Application Process

Application Requirements  

Thank you for your interest in UCSD Med Peds! We welcome your application and hope the following information is helpful as you apply:  

The deadline to complete your application is October 1, 2026. However, we strongly recommend that you submit your complete application by September 23, 2026 as our interview spots fill quickly. To complete your file, we require:   

• MSPE (Dean's letter) 

• Medical school transcript  

• USMLE transcript with Step 1 result  

• USMLE Step 1 and 2 are required for ALL applicants   

• Step 2 scores are not required for application review but are highly encouraged. Step 2 must be taken and passed before the start of internship.  

• 3 letters of recommendation*  

• Completion of the ERAS application including personal statement  

* For 2026-2027 application cycle, we require the following letters of recommendation: 

• One from the Chair of Internal Medicine (or their designee) or the Medicine Clerkship Director** 

• One from a pediatric (or med peds) faculty member or clerkship director who can attest to your clinical skills in pediatrics  

• 1 additional letter from clinical faculty, ideally in the field of medicine, pediatrics, or med-peds  

• If there are other skills you wish to highlight from a letter writer (for example, if you are MD, PhD and have a research letter), you are welcome to include this as your optional 4th letter.  

**If your school does not offer letters from the Chair or Clerkship Director for Internal Medicine, then there should be 3 clinical letters with at least one from a medicine faculty and one from pediatrics faculty (or med-peds faculty). These letters should be from faculty who know you well and who can comment on your clinical skills.   

We are electing to use program signals as part of our holistic review process. While we preferentially review applications from those who signal our program, we also consider applicants who do not signal us, and signaling our program does not guarantee an interview.