Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
About
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) is a private research university in Willowbrook, California, focused on health sciences. It was founded in 1966 in response to inadequate medical access within the Watts region of Los Angeles, California. The university is named in honor of Charles R. Drew, a physician and medical researcher whose pioneering work in blood transfusion and blood banking during World War II laid the foundation for modern transfusion medicine. CDU is a federally designated Historically Black Graduate Institutions, one of only four historically Black medical colleges in the United States and the only such institution west of the Mississippi.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 22 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 17 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing5 · 22.7%
- No Data17 · 77.3%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 10
Action history · 13
- Oct 2025Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- May 2025Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
- Mar 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Jul 2022Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
- Feb 2022Renewal of AccreditationJoint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 224 students received $1.3M in Pell grants, alongside $40.5M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 320 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (1.5%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Cdrewu
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus1
- Public property3
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Cdrewu vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Cdrewu selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectCharles R Drew University of Medicine and Science | 30% | — | 852 | $27,789 | — |
| 30% | 97.6% | 4,081 | $13,889 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 63% | 67.4% | 765 | $25,884 | — | |
| — | 23.4% | 924 | $17,271 | — | |
| 49% | 64.2% | 4,252 | $35,115 | R2 Research | |
| — | — | 1,226 | — | — | |
| — | — | 967 | — | — | |
| — | — | 511 | — | — | |
| — | 78.8% | 96 | $42,908 | — | |
| — | — | 1,926 | — | — | |
| — | — | 3,665 | — | — | |
| 60% | 81.6% | 849 | $28,248 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Small Programs | |
| Peer group median | 49% | 73.1% | 946 | $27,789 |
Institutions like Cdrewu
Explore the federal data for institutions in Cdrewu's comparison group.
- Doctoral/ProfessionalAlabama
Alabama State University
Grad rate30%Admit rate97.6%Enrollment4,081Net price$13,889View data - Nebraska
Bryan College of Health Sciences
Grad rate63%Admit rate67.4%Enrollment765Net price$25,884View data - North Carolina
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Grad rate—Admit rate23.4%Enrollment924Net price$17,271View data - R2 ResearchGeorgia
Clark Atlanta University
Grad rate49%Admit rate64.2%Enrollment4,252Net price$35,115View data - Tennessee
Meharry Medical College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,226Net price—View data - Georgia
Morehouse School of Medicine
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment967Net price—View data - Illinois
National University of Health Sciences
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment511Net price—View data - New York
New York College of Health Professions
Grad rate—Admit rate78.8%Enrollment96Net price$42,908View data - California
Samuel Merritt University
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment1,926Net price—View data - California
Western University of Health Sciences
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment3,665Net price—View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Small ProgramsCalifornia
Woodbury University
Grad rate60%Admit rate81.6%Enrollment849Net price$28,248View data
Cdrewu Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The page contains contact information for the Inst Research & Eff office at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, including the name and title of Samuel Pendar, the Institutional Data Analyst. The physical address and contact phone number of the university are also provided.
Visit IR office page- Samuel PendarInstitutional Data Anlst
- Richard W. LindstromDirector of Institutional Research & Effectiveness
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planMD Program Strategic Plan2021The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has developed a strategic plan for the years 2021-2026 to establish an independent Four-Year Medical Program. This effort builds upon the 2016-2020 strategic plan and aims to capitalize on the newly obtained preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The plan focuses on guiding the university towards enrolling its first class in the late summer of 2023, aligning with the broader university themes.cdrewu.edu
Grants & funding (6)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- awardThe California Endowment Awards CDU $3 Million for the College of Medicine and Health Professions Education BuildingThe California Endowmentinstitution_site$3,000,000
- awardW.M. Keck Foundation Awards CDU $3 Million Grant for Health Professions Education BuildingW.M. Keck Foundationinstitution_site$3,000,000
- awardNIH/NIAID Award Funds UCLA-CDU CFARNIH/NIAIDinstitution_site$2,200,000
- awardCDU Awarded $2 Million Grant From The California Wellness FoundationThe California Wellness Foundationinstitution_site$2,000,000
- awardCDU Awarded $2 Million Grant From the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Healthinstitution_site$2,000,000
- awardCDU Receives $150K from Grifols to Support Scholarships and Saturday Science AcademyGrifolsinstitution_site$150,000
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Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Cdrewu.
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