Applicants must have a medical degree prior to the residency program start date from one of the following:
- Medical schools in the United States and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or
- Colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or
- Medical schools in Canada accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (ACMC); or
- Medical schools outside of the United States or Canada recognized by the California Medical Board
Our commitment to advancing and sustaining opportunities for all
UCSF is committed to welcoming and serving all people, honoring the dignity of each individual without preference or prejudice, in support of its public mission and consistent with its PRIDE values (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence) and our Principles of Community.
We are committed to creating leadership opportunities for all, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally humble education, discovery, and patient care for all. We encourage applications from a broad pool applicants including those who have shown resilience in overcoming personal adversity, who are committed to dismantling discrimination and the impact of bias, and who may have or are interested in working with medically, economically, or educationally disadvantaged populations.
As our vision statement reads, we are firmly dedicated to training “Leaders in Psychiatry” who are “Pioneers in Clinical Care, Research, Education, and Public Policy” and thus, we are particularly interested in recruiting residents planning careers in research, academic psychiatry, or leadership positions in clinical settings such as community mental health clinics, or large health care organizations.
Applying to our program
All applications to the UCSF Psychiatry Residency Training Program are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Our NRMP Program Categorical Code is 1062400C0. If you are a current student or a graduate of a medical school located outside of the United States, please be sure to read the information below under the header “International Medical Graduates” before applying.
We also offer a dedicated pathway for residents committed to pursuing future careers as full-time physician-scientists in basic science, translational science, clinical, and health services research. The goal of our Resident Research Training Program (RRTP) is to help residents advance to postdoctoral fellowships or research positions following residency training. Applicants interested in applying to the RRTP should apply using NRMP Program Research Code 1062400C2.
Application checklist
To complete our application process, all of the following materials must be completed and submitted through ERAS:
- Medical school transcript
- MSPE (dean’s letter) from medical school
- Personal statement
- Curriculum vitae
- USMLE Transcript
- A passing score on USMLE Step I and Step II is required for all trainees prior to beginning a UCSF GME program. To meet this requirement, applicants should have passed USMLE Step II prior to placement on UCSF rank order lists.
- Three letters of recommendation
- At least one letter needs to be from a faculty psychiatrist who can comment directly on your clinical performance in psychiatry (a departmental letter from your home psychiatry department is not expected; letters from individual faculty members are preferred.) Of the remaining letters, at least one needs to be from a non-psychiatrist commenting directly on your clinical work in a different specialty such as pediatrics, OB/GYN, medicine, etc.
- At least one letter needs to be from a faculty psychiatrist who can comment directly on your clinical performance in psychiatry (a departmental letter from your home psychiatry department is not expected; letters from individual faculty members are preferred.) Of the remaining letters, at least one needs to be from a non-psychiatrist commenting directly on your clinical work in a different specialty such as pediatrics, OB/GYN, medicine, etc.
Supplemental ERAS application
For the 2026 ERAS cycle, our program will be collecting and reviewing data from applicants’ supplemental ERAS applications. The (optional) supplemental ERAS application is designed to help applicants share more information about themselves and assist our program in finding applicants that fit our program’s setting and mission.
The supplemental ERAS application provides:
- Geographic preferences (by U.S. census division and by urban or rural setting)
- Information about an applicant's most meaningful experiences and other impactful experiences applicants may have encountered or overcome on their journey to residency, if applicable
- Program signals
Interviews
Interviews cannot be scheduled until all required documents listed above have been received. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that their application is complete.
- Complete applications will be screened, and approximately 100 candidates will be invited to interview for 16 PGY-1 positions.
- Interview days are held from early-November through mid-January on Mondays and Fridays, starting at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 3:00 p.m..
- Candidates for the Research Resident Training Program (RRTP) will be invited for two days of interviews, which take place on Mondays (for the general program interview) and the following Tuesday (research track-specific interviews).
UCSF Psychiatry Residency Supplemental Application (for interviewees)
If you are invited for an interview, our residency program asks all applicants to complete a supplemental application. Applicants interviewing for the Resident Research Training Program will also be required to complete the RRTP supplement application.
These internal supplemental applications are required elements of an overall application to our program, but do not need to be completed unless you are offered an interview.
Interview day structure
- Program orientation
- Program welcome (program director and department chair)
- Interviews with program director, faculty, and residents
- Group Q&A session with residents
- Group Q&A session with the program director
- Opportunities to view recorded sessions (program overview, program highlights, virtual tours of the health systems, day-in-the-life of a resident, etc.)
- NOTE: if you are interested in applying to the Research Resident Training Program (RRTP), you will be invited for two days of interviews (one specifically for research and one for the general program).
The explicit goals of the interview day are:
- For you to get answers to any questions you may have about the program
- For you to get a sense of our primary training sites, San Francisco, and living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area
- For you to have an opportunity to talk to residents from all four training years
- For you to meet one-to-one with several faculty members and residents
- For us to get to know you as well
In addition, prior to your interview you will receive additional written materials about the program and UCSF, and you will have an opportunity to review a sample contract.
Deadline
The firm application deadline for Match 2026 is September 30, 2025. Applications received after this date will not be screened.
International medical graduate requirements
Each state has its own Medical Practice Act, and the requirements for training and licensure for graduates of international medical schools vary. The UCSF School of Medicine requires that all international medical school applicants:
- Be a citizen or hold permanent resident status or qualify for a J-1 visa
- Possess a valid ECFMG certificate
- Register with the National Resident Matching Program
If you are not a citizen of the United States, and you do not hold Permanent Resident status, you will be required to secure the ECFMG-J1 and an H1B visa to enter UCSF for medical training. Our program—on a very limited basis—sponsors H1B visas.
