Application Materials

Application Essay(s): You will be asked to write a statement of purpose (why you want to come to UCSF to do science, etc.) and research summaries describing your past research experiences.

Letters of recommendation: We accept electronic letters of recommendation; instructions for submitting all letters are included with our online application. Three letters are required.

Transcripts: We require a transcript from each institute of higher education that you have attended. High school transcripts are not required. You may scan 'official' (just not a screenshot of your transcript from your student portal) transcripts in PDF format and upload directly to the application. The Graduate Division requires that transcripts from institutions outside of the US be accompanied by an evaluation from an accredited evaluation service. We recommend World Education Services (WES).  You can scan the evaluation into your application along with your transcript.  **Because of COVID, our staff is mostly working from home, so there could be delays in receiving and uploading any transcripts sent to our office.  We strongly recommend you upload your transcript into your application**.  If you are unable to provide a scan of your transcript, please request them to be mailed directly to us from the originating institution. Allow several weeks for arrival by the November 15th deadline by requesting them as early as possible from the originating institution. Transcripts must be sent directly by the institution; please do not mail copies yourself. The mailing address for both surface mail and courier/overnight delivery (such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.) is:

Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program 
University of California, San Francisco 
513 Parnassus Ave., Room HSE-1285, Box 0505 
San Francisco, CA 94143-0505

Test Scores: BMS no longer requires the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a requirment for admission.  Submitting GRE scores is completely OPTIONAL.  If you do plan to submit scores, please request submission of your GRE General and Subject test scores to UCSF, institution code 4840. Department code 0299 may be used, but is not required since we match your scores to your application using your registration number and name. For more information about GRE scores and deadlines, see our "Applying to BMS" page.

International applicants from non-English speaking countries must also demonstrate proficiency in English by completing one year of study with a minimum GPA of 3.00 at an accredited college or university in the United States, OR by obtaining the following minimum scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – administered by ETS (UCSF code 4840), or the IELTS – the International English Language Testing System. Test scores are valid from these institutions for a maximum of two years from the test date.

Application fee: There is a $120 application fee ($140 for international applicants). Instructions for submitting the fee are included in the online application.  We encourage students to seek application waivers based on financial need, participation in certain programs, and universities, and other extenuating circumstances.  Unfortunately, UCSF is unable to offer fee waivers to international applicants at this time. The Graduate Division website has full information on fee waivers.

Note that fee waivers must be requested and approved in advance of the application deadline.  Although the normal turnaround is 2 business days, it is helpful to do it as soon as you are initiating your application (up to 3 months in advance of the deadline).  Fee waivers are not seen by the BMS admissions committee and have no impact on your application.