| Location: | Southwest |
| Setting: | Large City Setting |
| Type: | Private |
| Size: | Small (Under 2,000 Undergrad) |
The Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science has evolved and grown, shaped by the needs of the community it serves. Located in the Watts-Willowbrook section of South Los Angeles, the institution benefits from its location and the corresponding diversity and complexity of its patient population by creating an academic environment unlike any other. Through innovative basic science, the University conducts education, patient care and research programs training physicians and allied health professionals to provide care to under served populations.
Following nearly a decade of community-based advocacy for improved medical services, the University was incorporated in August of 1966. In response to the lack of adequate medical facilities in the area, the institution later became a University and changed its name in 1987 to reflect its expanded academic role and identity. The University is named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Drew, a brilliant African-American physician, famous for his pioneering work in blood preservation. His dedication to learning and the sharing of knowledge to benefit mankind is the inspiration for the University.
The 11-acre campus includes a day care facility, elementary school, high-school, biomedical
library, central administration, educational & learning resources, (basic, clinical and population-based research facilities), and housing for postgraduate students. Based on the concept of the “educational pipeline,” a child could conceivably start out in day care, complete all the necessary levels of schooling and graduate as a practicing physician all on one campus.
The University strives to improve the health status of under served communities through innovative biomedical research, and progressive health policies. By maintaining and expanding relationships with local medical schools, research institutions and community-based organizations, Drew is focused on eliminating the health disparities by providing access to and delivery of healthcare services to underserved populations.
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science is a private, non-profit school founded in 1966 in response to inadequate medical facilities within the Watts region of Los Angeles, California, USA. Later, the institution became a University and changed its name in order to reflect its new academic role. The University is named in honor of Dr. Charles R. Drew. It was associated with the former-Martin Luther King Jr./Charles R. Drew Medical Center (now King-Harbor hospital) from 1972 to 2006, and sometimes referred to as King-Drew University.
Drew is perhaps best known for its medical school designed to train physicians interested in working in urban environments, and founded in the response to the 1965 Watts riots to train minority doctors who would serve the poor of the South Los Angeles area. They also offer degrees in closely related clinical programs such as radiology, pharmacy, and physician assistants. Drew is now expanding to offer an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences. The program places a strong emphasis on research, it is not uncommon for undergraduates to be performing research in their first year.
Both the University and associated public hospital fell into serious trouble at the outset of the 21st century. By 2006, several residency programs had to be terminated because they lost accreditation for not meeting the necessary amount of oversight, and the hospital itself was forced into a radical restructuring plan in late-2006. The restructuring caused hospital to sever its ties to the neighboring medical school and terminate support to 248 medical residents. In October 2006, the national Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education informed school officials that it planned to revoke the university's accreditation because of the hospital's upcoming loss of Medicare money; as a result the university voluntarily withdrew its accreditation. The school can seek reinstatement to relaunch its residency program in July 2008, but given the restructuring of its former teaching hospital may not be able to meet that deadline. As a response to the problems, the university reorganized and got rid of its president and dismissed nearly two-thirds of its board of trustees.
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| Percent of Students International: | 0% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | No |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 14,700 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 8,400 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 100 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,500 | 80% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 6,910 | 80% | |
Any Aid: |
93% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 51% (Highly Selective) |
| Application Fee: | $ 35.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Recommended |
| High School Rank: | Not Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Not Required |
| Test Scores: | Not Required |