelor’s degree earned from an accredited university
• U.S. Dental Admission Test (DAT) is required
• Applicants must pass the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) – for postgraduate programs
• Letters of recommendation (at least 3).

UCSF School of Medicine Admission Requirements

Below are the general requirements for the MD program:

• A four-year undergraduate degree
• MCAT Scores
• Required pre-requisite courses: Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics
• Letters of recommendation ( 3 to 5).

UCSF School of Nursing Admission Requirements

Here are the entry requirements for the Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN):

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
• GRE is not required
• Nine prerequisite courses: Microbiology, Physiology, Anatomy, Psychology, Nutrition, and Statistics.
• Goal statement
• Personal History Statement
• 4 to 5 recommendation letters
• English proficiency for non-native English speakers: TOEFL, or IELTS.

Below are the requirements for the Master of Science program:

• A bachelor’s degree in nursing from an NLNAC- or CCNE-accredited school,
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, OR
• Experience and licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) with a U.S regionally accredited bachelor’s degree in another discipline
• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
• Evidence of licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) is required
• A current resume or CV, including all work and volunteer experience
• Goal Statement
• Personal History Statement
• English proficiency for non-native English speakers: TOEFL or IELTS
• Letters of recommendation.

Below are the requirements for post-masters Certificate Program:

• Applicants must have completed and received a Master of Science in Nursing, typically MS, MSN, or MN
• Evidence of licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) is required
• Goal Statement
• Official transcripts
• Minimum of 3 letters of recommendation
• Resume or CV
• English proficiency for non-native English speakers.

Below are the requirements for the DNP program:

• A master’s degree in nursing from an accredited college with a minimum GPA of 3.4
• No GRE required
• Practice Experience
• Applicants must be licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN)
• Resume or CV
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Goal Statement.

UCSF School of Pharmacy Admission Requirements

Below are the requirements for the PharmD Degree program:

• Undergraduate degree with a minimum of 2.80
• Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
• Prerequisite courses: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, Physiology, Microbiology, Calculus, Statistics, English, Humanities and/or Social Science
• Intern license requirement: Applicants must be able to secure and maintain a valid intern pharmacist license with the California Board of Pharmacy.

UCSF Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance or you can call it general cost at the University of California San Francisco depends on the level of the program. Note that each school and division have different tuition rates.

Below is the annual cost of attendance for the 4 professional schools, the graduate division, and the Institute for Global Health Sciences:

School of Dentistry

Tuition and fees: $58,841 for California residents and $67,086 for California non-residents

School of Medicine

• Tuition and fees (MD program): $45,128 for California residents and $57,373 for California non-residents
• Tuition and fees (Medicine Post-Baccalaureate Program): $22,235

School of Nursing

• Tuition and fees (Nursing Masters): $32,643 for California residents and $44,888 for California non-residents
• Tuition and fees (Nursing Ph.D.): $19,884 for California residents and $34,986 for California non-residents
• Tuition (MEPN): $76,525
• Tuition (DNP): $10,330

School of Pharmacy

Tuition and fees: $54,517 for California residents and $66,762 for California non-residents

Graduate Division

Tuition and fees: $19,863 for California residents and $34,965 for California non-residents

Global Health Sciences

• Tuition and fees (Masters): $52,878
• Tuition and fees (PhD): $19,863 for California residents and $34,965.00 for California non-residents

Note: Tuition and fees represent the annual cost of studying at UCSF. It includes tuition, student fees, student health plan fees, and other fees. For more detailed information, tap here.

UCSF Admissions Statistics

These are the Admission Statistics you may be interested in:

• Acceptance Rate – 70%
• Early Decision Acceptance Rate – 58%
• Total Applicants – 21,477
• SAT Range – 1140-1330
• SAT Reading – 570-660
• SAT Math – 570-670
• Students Submitting SAT – 57%
• ACT Range – 24-30
• ACT English – 24-32
• ACT Math – 23-28
• ACT Writing – 8-9
• Students Submitting ACT – 21%

UC San Francisco Application Process for in-state & Out-of-State Students [Freshman & Transfer]

Carefully review all necessary deadlines and admission criteria listed below. If you can save the page for easy access or pick up a book and write these down, whichever one, please do.

• First-Year Students: Create your Common Application account and add the University of San Francisco to your list.
• Transfer Students: Apply to USF using our transfer student application.
• Pay the nonrefundable $70 application fee by credit card when you submit your application.
• Submit all required materials. Although you have submitted your application, we cannot begin reviewing your application until we receive all the required materials.
• After you apply, you’ll receive an email with instructions to set up your Applicant Status Page to track your application and submit any missing documents. We’ll also post your admission decision on this page.
• If you have any questions, contact the support team through the allocated number or  mail address displayed on the

How to Apply to the University of California San Francisco UCF

Below are the steps you need to apply to the University of California San Francisco:

• Visit official website 
• Click on apply as a first-year student, apply as a transfer student, apply as an international first-year, or apply as an international transfer. (Depending on what you want to apply for).
• Make sure to read all the requirements before you click on Apply now.

What You Will Need to Complete Your UCSF Application

• A High School GPA is required
• High School Rank is neither required nor recommended
• High School Transcript is required
• College Prep Courses are required as well.
• SAT/ACT is considered but not required.
• Recommendations are required.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What GPA is required for UCSF?

3.0 is the minimum GPA required to apply. Also, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or the equivalent from an accredited institution is required.

2. Is UCSF difficult to get into?

The school is moderately selective. It expects you to meet their requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but they’re more flexible than other schools. If you exceed their requirements, just know you have an excellent chance of getting in.

3. How competitive is UCSF?

The admissions is more selective than most schools around it, that’s why the UCSF acceptance rate of 70% and an early acceptance rate of 78.3%. Half the applicants who are admitted to UCSF have an SAT score between 1140 and 1330 or an ACT score of 24 and 30.

4. What is UC San Francisco known for?

The university is known for innovation in medical research, public service, and patient care. The UCSF’s faculty includes 5 Nobel Prize winners, 31 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 69 members of the Institute of Medicine, and 30 members of the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

5. Does UCSF offer scholarships?

UCSF offers a variety of scholarships that can help you find your education. It offers two main types of scholarships: First the Regent scholarships and second the professional school scholarships. Regent scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence and professional school scholarships are awarded based on need.

Recommended Articles

• 20 Dental Schools with the Easiest Admission Requirements
• 20 PA Schools with the Easiest Admission Requirements
• 20 Grad Schools with the Easiest Admission Requirements.

Conclusion

One of the things to do to increase your chances of being accepted or admitted by the UCSF is to submit a very strong application. 70% UCSF acceptance rate is not as much as you think as the application is very competitive.

This means you have to be very good in academic performance to get admitted. So study hard and never give up even if you don’t get admitted on your first trial.