The University of California, San Diego started a new program for students needing to boost their academic records to get into medical school, according to KBPS News.
The year-long UC San Diego Post Baccalaureate Premedical Program costs $30,000. Although it does not qualify for federal student loans, it offers a few scholarships to students.
Half of the students in the program are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged, according to Grace Miller, director of the healthcare and behavioral sciences department at UC San Diego Extension, which runs the program. The program targets students who want to work in underserved communities.
"You may come in with a lower GPA, say 3.0 to 3.5, and you want an opportunity to show a medical school that you can do strong work and so you would come out of the program with a 4.0, 3.9, maybe 3.8 that shows a medical school that you are on an upwards trajectory," said Ms. Miller, according to KBPS News.
Twenty-eight students are enrolled in this year's program.