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I can’t begin to explain how talented Sean and his team was. Due to some road bumps, I was severely behind studying for my ABIM. My brother was studying for his Step 1 exam at the same time. I was trying my best to make time to help him, but I realized my exam date was getting closer and closer without feeling prepared myself. I chose to look for guidance and a tutor for both my brother and I. From the first session, I knew I had made the right choice. Always making time for us, encouraging us, and somehow made studying enjoyable which made all the difference. Both my brother and I went from fear of being behind to celebrating passing our respective pass rates. We are so beyond grateful for his help and couldn’t recommend him less. He was worth every penny and more.
Los Angeles has four MD schools, and their MCAT rules differ more than their reputations do. UCLA's Geffen school and USC's Keck school are the established pair, LCME-accredited since 1951 and 1949; in 2025-26 they drew 12,474 and 9,612 applications for 175 and 120 places, about 71 and 80 per seat (LCME, AAMC FACTS, Table A-1).
The two newer schools have the steepest ratios. Charles R. Drew University, provisionally accredited in 2022, drew 6,639 applications for 60 places, about 111 per seat; Kaiser Permanente's Tyson school in Pasadena, accredited in 2019, drew 6,596 for 49, about 135 (LCME, AAMC FACTS, Table A-1). Western University's osteopathic college in Pomona also takes the MCAT, through AACOMAS.
Facts about Los Angeles
| School | City | LCME accreditation | Next full survey |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA | Los Angeles | Full, since 1951 | 2028-29 |
| Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Full, since 1949 | 2033-34 |
| Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine | Los Angeles | Provisional (2022) | 2026-27 |
| Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Pasadena | Full, since 2019 | 2028-29 |
Accreditation: LCME directory.
- UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine accepts MCAT exams taken from January 1, 2022 to September 1, 2026 for applications due October 1, 2026, and reviews the scores from every attempt. (David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA)
- UCLA asks for 3 to 5 letters of recommendation and requires the AAMC PREview exam. (David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA)
- The Keck School of Medicine of USC invites only applicants with an MCAT of 506 or above to complete its secondary application. (Keck School of Medicine of USC)
- For its 2026 entering class, Keck required an MCAT taken between January 1, 2023 and September 30, 2025, and its committee sees every score in that window. (Keck School of Medicine of USC)
- Keck's AMCAS deadline is November 1, and its supplemental application, with a $100 fee, is due December 1. (Keck School of Medicine of USC)
- Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine advances only applicants with an MCAT of 500 or higher and considers the highest MCAT score on file. (Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine)
- For 2027 matriculation, CDU's earliest acceptable MCAT date is July 2023, and its MCAT deadline in the 2026 cycle is September 12, 2026. (Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine)
- CDU lists flat-rate tuition of $69,000 for its MD class of 2027 in 2024-2025. (Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine)
- The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine sets no minimum MCAT score or GPA and gives no preference to California residents. (Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine)
- Each KPSOM cohort has 48 to 50 students, and the school requires the AAMC PREview exam, with no minimum score. (Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine)
- KPSOM's AMCAS deadline is October 1, 2026, and every applicant who completes AMCAS and submits an MCAT score is invited to its secondary application. (Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine)
- Beginning with the 2027 entering class, KPSOM will charge tuition for its MD program and says it will provide debt-free, need-based aid covering each student's demonstrated need. (Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine)
Sources: LCME, directory of accredited U.S. programs (checked October 29, 2026); AAMC FACTS, Table A-1, 2025-2026 (checked October 29, 2026); David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, How to apply (checked November 1, 2026); Keck School of Medicine of USC, MD Program Applicant Information (checked November 1, 2026); Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine, MD admissions process (checked November 1, 2026); Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, FAQs (checked November 1, 2026); Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Admissions (checked November 1, 2026).
Four Los Angeles schools, four MCAT rules
Keck School of Medicine of USC is the Los Angeles school with a published hard screen: only applicants with an MCAT of 506 or above are invited to complete its secondary application (Keck applicant information). For its 2026 entering class it took MCATs from January 1, 2023 to September 30, 2025, and its committee sees every score in that window. Its AMCAS deadline is November 1, and the supplemental application, with a $100 fee, is due December 1.
Charles R. Drew University sets its floor lower, at 500, and considers the highest MCAT on file (CDU admissions process). For 2027 matriculation the earliest MCAT it accepts is from July 2023, and the last test date it takes in the 2026 cycle is September 12, 2026. CDU lists flat-rate tuition of $69,000 for its class of 2027 in 2024-2025.
Kaiser Permanente's Tyson school publishes no minimum MCAT or GPA at all, gives no preference to California residents, and invites every applicant who completes AMCAS with an MCAT score to its secondary application (KPSOM FAQs). Its cohorts are 48 to 50 students. Its tuition-free years are ending: beginning with the 2027 entering class it will charge tuition, with debt-free, need-based aid for each student's demonstrated need (KPSOM admissions).
UCLA's Geffen school publishes no floor either, but it has the widest window of the four: MCATs taken from January 1, 2022 through September 1, 2026 count for applications due October 1, 2026, and it reviews the scores from every attempt (UCLA how to apply). It asks for 3 to 5 letters of recommendation.
What those rules mean for a Los Angeles test plan
Keck's 506 line is the one that changes plans. A 505 clears CDU's floor of 500 and is read in full at UCLA and Kaiser Permanente, but at Keck it ends the application before the secondary. If Keck is on your list and your practice scores sit near 506, we set the first test date early enough to leave room for a second sitting inside Keck's window.
The schools also read a second sitting differently. CDU considers your highest score; Keck and UCLA see every attempt. A retake that does not clearly beat the first score still helps at CDU and can hurt where the whole record is read, so we schedule one only when full-length practice tests show a real gain.
Two of the four, UCLA and Kaiser Permanente, require the AAMC PREview professional readiness exam, with no minimum score at Kaiser Permanente (KPSOM FAQs, UCLA how to apply). That is a separate test date to fit around the MCAT, and both schools' AMCAS deadlines arrive early, on October 1, 2026, a month before Keck's.
Medical schools in and around Los Angeles
| School | Degree | 2025-26 applications | Applicants from California | New students | New students from California | Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA-Geffen | MD | 12,474 | 43% | 175 | 59.4% | 62.9% |
| Southern Cal-Keck | MD | 9,612 | 50.4% | 120 | 80.8% | 42.5% |
| Drew | MD | 6,639 | 37.3% | 60 | 71.7% | 55% |
| Kaiser Permanente-Tyson | MD | 6,596 | 59.8% | 49 | 71.4% | 59.2% |
| Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific | DO | AACOMAS (not in AAMC data) |
Total for the four Los Angeles-area MD schools: 35,321 applications, 404 first-year seats, 87 per seat (AAMC 2025 FACTS, Table A-1, AAMC short names; DO schools apply through AACOMAS, outside AAMC's data).
Los Angeles's DO option: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona (founded 1977, private). DO schools also accept the MCAT, so the same Los Angeles prep covers both routes.
Most applications: UCLA-Geffen (12,474). Largest California-resident share of a new class: Southern Cal-Keck (80.8%).
Other California MD schools Los Angeles applicants weigh
| School | Applications | New students | From California |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,630 | 130 | 97.7% |
| California Northstate | 3,412 | 118 | 93.2% |
| Loma Linda | 5,642 | 176 | 44.3% |
| Stanford | 9,793 | 90 | 40% |
| UC Davis | 8,294 | 139 | 97.1% |
| UC Irvine | 7,440 | 114 | 88.6% |
| UC Riverside | 6,508 | 90 | 96.7% |
| UC San Diego | 10,400 | 140 | 74.3% |
| UC San Francisco | 10,372 | 177 | 71.8% |
Across all 13 of California's MD schools, 1,578 students started in 2025-26; the Los Angeles schools above account for 26% of those seats (AAMC Table A-1).
Of 7,216 California applicants in 2025-26 (Los Angeles included), 1,184 (16.4%) started at an MD school in California, 1,749 (24.2%) started out of state and 4,283 (59.4%) did not start at any US MD school that year (AAMC Table A-5).
California pre-meds by the numbers (the pool Los Angeles applicants are in)
| 2025-26 | Applicants from California | New students from California |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 7,216 | 2,933 |
| Average total MCAT | 508.2 | 513.9 |
| Average total GPA | 3.65 | 3.80 |
California had 7,216 MD applicants in 2025-26, and more of them started medical school outside the state (1,749) than inside it (1,184); 4,283, or 59.4%, started nowhere that year (AAMC FACTS, Table A-5). Ten years earlier the pool was 6,437; it peaked at 7,940 in 2021-22, while the number of Californians starting medical school rose from 2,606 to 2,933 (AAMC FACTS, Tables A-3 and A-4).
Californians who started came in at 513.9 and 3.80, against 508.2 and 3.65 for the whole pool (AAMC FACTS, Tables A-19 and A-20). Chemical and Physical carried the biggest part of that gap, 1.6 points, Biological and Psychological 1.5 each, and CARS the least, 1.2.
MCAT section averages for California applicants vs. new students
| Section | Applicants | New students | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical (CPBS) | 127 | 128.6 | +1.6 |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) | 126 | 127.2 | +1.2 |
| Biological and Biochemical (BBLS) | 127.2 | 128.7 | +1.5 |
| Psychological and Social (PSBB) | 128 | 129.5 | +1.5 |
Ten years of California medical school applicants, as seen from Los Angeles
| Year | California applicants | California new students |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 6,437 | 2,606 |
| 2017-18 | 5,984 | 2,441 |
| 2018-19 | 6,237 | 2,585 |
| 2019-20 | 6,228 | 2,602 |
| 2020-21 | 6,652 | 2,706 |
| 2021-22 | 7,940 | 2,742 |
| 2022-23 | 6,879 | 2,740 |
| 2023-24 | 6,708 | 2,899 |
| 2024-25 | 6,700 | 2,825 |
| 2025-26 | 7,216 | 2,933 |
Source: AAMC 2025 FACTS, Tables A-3 and A-4.
What MCAT score Los Angeles applicants need
Put those two California profiles on AAMC's pooled 2023-24 to 2025-26 acceptance table. The applicant at 508.2 and 3.65 lands in the 3.60-3.79 row, 506-509 column, where 45.4% were accepted; one band higher, at 510-513, it is 60% (AAMC FACTS, Table A-23).
The Californian who started, at 513.9 and 3.80, sits in the top GPA row between 510-513 (70.5%) and 514-517 (77.2%). The table is national and says nothing about one school; for the Los Angeles schools, use the floors and windows they publish themselves, set out above.
National AAMC grids (acceptance by MCAT and GPA, six years of averages): MCAT tutoring by city.
How many people in Los Angeles search for MCAT tutoring
Los Angeles ranks 25th of 209 US metros on Google Trends for MCAT search interest over five years, with a score of 23 out of 100 (retrieved October 2026). Semrush puts “los angeles mcat tutor” and “mcat tutor los angeles” at about 20 US searches a month each, next to 1,600 for “mcat tutor” (Semrush, October 2026).