DO Osteopathic Medical Schools in California
3 osteopathic DO programs in our catalogue for California. Compare MCAT/GPA profiles, AACOMAS strategy, and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) emphasis.
About California: Pop. ~39.0M; Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Sacramento each host world-class academic medical centres. California has 18 LCME-accredited medical schools — more than any other state.
In-state context: Private schools (Stanford, USC Keck, Loma Linda) admit nationally with no in-state preference. UC schools (UCSF, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside) have strong in-state preference; out-of-state acceptance is approximately 5–10% at most UC programs. Western University of Health Sciences (DO) and Touro University (DO) admit broadly from the West.
Major health systems: Kaiser Permanente · Dignity Health · Sutter Health · UCSF Health · Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · UCLA Health · Keck Medicine of USC
MD vs DO in California
DO graduates are fully licensed physicians in the US and have competed in the same NRMP residency match as MD graduates since the 2020 merger. DO programs use AACOMAS for the primary application (not AMCAS). Many applicants apply to both MD and DO programs in the same cycle. Learn more about MD vs DO →
3 DO Programs in California
- Western University COMP (DO)
Pomona, CA
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (WesternU COMP), founded in 1977, is one of the only osteopathic medical schools on the US West Coast. Located in Pomona, California, it serves California's large healthcare workforce needs and has a campus in Lebanon, Oregon (COMP-Northwest). The school is part of Western University of Health Sciences, a health sciences university with pharmacy, dental, and other health professions programmes.
MCAT 507GPA 3.744.8% acceptanceDO · AACOMAS - California Health Sciences University COM (DO)
Clovis, CA
California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU COM), founded in 2016 with its inaugural class entering in July 2020, is a private osteopathic medical school in Clovis, California — in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most medically underserved regions in the United States, with a predominantly Hispanic agricultural workforce, severe air quality issues, and significant health disparities. CHSU COM was founded to train physicians who will address the Valley's critical shortage of primary care providers.
MCAT 504GPA 3.545.0% acceptanceDO · AACOMAS - Touro CA COM (DO)
Vallejo, CA
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine (TUCOM), located in Vallejo in the San Francisco Bay Area, is one of the most applied-to DO programmes in the country. Founded in 1997, TUCOM is known for a strong preventive medicine emphasis, interprofessional education alongside Touro's pharmacy and physician assistant programmes, and a diverse Bay Area clinical training environment. Its location provides access to the rich healthcare ecosystem of Northern California.
MCAT 506GPA 3.583.0% acceptanceDO · AACOMAS
Applying to osteopathic school in California?
Expert MCAT prep, AACOMAS personal statement coaching, secondary essay strategy and mock MMI practice — built for DO applicants who want to stand out.