How to Apply to Public Health at UC San Diego: Every Bachelor of Science in Public Health Option Is a Selective Major, So You List It on the UC Application and, if Not Directly Admitted, Qualify Later Through Screening Courses and a Points System, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

The public health bachelor’s program at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) is the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. The program’s home page calls it “the only undergraduate program offered by UC San Diego Health Sciences.” The most important thing to know first: every BSPH major is a “selective major” (limited enrollment). The pages say the public health program plays no role in undergraduate admissions review; you either enter directly when the university admits you or apply later through the campus-wide selective major process. The guide follows the pages for fall 2027 entry, split into U.S. applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. The broader life-sciences picture is covered in our separate overview article.

1. Degrees and options

• Degrees: BSPH. For students admitted in fall 2026 and later, the requirements page lists the general BSPH plus BSPH with concentrations. Biostatistics and Medicine Sciences are accepting new students; Climate and Environmental Sciences, Community Health Sciences, Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management Sciences are marked “not accepting new students at this time” (and the entry page says these majors become unavailable to declare starting fall 2026). Each concentration is its own major, and a student cannot declare more than one.
• A page inconsistency: the transfer preparation page says there are “seven degrees” in the Public Health Program but lists only three (general BSPH, Biostatistics and Medicine Sciences). Which options are open for your entry year is best confirmed with a school advisor.
• Content of the general BSPH: the page says the program offers courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, environmental and occupational health sciences, and health policy.
• Honors, research, practice: the department site has separate Honors Practicum and Experiential Learning pages (internships, research, study abroad and more) that were not read; the required capstone is in section 3.
• STEM designation: the pages read do not say; not published there.
• Combined bachelor’s/master’s (4+1): not on the pages read. The school’s site separately lists Master of Public Health, MS in Biostatistics and doctoral programs, which are not covered here.
• Pre-health: the program points to the university Career Services pre-health site (prehealth.ucsd.edu) for pre-med and health professions information.

2. How you get into the major (selective major)

• On the application: all BSPH majors have selective major status for incoming and continuing students. The school strongly suggests listing an alternate major that is not a selective major; if you are not admitted to your first-choice selective major you may be admitted to the alternate if space is available. The BSPH program does not play a role in any part of undergraduate admissions review.
• Students not directly admitted: the program’s admissions page says they “can still complete the Public Health Entry Requirement in their first quarter at UC San Diego and declare a BSPH Major after meeting the entry requirement and all required deadlines.” The campus selective major guidance is stricter: since summer 2025 selective majors let continuing students apply to switch in once per year, ranked by points, with a limited number of slots. Students admitted as first-years must have been enrolled 1–6 quarters (summer excluded), usually apply after the first or second year, in a window between summer and fall; the page gives a September 1 deadline each year and says decisions follow summer session grades. The two pages differ slightly, so follow the guidance for your entry year.
• Eligibility: applicants must have completed the major’s screening courses with a C- or higher in each and hold a minimum 2.0 UC GPA, and must be continuing students who have been enrolled at least one regular quarter (a newly admitted student cannot submit in the summer before entering). The entry page adds that completing the screening courses does not guarantee a space, because the BSPH program does not control the selective process.
• Points (selective major guidance): a 3.0 or higher average in the major’s screening courses taken at UC San Diego, 1 point; California residency, 1 point; Pell Grant eligibility, 1 point; first-generation college status, 1 point. The highest scorers are selected until the slots are filled, with a uniform random process for ties at the cutoff. The page also links previous years’ selection statistics, which were not read.
• Screening courses (the page’s “Summer 2027 application cycle” list, for first-year students who entered in FA25 or FA26):

• General BSPH: PH 40 “Introduction to Public Health” (C- or higher); one biology course (BILD 1 or BILD 10, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 12, BILD 20, BILD 22, BILD 26, BILD 28, BILD 30, BILD 32, BILD 36, BILD 38, BILD 60 or BILD 61); one statistics course (PSYC 60, COGS 14B, HDS 60 or MATH 11).
• Biostatistics: PH 40; one of BILD 1, 2, 3; MATH 11; MATH 20A and MATH 20B.
• Medicine Sciences: PH 40; one of BILD 1, 2, 3; CHEM 6A and 6B; one statistics course (as above); MATH 10A/20A and MATH 10B/20B.

• Students entering in fall 2027: the entry page says students who enter UC San Diego in FA27 are not eligible for the summer 2027 cycle. The cycle and screening list that apply to them are not on the pages read; not published there, so ask a school advisor.
• Switching between public health majors: a declared BSPH student can switch into the general BSPH at any time. Switching into Biostatistics or Medicine Sciences requires finishing that major’s listed courses first (a longer list including BILD 1–3, PH 40 and PH 45), the change must not delay time to degree, and the requirements must be met by the end of winter quarter of the third year.

3. Prerequisites and curriculum (fall 2026 and later entrants)

• High school preparation: the program pages set no separate high school prerequisites; the university’s minimum A–G coursework is in section 4. The major page recommends BILD 1, 2 and 3 for students heading into traditional health professions (medical school, physician assistant school, nursing), epidemiology or other fields that value a hard-science background, and MATH 11 for epidemiology, biostatistics or other fields that value statistics and data analysis.
• General BSPH lower division (32 or 33 units): PH 40 (must be taken at UC San Diego); three biology courses from the BILD list above; one quantitative methods course (MATH 11, PSYC 60, COGS 14B or HDS 60); PH 45 research methods; PH 71 trending topics; and 4 units of PH lower-division elements (PH 50–95, 98–99).
• General BSPH upper division (48 or 52 units): five core discipline courses PH 101, 102, 110, 120 and 130 (20 units); 12 units of public health perspectives, which must include PH 157 and PH 180; 8 units of electives (more perspectives courses or the cross-department list on the page); and a capstone experience (2 courses, 8 or 12 units): PH 193 and PH 194, or PH 196AH and PH 196BH.
• Grade rules: lower- and upper-division major courses are taken for a letter grade with at least a C- (a few courses such as PH 88, 90, 95, 98, 99, 195P, 198 and 199 may only be taken P/NP); you must meet the entry requirement before declaring.
• Biostatistics lower division (53 units): BILD 1–3; one programming course (CSE 6, 6R, 8A, 8B, 11, 180, 180R or ECE 15); MATH 11, 18, 20A, 20B and 20C; PH trending topics and elements.
• Medicine Sciences lower division (68 or 69 units): BILD 1–3; CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C and 7L; three lower-division natural science courses (at least 12 units); one quantitative methods course; MATH 10A/20A and 10B/20B; PH trending topics; PH 50.
• AP/IB credit: the program page only links the “UC San Diego AP Chart”; the admissions page says AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 earn 2, 4 or 8 units toward graduation, and IB rules are on the UC exam-credit pages. Which public health courses they replace is not published on the pages read.
• Internship or practice hours: the program places internships, research and experiential opportunities on its Experiential Learning page, which was not read; required hours are not published on the pages read. The capstone is described above.

4. Rounds, deadlines and materials (first-year, fall 2027)

• Fall entry only (the program page: UC San Diego only accepts Fall applicants).
• UC application: opens August 1. The admissions timeline page gives October 1 to November 30 as the submission period and the program page says November 1 through November 30; the deadline is November 30. The pages print no year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry.
• Decisions and confirmation: posted on the Applicant Portal around mid-March (the page says before the end of March); selected applicants may be invited to opt into the waitlist by April 15; the deadline to accept an offer is May 1; final transcripts July 1; AP and IB results July 15.
• Application fee: the University of California page says $80 per campus ($95 for international and non-immigrant applicants), non-refundable; waivers for up to four campuses are available for qualified U.S. citizens, permanent residents and AB540-eligible applicants.
• Essays: Personal Insight Questions, 4 of 8 questions, up to 350 words each.
• Recommendation letters: the first-year pages read do not list any; not published there, so check with the admissions office.
• Testing: UC San Diego does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions or scholarship decisions. Scores you choose to submit can be used as an alternative way to meet minimum requirements or for course placement.
• College ranking: you can rank your top four of the eight undergraduate colleges on the UC application. For selective majors the school recommends listing a non-selective alternate major.

Minimum A–G coursework (grade C or better; at least 11 of the 15 courses before senior year): history/social science 2 years; English 4; mathematics 3 (4 recommended); laboratory science 2 (3 recommended); language other than English 2 (3 recommended); visual and performing arts 1; college-preparatory elective 1. Minimum GPA: 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-residents, including international applicants, with no grade lower than C, calculated on 10th- and 11th-grade A–G courses. The pages say competitive applicants exceed these minimums, with extra weight for UC-approved honors, AP, IB and transferable college courses. The school’s published fall 2026 first-year profile: middle-50% GPA 4.12–4.28, an admit rate of 27%, and 141,700 first-year applications.

5. The three readers

U.S. applicants

• Minimum A–G GPA 3.0 for California residents and 3.4 for non-residents; the UC application fee is $80.
• 2026–27 systemwide fees (undergraduates first enrolled in 2026–27, per quarter): Student Services Fee $462 and tuition $4,734; non-residents add Nonresident Supplemental Tuition of $13,090. The page lists the fall, winter and spring quarters separately and prints no annual total. The same page lists campus charges per quarter, including Campus Activity Fee $96.77, University Center Fee $117.37, RIMAC fee $100, Mandatory Health Insurance $1,065 and Student Transportation Fee $77.85, plus a one-time $225 Enrollment Services Fee for newly admitted students. The page lists no public health program surcharge.
• Tuition Stability Plan: the page says tuition is set for each incoming class and then stays flat for up to six years.
• In-state preference: the pages give California residents a lower GPA bar and lower fees; apart from the “California residency” point in the selective major process, no other in-state preference is described.

International applicants

• International applicants meet the same first-year or transfer requirements as other applicants plus international ones. The page tells you to report coursework as it appears on your records and not to convert grades yourself or pay for conversion.
• English proficiency (international and first-year requirements pages): any one of the following at the minimum score: TOEFL iBT 4.5 (1–6 scale, effective January 2026; 83 for earlier internet-based tests), IELTS Academic 7, Duolingo 115, AP English Language or Literature 3–5, IB English A higher level 5–7 or standard level 6–7. The University of California page gives a systemwide minimum of IELTS 6.5 and TOEFL 4.5 and warns a campus may require higher scores; UC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake or TOEFL MyBest. For transfers, TOEFL and IELTS must be taken within two years before transfer; transfer applicants from English-instruction schools can instead use two English composition courses with grades of B or better.
• Secondary school requirement: the international page requires completing secondary school with a “superior average” in academic subjects and earning a certificate that admits you to university in your home country, equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma, with excellent final exam results. Students in 13-year systems must complete all 13 years.
• Visa and funds: the University of California page says a consul will not grant a visa until you prove sufficient money for all expenses and explain the source of your funds. The UCSD international page also says it is extremely difficult for most undergraduate students whose parents are not California residents to qualify as residents for tuition purposes. The UCSD pages read give no separate funds amount and no international-student scholarships; not published there, so check admissions and international student services. All first-time enrolled international first-year, transfer and graduate students pay a one-time $200 visa administration fee.
• Health insurance: mandatory health insurance of $1,065 per quarter; the page says students with other coverage may qualify for a waiver.
• Internship or work limits in public health: not published on the pages read.

Applicants from China (separate section)

• Whether the Gaokao is considered: the pages read do not say; not published there. Ask the UC San Diego admissions office.
• Transcripts and graduation documents (the “China” entry on the international page): a Senior High School Graduation Certificate (the “Red Book”); 12 years of education; all grade 12 subjects completed with a C or better and an overall 3.0 (or equivalent); original records in English for middle school and high school, grades 9–12, including grade 9 even if completed at a middle school; the grade 10–12 record must be cumulative, not partial documents with addenda; transcripts must be sent directly from the school to UC San Diego or via Parchment, and notarized translation booklets are not accepted; a photocopy of the Red Book with all stamps, authenticated and sent directly with the upper middle school record. A-Level students are pointed to the UK entry.
• Exit-exam (huikao) materials: the pages read do not mention them; not published there.
• Admission is provisional until official transcripts, records and exam results are received and reviewed; transcripts are due July 1 and IB results July 15.
• Other school notes for Chinese applicants: none on the pages read beyond the entries above.

6. Costs and scholarships, a note

Costs are in section 5. The first-year timeline page says U.S. citizens and permanent residents complete the FAFSA, and non-citizens who are California residents (three years at a California high school, AB540 eligible) complete the California Dream Act Application, only one of the two; filing by March 2 gives priority funding, school code 001317. Public-health-school scholarships and international-specific scholarships are not on the pages read, so check the website.

7. Transfer

• Basics: UC San Diego enrolls transfer students at the junior level only. Complete at least 60 semester (90 quarter) UC-transferable units and the 7-course pattern (two English composition, one mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning, four from at least two of arts and humanities, physical and biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences; each at least 3 semester units, C or better) by the end of spring before fall entry. Minimum GPA: 2.4 for California residents, 2.8 for non-residents; the page says admitted students often exceed it. Up to 70 semester units of lower-division credit are granted.
• Public health requires major preparation: the admissions page lists Public Health among majors that require minimum preparation coursework before admission, and as a selective major.
• General BSPH: required before transferring: at least one lower-division biology course from the BILD list (the major needs three; transfers who complete two take BILD 3 at UC San Diego after transferring) and one quantitative methods course (COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11 or PSYC 60). Two more biology courses are strongly recommended. PH 40 and PH 45 must be completed at UC San Diego after transferring.
• Biostatistics: required: BILD 1, 2, 3 (the whole sequence must be completed at the community college for credit, with no credit for partial completion); MATH 20A, 20B; MATH 11. Medicine Sciences: required: BILD 1–3; CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C, 7L; MATH 10A/20A, 10B/20B; one quantitative methods course. Additional strongly recommended courses (programming, natural sciences, chemistry, physics by pre-health track) are listed on the page.
• Entering the major after transfer: the selective major page says Public Health has a cycle for transfer-admitted students between fall and winter quarter, for those enrolled one quarter. The page’s current deadline is December 4, 2026, with decisions after fall grades and notification by early January. Those dates do not apply to 2027 entry.
• Deadlines and platform: the same UC application, opening August 1, with submission October 1 to November 30; Transfer Academic Update by January 31; decisions posted by April 30; June 1 to accept; final transcripts July 1.
• International transfers: the international page has a section with English requirements for international transfer applicants. The transfer page also says UC San Diego has no articulation agreements outside the California Community College system, and that coursework transferability should be checked on ASSIST.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• UC application due November 30, $80 fee, 4 Personal Insight Questions, no SAT/ACT; list a non-selective alternate major
• BSPH is a selective major: finish PH 40, one biology and one statistics course (C- or better, UC GPA 2.0 or higher) and apply through the points process
• A–G: math 3 years, lab science 2 years; GPA 3.0 for California residents, 3.4 for non-residents

International applicants (including China):

• English: TOEFL iBT 4.5, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115 (UCSD international page); the application fee is $95
• China: Red Book, English original grade 9–12 records sent by the school or via Parchment, overall 3.0; the Gaokao and international scholarships are not published

Transfer students:

• Junior entry; 60 semester units; 7-course pattern; non-resident GPA 2.8; before transferring, one biology plus one quantitative methods course; PH 40/PH 45 after transferring; public health has a selective cycle after transfer

Sources: UC San Diego BS in Public Health home; BSPH admissions; Public Health Entry Requirement; Major requirements (admitted FA26 and later); BSPH degree requirements; Transfer Major Preparation; Selective Major Process; Selective Major Guidance; First-Year Requirements; First-Year Timeline; First-Year Review; International Students; Transfer Requirements; Transfer Timeline; 2026-27 Undergraduate Registration Fees; University of California pages: Application fees and waivers; English language proficiency; Financial requirements for visas. Information is for fall 2027 entry (fees are 2026-27 rates). Some pages print dates without a year, so confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry; check UC San Diego’s website for the latest.