Admissions
- Important Dates & Deadlines
- Application Instructions
- Faculty Currently Accepting Applicants for 2025-2026 AY
- FAQ
In order to have a full and complete application, you must submit three (3) separate applications by the deadline, Decemeber 1, 2025 at 11:59pm PST (SOPHAS deadline is 8:59pm PST).
Please follow the instructions below to complete each application.
In order to apply to San Diego State University School of Public Health, an application must be submitted to the Cal State Apply system. This application is for the purpose of applying to San Diego State University itself. This is in addition to applying to SOPHAS. You may not choose to do one application over another. Both must be submitted in order to be considered a complete application for the San Diego State University School of Public Health.
Applications are processed through the San Diego State University Graduate Application** (via Cal State Apply)
Please make sure to complete your application by the following deadlines.
Final DEADLINE: December 1, 2025 at 11:59pm PST
Apply for admission to graduate study at San Diego State University via Cal State Apply with the application fee of $70.00 payable by credit card only.
Official Transcripts: Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended are required. Electronic transcripts are acceptable. Please ensure that you indicate this preference when making your request. If you are required to provide an email address to send the secure online document to SDSU, please use transcriptsforsdsu@sdsu.edu. If you are submitting paper copies of official transcripts, please mail them to:
Graduate Admissions
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7416
Note: Please do not send transcripts before submitting the Cal State Apply application, as this may result in processing delays. Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
International applicants, please see additional requirements for international transcripts and diploma/degree certificate.
Applicants with international coursework are required to submit an international evaluation report from one of the following:
The evaluation report must be sent electronically, directly by IERF or WES to Graduate Admissions and must include copies of the international documents used to complete the evaluation. If admitted, additional documents will not be required unless a degree is in progress.
Note: Please do not send transcripts before submitting the Cal State Apply application, as this may result in processing delays. Students who attended SDSU need only submit transcripts for work completed since last attendance.
Please note that letters of recommendation are not submitted as part of the San Diego State University Graduate Application.
Letters of recommendation are submitted to SOPHAS and your UC San Diego application only.
After you have submitted the online graduate application, you can track your application status via my.SDSU.edu. Please check back on a regular basis to make sure that all required items have been received.
** International students, the TOEFL test score is required if post-secondary instruction is in a language other than English. TOEFL scores are sent to Admissions and Records, Institution Code 4682, Department Code 0000.
Questions about the Application for the SDSU School of Public Health via Cal State Apply?
Please contact Brenda Fass-Holmes, Coordinator for Admissions and Student Affairs, bholmes@sdsu.edu or (619) 594-4492, if you have any questions about the application process.
The San Diego State University School of Public Health is participating in SOPHAS, the Schools of Public Health Application Service. All Ph.D. applicants must apply on-line through SOPHAS. Please make sure to complete your application by the following deadlines.
Final DEADLINE: December 1, 2025, 8:59 p.m. Pacific Time
Note: Your Statement of Purpose should be submitted with your SOPHAS application only. While there is a space in the SDSU Graduate Application for a Statement of Purpose, you do not need to submit another Statement of Purpose for the SDSU Graduate Application; instead, simply indicate in the space provided for the Statement that you have submitted it with the SOPHAS application.
Three letters of recommendation are required. Two should be academic references, from professors who have taught you in class. The third letter can be another academic reference or a professional reference (employer, volunteer work, etc.). Letters of recommendation must be submitted to SOPHAS directly. Please see the SOPHAS application instructions for details.
Note: Letters of recommendation are to be submitted with your SOPHAS application only. On the SDSU Graduate Application, you may list your recommenders in the space provided, but you do not need to submit your letters of recommendation for the SDSU Graduate Application.
Your resume or CV must be uploaded as part of the SOPHAS application.
After you have submitted the SOPHAS application, you can check the status of your application via the status menu. You are encouraged to check back frequently to make sure that all of the materials required for your application have been received.
The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all required materials are submitted in a timely manner. Once your SOPHAS application is complete, it will be forwarded to the School(s) of Public Health to which you have selected to apply.
Questions about the SOPHAS Application for the SDSU School of Public Health?
Please contact Brenda Fass-Holmes, Coordinator for Admissions and Student Affairs, bholmes@sdsu.edu or (619) 594-4492, if you have any questions about the application process.
All Ph.D. applicants must also apply online through UCSD Grad Apply. Please make sure to complete your application by the following deadline:
Final DEADLINE: December 1, 2025, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time
To complete your admission to the doctoral program in Public Health, please use the UCSD Application through the UC San Diego Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. UCSD uses a web-based application to apply for graduate study.
School/Institution Code: 4836
Three letters of recommendation are required. Two should be academic references, from professors who have taught you in class. The third letter can be another academic reference or a professional reference (employer, volunteer work, etc.).
Your resume or CV must be uploaded as part of the UCSD application
We enthusiastically welcome applications from students with culturally diverse backgrounds. We believe that the richness of a graduate program is increased by an ethnically broad student population. Our goal is to ensure that all admitted graduate students thrive and succeed in the public health community. To this end, our program assists and supports graduate students in a variety of ways. For example, faculty mentors interact with the incoming students to smooth the transition into graduate school. Also, we work closely with the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs and other University departments to create and maintain a greater sense of the campus community.
Questions about the UC San Diego Application?
Please contact Eric Peng, Graduate Coordinator for Admissions and Student Affairs at UC San Diego, if you have any questions about the application process.
Contact Information
Eric Peng
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr, MC 0725
La Jolla CA 92093-0725
e1eng@health.ucsd.edu