Volunteer Services

Volunteer Eligibility

Volunteer Eligibility Requirements

Please review the eligibility requirements before proceeding:

  • Required Age:
    • 18 years or older
    • Minors (aged 16-17 years old):  Please check the Minor Volunteer - UCLA Heath Sciences program website for more information.
      • NOTE: applicants must be 18 years or older for the School of Dentistry and the Departments of Neurobiology, OBGYN, Ophthalmology, Surgery, and Urology. 
      • UPDATE: Faculty should still reach out to their departments to confirm whether Minors are permitted or not.
  • Required Documentation:
    • All individuals are required to have a valid government issued ID, driver's license or passport (required for ID Badge)
  • Policies and Restrictions:
    • Compensation/Credit:
      • If you will be receiving any monetary payment/stipend/compensation/credit for providing services, unfortunately, you are NOT eligible for this program.
      • Exceptions apply to currerntly enrolled UCLA Students enrolling in research elective courses and other circumstances case by case. 
    • Degreed Professionals:
      • If you currently hold a professional degree (i.e. PhD, MD, DDS, or equivalent to a doctoral degree, etc.) or professional license, our office is unable to process you for this program. Please check your inviting department regarding an Academic Appointment.
    • Visa Status/Internationals: 
      • Our office is only approved to process international individuals who are full-time matriculating UCLA Students on F-1 Visas issued by Dashew Center. The end date of the volunteer assignment will be the student's graduation date. We are unable to accept any other UC students on Visa statuses.
    • UCLA Employees:
      • Previous or current UCLA Employees/Work-Study may NOT volunteer for the SAME department and/or supervisor.
      • Previous or current Employees/Work-Study may NOT conduct unpaid volunteer duties within the SAME or SIMILAR capacity/role/nature of their previous or current job description
      • Near-Relative: A volunteer may NOT provide services within the same department/division of an employee who is a near-relative or family member.
        • For School of Dentistry: A volunteer may NOT provide services within the same division or unit/section of an employee who is a near-relative or family member.
    • Students for Credit or Research Programs from Non-UCLA Institutions:
      • Affiliation Agreements are required between the student's home institution and UCLA Health Sciences. 
      • Students for Credit are not processed as "Volunteers" per policy. Instead they are processed according to the Affiliation Agreement terms and conditions, whether it is through the department level or Volunteer Services under the same category of UCLA SRP Students.  
    • Non-UCLA Medical Students:
      • Medical Students expecting to participate at UCLA Health under a rotation, elective, or other training/educational purposes cannot be processed as volunteers per policy.
      • Visiting Medical Students must go through the DGSOM Visiting Student process. There are specific eligibility criteria that must be met. https://medschool.ucla.edu/current-visiting-students 
    • Non-UCLA Graduate Students:
      • Graduate Students (including Medical Students) invited to conduct non-clinical research (independent studies or mentored research) cannot be processed as volunteers per policy.
      • Visiting Graduate Students here for non-clinical research purposes must go through the Visiting Graduate Research Office. https://grad.ucla.edu/academics/research/visiting-graduate-researchers/ 
    • Paid Employees from other Institutions:
      • Individuals being paid from outside entities to be employed or collaborate work at UCLA cannot be processed as volunteers per policy. Paid employees must be processed through Human Resources. 
    • Current UCLA Health Volunteers:
      • Volunteers may NOT start in more than ONE program/assignment. You must complete the MINIMUM commitment of hours in your current assignment before adding or transferring into another (approvals may be required even if minimum hours are reached):
        • UCLA Health Sciences Program/Assignments: 50 Hours
        • For other Volunteer Programs, please check with your Volunteer Coordinator.
        • To add a new assignment, please APPLY to the new opportunity online and wait to be approved. Once approved, you must complete the clearance process to be assigned by the program coordinator and start activities. 
        • Volunteers may not participate in more than TWO (2) volunteer programs/assignments at any given time. Exceptions to add ONE (1) additional program/assignment are considered case by case. 
    • Other eligibility criteria may be included based on information provided. 

To proceed, please return to the UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Program Homepage for more information. 

For any additional questions NOT listed in our FAQs, please contact the UCLA Health Sciences Volunteer Office.