Dietetics

Eligibility:   

• Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD): Completion of both a baccalaureate degree and an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) are required prior to program start date of July 2026. A DPD verification statement will be required prior to start of internship rotation start date in late August 2026.           
• Graduate degree: Applicant must either complete a graduate degree by July 2026 or be eligible to enroll in the San Francisco State University’s M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences degree.          
• Course Grades: All required DPD courses must be completed with a minimum of a “C” grade prior to the dietetic internship program start date. Additionally, the overall DPD GPA must be at least a 3.0.          
• DICAS: Applicants must participate in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ (AND) Dietetic Inclusive Centralized Application Service (DICAS). Applicants must submit their application for SFSU by February 1, 2026 and pay the required DICAS fees.          
• Application Fee: A separate $70 application to SFSU must be submitted online. A receipt for this fee should be uploaded to the DICAS miscellaneous section. Applicants who do not pay this fee will not be reviewed or considered.           
• Recency of coursework: Applicants with a DPD Verification Statement from before August 2023 must re-take a clinical nutrition/MNT course and a physiology course and receive a grade of C or better for both. This ONLY applies to applicants whose DPD Verification Statement completion date is before August 2023. If DPD was completed prior to August 2023, include the previous and the new grades received in these courses on the DICAS application, or if currently re-taking these courses, provide proof in the DICAS miscellaneous section that of enrollment in these two courses.          
• International Students: Some international students are eligible for admission to this program. Please contact the program director for more information.          
• GRE: The GRE is not required for admission to the internship program or the M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences.            

Criteria for Application Review:   

• GPA: A minimum DPD GPA of 3.0. is required with all DPD required courses completed with a grade of C or better. Overall GPA should be at least a 2.7. Admitted applicants generally have higher GPAs than the minimum requirement. The average DPD GPA of admitted applicants is approximately a 3.4.                
• Work and volunteer experience: Successful applicants typically have significant work/volunteer experience. A minimum of 250 hours is recommended but many applicants have more than this. Nutrition, dietetics, and healthcare related experience is most valuable, but any experience that would help an intern to be successful in an internship will be considered.                 
• DPD GPA and dietetic work/volunteer experience are the criteria that are the most important during the initial review of applications, but all of the following are subsequently reviewed and evaluated.                            
  a.    DPD coursework grades                            
  b.    overall undergraduate GPA (and graduate coursework if applicable)                            
  c.    science coursework GPA                            
  d.    letters of recommendation                             
  e.    personal statement that includes answers to SFSU-specific questions listed in the “How to Apply” section                                    
  f.    example of Academic work                            
  g.    Zoom interview (applicants who are being considered for admission will receive an e-mail in February to schedule an = Zoom interview)                            
  h.    preference may be given to SFSU DPD graduates whose qualifications are competitive with non-SFSU graduates                             
  i.    other criteria that may be considered include previous experience working with culturally diverse populations, second language(s), leadership experience, honors, awards, and scholarships                          

Evaluation of Applications and Acceptance:   

• A committee comprised of dietetics faculty and others will review applications based on the above criteria.                          
• Applicants will be notified no later than March 1, 2026 if they have been accepted, waitlisted, or not accepted. Those that are accepted must accept their spot by March 15, 2026 or their spot will be offered to someone else.                           
• Accepted applicants must then officially apply to San Francisco State University via Cal State Apply for the Graduate Certificate in Dietetics and apply to the M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences, if they don’t already have a graduate degree, as directed. Admission to the DI program and graduate school is contingent on satisfactory completion of an undergraduate degree, and DPD program with all DPD coursework completed with a “C” grade or better. Requirements for admission to the Graduate School can be found here.

What is Required After Admission into the Program:   

Admitted interns will be required to be cleared by a criminal background check, fingerprinting, and drug screening. Interns will also be required to obtain medical clearance to include a physical exam, TB clearance (two-step PPD tests, Quantiferon Gold blood test, and/or chest x-ray), titers showing MMR, varicella, and Hepatitis B immunity, a TDap booster within the last ten years, COVID vaccination and booster, and flu shot. If an intern is unable to satisfactorily meet and complete these requirements, it is possible that the intern cannot be placed into rotations as facilities require some or all of these requirements for placement. This will result in the intern not being able to complete the program.

All DPD courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. If an applicant receives lower than a “C” grade in a DPD required course after admission, the admission can be retracted.

No credit hours will be awarded towards the minimum 1024 required supervised practice hours for prior work experience. All Dietetic Internship Program coursework (four academic courses) is required even if similar coursework has been completed previously in a graduate degree. If an intern already has a graduate degree, they do not need to complete the M.A. in Family & Consumer Sciences degree.

All interns will be required to purchase and maintain health insurance throughout the internship. The university does not provide health insurance to interns in this program.

Financial aid may be available to interns in this program. In the past, students who received financial aid only received enough to cover tuition. Students will have to pay for summer tuition before the first installment of financial aid is given. Applicants must make sure they have adequate finances to pay for all expenses for the internship year. See Estimated Costs and Financial Aid.

For More Information:

DICAS                            
SFSU Dietetic Internship webpage  
DI Linkedin Page                       
Family, Interiors, Nutrition & Apparel                            
Information for Students/Applicants from ACEND       
ACEND Applicant Code of Conduct       
Applicant Guide to Supervised Practice Experience (available from your DPD Director)         

The application deadline for San Francisco State University is February 1, 2026. However, earlier submission is encouraged. Please note that other programs may have earlier deadlines.

Application Guidelines (not early admission)

To apply to San Francisco State University’s dietetic internship program for admission in Summer 2026, you must complete the following by February 1, 2026:     

1. DICAS - SFSU requires three Letters of Recommendation, Personal Statement, and a sample of Academic Work   
2. Pay separate $70 application fee to apply to SFSU. This is in addition to the fees for DICAS. Click here for payment (opens in November)

The application deadline for San Francisco State University is February 1, 2026. However, earlier submission is encouraged. Please note that other programs may have earlier deadlines.

*Dietetic Inclusive Centralized Application System (DICAS)

Complete your application on the DICAS portal            
The entire on-line application must be completed by February 1, 2026 for our program. However, earlier submission is recommended. Please note that other programs may have earlier deadlines. The fee (subject to change) for DICAS is $50 for the first DI program application and $25 for each additional DI program application. Follow the directions carefully on DICAS to ensure that your application is complete and accurate.           

1. Complete all the DICAS standard sections: Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information. Be sure to request transcripts in a timely manner so that they can be posted on time to your application. Please include Fall grades if possible. Additionally, either a DPD Verification Statement or a Declaration of Intent to Complete are required for our program. 
2. Additional materials to be submitted to your DICAS application:           
   a.    Personal Statement: Include the following information:            
   I.     How or why you became interested in nutrition and dietetics           
   ii.    How has your education and your work/volunteer experiences prepared you for a dietetic internship           
   iii.   What is your prior experience and/or interest in working with diverse populations           
   iv.   What are your career interests within the field of nutrition and dietetics           
   v.    What skills, characteristics, background or abilities make you a good candidate for SFSU’s Dietetic Internship Program?           
   vi.   Anything else you would like to share regarding your qualifications and interests.            
   vii.  Three words or short phrases that describe your personality and/or work or learning style (do not elaborate further)           
   viii. Maximum length - Two pages, single-spaced, 12-point font           
   b.    Academic Work: Provide an example of an assignment or project that was completed in the applicant’s DPD program or graduate school. This should reflect the applicant’s abilities as an academic student. Examples of what can be submitted include a written paper, a presentation (i.e. slides), or a written case study.            
   c.    Recommendation Letters: Three letters of recommendation are required. These can be from faculty and/or managers or supervisors from different areas of dietetics, with the most important criteria being that the reference writers know the applicant well enough to be able to write about the strengths and the areas for improvement of the applicant, and ability to complete a Dietetic Internship and graduate degree. Non-dietetics references’ letters will also be accepted if the reference letter is relevant to the applicant’s ability to successfully complete a dietetic internship program and a master's degree.           
   d.    Receipt: Include proof of payment of the $70 application fee to SFSU (see below)

*Application Fee for San Francisco State University       

A $70 application fee payable to San Francisco State University is required to apply to SFSU’s Dietetic Internship. Click here for payment and will be open in November. Upload a copy of your receipt of payment in the DICAS miscellaneous section. Failure to pay this additional fee will result in the application being rejected.           
Please note that there are two dietetic internship programs in San Francisco. These instructions are for San Francisco State University (SFSU). The other dietetic internship program in San Francisco is the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Be sure to apply and submit your application to the correct program.