How to Apply | California Postbaccalaureate Consortium | UC Davis Health

First-time applicant deadline extension: March 17, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. (PST)

Re-applicant Deadlines:

• Charles Drew University: April 1, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)
• UC Davis and UC San Francisco: May 5, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)
• Huwighurruk: March 10, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)
• UC Irvine: March 10, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)
• UC Los Angeles (RAP): May 16, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. (PST)

To meet application deadlines, all supporting materials and online application need to be submitted by midnight, PST.

Applications are considered complete only when all supporting documents are submitted and received by the specified deadline.

First-time applicants are defined as those who have never applied to medical school but have completed the requirements for entrance into the postbaccalaureate programs.

Re-applicants are those who have applied to a U.S. medical school in the past but were not granted admission.

Students are required to:

• have demonstrated commitment to practice in the underserved communities of California
• have completed an undergraduate degree in an accredited US college or university
• be a resident of California, as defined by the University of California Office of the President
• come from an economically and educationally adverse backgrounds and geographically underserved communities.
  • The California Postbaccalaureate Consortium programs are committed to serving students from economically and educationally adverse backgrounds and geographically underserved communities.
  • If you are uncertain of your status, we encourage you to apply!

Each program has their own criteria required for matriculation.

Charles R. Drew

Must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.94 and a minimum science GPA of 2.8.

• Have completed these prerequisites:
  • 1 Year- Biology with lab
  • 1 Year- General Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Organic Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Physics with lab
• Biochemistry is encouraged, but not required.
• MCAT Requirement: ONLY if you are a re-applicant, you must have a minimum combined 2015 MCAT score of 496.

UC Davis

Requires undergraduate and science GPA average of at least 2.7.

• Have completed these prerequisites: 
  • 1 Year- Biology with lab
  • 1 Year- General Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Organic Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Physics with lab
• Biochemistry is encouraged, but not required.
• No MCAT requirement.

UC Irvine

Must have minimum cumulative and science GPA of  2.8.

• Have completed these prerequisites:
  • 1 Year- Biology with lab including a minimum of one upper-division course
  • 1 Year- General Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year-Organic Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Physics with lab
• MCAT Requirement: ONLY if you are a re-applicant, you must have a minimum composite MCAT score of 492.
• Re-applicant: those who have applied to a US medical school in the past but were not granted admission.

UCLA (re-applicant only program)

Have a minimum science GPA of 2.7 or higher.

This program is designed specifically for re-applicants. Re-applicant is defined as those who have applied to a US medical school in the past but were not granted admission. It is assumed that all medical school prerequisites have been met for re-applicants who have previously submitted an AMCAS or AACOMAS application.

MCAT Requirement: For students who took the MCAT 2012-2014 or later, have a minimum combined score of 20. For those who took the MCAT 2015, have a minimum combined score of 491.

UCSF

Must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.94 and a minimum science GPA of 2.8.

• Have completed these prerequisites:
  • 1 Year- Biology with lab
  • 1 Year- Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Organic Chemistry with lab
  • 1 Year- Physics with lab
  • 1 Semester- Biochemistry
• MCAT Requirement: ONLY if you are a re-applicant, you must have a minimum combined 2015 MCAT score of 496

The Tribal Health Postbaccalaureate Program is intended for individuals who:

• Category 1: are seeking academic enhancement to prepare for medical school.
• Category 2: previously applied to medical school but were not accepted or do not possess a qualifying MCAT score for medical school.
• Category 3: are non-science majors or "career changers" now seeking a career as a physician.
• MCAT is not required.

Category 1 and 2 applicants, students must have completed most basic prerequisite coursework for medical school and:  

• Have an undergraduate and science GPA average of at least 2.9 and a BCPM GPA average of 2.5
• 1 Year- Biology with lab
• 1 Year- General Chemistry with lab
• 1 Year- Organic Chemistry with lab
• 1 Year- Physics with lab
• Biochemistry is encouraged, but not required.

Category 3 applicants must:

• Have an undergraduate cumulative GPA average of at least 3.2
• 1 Year- General Chemistry with lab
• 1 Year- Biology with lab.

Please prepare an answer to the essay prompts below. All essays must be entered into the online application portal.

• Personal Comments: Explain why you want to go to medical school. The available space for your response is 2,500 characters including spaces.
• Postbaccalaureate Essay: Explain why you would like to participate in a postbaccalaureate program. Discuss your expectations of the program and what you will contribute to it. Explain any weakness in your academic record and what areas you would like assistance in improving. The available space is 2,500 characters including spaces.
• Community Service Essay: Describe your experience volunteering with or living in an economically and/or medically underserved community. The available space is 2,500 characters including spaces.

Information collected on this site is secure and will only be shared within the California Postbaccalaureate Consortium. Please note that admission into a postbaccalaureate program at a California Postbaccalaureate Consortium School of Medicine in no way guarantees admission to the UC Schools of Medicine. On an annual basis, the Consortium recommends to the UC medical schools students who have successfully completed the requirements of the postbaccalaureate programs. Acceptance decisions are made solely by the Schools of Medicine.

Your application is considered complete only when all of your supplemental documents have been received by the central office and marked as received in your application. Please send only one copy of your documents to the central office. Supplemental documents sent to the central office will be uploaded to your application. All UCs you choose to apply to will be able to access these documents.

Three Letters of Recommendation:

All applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation. All letters must be in PDF format, under institutional letterhead, and include a signature.

1. Letter from a science faculty member.
   • Please note that "science faculty member" is defined as the faculty member who assigned your grade; a teaching assistant or graduate student will not qualify as a science instructor.
2. Letter from a community service experience.
3. Letter from this list:
   • Faculty member (science or non-science professor)
   • Research Director or Principal Investigator (if you have research experience)
   • Representative from medical-related volunteer program
   • Medical/Research Pathway Program Director (if you are a current participant or have completed a pathway program)
   • Current employer (if you have paid work experience)

• If you have an interest in applying to UC San Francisco we highly recommend utilizing the faculty member letter ( specified above) as your third letter.
• Please take note: applicants can ONLY have three letters of recommendation submitted to the application. All three submitted letters will be provided to all programs that you have selected in your application. You cannot have a fourth letter used for a specific program.
• Re-applicants may use two of the letters of recommendations that were submitted for medical school, but the third must specifically address the applicant's suitability for the postbaccalaureate program. We do not have access to letters submitted through AMCAS or AACOMAS. Your letter writers must upload the letter via our application portal or you may utilize Interfolio.
• Letter writers must submit their letters electronically using the application portal.

If wanting to use Interfolio, find instructions on our FAQ page here.

Official Transcripts:

• Applicants must submit transcripts for ALL college-level work.
• You must submit transcripts for all institutions attended including summer course work.
  • Even if grades at one school are reported on the transcript of another school (as is sometimes done for summer courses), you must submit an official transcript from the school at which the courses were actually taken.
• You may not send us your transcripts yourself. Transcripts must be sent directly from your institution to the California Postbaccalaureate Consortium via email at pbcentraladmin@ucdavis.edu, or to the mailing address listed below. Please note that the central office requires up to 10 business days to process and upload your transcripts to your application regardless of email or mail delivery. We do not accept walk-ins to drop off your transcripts.

California Postbaccalaureate Consortium
UC Davis School of Medicine
4610 X Street, Suite 4101
Sacramento, CA 95817

AMCAS or AACOMAS Application: If you are a re-applicant, you must include a copy of your verified AMCAS or AACOMAS application.

• Determine your cumulative and science GPA:

• • American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) (XLS)
  • GPA calculator instructions (PDF)
  • Reference what coursework is considered for your science GPA AMCAS Course Classification Guide.
• Checking your status: Applicants can check the status of their application and supporting documents by logging into their Application Portal. Once logged in, visit the “Status” tab on the left navigation bar.
• Processing Time: We require 10 business days to process and upload your transcripts to your application regardless of email or mail delivery.
• When sending your transcript: Please send your transcripts to the specified locations (we are not UC Davis Undergraduate Admissions).