Charles R. Drew MD Admissions & Interview Guide (2027)

Quick facts

• Entry cycle: Fall 2027 entry through the 2026–27 application cycle. CDU admissions process
• Program identity: CDU's standalone four-year MD program, AMCAS school ID 876—not the historic CDU/UCLA pathway. CDU admissions process CDU FAQ
• AMCAS deadline: November 15, 2026; CDU recommends submitting by November 1. CDU timeline
• MCAT deadline: September 12, 2026; for 2027 matriculation, the oldest accepted score date is July 2023. CDU MCAT policy
• Secondary: Required, no fee, and due 21 days after the request letter. CDU FAQ CDU timeline
• Interview: Required virtual sessions with CDU faculty. CDU admissions process
• Class size: 60 students. CDU FAQ

Admission requirements

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. or Canadian college or university. CDU's reviewed MD admissions pages do not clearly publish whether the fall 2027 program accepts only U.S. citizens and permanent residents or also accepts DACA and international applicants; applicants in those categories should confirm eligibility directly. CDU admissions process

Required coursework must have been completed within ten years. It includes one year each of biology with laboratory, general chemistry with laboratory, organic chemistry with laboratory, physics with laboratory, and English, plus one semester or quarter each of biochemistry and calculus. Recommended preparation includes sociology, psychology, philosophy or ethics, Spanish, ethnic studies or social justice, scientific writing, and statistics. CDU prerequisites

The MCAT is required no later than September before admission, and all attempts must be included in the application. For 2027 matriculation, CDU specifically states that July 2023 is the oldest accepted score date. This cycle-specific date is controlling even though a general sentence on the same page refers to retesting only after six years. CDU MCAT policy

Applicants submit three to five letters, and CDU accepts both committee and individual letters. The supplemental application is required and has no fee. CASPer and PREview are not required, and the program does not accept transfer applicants. CDU FAQ

Important dates

The 2026–27 application opens in AMCAS on May 1, 2026, submission for verification begins May 28, and AMCAS transmission begins June 26. CDU screens completed files from July through November 2026. CDU 2026–27 timeline

The MCAT deadline is September 12, 2026. CDU recommends submitting the primary by November 1, 2026; the AMCAS deadline is November 15. The supplemental is due 21 days after the request letter, and the transcript deadline is December 29, 2026. CDU 2026–27 timeline

Interview invitations run July through December 2026, with virtual interviews from August through December. Offers begin after February 15, 2027 and continue until 60 seats are filled. Applicants have at most two weeks to respond to an offer. CDU 2026–27 timeline

CDU publishes February 19, 2027 as its Plan to Enroll deadline, May 15 as its Commit to Enroll deadline, and June 14 as the program start. Because February 19 is unusually early, applicants should verify it in their offer materials while treating the current official page as the controlling published source. CDU 2026–27 timeline

How selection works

Applicants submit AMCAS and the required no-fee CDU supplemental. CDU conducts a comparative evaluation of the AMCAS application, supplemental information, and letters of recommendation before inviting candidates to interview. CDU admissions process

Selected applicants participate in required virtual interview sessions with CDU faculty. The current official pages do not publish separate prescreen thresholds, a detailed holistic-review factor list, or the number and structure of the faculty sessions. CDU admissions process

Offers begin after February 15, 2027 and continue until the class reaches 60 seats. The current official sources do not publish numerical weights for GPA, MCAT, prerequisite performance, experiences, letters, supplemental responses, or interview performance, nor a final score-combination formula. CDU timeline

Interview details

Confirmed

A virtual interview is required for admission. CDU describes the process as virtual interview sessions with faculty following comparative review of AMCAS, supplemental information, and letters. Interview invitations run July through December 2026, and interviews run August through December. CDU admissions process CDU FAQ

Not published

The current official sources do not publish the number of interview sessions, whether they are one-to-one, panel, or MMI, the interviewer count, session duration, preparation time, exact question categories, interviewer file access, scoring rubric, interview weight, or final score-combination formula. Applicants should follow their invitation before simulating exact logistics.

Who this program may suit

CDU's four-year MD program may suit applicants interested in medical education connected to the university's focus on health equity and medically underserved communities in South Los Angeles. CDU MD program

Key practical fit constraints are the bachelor's and recent prerequisite requirements, the cycle-specific July 2023 MCAT boundary, a June 14, 2027 start, and required virtual faculty interviews whose detailed structure is not published. Citizenship-status eligibility remains an important open question for applicants outside the standard U.S. citizen or permanent-resident categories. These are eligibility, timing, mission, and format considerations, not predictions of an interview or offer.

Practice and next step

Start with the featured clinic-access scenario. Record one spoken response that identifies missing clinical and access information, weighs both patients' needs, proposes a consistent decision process, and communicates the outcome respectfully. This practises structured judgment and health-equity-aware communication without assuming CDU's unpublished interview format or time limit.

Review the recording for one observable weakness: perhaps you made an unsupported assumption, did not compare urgency, or left the decision rule vague. Record the same response again with one deliberate adjustment and compare the attempts. Continue through the structured-interview path to practise ethical reasoning, teamwork, using feedback, and motivation. Use the invitation before recreating exact fall 2027 faculty-session logistics.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the historic CDU/UCLA medical track?

No. This page covers CDU's standalone four-year MD program, listed separately in AMCAS as school ID 876. The historic CDU/UCLA partnership continues as the Partnership Health Equity Pathway at UCLA. CDU admissions process CDU FAQ

What are the fall 2027 application deadlines?

The MCAT deadline is September 12, 2026, CDU recommends the primary by November 1, the AMCAS deadline is November 15, the supplemental is due 21 days after invitation, and transcripts are due December 29. CDU timeline

What MCAT dates are accepted?

For 2027 matriculation, July 2023 is the oldest accepted score date. All MCAT attempts must be reported, and the final test deadline is September 12, 2026. CDU MCAT policy

Does CDU require CASPer or PREview?

No. The current official FAQ says neither CASPer nor PREview is required. CDU FAQ

What is the interview format?

Required interviews are virtual sessions with CDU faculty. The school has not published the count, assessed format, interviewer count, duration, preparation time, file access, rubric, weight, or final formula. CDU admissions process

Who is eligible by citizenship or immigration status?

The reviewed MD admissions pages do not clearly state the fall 2027 citizenship, permanent-residence, DACA, or international-applicant policy. Applicants outside the standard U.S. citizen or permanent-resident categories should confirm directly before applying.

Sources

Verified August 11, 2026. Current official sources used:

• CDU: MD admissions process and 2026–27 timeline — standalone identity, AMCAS, current dates, MCAT, virtual interviews, prerequisites, offers, and start date.
• CDU: MD admissions FAQ — class size, no-fee supplemental, degree, prerequisites, letters, CASPer, PREview, transfers, and historic CDU/UCLA distinction.
• CDU: four-year MD program — program identity and mission context.

No third-party source establishes admissions facts on this page.