University of California health professional schools attract students who want more than a profession. Our students seek a profession grounded in purpose: to make a difference in the world.
At University of California Health (UCH), the education, mentorship and training you receive combines academic and clinical excellence—with a passion to create more accessible and equitable health care for everyone.
University of California Health is the largest health sciences educational program in the United States. Across our 21 health schools, we enroll approximately 15,000 health sciences students, trainees and residents. We use research and data to drive innovations in education and patient care, and we never stop.
If you’re ready to challenge the status quo and bring compassion and empathy to your patients and peers, we invite you to explore our schools and programs. Find where you fit.
Health professionals trained by the University of California since 1999.
Educating Tomorrow’s Health Professionals
Like much of the nation, California is facing shortages in many health professions as providers retire and the state’s population grows, ages and becomes increasingly diverse.
UC invests in its students throughout their education and training. Many want to stay in California—and the majority do. More than 70 percent of our students build their careers in California after graduating from our health professional schools.
Wherever you choose to work, you will have a strong network of UC alumni. And you’ll be recognized as having graduated from one of the most academically challenging schools in the nation.
Leading California, the Nation and the World
The University of California’s global reputation and continual pursuit of basic, clinical and translational research has produced more winners of the Nobel Prize, resulted in more funding from the National Institutes of Health, and has more graduates elected to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine than any other university system.
Our health professional schools—Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, Public Health and Veterinary Medicine—are among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report and QS World University Rankings. The experience you receive here will be unlike any other.
All U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on the 2022 update except for veterinary medicine (2025) and pharmacy (2024). *Indicates 2025 QS World University Ranking.
UC Berkeley
#8 Public Health School (tie)
UC Davis
#1 Veterinary Medicine School
#27 Public Health Sciences Department (tie)
#30 Nursing School – Master’s (tie)
Tier 1 Medical School – Primary Care
Tier 2 Medical School – Research
UC Irvine
#27 Public Health School (tie)
#47 Nursing School – Masters (tie)
#60 Pharmacy School (tie)
Tier 2 Medical School – Research
Tier 3 Medical School – Primary Care
UCLA
#8 Public Health School (tie)
#9 Nursing School – Masters (tie)
#17 Dentistry*
Tier 1 Medical School – Research
Tier 2 Medical School – Primary Care
UC Riverside
Tier 3 Medical School – Primary Care
Tier 3 Medical School – Research
UC San Diego
#12 Pharmacy School (tie)
Tier 1 Medical School – Research
Tier 2 Medical School – Primary Care
UCSF
#2 Pharmacy School (tie)
#6 Dentistry*
#6 Nursing School – Masters (tie)
Tier 1 Medical School – Primary Care
Tier 1 Medical School – Research
University of California Health Professions
Your educational experience will be shaped by mentorship from world-leading professionals and the power of people working together.
Working within and across disciplines helps fuel our innovation. At UCH, you will be exposed to collaborations across the UC enterprise that unlock advances in patient care—in whichever health profession you choose to enter. You’ll also build the relationships that will last throughout your career.
Find your fit at one of our 21 health professional schools.
Providing Accessible Health Education and Training Across California
All UCH schools emphasize public service and caring for communities that have traditionally faced barriers to care or inadequate public health resources. But that’s not enough. We have opened new UC schools and programs in areas where additional health care is needed. And our UC PRIME model of training equips the next generation of physicians for leadership and advocacy for groups who do not regularly have access to quality care.
Explore how UCH is improving access to care across our state
A unique curriculum providing knowledge and training beyond the clinical walls
Twenty years and more than 800 physicians later, UC Programs in Medical Education (UC PRIME) continue to educate and produce medical professionals committed to addressing and solving the state’s most daunting and complex health care challenges around health equity.