The University of California, San Francisco, known as UCSF, is a public research university devoted entirely to health and the life sciences. Its origin is the Toland Medical College, founded in 1864 by the surgeon Hugh Toland, which became the medical department of the University of California in 1873. The institution took its present name in 1970. It is part of the University of California system and one of the leading biomedical research centres in the United States.
UCSF offers graduate and professional programmes only. Its four schools are Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing and Dentistry, together with the Graduate Division, which runs the doctoral programmes in the basic sciences. In the fall of 2023 about 3,100 postgraduate students were enrolled, and the university counts about 5,000 faculty members and some 25,000 employees, which makes it a major employer in the Bay Area.
The original campus is at Parnassus Heights, on a hillside in San Francisco. A large second campus at Mission Bay, which opened in the early 2000s, hosts laboratories, a children’s hospital and the Gladstone Institutes, and further sites include Mount Zion and a regional programme in Fresno. Clinical training takes place at UCSF Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.
The research record is long. Among the Nobel laureates linked to UCSF are J. Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus, who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on the cellular origin of cancer genes, Stanley Prusiner for prions in 1997, and Elizabeth Blackburn for telomeres in 2009. Shinya Yamanaka works at the Gladstone Institutes, which are affiliated with the university. Herbert Boyer, a professor here, co-founded Genentech.
Tuition differs by programme, and residents of California pay less than non-residents. Check the current tariff. Teaching is in English. Housing in San Francisco is expensive, and the university offers student residences, with shuttles linking its sites.
Applications for the professional schools are made through their own admissions offices.
Domains taught:
Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
UCSF Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco VA Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, the Gladstone Institutes, and other institutions of the University of California system.
Research:
Biomedical and health research from basic biology to clinical trials, with strengths in neuroscience, cancer, genetics, immunology, infectious disease and global health.
Famous Alumnis:
Elizabeth Blackburn, J. Michael Bishop, Harold Varmus, Stanley Prusiner, Shinya Yamanaka, Herbert Boyer
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
25000
Current students***:
3100
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Dedicated entirely to health sciences, exceptional research funding, close link between laboratories and hospitals, several Nobel laureates among its faculty.
Cons
Graduate and professional programmes only, no undergraduate degrees, very high cost of living in San Francisco, competitive admission.
Best For
Graduate students and clinicians aiming at a career in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry or biomedical research.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Among national alternatives, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center stands out for its focus on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, and it is slightly larger, at about 3,900 students against roughly 3,100 here, and is also a public institution.
Where this institution leans on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, Oregon Health & Science University does the same, and it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's and certificate programmes.
A good alternative in the same country is Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which likewise covers bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering; it is private, whereas this institution is public, and teaches at the same levels, namely master's, doctoral and graduate certificate.
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics at the centre is University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and it also offers bachelor's and certificate programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 5,241 students against roughly 3,100 here.
MD Anderson Cancer Center works in much the same fields, chiefly bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering, and it also offers certificate programmes and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Karolinska Institute offers an international parallel to this institution, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering as common ground; it is larger, enrolling about 6,500 students against roughly 3,100 here, and is also a public institution.
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom shares the bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and statistics orientation of this institution, and it runs the same master's, doctoral and graduate certificate programmes, and is slightly larger, at about 3,900 students against roughly 3,100 here.
Beyond national borders, Medical University of Vienna stands out as a comparable school for bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering; it also offers bachelor's programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 8,000 students against roughly 3,100 here.
Abroad, Hannover Medical School (Germany) covers bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering in a comparable way, and it also offers bachelor's programmes, and is slightly larger, at about 3,997 students against roughly 3,100 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and life sciences is Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria, and it is also a public institution and also offers bachelor's programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is UCSF?
In San Francisco, California, with main campuses at Parnassus Heights and Mission Bay.
When was it founded?
In 1864 as the Toland Medical College, and it took its present name in 1970.
Does UCSF offer undergraduate degrees?
No. It offers graduate and professional programmes only.
What schools does it have?
Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing and Dentistry, together with the Graduate Division.
How large is it?
About 3,100 postgraduate students, about 5,000 faculty members and some 25,000 employees.
Which hospitals are linked to it?
UCSF Health, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to UCSF?
J. Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus in 1989, Stanley Prusiner in 1997 and Elizabeth Blackburn in 2009, among others.
Who co-founded Genentech?
Herbert Boyer, a professor at UCSF, co-founded the company.
What are the Gladstone Institutes?
Research institutes affiliated with UCSF, where Shinya Yamanaka works.
What does it cost?
Tuition differs by programme, and California residents pay less than non-residents. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Biomedical Sensors, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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