Instructions for Residency Applicants
If you are interested in our program, we invite you to apply for the next match in the autumn of 2025 for residency starting in 2027.
We anticipate offering seven positions, 1-2 of which will be for our specialized physician-scientist research track.
We have three tracks. PLEASE APPLY FOR ONLY ONE TRACK
Clinical Dermatology: Our traditional 3-year clinical dermatology track is (Dermatology - 1062080A0).
Physician Scientist (2+2) Research Track: For applicants with an advanced degree or at least one year of additional research training, a strong record of publications, and a serious commitment to a career in investigative dermatology, we offer our 2+2 research training track. If you are interested in our 2+2 research track, please indicate this track in ERAS (Derm-2+2/Scientists 1062080A1).
The Department does not accept applications outside of the ERAS process or have positions available outside of the NRMP match.
Our Dermatology Resident Selection Committee selects applicants whose personal mission, skills and attributes match those described in our Residency Mission Statement. In the selection process, we consider clinical skills, motivation, integrity, ability to work with others, communication skills, scholarship, service, and other unique characteristics. We seek candidates with high potential for leadership who will eventually give more to the specialty than they will take from it. We seek candidates with a desire to serve medically, economically and educationally underserved patients and those committed to advancing and sustaining opportunity for all. We seek candidates who put patients first and enjoy learning in busy and varied clinical settings. We seek team players who work well with faculty, fellow trainees, other departments, staff, and patients.
UCSF does not use race, gender, sex, or other protected categories or proxies for protected categories in the selection process.
The University of California, in accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, citizenship, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender transition, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability (including having a history of a disability or being regarded as being disabled), medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), predisposing genetic information (including family medical history), marital status, age (at least 40 years of age in employment context), or veteran or military status. The University also prohibits sexual harassment. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission, access, and treatment in University programs and activities.
We welcome applications from physicians with previous residency training beyond internship, particularly in internal medicine or pediatrics (even if their additional years of training make them ineligible for Medicare GME funding).
We strongly urge applicants to seek rigorous internship training in preliminary internal medicine or pediatrics programs that are highly academic. Our experience has been that trainees who select the certain transitional year (TY) internships or internships in community hospitals that are not closely tied to an academic medical center struggle during their first year of dermatology residency. If you rank UCSF Dermatology, we expect you to apply for, interview with and seek to match at a rigorous, academic preliminary internship program.
Application Process and Requirements
Residency applications must be received by the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and must be complete by the date ERAS is open to programs. To learn more about ERAS, please contact your medical school or visit the ERAS website. Applicants must provide the following to ERAS. We have no further application submission requirements beyond those of ERAS:
- Application
- Dean's Letter (Medical School Performance Evaluation)
- Personal Statement (preferably not to exceed one page)
- Curriculum Vitae
- Medical School Transcript of Grades
- Minimum of three recommendation letters from physicians acquainted with you (we will accept up to four)
- USMLE Scores
UCSF requires a passing score on the USMLE Step II exam for all trainees beginning a UCSF GME program. To meet this requirement, UCSF requires that all residency training programs (dermatology) only rank candidates who have taken the Step II exam and received a passing score reported to us through ERAS before the rank day deadline. If there is a valid reason why you cannot comply with this requirement, exceptions can be granted by our Dean's office on an individual basis, but we strongly urge all applicants to take their Step II exam in time to comply with this requirement.
Applicants for the residency training program must be students at or graduates of approved medical schools in the United States or Canada and must complete a preliminary (PGY-1) year before being eligible to begin dermatology residency training (PGY-2). We also accept applications from osteopathic (DO) physicians. We also accept applications from International Medical Graduates, but only if they have completed or will complete PGY-1 training in the US, hold a current, valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), and are eligible for a California Medical License. For detailed information on obtaining a California Postgraduate Training License or California medical license, please go to the Medical Board of California website. UCSF sponsors J1 and H1B transfers. Please see the updated GME eligibility information.
Signals and Geographic Preferences
We integrate signals and other preferences into our comprehensive application review process for determining interview invitations. For the 2025-26 application cycle (2027 match) we will read and evaluate all applications. Since the start of the current signaling system, every matched applicant has signaled our program. Preference signals will only be used in determining interview offers.
Interview Process
We review applications in October and early November. We are participating in a nationally coordinated interview release date and will notify internal applications of invitations to interview on November 4 and external applicants of invitations to interview on November 18. We anticipate offering 22-24 clinical track interviews, and 8-10 physician scientist interviews. Candidates selected for an interview will be notified by e-mail and phone. We will maintain a waitlist for interview slots. Waitlisted applicant will be notified by e-mail. We are unable to interview many impressive candidates, and those who are not selected for an interview will be notified by e-mail.
Interviews are an integral part of our selection process, allowing us to obtain supplemental information about you first-hand, as well as allowing you to ask questions and meet our faculty and residents. If you have a subspecialty interest, you may request to meet a specific faculty member and we will do our best to have them present on your interview day.
For the 2027 Match, interviews will be conducted via Zoom on January 6 (physician scientist), 14 and 21, 2026. Plan to spend the most of the day with us.
Following interviews, the final selection is made in March 2026 through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
Program Contact Information
For information not found on this website, please contact Ms. Chris Walker at [email protected] or Ms. Laura Harrison at [email protected]
Additional Information
If you have questions not answered on our website, please contact our program coordinators.
Visit our residency program page on Instagram.
Additional information about resident salaries, benefits, and institutional GME policies and programs may be found at the UCSF GME website at: https://meded.ucsf.edu/gme-resident-and-fellow-resources and https://bit.ly/gmeapplicants