US Medicine & Dentistry · 2027 Entry

Medical & dental schools in California

13 MD programs3 DO programs7 dental schools2027 entry

California has 13 MD programs (Stanford University School of Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and 10 more), 3 DO programs and 7 dental schools in NextGen MedPrep's US school directory. At Stanford University School of Medicine, its published class profile lists median MCAT 518 and GPA 3.94. At UCSF School of Medicine, 71% of matriculants are California residents.

Overview

Studying medicine and dentistry in California

About California: Pop. ~39.0M; Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Sacramento each host world-class academic medical centers.

In-state preference: Private schools such as Stanford, USC Keck and Loma Linda carry no formal residency preference. The University of California schools differ from one another: UCLA states that applicants are reviewed without consideration of state of residence, our school profiles record a moderate preference for California residents at UCSF, UC San Diego, UC Davis and UC Irvine, and a strong one at UC Riverside. Many California programs still enroll mostly Californians, so check each school's recorded in-state share.

Major health systems in California

Kaiser Permanente
Dignity Health
Sutter Health
UCSF Health
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
UCLA Health
Keck Medicine of USC

Schools

Medical and dental schools in California

23 programs in NextGen MedPrep's directory for 2027 entry, grouped by degree. Click any program for its how-to-get-in guide; each group links to the full California list and its residency table.

MD programs13

View all 13 MD programs

Stanford University School of Medicine

Stanford, CA · Established 1908

Hybrid: MMI scenario stations plus traditional one-on-one interview(s)

MCAT: 518; median
GPA: 3.94; median

UCSF School of Medicine

San Francisco, CA · Established 1864

Traditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student)

Moderate in-state preference

MCAT: 517; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.88; unconfirmed

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Los Angeles, CA · Established 1951

Virtual one-on-one interviews with DGSOM faculty members, the core format for 2026–27; interviews are specific to the track you are invited for

MCAT: 519; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.85; unconfirmed

UC San Diego School of Medicine

La Jolla, CA · Established 1968

Virtual MMI: 8 stations, 2 minutes to read the vignette then 8 minutes discussing it

Moderate in-state preference

MCAT: 514; mean
GPA: 3.83; mean

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Los Angeles, CA · Established 1885

Traditional interviews (typically two one-on-one sessions with faculty and/or a student)

MCAT: 517; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.82; unconfirmed

CNU College of Medicine

Elk Grove, CA · Established 2015

Virtual two-part structured interview: Case-question segment plus Dialogue segment

MCAT: 515; mean
GPA: 3.84; mean

DO programs3

Residency and admissions details

Western University COMP

Pomona, CA · Established 1977

Online or on-campus interview day plus a separate, required 30-minute MMI

MCAT: 507; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.74; unconfirmed

California Health Sciences University COM

Clovis, CA · Established 2016

Traditional faculty interview

Moderate in-state preference

MCAT: 505; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.54; unconfirmed

Touro CA COM

Vallejo, CA · Established 1997

Panel-format interview (late September through April or early May)

MCAT: 506; unconfirmed
GPA: 3.58; unconfirmed

Dental schools7

View all 7 dental schools

UCSF School of Dentistry

San Francisco, CA · DDS · Established 1881

Traditional one-on-one interviews — two separate Zoom interviews, one with a faculty member and one with a current student

GPA: 3.70; unconfirmed

UCLA School of Dentistry

Los Angeles, CA · DDS · Established 1964

Personal interview (the school's pages do not describe the format further)

Strong in-state preference

GPA: 3.87; unconfirmed

California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine

Elk Grove, CA · DMD · Established 2022

Interview with an interview team that includes at least one Admissions Committee member, scored on a standardized form

GPA: 3.60; unconfirmed

Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

Los Angeles, CA · DDS · Established 1897

Traditional one-on-one or panel interview at USC Health Sciences campus, Los Angeles

GPA: 3.68; unconfirmed

Loma Linda University School of Dentistry

Loma Linda, CA · DDS · Established 1953

Traditional one-on-one or panel interview at Loma Linda, CA campus

GPA: 3.65; unconfirmed

University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

San Francisco, CA · DDS · Established 1896

Traditional one-on-one or panel interview at San Francisco campus

GPA: 3.65; unconfirmed

MCAT and GPA figures are labeled median or mean when the school's own published class profile confirms them, and “unconfirmed” when it has not yet been checked — the school's page cites the source. In-state preference tags are NextGen MedPrep's rating, not school policy, unless marked “published policy”.

Compare nationally: All US MD schools · All US DO schools · All US dental schools

Resources

Application resources

NextGen MedPrep guides for each stage of an MD, DO, or dental application.

AMCAS Application GuideMD MCAT StrategyMD / DO Holistic Review & Premed CompetenciesMD / DO Secondary EssaysMD / DO Personal Statement GuideMD / DO / Dental MD vs DO GuideMD / DO Get into Dental School (US)Dental URM & Disadvantaged ApplicantsAll US MD School RankingsMD Where to Apply: Build Your School ListMD / DO

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

NextGen MedPrep's US school directory lists 13 MD programs (Stanford University School of Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UC San Diego School of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, and 8 more); 3 DO programs (Western University COMP, California Health Sciences University COM, and Touro CA COM); and 7 dental schools (UCSF School of Dentistry, UCLA School of Dentistry, California Northstate University College of Dental Medicine, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, and 2 more) in California.

In NextGen MedPrep's ratings, UC Riverside School of Medicine and UCLA School of Dentistry are rated as giving strong preference to California residents, and UCSF School of Medicine, UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine, and California Health Sciences University COM are rated moderate. No in-state preference is recorded for the other 16 programs. The in-state share of the class, confirmed on the school's own pages, is 71% at UCSF School of Medicine, 74% at UC San Diego School of Medicine, 92% at CNU College of Medicine, 64% at Kaiser Permanente Tyson School of Medicine, and 91% at UC Irvine School of Medicine. The ratings are NextGen MedPrep's reading of each school's matriculation pattern and admissions guidance, not school policy.

Of the 13 MD programs, 9 have an MCAT figure confirmed on the school's own pages, ranging from 508 at UC Riverside School of Medicine (mean) to 518 at Stanford University School of Medicine. For GPA, 7 are confirmed, ranging from 3.71 at UC Davis School of Medicine (mean) to 3.94 at Stanford University School of Medicine. None of the MCAT figures we hold for the 3 DO programs has been confirmed on the school's own pages yet; unconfirmed, they range from 505 at California Health Sciences University COM to 507 at Western University COMP. For GPA, none of the figures we hold has been confirmed yet; unconfirmed, they range from 3.54 at California Health Sciences University COM to 3.74 at Western University COMP. Confirmed figures are medians unless marked mean. Each card labels its figures, and an unconfirmed figure should be checked against the source cited on the school's page.

By the format each program describes: Multiple mini interviews (MMI): Stanford University School of Medicine, UC San Diego School of Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Tyson School of Medicine, UC Davis School of Medicine, UC Riverside School of Medicine, Western University COMP, and 1 more. Traditional interviews: Stanford University School of Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Keck School of Medicine of USC, CNU College of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine, and 12 more. Panel interviews: Touro CA COM. An asynchronous recorded video assessment in place of a live interview: CUSM School of Medicine. Programs named under more than one format combine them. Each card quotes the program's own description of its interview.

MD programs are listed in Arizona (3), Nevada (3), Washington (2), Colorado (1), Hawaii (1), New Mexico (1), Oregon (1), and Utah (1). DO programs are listed in Arizona (3), Colorado (2), Montana (2), Utah (2), Idaho (1), Nevada (1), New Mexico (1), Oregon (1), and Washington (1). Dental schools are listed in Arizona (2), Utah (2), Washington (2), Colorado (1), Nevada (1), and Oregon (1). The counts in parentheses are the programs NextGen MedPrep's US school directory lists in each state.

Apply to medical or dental school from California with NextGen MedPrep

MCAT tutoring, AMCAS, AACOMAS, and AADSAS essay review, and interview preparation for applicants from California, whether you apply in state or out of state.

Get started All US medical & dental schools

New to the process? Start with the AMCAS application guide.

Medical & dental schools in California

Studying medicine and dentistry in California

Major health systems in California

Medical and dental schools in California

MD programs13

DO programs3

Dental schools7

Application resources

Frequently asked questions

How many medical and dental schools are in California?

Do California's medical and dental schools favor California residents?

What MCAT scores and GPAs do medical schools in California report?

What interview formats do California's medical and dental schools use?

Which other states in the West have medical and dental schools?

Apply to medical or dental school from California with NextGen MedPrep