Physical Address
Campus location(s): Riverside
Medical Schools In California
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Medical Schools in California
California Northstate University College of Medicine
9700 W Taron Dr
Elk Grove, CA 95757
Campus location(s): Elk Grove
California Northstate University College of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that welcomed the inaugural class in 2015. Cal Northstate College of Medicine is a for-profit medical school that hopes to train service-oriented and socially accountable physicians. The College of Medicine curriculum is based on clinical presentations, where students are provided symptoms and taught an algorithmic scheme to arrive at a diagnosis.
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California University of Science and Medicine
217 E. Club Center Dr., Suite A
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Campus location(s): San Bernardino
California University of Science and Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that welcomed the first class in 2018. CalMed has multiple clinical partners in the Inland Empire with the primary teaching hospital being Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. CalMed chooses applicants from a national pool but has a focus on disadvantaged California and Inland Empire applicants.
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Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
1731 E 120th St
Los Angeles, CA 90059
Campus location(s): Willowbrook
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science/UCLA Medical Education Program is a 4-year MD-granting program established in 1978 that is a partnership with the David Geffen School of Medicine. The school is committed to diversity and training compassionate physicians to work with disadvantaged communities.
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Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California
1975 Zonal Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90033
Campus location(s): Los Angeles
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California is a 4-year MD-granting program established in 1885. It is the oldest medical school in Southern California. The Keck School of Medicine is located on the USC Health Science Campus, which includes the Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is also adjacent to the Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. In one year, Keck has more than 294 million in sponsored research. The School of Medicine was the first to have Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Medical Ethics in their curriculum.
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Loma Linda University School of Medicine
11175 Campus St
Loma Linda, CA 92350
Campus location(s): Loma Linda
Loma Linda University School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program and a Seventh-day Adventist Organization. The School of Medicine wants to inspire Christian physicians who will practice in line with the Christian view of whole-person care. The school uses lectures, small-group sessions, and problem-based learning to teach students.
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Stanford University School of Medicine
291 Campus Drive
Stanford, CA 94305
Campus location(s): Palo Alto, San Francisco
Stanford University School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that offers students a unique Discovery Curriculum that offers flexibility and different pathways for each student. Stanford has the highest NIH funding per researcher in the United States and boasts a reputation for innovation, including the first adult human heart transplant in the U.S.
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University of California, Davis School of Medicine
4610 X St
Sacramento, CA 95817
Campus location(s): Sacramento
The University of California Davis School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that welcomed the inaugural class in 1968. The UC Davis School of Medicine works to advance health in Northern California through research and training physicians. There are multiple different tracks for physician training for California’s rural, urban, and agricultural communities. The School of Medicine offers a curriculum that addresses doctor-patient relationships, ethics, clinical reasoning, end-of-life care, cultural competency, and the human side of illness.
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University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
1001 Health Sciences Rd
Irvine, CA 92617
Campus location(s): Irvine
The University of California Irvine School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that traces its roots back to the Pacific Sanitarium and School of Osteopathic Medicine. It became the University of California Irvine School of Medicine in 1967. UCI is home to the UC Irvine Medical Center, which is an adult level I trauma center and level II pediatric trauma center. There are student organizations focused on providing care for the underserved, discussing bioethics, and promoting awareness for the LGBTQ community in medicine.
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David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
10833 Le Conte Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Campus location(s): Los Angeles
The University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that was approved shortly after WW2 in 1945 and welcomed its first class in 1951. The David Geffen School of Medicine has a partnership with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to help meet the needs of the underserved. DGSOM was ranked in the Top 10 (according to U.S. News and World Report) in training African-American students. UCLA gives students the opportunity to participate in giving back to the LA community and to participate in research with renowned faculty, all while living in LA.
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University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
92521 UCR Botanic Gardens Rd
Riverside, CA 92507
Campus location(s): Riverside
The University of California Riverside School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that originally started out as the UCR/UCLA Program in Biomedical Sciences. Due to the success of the program, UCR submitted a proposal to become a 4-year medical school. In 2013, UCR School of Medicine welcomed their inaugural class. The school wanted to address the physician shortage in the Inland Southern California area. The University of California Riverside School of Medicine strongly wants to train a diverse workforce to serve in underserved areas. The UCR School of Medicine reserves 24 seats for UCR alumni and has an early assurance program through their Haider programs.
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University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
9500 Gilman Dr
La Jolla, CA 92093
Campus location(s): San Diego
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is a 4-year MD-granting program that welcomed its first class in 1968. UCSD School of Medicine offers multiple UC San Diego Medical Centers at which students can complete their clinical education. The school transitioned to a new integrated science curriculum in 2010, in which students have clinical medicine throughout their four years at the school. The curriculum offers flexibility, so each student’s needs and goals are met during their time at UCSD.
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UCSF School of Medicine
1600 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Campus location(s): San Francisco
The University of California San Francisco School of Medicine is a 4-year MD granting program that can trace its roots back to Toland Medical College in 1864. The Toland Medical College became a part of the University of California in 1873. UCSF School of Medicine boasts an impressive faculty that currently has four Nobel laureates and multiple faculty that are members of different Scientific Societies. The school is ranked first in NIH funding in the U.S. The School of Medicine also offers 8 major sites for student education or research.
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Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
1310 Club Dr
Vallejo, CA 94592
Campus location(s): Vallejo
Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine – California is a 4-year DO-granting program that was established in 1997 in San Francisco but was moved to Vallejo in 1999. The College of Osteopathic Medicine – California has achieved impressive scores on national board exams, with above a 98 percent pass rating, even at times achieving greater than a 99 percent pass rate. TUCOM has an impressive history of giving back, both in the community and in global health. They have trained students to be certified trainers in the Helping Babies Breath program in Tanzania and Ethiopia. TUCOM also has a Student-Run Free Clinic, a partnership with Solano County Family Health Services Clinic, garden projects, and a Mobile Diabetes Education Center.
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Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
615 E 3rd St
Pomona, CA 91766
Campus location(s): Pomona
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific is a 4-year DO-granting program that was established in response to a shortage of primary care physicians on the West Coast. COMP has adopted an Interprofessional Education to give future healthcare professionals a better understanding of the healthcare system and a way to decrease medical errors. The College of Osteopathic Medicine gives students hundreds of options for rotation sites that range from private practice to country-based hospitals. COMP has over 130 clubs that students can participate in.
Medical Schools in California: How to Get In (2023)
Learn how hard it is to get into the best medical schools in California, plus strategies to make it happen
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in California: 2023 rankings & admissions statistics
Part 3: California medical school profiles
Part 4: California medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: California medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: California medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: California medical schools by region
Part 1: Introduction
Getting into a medical school in California is a very common goal among premed students given the state’s high-ranking programs, reduced in-state tuition at public institutions, idyllic weather, cultural diversity, and so on.
Unfortunately, California med school admissions are also incredibly difficult due to schools’ competitive stats, the large state population, and the massive number of applications each program receives.
Do a quick search online and you’ll come across horror stories from students on premed forums like:
This might leave you wondering how anyone manages to get into one of California’s 16 medical schools. Fortunately, there are systematic approaches to gaining these coveted seats, as many of our students have demonstrated over the years:
In this guide, our goal is to demystify what it takes to get into California medical schools. We’ll provide statistics, rankings, and other relevant information about each school so you can make informed, data-driven decisions about where to apply. Plus, we’ll go over admissions strategies to help you improve your odds of gaining an acceptance.
Part 2: List of medical schools in California: 2023 rankings & admissions statistics
Your first step is to learn about your competition when applying to California med schools. We dug up the most pertinent information about each school to help you understand the admissions landscape, whether you’re a California resident or out-of-state applicant.
While compiling this information, we observed the following trends:
- California medical schools boast high rankings. In the 2023 U.S. News Best Medical Schools (Research) rankings, one is in the top 5, four in the top 25, and seven in the top 75.
- Tuition and fees to attend California medical schools are comparable to schools outside of California.
- While out-of-state students must pay more than in-state students at public California (i.e., UC) med schools, tuition and fees for out-of-state UC students are still lower than all California private schools’ tuition and fees.
- California residents enjoy higher interview rates at most schools.
In the “U.S. News Ranking” column in the table below, numbers in parentheses reflect each medical school’s national ranking, whereas numbers outside parentheses reflect each California medical school’s relative rank. Relative rankings allow us to more easily answer the question, “Which are the ‘best’ medicals school in California?”
(Note: We strongly advise you to sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date and comprehensive data on individual MD programs and to sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
California Medical Schools | U.S. News Ranking | Location | Degree | Year Est. | Annual Tuition & Fees | Avg. GPA | Avg. MCAT | Interview Rate | First-Year Class Size |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UCSF School of Medicine* | 1 (5) | San Francisco | MD | 1864 | $38,241 IS $50,486 OOS |
3.87 | 517 | 5.9% | 167 |
Stanford University School of Medicine | 2 (5) | Stanford | MD | 1908 | $64,868 IS $64,868 OOS |
3.89 | 518 | 5.93% | 90 (32.2% IS) |
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine* | 3 (18) | Los Angeles | MD | 1951 | $43,843 IS $56,088 OOS |
3.81 | 516 | 7% IS 6.5% OOS |
175 (59.4% IS) |
UC San Diego School of Medicine* | 4 (21) | San Diego | MD | 1968 | $42,749 IS $54,994 OOS |
3.77 | 515.11 | 9.66% | 140 |
USC Keck School of Medicine | 5 (28) | Los Angeles | MD | 1885 | $68,487 IS $68,487 OOS |
3.79 | 517 | 9.8% IS 3.6% OOS |
186 (82.3% IS) |
UC Davis School of Medicine* | 6 (50) | Davis | MD | 1966 | $45,371 IS $57,616 OOS |
3.58 | 509 | 7.8% IS 0.5% OOS |
133 |
UC Irvine School of Medicine* | 6 (44) | Irvine | MD | 1896 | $41,799.15 IS $54,044.15 OOS |
3.78 | 514.2 | 8.2% IS 3.1% OOS |
104 (86.5% IS) |
UC Riverside School of Medicine* | 8 (96) | Riverside | MD | 2008 | $42,660 IS $53,652 OOS |
3.68 | 509 | 4.8% IS 0.07% OOS |
81 |
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine | 8 (118-130) | Vallejo | DO | 1997 | $64,040 IS $64,040 OOS |
3.56 | 509 | NA | 135 (81% IS) |
Western University of Health Sciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine | 8 (117) | Pomona | DO | 1977 | $63,008 IS $63,008 OOS |
3.67 | 508 | 10.5% Combined | 335 | California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine | UR | Clovis | DO | 2019 | $59,950 IS $59,950 OOS |
3.48 | 507.4 | NA | 120 (83% IS) |
California Northstate University College of Medicine | UR | Elk Grove | MD | 2015 | $65,780 IS $65,780 OOS |
3.7 | 513 | 5.16% | 110 (93.6% IS) |
California University of Science and Medicine | UR | San Bernardino | MD | 2015 | $63,800 IS $63,800 OOS |
3.61 | 513 | 13.1% IS 0.4% OOS |
129 (97.7% IS) |
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science | UR | Los Angeles | MD | 1966 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Kaiser Permanente Tyson School of Medicine | UR | Pasadena | MD | 2019 | $0 IS $0 OOS |
3.76 | 516 | 6.3% IS 6.2% OOS |
50 (52% IS) |
Loma Linda University School of Medicine | UR | Loma Linda | MD | 1909 | $63,404 IS $63,404 OOS |
3.83 | 509 | 4.86% | 176 (48.3% IS) |
*Public medical schools in California | UR: Unranked | IS: In-state | OOS: Out-of-state | NA: Not available