Los Angeles offers a broad range of medical training environments, from major academic medical centers to community-focused clinical sites. The city’s diverse communities and hospitals make it a strong location for students interested in clinical practice, research, public service, and health equity. For a broader overview, see our guide to the best medical schools in the U.S.
In this article, we will discuss medical schools that provide high-quality education in Los Angeles and the programs they offer for aspiring medical students. Read below to learn more!
Top Medical Schools in Los Angeles
1. University of California, Los Angeles
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) is based at the University of California, Los Angeles and is a major medical education and research institution. In the 2026 U.S. News medical school list, DGSOM is listed among Tier 1 medical schools for research. UCLA’s own rankings page also reports $1 billion in research awards, including $516 million from the NIH in 2024. DGSOM includes about 2,000 full-time faculty members, almost 1,300 residents, more than 750 medical students, and almost 400 PhD candidates.
This medical school in Los Angeles gives students access to community-based learning opportunities. DGSOM students can participate in service organizations such as the Mobile Clinic Project and Student-Run Homeless Clinics, which provide free medical care and social services for people experiencing homelessness and other underserved populations in Los Angeles. UCLA students and clinicians have also volunteered with Care Harbor, a free clinic serving underinsured and underserved communities.
DGSOM offers the traditional MD program and several dual, concurrent, and articulated degree options. The UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) provides combined MD-PhD training; the average time to degree is eight years, beginning with the first two years of the DGSOM HEALS curriculum, followed by PhD training and the final year of medical school.
Another option is PRIME-LA, a five-year concurrent medical degree program that prepares leaders in medicine to address policy, care, and research in health care for California communities. Approximately 18 students are selected each year, and students may pursue a related master’s degree. Available concurrent degree options include MBA, MPH, MPP, MS in Clinical Research, MLS, and MA in Education.
The Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program was a longstanding partnership between Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and UCLA. It emphasized social justice, health equity, care for diverse and disadvantaged populations, underserved-community clinical rotations, and a health-disparities thesis. However, it is no longer accepting new applications and is transitioning after the Class of 2027 into UCLA’s Urban Health Equity Pathway.
2. University of Southern California
The University of Southern California‘s Keck School of Medicine is a leading private medical school in Los Angeles. Its education options include an MD program, residency and clinical fellowship training, PhD programs, master’s programs, professional programs, and postdoctoral training. Keck reports that its research funding has doubled since 2015 and that it ranks No. 3 in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator.
Academic areas at Keck include population and public health sciences, biochemistry and molecular medicine, family medicine, cancer biology, immunology and immune therapeutics, physiology and neuroscience, and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Students also train in a setting that combines education, research, clinical training, renowned faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and broad clinical and research opportunities.
USC physicians practice across a network of more than 45 hospitals, clinics, and affiliated hospitals in Southern California, providing more than 1 million patient visits annually. Major clinical sites include Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, USC Arcadia Hospital, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles General Medical Center, and USC Street Medicine.
Keck’s Introduction to Clinical Medicine program dates to 1970 and was one of the first programs of its kind at U.S. medical schools. Today, Keck students begin learning and practicing clinical skills in the first week of medical school and interact with patients in their first weeks. Los Angeles General Medical Center, one of the largest and busiest safety-net hospitals in the United States, is a key clinical training environment for Keck learners.
3. Charles R. Drew University
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science was named after Dr. Charles R. Drew, an African American physician and surgeon known for pioneering work in blood preservation. Drew’s doctoral thesis, “Banked Blood,” focused on blood preservation techniques, and his legacy continues to shape the university’s public-service mission.
Students gain a strong understanding of health disparities and social justice in the health care system through their work at this medical school in Los Angeles. CDU is a private, nonprofit, community-founded institution focused on educating health professionals committed to social justice and health equity. It is designated as a Minority-Serving Institution, recognized as a Historically Black Graduate Institution, and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. More than 80% of CDU graduates intern or provide care in underserved communities.
CDU has graduated more than 600 physicians, over 1,300 physician assistants, 4,000 other health professionals, and over 1,400 nursing professionals, including more than 1,000 family nurse practitioners. Its programs are offered through the College of Medicine, the College of Science and Health, and the Mervyn M. Dymally College of Nursing.
CDU now offers its own four-year Doctor of Medicine program in addition to the legacy CDU/UCLA Medical Education Program, which is no longer accepting new cohorts. The CDU MD program is on campus, requires 120 credit hours, and trains future physicians to care for and advocate for medically underserved communities, particularly communities of color. Required clinical partners include Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Dignity Health – Saint Mary’s Medical Center Long Beach, and Sutter Health.
Students have access to strong medical education and training options at medical institutions in Los Angeles, including USC‘s Keck School of Medicine, UCLA‘s David Geffen School of Medicine, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. These schools offer different strengths in research, clinical care, community service, and health equity, and Los Angeles provides a diverse setting for medical training.
We hope this article on the best medical schools in Los Angeles was helpful. If you are interested in studying in the United States, check out our Study in the USA Page and the Available Programs for International Students!
