Application Information

The selection committee selects students on a competitive basis, based on the contents of their application. The strongest applicant has demonstrated scholastic achievement, participated in relevant work, volunteer and elective experiences, is an effective communicator, shows an ability to work cooperatively with others, and has some leadership experience. 

The following selection criteria are considered and listed in order of importance below:

Academics

A strong applicant is one who has done well in both professional nutrition courses and general science courses with a minimum Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) GPA of 3.0.  Particular attention is paid to upper division nutrition (advanced nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, nutrition and the lifecycle) and science (anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry) courses. The academic coursework must have been completed within three years from start date of the dietetic internship.

Essay Questions

Applicant's responses to the Dietetic Internship Centralized Application Services (DICAS) Personal Statement and UC Davis Medical Center Addendum Questions are reviewed.  Strong responses:

• Address all components of the questions
• Include specific examples
• Highlight your skills and suitability for the program, including leadership skills, ability to work with others, problem solve and critically think.

Letters of Recommendation

DICAS requires three letters of recommendation in your application.  Your letters of recommendation should be from those who know you well enough to comment on your strengths, your achievements and those qualities that will make you successful.  UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship requires at least one letter from a work or volunteer supervisor and at least one letter from an academic reference (professor, academic advisor).  The third letter can be either a supervisor or academic reference.

Work and Volunteer Experience

Work experience related to nutrition or foodservice is a plus, but is not mandatory. Valued work experience is that which gives a student responsibility, time management, problem solving, ability to work with others and leadership skills.

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities that demonstrate your individual strengths, especially those that highlight time management skills, ability to problem solve and collaborate with others will be considered.

Interviews

Interviews with top candidates will be held prior to the deadline for D&D on-line reordering.  Strong interview candidates demonstrate effective communication, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.

The UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship, in accordance with applicable federal and state law and university policy, prohibits discrimination against or harassment of any person seeking admission to the dietetic internship on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related), ancestry, marital status or age. The UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, status as a Vietnam-era veteran or special disabled veteran or within the limits imposed by law or university policy, on the basis of citizenship.

Centralized Application: DICAS

The UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program participates in the on-line centralized internship application, referred to as DICAS.

DICAS can be accessed through the following link:  https://portal.dicas.org 

Application Checklist

The UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program Application Checklist is a step-by-step guide to our application process.

Use this link to download a copy of the: UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program Application Checklist.

Supplemental Application

In addition to the online DICAS Application, the UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program requires a Supplemental Application Packet to be completed and mailed directly to the UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program, postmarked no later than February 1, 2022.  The Supplemental Application Form can be downloaded by clicking on the following link:  UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Supplemental Application Form.  Please enclose  a manila folder with your Supplemental Application Packet.  Label the manila folder tab with: Last Name, First Name, and Name of College DPD Program.

Addendum Questions

In addition to the Personal Statement required in DICAS, the UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program requires each applicant to answer two addendum questions.  Please type your name on the upper right hand corner of EACH page and limit each answer to 300 words, single spaced. Upload the answers to the two addendum questions to DICAS in the "Dietetic Internship Program Designation" section.  Additionally, enclose the two addendum question answers in your supplemental application packet and send to UC Davis Medical Center.  The Addendum Questions can be found by clicking this link: UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program Addendum Questions.

First Round Selection Period

• The UC Davis Medical Center Dietetic Internship Program participates in the Dietetic Internship Match process. The Dietetic Internship Match is a computer-based method that matches the preferences of applicants with the preferences of the dietetic internship program directors.
• Applicants must register online for computer matching and pay a $55 computer matching fee to D&D Digital.
• D&D Digital can be accessed through the following link: http://www.dnddigital.com
• Applicants must select dietetic internship priority choices by 11:59 (Central Standard Time) on February 15, 2022.  Additionally, applicants have until March 28, 2022 to reorder internship rankings.

Please refer to the April 2022 Computer Matching Calendar for further important dates. 

Interim Selection Procedures

In the event that our internship class is not filled through the D&D computer match, the following procedure will apply.

On April 4, 2022 the Dietetic Internship (DI) Director shall review the D&D Digital list of unmatched applicants to see if any qualified applicants we originally entered on the D&D website are listed. The DI Director shall contact and invite any of those applicants on our original list who did not match to attend our program. The DI Director will contact qualified unmatched applicant(s) by telephone. If an applicant cannot be reached by telephone, the next person on the list shall be contacted. The DI Director shall work through the list of qualified applicants until the vacant position(s) are filled.

A student’s verbal acceptance of an internship position must be confirmed in writing via fax or email within two hours of the verbal acceptance.

By the Wednesday April 5, 2022, the DI Director shall notify D&D Digital of the program status:

• Closed indicates all positions are filled.
• Open indicates one or more positions are available.

Second Round Selection Period

Students should check the D&D website to confirm if the UC Davis Medical Center internship is open for applications. If positions remain after the first round procedure above, the following procedure will apply.

• Interested students must apply through DICAS starting the Thursday after Match Day (April 6, 2022).
• A prior application already on file in DICAS may be used. Please contact DICAS to submit the application to UC Davis Medical Center. DICAS may charge a fee for this service.
• Applicants who applied to the UC Davis Medical Center internship by the February 15 deadline should not reapply.
• The UC Davis Medical Center supplemental application must be sent to the DI Director via email by noon on the Friday after Match Day (April 8, 2022).
• A check for the $50 application fee payable to UC Regents must be mailed with a postmark date on or before the Friday after Match Day (April 8, 2022) to:

Barbara Lusk, MFCS, RD, LDN, FAND 

Dietetic Internship Director

UC Davis Medical Center

2315 Stockton Blvd.

OP160 SESP

Sacramento, CA 95817

• All admission requirements must be met.
• Selection criteria described on our website apply to second round applicants.
• No interview will be conducted.
• If we are able to offer a position, we will call you between April 13-15, 2022. Applicants must be available to take a telephone call during this time period.
• Please do not contact the program director to inquire about the status of your application. No notification will be sent to applicants who are not offered a position.

Students with degrees obtained outside of the United States and its territories must first review the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) list of required procedures for international applicants. More information is available from ACEND's website about obtaining a dietetics credentials with a foreign degree, including educational and credentialing requirements.

For more general information about applying to UC Davis as an international student, please refer to International Admissions Requirements and Services for International Students and Scholars