MD Medical Schools in California
13 allopathic MD programs in our catalogue for California. Use the profiles below to compare MCAT medians, GPA ranges, in-state preference, and AMCAS strategy.
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 preference: 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
13 MD Programs in California
- Stanford University School of Medicine (MD)
Stanford, CA
Stanford University School of Medicine, located on the main Stanford campus in the Bay Area, combines a rigorous MD curriculum with unparalleled access to Silicon Valley innovation and the Stanford University research enterprise. The school offers flexible curriculum tracks and emphasises scholarly concentration in areas ranging from biomedical research to health policy. Stanford's proximity to leading biotech and technology companies creates distinctive opportunities for physician-innovator training.
MCAT 518GPA 3.901.0% acceptance - UCSF School of Medicine (MD)
San Francisco, CA
The University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine is consistently ranked among the top medical schools in the United States for research, and it is unique as a major research university entirely focused on health sciences. UCSF's location in San Francisco provides unparalleled access to a diverse, medically complex patient population and to the Bay Area biotech ecosystem. The school has particular strengths in HIV/AIDS research, cancer biology, neuroscience, and health policy.
MCAT 517GPA 3.883.5% acceptanceModerate in-state pref. - David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (MD)
Los Angeles, CA
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is a leading public medical school located on the UCLA campus in Westwood, Los Angeles. Affiliated with UCLA Health — one of the top-ranked hospital systems in California — the school offers diverse clinical training across a population encompassing every demographic and disease profile. UCLA particularly excels in health equity research, surgical innovation, and biomedical technology.
MCAT 519GPA 3.853.0% acceptanceModerate in-state pref. - UC San Diego School of Medicine (MD)
La Jolla, CA
UC San Diego School of Medicine, founded in 1968, is a leading public research medical school located on the UCSD campus in La Jolla, California. The school benefits from proximity to world-class biotech and pharmaceutical companies clustered in the Torrey Pines Mesa corridor. UCSD is among the top NIH-funded medical schools nationally and has particular strengths in neuroscience, global health, and clinical research.
MCAT 514GPA 3.843.8% acceptanceModerate in-state pref. - Keck School of Medicine of USC (MD)
Los Angeles, CA
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, founded in 1885, is located in the Health Sciences campus in Los Angeles, adjacent to the Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center — one of the busiest public hospitals in the United States. The school provides unparalleled training in high-volume, complex urban medicine, global health, and research. USC's location in Los Angeles provides a remarkably diverse clinical and research environment.
MCAT 517GPA 3.823.5% acceptance - CNU College of Medicine (MD)
Elk Grove, CA
California Northstate University College of Medicine in Elk Grove is a newer private MD programme focused on training physicians for community health and primary care in California's underserved communities. CNU is part of a health professions campus that includes pharmacy, optometry, and other health sciences, promoting interprofessional education. The school emphasises diversity in its student body and faculty, and serves the Sacramento region's rapidly growing and diverse population.
MCAT 513GPA 3.835.0% acceptance - CUSM School of Medicine (MD)
Colton, CA
California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine (CUSM) is a community-focused private MD programme located in Colton in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Established in 2015 and receiving its first class in 2018, CUSM addresses the critical physician shortage in the Inland Empire — one of the most medically underserved regions in California — by training physicians committed to serving diverse, underinsured, and rural communities in the region.
MCAT 510GPA 3.655.0% acceptance - Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine (MD)
Los Angeles, CA
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is a private Minority-Serving Institution in Los Angeles and California's only federally designated Historically Black Graduate Institution (HBGI) — not a U.S. Department of Education-listed HBCU — dedicated to training health professionals for underserved communities. The College of Medicine offers an MD programme with a singular focus on health equity, structural racism in medicine, and clinical service in South LA's Watts and Willowbrook neighbourhoods — some of the most medically underserved communities in the US. CDU has historically trained a high proportion of under-represented minority physicians relative to its class size.
MCAT 508GPA 3.574.0% acceptance - Kaiser Permanente Tyson School of Medicine (MD)
Pasadena, CA
The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is a tuition-free private MD programme in Pasadena, California, founded by Kaiser Permanente in 2019 and named in honour of its late CEO Bernard J. Tyson. The school trains physicians specifically within the Kaiser Permanente integrated care model — emphasising value-based care, care coordination, population health, and health equity across Kaiser's 12+ million member population. The inaugural class enrolled in 2020.
MCAT 515GPA 3.852.0% acceptance - Loma Linda University School of Medicine (MD)
Loma Linda, CA
Loma Linda University School of Medicine is a faith-based private MD programme affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, located in Loma Linda, California. Founded in 1909, Loma Linda has a global reputation in cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, cancer treatment, and whole-person care. The school trains physicians with a mission integrating Christian service, physical healing, and spiritual care — attracting students from Adventist and other faith traditions as well as students aligned with the whole-person care philosophy.
MCAT 512GPA 3.854.0% acceptance - UC Davis School of Medicine (MD)
Sacramento, CA
UC Davis School of Medicine, founded in 1966, is a public research medical school located at the UC Davis Health campus in Sacramento, California. The school has a strong mission centred on primary care, rural medicine, and serving the diverse agricultural communities of the Central Valley and Northern California. UC Davis offers distinctive pipeline programmes for underrepresented students and is consistently ranked highly for primary care training.
MCAT 509GPA 3.743.6% acceptanceModerate in-state pref. - UC Irvine School of Medicine (MD)
Irvine, CA
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, established in 1967 (with roots tracing to the California College of Medicine), is a public research medical school located in Orange County, California. UCI Med has a strong emphasis on population health, preventive medicine, and serving the ethnically diverse communities of Southern California. The school benefits from a modern campus, the UCI Health system, and close ties to the Orange County public health infrastructure.
MCAT 516GPA 3.863.7% acceptanceModerate in-state pref. - UC Riverside School of Medicine (MD)
Riverside, CA
UC Riverside School of Medicine, founded in 2013, is the newest UC medical school and was specifically designed to address the severe physician shortage in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. UCR Med has an explicit social mission centred on primary care, health equity, and serving the diverse, predominantly Latino and underserved communities of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The school is closely integrated with UCR's broader research enterprise and operates a distinctive BA/MD direct-entry programme for high school graduates.
MCAT 509GPA 3.704.2% acceptanceStrong in-state pref.
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