Testing is usually at no cost to you — we bill your insurance for all COVID-19 testing.
If you are not a UC San Diego Health patient, we cannot guarantee that your insurance will cover testing with us. In these cases, you may receive a bill and will be responsible for any services not covered by your insurance.
If you're a UC San Diego Health patient, you can also call your primary care provider's office to get a COVID-19 test there.
La Jolla
Hassle-Free Testing. Drive-Up Appointments Available.
This location provides COVID-19 RT-PCR lab tests. You will be tested in the safety of your car at our drive-up location in
parking lot P785 on our La Jolla campus.
- Results provided via MyUCSDChart
- SMART Health Card QR code included
- Optional $60 travel form available
- Lab results within 48 hours
- NAAT RT-PCR test via nasal swab
- Processed in CLIA-certified lab
- Testing cost billed to insurance
Choose a Testing Option
Note: If you need a 15-minute rapid NAAT test, choose one of our walk-in locations.
FAQs: COVID-19 Testing at UC San Diego Health
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Yes, we do. There are no age restrictions for testing. For appointments for minors, a parent or legal guardian must schedule the test. Those who are ages 15 and under must be accompanied during testing by a parent or legal guardian, who may need to help with sample collection using a nasal swab.
No, you cannot receive another test for at least 10 days following the positive test.
You can get a printout of your rapid test results in 15 minutes before you leave the clinic.
If you want to view and print the results at home, you’ll need to have a MyChart account.
For printed results: Please log into the web version of
MyUCSDChart rather than the MyUCSDHealth app.
- Go to the "Menu," then the "My Record" section and select "Test Results."
- Check the results named "COVID-19 Coronavirus Detection Assay at UCSD Labs."
- Click the printer icon at the upper right for a printer-friendly page.
For digital results: We'll email you a link to view your test results in your MyUCSDChart account on a computer or a mobile app. Log into your account and:
- Go to the "Menu."
- Under the "My Record" section, click "COVID-19" to view your test results.
QR code
Along with your test results, you'll also get a SMART Health Card QR code that can be read by participating organizations and provide verification of your results.
- Log into your MyUCSDChart account, go to "Menu" and under the "My Record" section, click "COVID-19." Select "QR codes" to generate a QR code or select "Download/Export" to generate a PDF copy of your results. (See an
example of SMART Health Card QR code.)
If your test results are positive
If you're experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed, isolate yourself at home and avoid contact with other people while waiting for your results. If your test results are positive, we'll send you a MyUCSDChart message with next steps. If you don't have a MyChart account activated, we'll try to reach you by phone. Depending on your symptoms and your health plan, treatment options could include a referral to our
COVID-19 Telemedicine Clinic.
Appointments and Testing Process
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Some travel destinations may require a form containing your personal details in addition to your COVID-19 test results. At UC San Diego Health, you can get a travel form with personal details for an extra charge with your results. The optional $60 travel form comes with an included SMART Health Card QR code. (See an example of a
travel form.)
About the Optional $60 Travel Form
The COVID-19 test results and the QR code or travel form may not both appear at the same time in your MyUCSDChart account, but they will both be delivered within 48 hours.
The travel form includes:
- Official UC San Diego Health logo
- Information about our lab
- Your personal information, including date of birth
- Your COVID-19 test results
Note: MyUCSDChart QR code(s) may not be able to be read by airlines' QR code readers or other travel providers.
Customized travel form: Some destinations may require customized information with test results, such as adding a passport number. If you need a customized results travel form, please contact us before scheduling your test. We may not be able to accommodate all requests.
For customizing your information, call 619-543-7108 — we are available 7 days a week, 6 a.m.–3 p.m. Or email us at
UCSDTravelTesting@health.ucsd.edu. Emails will be answered within one business day.
Traveler's Responsibility
It is your responsibility as the traveler to:
- Ensure that our testing is accepted by your destination and any stops along your journey
- Schedule testing within 48 to 72 hours of your travel time, depending on what your destination requires, so that results are received prior to your departure
- Provide the required information to your airlines and other transportation providers and/or destination, hotel or tour company
- Bring a printed copy of your test results while traveling
After you schedule a COVID-19 test, you'll receive a confirmation email with the testing location address and instructions.
- Please bring your ID to your appointment.
- At the testing location, you'll see signs and will pull your car into a large tent. A nurse or other care provider will meet you at your vehicle and perform a nasal swab, which involves collecting a specimen from the "anterior nares" region (the front of your nose, just inside your nostril).
- The specimen collected is sent for testing based on RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) technology, which can detect if you have an active infection of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
-
Travel form: If you selected testing that includes a travel form, let our team know. Payment for the $60 travel form is due at the site. Please bring a credit card or debit card to your appointment. Cash is not accepted.
Yes, we do. There are no age restrictions for testing. For appointments for minors, a parent or legal guardian must schedule the test. Those who are ages 15 and under must be accompanied during testing by a parent or legal guardian, who may need to help with sample collection using a nasal swab.
Yes, you may share the same car for testing, but each person must have his or her own prescheduled appointment in order to be tested.
No, you cannot receive another test for at least 10 days following the positive test.
It depends on the requirements of your travel destination — whether you need just the test results with an included QR code or an additional travel form with personal details.
QR codes: The QR codes that are included with COVID-19 testing at our drive-up locations can be used for travel. This includes testing for UC San Diego Health employees at Price Center in La Jolla. (People who use self-administered/vending-machine tests do not receive a QR code.)
Travel form: Anyone traveling to a destination requiring a travel form must schedule through the designated
travel test link and pay the $60 fee for the extra form.
If you are a U.S. citizen who does not have insurance, please do not make a testing appointment at UC San Diego Health. We cannot legally charge you for testing per California state law. Instead, visit
San Diego County COVID Testing or call 211 to find a testing site.
If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and do not have a Social Security number, or if you are a permanent resident with non-U.S. health insurance, you will be responsible to pay up to $195 ($135 in testing fees + $60 fee for travel form) if you want to get a COVID-19 test at UC San Diego Health. Please bring a credit card to your appointment; fees will be collected (by credit card only) at the time of testing.
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Results and Documentation
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Test results: We'll email you a link within 48 hours to view your test results in your MyUCSDChart account. For children ages 11 and under, you will receive instructions for the MyUCSDChart account at the testing location.
For printed results: Please log into the web version of MyUCSDChart rather than the MyUCSDHealth app.
- Go to the "Menu," then the "My Record" section and select "Test Results."
- Check the results named "COVID-19 Coronavirus Detection Assay at UCSD Labs."
- Click the printer icon at the upper right for a printer-friendly page.
For digital results: Log into your account on your mobile app:
- Go to the "Menu."
- Under the "My Record" section, click "COVID-19" to view your test results.
QR code: Along with your test results, you'll also get a SMART Health Card QR code that can be read by participating organizations and provide verification of your results.
- Log into your MyUCSDChart account, go to "Menu" and under the "My Record" section, click "COVID-19." Select "QR codes" to generate a QR code or select "Download/Export" to generate a PDF copy of your results. (See an
example of SMART Health Card QR code.)
Travel form: If you got a test with a travel form, you can retrieve the form through MyUCSDChart.
- Log into your account and go to "Menu." Under the "Communication" section, select "Letters" to see your travel form. (See an example of a
travel form.)
If your test results are positive: If you're experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed, isolate yourself at home and avoid contact with other people while waiting for your results. If your test results are positive, we'll send you a MyUCSDChart message with next steps. If you don't have a MyChart account activated, we'll try to reach you by phone. Depending on your symptoms and your health plan, treatment options could include a referral to our
COVID-19 Telemedicine Clinic.
Please do not reach out until it has been a full 48 hours without receiving both your test result and, if applicable, the travel form — they may arrive separately. We handle calls from multiple people, including sick and surgical patients, and need to keep our phone lines open for urgent patient calls as much as possible.
After 48 hours, if you still have not received your results or travel letter and/or you've received your letter and have questions about your results or QR code, please call 619-543-7108. We are available 7 days a week, 6 a.m. – 3 p.m. Or email us at
UCSDTravelTesting@health.ucsd.edu. Emails will be answered within one business day.
No, we are unable to provide a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificate.