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UC Berkeley | UCSF

JMP Admissions and Financial Information

The JMP seeks applicants who are motivated and prepared to investigate biological, behavioral, or policy-related aspects of health and health care systems leading to completion of a Master of Science thesis.

The JMP welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. The faculty is committed to increasing the number of physicians in the profession from populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession.

All information provided on this page is specific to the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. If you are not applying to the JMP, return to the admissions landing page and select the appropriate link to access the admissions page for your intended program.

How to Apply

To apply the UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP), applicants start by:

  1. applying to UCSF via AMCAS
  2. receiving and accepting an invitation for a UCSF secondary application
  3. following the instructions on the UCSF secondary application by checking the JMP box to indicate interest in the JMP
  4. submitting additional JMP-specific application materials as instructed
  5. submitting a UC Berkeley Application for Admission by February 15

After checking the JMP box, applicants will be prompted to provide additional JMP-specific materials, including two short essay questions. Only applicants who have checked the JMP box on their UCSF secondary application will be considered for JMP admission.

The AMCAS application deadline is October 15 every year. You can find out more about the application form as well as instructions for completing and submitting it on the AMCAS Web site. Applications are available in May and can be submitted to AMCAS on or after May 30. Your application and official transcripts must be submitted to AMCAS no later than October 15 of the year preceding your expected entry. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible in order to facilitate processing and evaluation. Please note that we cannot consider deadline extensions for any reason.

After UCSF receives your application from AMCAS and performs a preliminary review, selected candidates will be invited to complete a secondary application. Typically, you will be notified about submitting a secondary application approximately 3-10 weeks after receipt of your verified AMCAS data. During the secondary application process you can select the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program in addition to other programs offered by UCSF.

The AMCAS application, secondary application, and letters of recommendation will be used to identify applicants who will be invited for interviews. Interview decisions are made on a rolling basis.

Applicants who would like to be considered for the Health and Medical Sciences Block Grant Award or Graduate Opportunity Program Fellowship must submit a completed application by this deadline.

To review Prerequisite Course Requirements and to submit your application, go to the UCSF Medical Education website.

Selection Process

Applicants are selected for interview at the JMP from the pool of those who have checked the JMP box on their UCSF secondary application. Interviews are arranged by JMP staff. At the time of interview invitation, applicants will be sent an application to the Graduate Division of the University of California at Berkeley. Interviews for the Joint Medical Program are separate from those for the traditional UCSF program and the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP).

The JMP Admissions Panel is composed of faculty members and student representatives from both the UCSF and Berkeley campuses. The results of the interviews and deliberations of the JMP Admissions Panel are separate from those of the School of Medicine, and applicants offered admission to both the Joint Medical Program and the School of Medicine at UCSF are required to choose between them.

Admission to UC Berkeley and UCSF

JMP applicants are admitted as both medical and graduate students, and therefore must apply and be admitted to both UCSF School of Medicine and the UC Berkeley Graduate Division. Admissions details for the MD, including prerequisite courses, are outlined on the UCSF Medical Education website.

Requirements for admission to the UC Berkeley Graduate Division are:

  • a bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution
  • a minimum GPA of 3.0
  • MCAT – Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in lieu of the GRE — The JMP is a regional campus of UCSF. As such, for the 2021 Admissions Cycle, the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine will accept applications without an MCAT score due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All candidates will be screened and interview decisions will be offered without utilization of an MCAT score.

In addition to the academic requirements listed on the UCSF website, the JMP recommends upper-division courses in the biological, behavioral, and social sciences and an introductory course in statistics.

Admission to PRIME-US at the JMP

Each JMP class of 16 students accepts four students who participate in PRIME-US at the JMP. JMP applicants interested in PRIME-US should check the PRIME box as well as the JMP box on the UCSF secondary application. Interviews for PRIME-US at the JMP take place on the JMP interview day. Selection for PRIME-US at the JMP occurs after acceptance to the JMP. Prospective students interested in PRIME-US at the JMP should make sure to complete both the PRIME-US application and the JMP application in the UCSF secondary application.

Find more information on the JMP PRIME-US page and on the UCSF website.

JMP Financial Information

The costs of medical school is a major investment. UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program (JMP) students rely on a combination of personal or family contributions, loans, and scholarships to pay for medical school. As a student at the JMP you will pay tuition to UC Berkeley for your first two and a half years and to UCSF for the remaining two and a half years. Of note, UC Berkeley is on a semester system and UCSF is on a quarter system so the prices and timeframes will adjust to fit these enrollment patterns.

FAFSA and Financial Aid

To get started on financial aid for the JMP there are 3 initial steps. First, upon receiving your invitation for an interview at either UCSF or the JMP or both, you will receive information on how to log into the UCSF financial aid portal. This is where all of your financial aid information will be housed.

Second, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). When you fill out the FAFSA, be sure to send the information to both UC Berkeley and UCSF.

FAFSA Codes: UC Berkeley 001312 / UCSF 001319

Third, complete the UCSF Financial Aid / COLS Application available in their Student Portal. And, if you’re willing to submit parental information as noted on the Financial Aid /COLS form, also complete the CSS Profile as instructed on their Student Portal. There is more information on filling out the FAFSA on the UC Berkeley Graduate Division website.

When you receive notification of admission to the JMP, you will be asked to consent to sharing the financial information sent to UCSF with the JMP. UCSF will provide information on a 5 year loan qualification projection to JMP applicants. UCSF will rank student need and share with the JMP.

Additional grants or scholarships will be offered directly to the applicant by the JMP and/or by UCSF separately from admissions.

Tuition and Fees

At the UC Berkeley registrar’s website you can find the current Fee Schedule for the JMP. The following table reflects the current tuition and fee schedule for the semester (resident & non-resident) for JMP students for their 2nd through 4th semesters. The JMP is a professional degree program and students are not charged Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition during their first semester. All fees are subject to change.

UC Berkeley Tuition

Tuition and feesAmount per semester ($)Annual ($)
Tuition5,85011,700
Student Services Fee5761,152
Berkeley Campus Fee7171,434
Class Pass Fee - Transit95190
Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (not applicable first semester)12,24324,486
Medical Disability Insurance30.5061
Health Insurance Fee3,1866,372
Student Total (Resident)$22,69745,395
Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (if applicable)6,122.5012,245
Student Total (Nonresident)$28,82057,640

Information on the tuition and fee schedules for UC Berkeley can be found online at the Office of the Registrar Fee Schedule page under Graduate: Professional – Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program.

Cost of Attendance (COA)

The Cost of Attendance (aka: your budget) as calculated Financial Aid offices on either campus and is used to determine financial aid need. Your budget is the estimated, average and reasonable cost of completing an academic year at UC Berkeley. A new COA will be posted for subsequent academic years. All items are subject to change.

At UC Berkeley, the JMP estimated COA for this academic year, for CA resident looks something like this:

Estimated Annual BudgetAmount
Tuition and Fees (on average)$25,728
Housing and Food25,234
Books and Supplies1,684
Transportation3,110
Health Insurance5,240
Personal Expenses2,678
Loan Fees214
Standard Budget Total$63,888

Students may waive health insurance coverage through UC Berkeley. For more information visit the University Health Services website.

Federal student loans are available to most students regardless of income and provide a range of very flexible repayment plans including income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness benefits. For more information on Loans at UC Berkeley, visit the UC Berkeley Financial Aid website.

UCSF Tuition

The budget below is a sample cost of attendance for an entire year at UCSF. All fees subject to change.

Estimated UCSF Annual BudgetAmount
Tuition$15,336
Student Services Fee1,128
Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition23,079
Community Centers Facilities Fee156
Graduate and Professional Student Association27
Associated Students of the School of Medicine39
Student Health and Counseling Supplemental Fee198
Student Health Insurance Premium5,470
Disability Insurance41
Estimated Fees Subtotal45,474
Cost of Living (12 months)35,400
Books and Supplies600
Commute Costs2,000
Loan Fees360
California Resident Total83,834
Non-resident Supplemental Tuition12,245
California Non-resident Total:$96,079

You can find more information on UCSFs costs on the UCSF Medical Education website. Information on UCSF financial aid can be found on the UCSF Student Financial Services website.

Apply for aid on the  UCSF Student Financial Services website.