Deadlines and Process

Application Deadlines

Applications for the Nursing PhD program will open July 16, 2024 for admission in the fall quarter of the 2025-26 academic year. Start an application here. The School of Nursing reserves the right to process and admit applicants after the published deadlines.

Getting Started: Engaging a Faculty Member

It is important that the research interests of the applicant match the expertise of faculty in the School of Nursing and you will be asked to identify that faculty member in your application. To identify at least one faculty member who shares a similar research focus, visit UCSF Profiles and in the search tool, enter your research topic and select the School of Nursing. The Student Affairs Office can also supply names of faculty with academic interests in specific areas. We recommend interested applicants contact faculty to discuss their interests in doctoral study, and ask questions before submitting an application.

Ordering Official Transcript/Non-U.S. Transcript Evaluation

In your application, identify each post-secondary (after high school) institution you have attended. Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to your application for screening purposes, but an official transcript is preferred for review. If you are accepted into the program, UCSF must receive an official (sealed) transcript before enrollment. One official original transcript from each college, university, and nursing school attended must be sent directly to the Office of Student Affairs:

A preliminary transcript should show coursework in progress. If necessary and/or appropriate, a transcript may be individually downloaded (as a PDF) from a password-protected web site, should this be the policy of your institution.

Application Components and Documentation

You can sign in and out of your UCSF application as many times as you may need to as you complete each part of your application. You can check your progress in the application portal. After logging in to your application, select the "Review" section, found on your application's left-hand menu. A checklist will appear indicating which sections are incomplete. We advise you to plan ahead and ensure all sections are complete at least two days before the deadline.

We suggest you keep a copy of each draft as you are developing your CV/resume, your personal history statement and your goal statement. We recommend that you ask another person to proofread your statements. Well-written goal and personal history statements are essential components of a successful application.

All required documents need to be uploaded in PDF format.

Finalizing/"Submitting" Your Application

When you are confident your materials are complete, final and ready to be reviewed, please "submit" your application, which marks it as ready for review by our faculty. Unlocking your application to revise a submitted application is not permitted after the deadline has passed. Please note that fee payment is required before your application will be reviewed.

Admissions Notification

You can review your application status on the application website, both before and after, the final submission deadline.

Applicants will be contacted individually if the screening committee chooses to perform an interview.

When admissions decisions have been made, you will receive an email notification from the application system that there has been a change in your admission status. Admitted Nursing PhD students will have until April 15 to accept or decline our offer of admission and financial support.