Online Courses – Many undergraduate schools have gone to online courses during the pandemic. In response, we will accept online courses for classes that began during or after the start of the pandemic. Please keep in mind, these courses and units must be earned at an accredited U.S. or English-speaking Canadian institution.
Pass/Fail Grades – UCSF will accept pass/fail grades (if it’s an option, we prefer graded course work), without prejudice, for courses taken during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has always been our practice to consider grades in the context of numerous other aspects of the application, and an international crisis certainly provides a unique and compelling perspective.
Course Prerequisites
You must complete a minimum of 139 quarter units or 93 semester units (exclusive of repeated and nontransferable courses) of college work:
- Units must be earned at an accredited U.S. or English-speaking Canadian institution.
- At least 43 quarter units or 29 semester units must be completed at a four-year institution.
- Up to 96 quarter units or 64 semester units can be accepted from a community college.
- You must earn at least a “C -” grade in requirements “a” through “g.”
- We recommend that you complete the prerequisites before taking the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) and filing an application.
These units must include the following subjects:
| Academic Subject | Quarter Units | Semester Units |
|---|---|---|
| a. English: Two courses in English composition. (Note: ESL, scientific, professional, technical and creative writing classes do not fulfill the English requirement.) | 8 | 6 |
| b. Inorganic Chemistry with Laboratory: A minimum of three quarters or two semesters of inorganic chemistry with laboratory. | 12 | 8 |
| c. Organic Chemistry with Laboratory: A minimum of two quarters or one semester of organic chemistry with laboratory. | 8 | 4 |
| d. Biochemistry: (Note: This must be taken at a 4-year institution.) | 4 | 3 |
| e. Physics: A minimum of three quarters or two semesters of physics with laboratory. | 12 | 8 |
| f. Biological Sciences: One year of general biology or zoology with laboratory, designed for science majors. Vertebrate zoology is strongly recommended. (Note: Anatomy, botany or elementary courses of a descriptive nature cannot be used to complete this requirement.) | 12 | 8 |
| g. Psychology: General psychology. | 4 | 3 |
| h. Social Sciences, Humanities, or Foreign Language (in addition to requirements “a” and “g”). | 16 | 11 |
| i. Additional electives to bring the total number of units to at least 139 quarter units or 93 semester units. (Recommended: embryology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, genetics, statistics) | 63 | 42 |
| Totals: | 139 | 93 |
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
While actual coursework is preferred by our faculty, you may use AP exams to partially fulfill the prerequisites. In order to have AP exams applied toward the prerequisites, you must submit an official copy of your AP Test Score Report from the College Board. Using School Code 5482, you may contact the College Board to request that a copy of your score report be sent to our office.
AP credit may be applied in the following manner:
| AP Exam | Score | Units Awarded (All units are quarter units) |
|---|---|---|
| General Chemistry | 3-5 | 8 (One course [4 units] with lab still required) |
| Biology | 3-5 | 8 (One course [4 units] with lab still required) |
| Physics B | 3-5 | 8 (One course [4 units] with lab still required) |
| Physics C, Mechanics | 3-5 | 4 (Two courses [8 units] with lab in electricity and magnetism still required) |
| Physics C, Electricity and Magnetism | 3-5 | 4 (Two courses with lab in mechanics still required) |
| Physics B & C | 3-5 | 8 (One course [4 units] with lab still required) |
| English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition | 3 | 4 (Fulfills first half of prerequisite) |
| English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition | 4-5 | 8 (Fulfills entire prerequisite) |
| Psychology | 3-5 | 4 (Fulfills entire prerequisite) |
| Humanities and Social Science (Art History, European History, French, German Language, Government & Politics, Human Geography, Latin, Macro-Economics, Micro-Economics, Music Theory, Spanish, Studio Art, US History, World History) | 3-5 | 4 per exam toward social sciences, humanities or foreign language electives |
International Baccalaureate Exams
You also may use IB exams to partially fulfill some prerequisites. In order to have IB Exams applied toward the prerequisites, you must have an official copy of your IB transcript sent directly to UCSF. Information on requesting transcripts can be found here.
IB credit may be applied in the following manner: Scores of 5, 6 or 7 on Higher Level exams award 8 quarter units in the subject. For chemistry, biology and physics, you still must take at least one 4-quarter-unit course with lab in the subject.
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