Admissions

All applicants must complete the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) application between June 1-Nov. 1, of the application year for the following year’s entering class.

A minimum of three years (90 semester units) of undergraduate coursework, including a minimum of one full-time year at an accredited U.S. college or university.  Applicants must receive a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a U.S. accredited college or university by the time of matriculation.

Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) must have been taken within the three years preceding June 1 of the application year and no later than Sept. 30 of the application year.

For purposes of evaluation, letter or numerical grades are preferred for course work, particularly for the required subjects listed below. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have completed their basic science requirements by the time they submit their application. No specific major is required, however, demonstrated ability in the sciences is of great importance.

All prerequisite courses listed as "in progress" on the AMCAS application and UCI School of Medicine Secondary Application must be successfully completed by July 15 of the  matriculation year.

Three to six current letters are suggested. Applicants are advised to obtain letters of recommendation from individuals (e.g., attending MD, PI, Director, etc.) involved with their major activities.

All entering students in the UCI School of Medicine must meet all of the technical standards, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, and each student will be expected to certify that he/she meets these standards.

Prerequisite coursework must be completed by July 15th of the matriculation year. If you are unsure if a course satisfies a prerequisite, please email the course name, number, description, and institution to medadmit@uci.edu. 

• Biology: 2 semesters/3 quarters, must include one upper-division course
  (we do not accept psychobiology, behavioral-based courses, or AP credit)
   
• Chemistry: 4 semesters/6 quarters
  (general/inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry; AP score of 3 or greater is accepted)
   
• Physics: 2 semesters/3 quarters; AP score of 3 or greater is accepted
   
• Humanities: 1 semester/1 quarter (e.g. Literature, History, Philosophy, Language, Art; AP score of 3 or greater is accepted)
   

Advanced Placement credit will be accepted for chemistry, physics, and humanities requirements. The AP credit must be reflected on the applicant’s undergraduate transcript. Alternatively we will accept AP exam scores of >3 and will require an official transcript from the College Board (https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home).

The following courses are recommended, but not required: 

• Anatomy
• Biostatistics
• Biology/Chemistry Laboratory experience
• Cell Biology
• Calculus
• English Composition
• Immunology
• Microbiology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Spanish

U.S. and Students — Extramural elective application process

After May, due to the high volume of requests, the extramural application process is done through the Association of American Medical College's Visiting Student Application Service^®, or VSAS^®.

To begin the application process, please review our elective courses and determine which course you are interested in taking. To tentatively schedule an elective, go to the VSAS site. Applications will not be accepted before May.

View more information for U.S. and extramural applicants ›

International Students — Extramural elective application process

UC Irvine accepts international students only from schools with which we have an exchange agreement. They are:

• Japan: Jichi Medical University
   

Extramural applications for the current academic year will be accepted May through Februrary, for rotations starting in June of that same academic year. Please do not contact the office prior to May as we will be occupied with scheduling UC Irvine students for the next academic year.

• May: AMCAS applications available.
• July: First secondary application invitations sent. Secondary applications are due 30 days after invitation.
• August - March: Interview invitations are sent.
• August - April: Interviews are held.
• September: Last date to take MCAT to be considered for the current admissions cycle (MCATs considered for this cycle are within three years preceding June 1 of the application year and no later than September 30 of the application year.)
• October - May: Admissions decisions are communicated. Decisions are communicated approximately 2 months after interview.
• October 1: Applicants may begin submitting FAFSA.
• November 1: Deadline to submit primary AMCAS Application to the UCI School of Medicine.
• November 15: Deadline to submit transcripts to AMCAS for verification to the UCI School of Medicine
• December 1: Last date that secondary applications are accepted for regular admission cycle. Secondary applications are due 30 days after invitations are sent.
• February 19: “Plan to enroll” becomes available through AAMC.
• March - August: For eligible students, scholarship offers are made.
• April 15: Students should narrow acceptances to three schools; you may remain on unlimited alternate lists.
• April 30: “Commit to enroll” becomes available through AAMC. Commit to enroll indicates final selection and plan to withdraw all other applications.
• April - August: Waitlisted applicants may receive admissions offers.
• July 1: "Commit to enroll" deadline for UCI School of Medicine.
• August: Medical school orientation begins the first week of August.

The UCI School of Medicine is a member of the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and requires all applicants to complete the following steps to apply:

Step 1: Complete the AMCAS application
All applicants must complete the AMCAS application to be considered for admission.  (Application available between June 1-November 1 of the year preceding anticipated matriculation.)

Step 2: Submit your MCAT scores
The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is required for all applicants. The MCAT exam must have been taken within three years proceeding June 1 of the application year and no later than Sept. 1 of the application year.

Once the AMCAS application is complete, selected applicants will be invited to complete a secondary application.  

Step 3: Submit your Secondary Application and Letters of Recommendation

Should you receive an invitation to complete a secondary application, a minimum of three to six letters of recommendations are strongly advised. All letters must be submitted through AMCAS.

Applicants will have 30 days from the date of the invitation to complete their secondary. The fee for the secondary application is $120. If applicants qualified for the AMCAS fee waiver, they will also qualify for a fee waiver for the UCI School of Medicine secondary application. 

** AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) waiver must be applied before submitting your secondary application. Refunds will not be available if a payment is submitted before a waiver is applied. 

Approximately eight percent to 10 percent of the total applicant pool will be invited to interview. Interviews are scheduled online and take place from September through April. The interview day will consist of a short orientation, student panel, financial aid information and tours. Applicants will interview with both a faculty member and student. In addition, there will be filmed structured interview session. Special programs, such as MSTP, PRIME-LC and PRIME-LEAD-ABC, will have additional interviews.

The School of Medicine is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

To be considered, applicants must submit their application online through the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS).

The School of Medicine does not have its own application. We belong to the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) and all applications are received through this service.

The application period opens June 1 and closes Nov. 1 of the year before you intend to enter medical school.

When submitting your AMCAS application, select the University of California, Irvine, among the schools you want to receive your application.

No. About 3,500 applicants receive a secondary application after a preliminary review by our admissions committee.

Applicants are notified by email that they have been granted a secondary application. Although applicants are also notified by e-mail when they are invited to submit a secondary application, on occasion emails are missed.

The secondary application fee is $120. The fee should be paid online, via the secondary application.

The secondary application fee is waived for applicants who have been granted the AMCAS fee waiver.

Applicants have one month from the date of the invitation email to complete the secondary application.

UCI participates in the AMCAS Letter Service. The UCI School of Medicine will not accept letters of recommendation sent directly to the school.

Our admissions committee reviews letters of recommendation only from applicants who received a secondary application.

Three to six current letters are suggested.

Applicants are advised to obtain letters of recommendation from individuals (e.g., attending MD, PI, Director, etc.) involved with their major activities.

The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) must have been taken within the three years preceding June 1 of the application year and no later than September 30 of the application year.

The UCI School of Medicine does not accept transfer students. The only exception to this policy would be due to rare and extenuating circumstances where an LCME-accredited medical school must find placement for a student due to an extreme situation, such as a natural disaster. For the transfer policy and procedures please refer to Transfer Policy and Procedures.

No. We seek candidates from a variety of majors, backgrounds and experiences.

We do select candidates who show mastery in the sciences and have met the prerequisites. As long as you can demonstrate those criteria, you can apply with any major.

No. However, all prerequisites must be completed and recorded on official transcripts by July 15 of the matriculation year.

Yes. We accept AP credit for chemistry and physics.

The AP credit and subject must appear on your college or university official transcript. If it does not and you are selected to be interviewed, you will need to submit your AP exam score from the College Board and you must have obtained a score > 3.

In some cases, the UCI School of Medicine does accept online courses for prerequisites. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions and Outreach at medadmit@uci.edu with specific questions.

Applicants invited to interview will receive an email inviting them to select an interview date. This information will also appear on their applicant portal.

Transcripts are requested upon acceptance.

Yes. All applicants who are accepted to the UCI School of Medicine as well as selected alternates receive background checks.

UCI School of Medicine participates in the AAMC Background Check Service. As a result, ALL offers of acceptance are CONDITIONAL until our admissions committee has received and reviewed the background check report for each accepted applicant.

For more information, please visit AAMC Criminal Background Service.

We will accept coursework taken at an accredited U.S. community college to fulfill prerequisite requirements; however, the upper-division Biology requirement must be taken at an accredited four-year institution at the undergraduate level.  Please reference our Admissions Requirement page for the full list of course prerequisites.

Applicants must have received an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time of matriculation.

No. The admissions committee uses the same criteria to evaluate applicants whether they are in-state or out-of-state residents.

Preference is given to applicants who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents with a green card or who are approved under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

In most cases, yes. Applicants who leave the state for educational purposes may still be considered California residents.

However, only the UCI Registrar can make a final decision about an applicant’s residency.

If you have specific questions or concerns about state residency, it is best to contact the UCI Registrar’s Office.

If you receive a secondary application, you can complete the PRIME-LC application.

Note: To be considered for acceptance into PRIME-LC, you must first be accepted into the School of Medicine.

The AMCAS application allows you to indicate whether you want to be considered for the UCI School of Medicine MD/PhD program.

If you do wish to be considered, there are additional items you will need to complete on the AMCAS application.

There is no separate UCI School of Medicine application for the MD/PhD program.

Yes. UCI medical students can obtain an MD/MBA.

This is a five-year program that medical students apply for in their second year and begin the MBA portion of their education between their third and fourth years in medical school.

The UCI Paul Merage School of Business allows for candidates who have completed three years of medical school training in good standing and passage of USMLE Step 1 as a waiver for the GMAT.

It is very important that you report all changes in your contact information to AMCAS as well as to the individual medical schools to which you are applying.

In addition, please forward all changes to medadmit@uci.edu.

UCI School of Medicine accepts students who are approved under DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

Applicants will need to provide documentation of their DACA status when submitting their secondary application.

If you have a question that is not answered here, please email medadmit@uci.edu.