2027 Entry Requirements & Interview Format
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine is a US MD program in San Francisco, CA that takes 2027-entry applications through AMCAS. Its published class profile lists a median MCAT of 517 (range 512–522), a median GPA of 3.88, a 3.5% acceptance rate and a class of 180. The school holds a traditional interview: October 2026–February 2027. Decisions for 2027 entry: March 30, 2027.
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Step-by-step: entry requirements, MCAT prep, personal statement, interview format and the key deadlines.
Open the guide →Format breakdown, school-specific sample questions, FAQs and prep tips from tutors who interviewed here.
Read the guide →Integrated, 4 years, clinical rotations in San Francisco, the East Bay and Fresno.
See the program →The University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the top US medical schools for research. It is also unique: a major research university focused entirely on health sciences. UCSF's location in San Francisco provides unparalleled access to a diverse, medically complex patient population and to the Bay Area biotech ecosystem.
The school has particular strengths in HIV/AIDS research, cancer biology, neuroscience, and health policy.
UCSF is the only major US research university solely dedicated to health sciences — every department, from basic science to clinical research, is health-focused. The school has an exceptional record in HIV research, biomedical innovation, and diversity in medical education. San Francisco's ethnically diverse patient population provides unusually broad clinical training.
Integrated curriculum. 4-year Bridges curriculum integrates basic science, clinical skills, and research from Year 1. Longitudinal clinical placements begin early. Year 3–4: clinical clerkships across UCSF Medical Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General, and affiliated community hospitals.
UCSF School of Medicine (MD) is strong in these research areas:
Format: Traditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student)
Approximately 150 students per year.
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine was founded in 1864 and is based in San Francisco, CA.
Programmes offered:
These are real recordings of the interviewers you would meet, from a panel of 21 photoreal faces. Speak your answers out loud, get pressed with follow-ups, and receive rubric-scored feedback about two minutes after you finish, with a replay of your answers.
Try the AI interviewer| MCAT / GPA (medians) | 517 · 3.88 (MCAT range 512–522) |
|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 3.5% |
| Class size | 180 |
| In-state matriculants | 71% |
| Interview format | Traditional interview |
| Intake | Approximately 150 students per year |
| Decisions (2027 entry) | March 30, 2027 |
| Admission overview | Bachelor's degree and MCAT required. California residents receive moderate preference (public university). Strong research background, community service, and clinical experience expected. AMCAS application; secondary required. |
|---|---|
| MCAT median | 517 (range 512–522) |
| GPA median | 3.88 overall / 3.85 science (BCPM) |
| Acceptance rate | 3.5% |
| Class size | 180 |
| In-state preference | Moderate — some OOS consideration |
| In-state matriculants | 71% |
| CASPer | Not required |
| AAMC PREview | Not required |
| Holistic review emphasis | Research, diversity, commitment to underserved populations, and health equity. |
| Notes | Checked 2026-09-14 against the school's own published figures: 71% in-state; Class of 2030 (entered 2026): 180 students. Not confirmed from the school's own pages: MCAT, GPA, science GPA, acceptance rate. In-state preference reflects UC public mission. |
| Specialities offered | HIV/AIDS Research, Neuroscience, Cancer Biology, Health Policy, Global Health |
MCAT, GPA, acceptance-rate and class-size figures are taken from University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine's published admissions data. Class profiles are republished each year — confirm which entering class these numbers describe before you rely on them.
Working towards the MCAT score UCSF School of Medicine (MD) expects? Build a week-by-week plan from your test date — free for the first two weeks.
| Format | Traditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student) |
|---|---|
| Interview window (2027 entry) | October 2026–February 2027 |
| Decision date (2027 entry) | March 30, 2027 |
UCSF values diversity, commitment to underserved communities, and health equity alongside research achievement — make sure these themes run throughout your application, not just in one essay. In your interviews, demonstrate systems-level thinking about healthcare challenges; UCSF interviewers are attuned to candidates who think beyond individual patient care to population health. As a public UC school, in-state California applicants have a meaningful advantage — out-of-state applicants need a particularly strong application to compete.
Two questions from our US bank that match UCSF School of Medicine (MD)’s panel format. Try answering them out loud, then open Prometheus for the model answers and follow-up tips.
Tell me about your MCAT experience: how you prepared, how the result sat within your overall application, and what the process revealed about how you handle high-stakes setbacks or disappointments.
Likely follow-up · If your MCAT score was lower than you hoped, how did you decide whether to retake it versus building other parts of your application?
You spent four years as a paramedic before choosing medicine at 30. Your undergraduate GPA from a decade ago is 3.2; your post-baccalaureate grades are all As and your MCAT is strong. How do you account for that record, and what does paramedicine add that a traditional applicant cannot offer?
Likely follow-up · What was going on during your undergraduate years, and what did you change so that your post-baccalaureate results look different?
We've helped students into UCSF School of Medicine (MD) and other US medicine schools — get tailored support for each stage of the application.
Build an MCAT prep plan that hits the median score profile for UCSF School of Medicine (MD).
Learn morePractise the Traditional interview format with students who interviewed at UCSF School of Medicine (MD).
Learn moreGet your personal statement reviewed by successful applicants.
Learn moreChecked against University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine's own website on 14 September 2026: our record for the school was reconciled with what it publishes there. For most US schools that is class size and interview format only, so MCAT, GPA and acceptance-rate figures remain unconfirmed.
We've helped students turn their MCAT, personal statement and interview prep into offers from UCSF School of Medicine (MD) and other US medicine schools.
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