Who is Eligible to Apply for FastStart?

The FastStart program is open to incoming freshmen UC Riverside students from disadvantaged backgrounds  who have a strong interest in a medical or health sciences career. Priority/preference will be given to students who are graduates of Inland Southern California-area high schools.

All students accepted into the program are awarded a scholarship that covers the cost of the program, instruction, books and housing.

Application Process

To submit a FastStart application, you must have competed your Statement of Intent to Register at UC Riverside.

The FastStart application is our opportunity to get to know you. You should be prepared to provide your personal contact information and your educational background, and you will be asked to write a 300-500 word essay as well as a personal statement.

In the essay, you will be asked to write about:

• Your career goals and what motivated you to choose these goals.
• How FastStart will help you achieve these goals.
• The experiences, challenges or barriers that have influenced your goals.

The statement will ask you to describe a community and what contributions you would like to make to improve this community over the next 5-10 years.

As the essay and statement are an important factors in the selection process, you may want to write and spell check them in a word processor, then copy them into the application.

Please note that no letter of recommendation or academic transcripts are required.

Questions? Please contact faststart@medsch.ucr.edu or call (951) 827-4935.