UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine is among the most prestigious medical schools in the United States. But undergraduates need to do more than just get good grades in order to stand a chance of getting in. While still in their undergraduate years, they need to fulfill UCLA’s medical school prerequisites.
These UCLA pre-med requirements include the successful completion of classes in both the sciences and the humanities. The UCLA medical school acceptance rate is slim. Fewer than two percent of applicants are admitted. Interested students must put their best foot forward and compile their best application package possible to increase the likelihood of their acceptance.
UCLA Medical School Prerequisites
The UCLA medical school prerequisites are different from other universities. Most schools require certain classes, specifying which to take down to the course number, but the UCLA pre-med requirements are looser.
Successful applicants will have scored well in classes in several areas of study. UCLA’s medical school prerequisites include the successful completion of classes in these areas of study: biology, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, physical sciences, the humanities, math and statistics. Within these areas of study, students can take a number of different classes to fulfill the UCLA pre-med requirements.
Applicants must show proficiency in writing and communication. Experience in a clinical setting, as well as experience with research, is a must. UCLA places an emphasis on the human element of medicine, so students with strong interpersonal and critical thinking skills will do well in application season.
To apply, students must send undergraduate transcripts, a $95 application fee, MCAT scores and letters of recommendation to the medical school’s designated admissions portal. Applicants are also required to interview with committee members.
UCLA Medical School Acceptance Rate
For the class that was admitted in 2017, the UCLA medical school acceptance rate was very low. A total of 11,417 people applied. Of that number, only 175 students were enrolled to begin classes at the medical school that year. This means that the UCLA medical school acceptance rate was less than two percent.
For the class that began in fall of 2017, the lower 25th percentile of successful applicants had approximately 3.6 undergraduate GPA scores, and they scored a 505 on the MCAT. Students in the 75th percentile came in with around a 3.92 undergraduate GPA and a 518 on the MCAT.
While this seems to put an emphasis on academics, the UCLA admissions committee prides itself on taking the whole-student approach to evaluating applications. Students with outstanding life experiences are encouraged to apply.