Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine Earns Full Accreditation

The Los Angeles County medical education landscape reached a new milestone as the region’s newest medical school, the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, has achieved full institutional accreditation.

According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, the Pasadena-based school, which first opened its doors in 2020, received accreditation on March 17 from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). This recognition qualifies the institution to participate in federal financial aid programs and affirms the school’s commitment to academic quality and fiscal sustainability.

To earn the WSCUC accreditation, the school was required to demonstrate both the achievement of its educational objectives and the adequacy of its financial resources to support long-term institutional goals.

This milestone follows a separate, critical accreditation the school secured last summer from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the MD degree in the U.S. and Canada. LCME accreditation ensures the school’s curriculum, faculty, and student resources meet the rigorous standards expected of all accredited medical schools.

Kaiser joins a distinguished group of LCME-accredited institutions in L.A. County, which includes the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, USC’s Keck School of Medicine, and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Willowbrook.

Other regional institutions, such as Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, have long held WSCUC accreditation (since 1990). However, while Western U’s specialty programs hold separate accreditations—such as from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education—its medical programs vary in LCME accreditation status.

With both major accreditations now in place, the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine is positioned to further contribute to the region’s healthcare workforce and academic excellence.