Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science

Private · Selective · CA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingSuburban

Undergrads282

Student:faculty4:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate14.8%

6-yr grad rate29.6%

Drop-out rate50%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$23k

Out-of-state tuition$23k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity97.2%

Gender diversity63.1%

International0%

Identity—

Overview

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is a private health-sciences institution in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles, founded in 1966 in the aftermath of the Watts uprising specifically to address health inequities in the surrounding community. It holds standing as both a historically Black graduate institution and a Hispanic-serving one, and its mission -- training health professionals committed to underserved communities -- shapes nearly every program on offer rather than sitting alongside a generic curriculum.

Academics

CDU focuses tightly on medicine, nursing, physician-assistant training, and biomedical sciences rather than a broad undergraduate catalog, with coursework and clinical placements built around the health needs of the surrounding South LA community. Its historic UCLA-Drew Medical Education Program partnership gives students access to a major academic medical center's resources and faculty alongside CDU's own community-health mission, and much of the clinical training happens at nearby safety-net hospitals rather than in an isolated academic setting.

After graduation

Graduates are drawn disproportionately into careers serving underserved and minority communities, consistent with the university's founding mission rather than a general placement pattern. The UCLA partnership has produced a durable, decades-long pipeline of doctors trained specifically with community health equity in mind, and many CDU-trained clinicians go on to practice in the same kinds of neighborhoods the university was founded to serve.

Worth knowing

CDU's identity is inseparable from its founding purpose: students who choose it are typically drawn specifically to its mission of addressing health disparities, not just to its academic programs in isolation. Its small size and specialized health-sciences focus make it a genuinely distinct choice from a general university, better suited to students already committed to community and public health than to those still exploring broader options.

cdrewu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate38.7%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Own application.

Priority / scholarshipDec 1

CDU reviews undergraduate applications on a rolling basis -- there's no early or regular round, just a December 1 priority deadline that gets your file the earliest look before the March 1 final date.

Supplemental essays (1)

A personal essay describing the student's motivations and reasoning for pursuing a public health degree at CDU
Required · Bachelor of Science in Public Health program

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗