Medical Schools In California

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