Prospective Students

Please visit the UCI Office of Undergraduate Admissions for the most up-to-date answers about admission to UCI!

Why is MIND | BODY | WORLD the School's theme?

The School of Biological Sciences understands biology is a broad and diverse field. However, life is interconnected and this concept emerges a lot in our research. For example, a healthy mind requires a healthy body, which requires a healthy world. From the smallest organism to pressing environmental issues, our faculty works to advance the biological sciences with these principles in mind.

What makes UCI BioSci different from other Biology programs?

The School of Biological Sciences is focused cutting-edge research. Even undergraduates get the chance to participate in faculty mentored research, which is unique to UCI! Apart from first hand experience, the School focuses on innovation. In fact, the first department in the world dedicated to the study of the brain was established here first! In its 50 years of research the School prides itself on training the next generation of Biologists.

How do I prepare as a prospective student?

Freshmen Students

The best preparation for prospective students in BioSci is to have a solid foundation in science prior to entering the University. In addition to Biology, it is recommended that prospective high school students have studied precalculus and chemistry as well.

Transfer Students

UCI welcomes the distinctive experience transfer students contribute to our campus and gives priority to junior-level students transferring from California Community Colleges.

More questions? Please visit the UCI Office of Undergraduate Admissions for the most up-to-date answers about admission to UCI!

Undergraduates FAQ

What is considered Academic Dishonesty?

There are many forms of Academic Dishonesty, SOME include the following:

  • Cheating
  • Copying from others during an examination.
  • Communicating exam answers with other students during an examination.
  • Offering another person’s work as one’s own.
  • Taking an examination for another student or having someone take an examination for oneself.

Dishonest Conduct

  • Stealing or attempting to steal an examination or answer key from the instructor.
  • Changing or attempting to change academic records without proper sanction.
  • Submitting substantial portions of the same work for credit in more than one course without consulting all instructors involved.
  • Forging add/drop/change cards and other enrollment documents, or altering such documents after signatures have been obtained.
  • Allowing another student to copy off of one’s own work during a test.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is intellectual theft. It means use of the intellectual creations of another without proper attribution. Plagiarism may take two main forms, which are clearly related:

  • To steal or pass off as one’s own the ideas or words, images, or other creative works of another.
  • To use a creative production without crediting the source, even if only minimal information is available to identify it for citation.

Credit must be given for every direct quotation, for paraphrasing or summarizing a work (in whole, or in part, in one’s own words), and for information that is not common knowledge.

What happens to students who are found committing Academic Dishonesty?

Students who have been found committing Academic Dishonesty may be suspended or disqualified from the university.

Do students need to attend academic advising?

Academic advising is strongly encouraged at least once a year, in order to track degree-progress and ensure a timely and successful graduation!

When should students meet with a counselor?

Incoming students should meet with a counselor during their first quarter; in addition, if a student is struggling with the curriculum or schedule, they should meet with a counselor as soon as possible. However, the counselors enjoy meeting with students, and encourage you to meet with them at any time!

How do I receive pre-health advising?

Pre-Health advising is provided by all of our highly-trained academic counselors. Simply call our office at (949) 824-5318 to make an appointment

What is the expected time to complete a degree?

Students in the School of Biological Sciences MUST complete their degree within 5 years. A transfer student may have 4 years to complete their degree. Very few exceptions are made.

How do I change my major? Where do I find the requirements for changing?

The change of major requirements are available at: http://www.changeofmajor.uci.edu/

Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program FAQ

Important Dates & Deadlines

2023 Application Cycle

  • Application open: September 19th, 2022
  • Recommended deadline: January 27th, 2023
  • Final deadline to submit application in PostBacCAS: March 12, 2023 at 8:59 PM PST/11:59 EST
  • All supporting documents and supplemental application processing form must be received by March 15, 2023. Incomplete applications post deadline will be ineligible for consideration due to incomplete status.
  • Instruction begins: June 2023

My cumulative GPA is below a 3.0, will my application be considered?

Our program aims to accept applicants with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. We feel students need to meet this minimum requirement in order to be academically successful in our intense science curriculum. The program requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for review in addition a minimum “B” letter grade for the course required to satisfy our science pre-requisites. The applicant must have less than 25 % of the pre-med/health requirements completed. Of these, a science cumulative GPA of 3.0 or  a recent (with the past two years) positive academic trend, is strongly recommended for a competitive candidacy. Students are encouraged to address academic challenges on their application for admissions review. Please visit our home page for more information about Admissions Requirements.

Requirements in-progress, am I eligible to apply?

Students are encouraged to wait until a letter grade is issued before submitting their application. The application will not be reviewed until a letter grade is reported. Applicants with pre-requirements listed as in-progress on their application have until March 15 to report their final letter grade.  If a letter grade is not reported by this time, the applicant will be considered ineligible due to incomplete status.

I have a science degree (in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, etc.), am I still eligible to apply?

This answer depends on the number of basic premed/health courses you have completed. Applicants that have completed more than 25% of their basic premed/health courses are not eligible for the program. Typically  25% is equivalent to three to five class such as one year of general chemistry or  physics-calculus based, with one general biology course. Our program does apply math into  the 25% maximum allowance. We are seeking to admit students that do not exceed the 25% allowance and can meet our two-year curriculum requirements.  Please contact us at premedpb@uci.edu  if you have questions about your eligibility. We suggest including the following listed to expedite the review process: (1)number and types of sciences courses completed from which institution, (2)title and catalogues link for course review, (3) a copy of transcript(s).

What is the turnaround time for application decisions?

Our application cycle opens annually mid-fall and closes in March of the following year. Students are encouraged to apply by our recommended deadline. We have a rolling admissions review process. Complete applicants are reviewed in the order they are received. An application submitted on PostBacCAS is not necessarily complete if it still missing supporting documents and or pending PostBacCAS transcript verification. Applicants can estimate an admissions notification within 2-6 weeks from complete and verified date. Competitive applicants will receive an interview invitation.  Please note PostBacCAS operates on Eastern Standard Time, therefore submission deadline for applicants will vary by location, by 8:59PM PST and 11:59PM EST.

PostBacCAS processing time?

Managing your PostBacCAS application is easy.  Log into your PostBacCAS account frequently for the status updates. Applicants are responsible for monitoring the status of an application, including the receipts of transcripts, recommendations, etc. Notifications are not sent for missing items. To help keep track of your application and all materials, click “Check Status” at the top of your PostBacCAS application dashboard. You will receive further information from our admission committee once your application is ready for review.

ActionsSuggested timeline
Submit your applicationMinimum 6-8 weeks prior to the submission deadline
 

Request for transcripts and letters of recommendation

Minimum 10-12 weeks prior to received by the deadline
PostBacCAS application updates 

Transcripts: 7-10 business days from the day of receipt

Letters: real-time once uploaded by recommender

Supporting Documents: Can I submit my application before ( letters of recommendations, transcripts, etc.) are received by PostBacCAS?

Yes, please do not wait for all transcript(s) and letters to be received to submit your application. After letters of recommendations have been requested  submit your PostBacCAS application. Once transcript(s) have been received, PostBacCAS will begin the verification process. All supplemental application documents must be submitted to PostBacCAS with the exception of the Supplemental Application Processing Fee. Supplemental Application Processing Fee are to be sent to UCI Division of Continuing Education.

SAT or ACT questions

All applicants that have taken the SAT and or ACT exam(s) are required to self-report their scores on the application. Transfer students that have not have taken the standardized exam(s) are not required to report scores. We do not require SAT or ACT transcripts.

Why is there a primary and supplemental application fee?

UCI School  of Biological Sciences Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program has elected to onboard the CAS system. This is our only application submission option.  The primary application fee is directly required by PostBacCAS for utilizing their online application service; which allows applicants to apply to multiple programs using a single application platform. A supplemental application fee is common service fee paid directly to your prospective institution. UCI School of Biological Sciences Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program requires a $60 supplemental application fee. For more information about PostBacCAS application fees click here. PostBacCAS is a new centralized application platform for medical postbaccalaureate programs. The service launched it’s first application cycle August 2017. It is anticipated many more programs will onboard the system to take advantage of the unique features and  added conveniences for both the applicant and admissions committees.

Is an interview part of the application process?

Interviews are by invitation for competitive applicants. Applicants will be contacted to schedule interviews in person or via webcam.

Do you have a preference for California Residence?

Our admissions committee seeks to admit the most qualified and competitive applicants. We do not have residency priority admissions. We do require a bachelors degree earned from a U.S accredited institution.

How do I enroll in classes?

Our enrollment procedures for admitted students is uniquely simplified. Students  meet with their program advisor and discuss quarterly enrollment and a forecast planner based on their academic progress and needs. Each quarter the program advisor will have a pre-filled course enrollment form completed. The student is responsible for submitting the form to the UCI Division of Continuing Education to pay the tuition balance. Postbaccalaureate premedical students have guaranteed enrollment in all basic science courses. Postbaccalaureate premedical students together will be immersed in the same classrooms with UCI undergraduate science majors.

Will I have the opportunity to engage in research?

Research is not part of the program’s curriculum structure though the option is available. Due to the intensity of the program, only students that have shown consistent strong academic achievement after four quarters in the program are encouraged to take part in research. The student must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 by end of their first spring quarter.  It is important for student’s to establish a solid foundation in their pre-med required courses before adding additional electives.

Can I work while I am in this program?

Due to the rigors and curriculum structure of the program, we encourage students to avoid taking on too many extracurricular activities and large work loads. The more time students are able to invest in their studies, the more likely they are to thrive in the program. Students that have to work are encouraged to take on no more than 10-20 hours a week.
UC

UCI has two pre-medical post baccalaureate programs. What is the differences between the two?

The UCI School of Medicine Post Baccalaureate Consortium program is an “academic record enhancer” program designed to assist disadvantage undeserved applicants, whom have completed a majority or all their pre-requirements needed for medical school admissions, gain acceptances into medical school. The goal of the program is to increase diversity and number of physicians in undeserved communities.

The UCI Biological Sciences School Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program is designed for students who come from non-science backgrounds seeking to complete basic sciences core classes needed to gain admissions into a medical or desired health profession.

Questions for the UCI School of Medicine Post Baccalaureate Program please direct your inquiries to pbsom@uci.edu or visit their website at http://www.meded.uci.edu/admissions/postbaccalaureate.asp.

Does this program offer a linkage of acceptance to UC Irvine School of Medicine?

Our program is not affiliated with UCI School of Medicine. The School of Biological Sciences maintain a positive working relationship with the school of medicine and their admissions staff. There are many advantages of having a school of medicine on campus. UCI SOM’s has an active student body of medical students, which often host unique and exclusive events for UCI students. The medical students also participate in events hosted by the postbacc program such as our 1-2x per year “Lunch with Medical Students” event. We encourage our postbaccalaureate students to take advantage of these free events. Our postbaccalaureate students will receive complimentary admission to “World of Medicine” an event hosted annually by UCI SOM. This event highlights various specialties in medicine, provides students with fun hands-on exercises, and a tour of a medical school learning environment. All interactions serve as great opportunities for students to network with like-mind successful peers and further their exposure towards their aspirational goal.

When do I apply for a health professional program?

Students can expect to apply towards the end of the two-year program though these decisions will vary by student. Their individual timeline is dependent on their progress and achievements while in the program. Students that apply at the end of the program can anticipate a one-year gap. During this year students will continue to work on their applications and are encouraged to continue to enhance their profile with experiences such as beginning or continuing research at UCI, clinical and community volunteer services, etc.

What housing options are available to postbacc. students in the program?

We do not offer a residency placement for postbacc. students on campus. There are many off-campus housing options (not affiliated with UC Irvine) in close proximately to the campus and neighboring cities. Many undergraduate and graduate UCI students select off-campus housing options with private rental companies that cater to student housing. To learn more about these options visit housing.uci.edu/och and search for off-campus housing options. Students admitted into the program have free access to the off-campus housing listings offered by UCI Housing.

 

Is financial aid available in this program?

Our program (like many other postbacc. programs) are not federal aid eligible because we are not degree conferring program. Do not submit a FAFSA application for this program. Applicants in need of financial assistance are encouraged to research the competitive student loan options offered by UC Preferred Private Loans Lender List. Please keep in mind the loan process requires multiple steps; application submission, application review, loan approval, loan distribution, final enrollment in classes, and access to course material. Early applications is strongly encouraged, allowing the admitted student’s sufficient amount of time to make financial preparations to finance the program and situate to begin classes.

When is the first day of instruction?

Visit our registration calendar link (shown below) for first day of instruction information for classes in Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

http://reg.uci.edu/navigation/calendars.html

Visit Summer Session calendar link (shown below) for first day of instruction information for Summer Session I and Summer Session II.

http://summer.uci.edu/calendar/