The David Geffen Medical Scholarships
We are pleased to announce both the DGSOM Scholarship for Excellence and DGSOM Impact and the Distinction Scholarships, which will begin with our first class of scholars in the fall of 2023. These programs will continue the legacy of the David Geffen Medical Scholarships as we conclude the 10-year awarding cycle with our entering scholar class of 2022.
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is grateful for David Geffen's visionary support of the school and his indelible impact on the David Geffen Medical Scholarships recipients.
A landmark gift to support medical education
From 2012 to the entering class of 2022, this scholarship provided financial freedom to 414 outstanding students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM).
The scholarship provided financial support to outstanding students entering DGSOM, including in-state tuition (if applicable, out-of-state tuition is covered for year one only), and a living stipend to be put towards the other expenses of medical school, including room and board, required books and supplies, health insurance, and transportation.
All applicants to DGSOM were considered for the scholarships, eliminating the need to submit separate applications. The 10-year scholarship program concludes with the entering class of 2022.
The David Geffen Medical Scholarships have positioned recipients to immediately pursue careers in clinical practice, teaching, research, and public service, giving them the tools to become leaders in health care, in the community, in academic medicine, and in health care policy – without the economic burden that often restricts the choices of many young physicians and scientists.
Contact information
If you have a question about the David Geffen Medical Scholarships that cannot be found below you can also contact the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office at 310-825-4181 or dgsomfas@mednet.ucla.edu.
Frequently asked questions
Our most frequently asked questions, are answered here.
No. All students who have been awarded the David Geffen Medical Scholarship will be supported throughout the completion of their degree. The program officially concludes with the entering MD class of 2022. The class of 2022 will receive the full four years of funding from 2022 to 2026.
The David Geffen Medical Scholarships were a 10-year commitment for prestigious merit-based awards that provided four-year financial support to outstanding students entering the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
The scholarships provide financial support for the four-year cost of attending medical school – including in-state tuition (if applicable, out-of-state tuition is covered for year one only) and a living stipend to be put towards the other expenses of medical school, including room and board, required books and supplies, health insurance, and transportation.
All candidates for admission were eligible. The scholarships were awarded on the basis of merit; the financial need was not a criterion for eligibility.
All applicants to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA from 2012 to the entering class of 2022 were automatically considered for the merit-based scholarships through the application-and-interview process. Additional David Geffen Medical Scholarships are not being awarded at this time.
Approximately 25% of current UCLA medical students are receiving a David Geffen Medical Scholarship, including up to three scholarships annually for those students pursuing an eight-year M.D./Ph.D. educational track through UCLA’s renowned Medical Scientist Training Program. At its conclusion, 414 scholarships were awarded.
In 2021-2022 UCLA received 13,125 applications to the David Geffen School of Medicine program, comprised of four tracks: Traditional, PRIME, MSTP, and Charles Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. PRIME and Charles Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program prepares students to practice in underserved communities.
Yes, provided scholars remain in good standing, including the class of 2022 scholars who will receive the full four years of funding from 2022 to 2026.
Yes, UCLA also offers the UCLA Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarships, the L.A. Care Health Plan Scholarship and many additional awards that have been made possible by the generosity of alumni and friends, the majority of which are need-based.
If you are an incoming David Geffen Medical Scholarships recipient entering in August 2022, once you’ve accepted your offer of admissions and the David Geffen Medical Scholarship, you will want to sign up for Bruin Direct. Bruin Direct automatically deposits your monthly stipend (refund) into your personal bank account. You can sign up online by logging into MyUCLA.
The scholarship is disbursed to those making satisfactory academic progress. If you are required to repeat a year, you will not receive your David Geffen Medical Scholarship during this repeat year. However, it can be reinstated once you are back on track and again making satisfactory academic progress. Additionally, the School will, from time to time, ask you to voluntarily participate in various activities that foster community-building and demonstrate the impact of the award.
The tuition and fee portion is disbursed fall and spring semesters. The stipend is disbursed monthly, July to June, with the July stipend disbursing as early as mid-June. However, by mid-June, many entering students have not yet completed their paperwork to matriculate and/or set up their Bruin Direct Account to receive their first stipend check. In this case, we combine both the July and August stipends and disburse the $5,584* as early as mid-July.
Yes, if a David Geffen Medical Scholarships recipient cannot pay their initial Housing payment before receiving their first stipend disbursement, they can contact Housing to request a payment agreement – which will defer a portion or all of this initial payment until the first disbursement of their stipend.
The required book and supply list are provided as part of the Accepted Student Checklist. You will have received both your July and August Scholarship stipends before you are required to purchase these items. And there is a used book and equipment sale the first week of school to assist in helping you save money and make your stipend dollars stretch.
No, the David Geffen Medical Scholarships do not take taxes out of stipend payments. It is the scholarship recipient's responsibility to arrange for tax payments. One tax resource available seasonally to UCLA students is UCLA VITA (http://vitaucla.wix.com/vitaatucla).