LCME Accreditation

What is the LCME?
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is the nationally recognized accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree in in the U.S. (and Canada). The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association (AMA) are jointly represented on the LCME. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the LCME as the accrediting body for programs of medical education in the U.S.

Why is LCME accreditation important?
LCME accreditation is required in most states for licensing graduates and receiving federal financial aid. Only graduates of LCME-accredited schools are eligible for residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) purposes.

UCSF School of Medicine and LCME Accreditation
UCSF School of Medicine received full accreditation by the Liaison Committee of Medical Education in 2019 until academic year 2026-2027.

The recent accreditation efforts culminated a two-year reaccreditation process which started in the summer of 2017. For more information about the results of the recent accreditation, please watch this video with Dean Talmadge King, MD and Executive Vice Dean Catherine Lucey.

The Accreditation consists of four components:

  1. Data Collection Instrument
  2. Faculty led Institutional Self Study
  3. Student led Independent Student Analysis
  4. Site Visit by Faculty/Deans from other medical schools

Review the timeline for the LCME process.

For additional information about the 2018-2019 LCME reaccreditation process, view the information on these related pages:

UCSF School of Medicine Guidelines & Policies 

Accreditation Resources

Frequently Asked Questions