The UCLA Medical Scientist Training Program
APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The Medical Scientist Training Program is open to all applicants to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and to first- and second-year UCLA medical students including those in the UC Riverside Biomedical Sciences program and the Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. California residency is not a criterion for admission to the program.

The MSTP, a federally funded program, is committed to the concept of equal educational opportunity for all. Individuals are considered for admission to student status and all policies, procedures, services and activities are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap or age.

Applying to medical school

Candidates for the MSTP must submit the initial application to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) by the November 1 deadline. Please note that AMCAS is a web-based application. Applicants are strongly advised to prepare their applications and personal statements carefully before submitting the application on-line.

Applying to the MSTP (UCLA Program)

The supplemental MSTP application is an on-line application. To access the application, click on the link to get to the Application Status Database. Your AMCAS application must be verified before you will be able to access the link for the MSTP application. Once you have logged into the database, click on the button for the MSTP application. Please read the instructions carefully. If you have questions regarding the application process or experience problems accessing the on-line application, please call the MSTP Office at (310) 794-1817 or send an email to the address shown at the bottom of this page.

Click here for AMCAS - The American Medical College Application

If you would like to expedite processing of your application, please have three letters of recommendation and your transcripts sent to the MSTP Office at the address below.

The MSTP application and letters of recommendation should emphasize the applicant’s research experience, scientific accomplishments and career interests. While there is no minimum cutoff for GPA or MCAT scores, interviews are usually offered to applicants who perform well in a rigorous academic setting and show evidence of sustained research effort. General GRE Scores are not required as MCAT scores are used in lieu of GRE scores.

The MSTP supplemental application and the medical school secondary are combined. If you are applying as a disadvantaged status applicant, both the Disadvantaged application and the MSTP supplemental must be submitted for your file to be complete. The deadline for the MSTP application is December 1st, however, early submission is recommended. When submitting your online supplemental, you will be prompted to submit an application fee of $60 payable by credit card or by a check made payable to the "Regents of UC."  Current UCLA medical students are to apply via the paper application located at

A limited number of applicants are selected for interview. Those not selected enter the general pool of medical school applicants unless otherwise indicated on the MSTP application. Candidates are scheduled for a full day of interviews on six designated dates from October through March.  Applicants may interview with members of the MSTP Committee, the Program Director or Associate Directors, and faculty whose research relates to the applicant's interests and experience. Candidates will be given a tour of the campus and will meet current MSTP trainees and outstanding faculty from a variety of research areas. Click on Interview Schedule for more information.

The MSTP Admissions Committee selects candidates for admission to both the medical school and the MSTP.  The committee consists of faculty from basic sciences and clinical departments. Review criteria for the program include an exceptional undergraduate record well-grounded in the sciences coupled with meaningful, sustained research experience and a strong motivation for medicine. The program is highly competitive and a limited number of offers are made for the 12 funded positions available each year. Applicants who are selected for the program demonstrate the desire and capability to pursue a rigorous and stimulating M.D. and Ph.D. curricula and a strong foundation in scientific research.

Successful applicants who have matriculated in the past 7 years had an average science GPA of 3.76, average science MCATs of 12, and an average of 2.5 years of research experience. Applicants must meet all the premedical admissions requirements.

Applying to the MSTP (UCLA-Caltech Program)

Applicants interested in pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Caltech must indicate this option on the application form. Two students per year will be selected for the Ph.D. programs at Caltech.

Applicants who intend to pursue a Ph.D. at Caltech or those who considering both UCLA and Caltech for the Ph.D. degree will be screened by a subset of the MSTP Committee including Caltech faculty. Applicants who are selected for interview will meet with MSTP Committee members, the Program Director or Associate Director (Caltech), as well as UCLA and Caltech faculty whose research relates to the candidate's interests and experience. The interview process begins with an orientation and interviews at UCLA on Thursday and concludes with interviews at Caltech on Friday. Candidates will have tours of both campuses and will meet with current MSTP trainees and Caltech students.

Click on Interview Schedule for more information.

Information

For information on the graduate programs at UCLA, visit the UCLA website at http://www.ucla.edu/. For information on the Caltech programs, visit http://www.caltech.edu/.

The deadline for application to the Medical Scientist Training Program is December 1.  Additional information may be obtained by writing or calling:

Medical Scientist Training Program
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA 
23-385 Center for the Health Sciences
P.O. Box 957041/MC: 704117
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7041
mstp@mednet.ucla.edu
310.794.1817 telephone
310.794.1819 fax

 [ Home | Program Information | Admissions | Educational Programs | Financial Support | Calendar of Events | Student Information | L.A. Lifestyle | Scrapbook | Site Map | Contact ]