20 of the Best Medical Schools in the US in 2024
If you are an aspiring medical student, you know there’s no shortage of medical colleges to choose between. So how do you decide where to go? We’ve done the homework for you and rounded up a list of high-ranking med schools.
Your medical education is important, so we’ve checked multiple sources. The rankings below each school are from the U.S. News & World Reports for Research and Primary Care. While this is a widely-used report for medical school rankings, USNWR’s methodology has come under fire recently, with some institutions declining to participate.
That said, the top medical schools in the US remain consistent across multiple platforms, with a few outliers. We encourage med school applicants to do further research using the MedSchoolExplorer from MedSchoolCoach. Explore your options based on the programs, acceptance rates, GPA and MCAT ranges, and specialties you’re passionate about.
We’ve provided application fees and some requirements for each school. If you want more information on admissions requirements, check out AAMC’s Medical School Admission Requirements™ (MSAR) database.
1. Harvard University Medical School
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
#1 in Research
#22 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 3.3%
Average MCAT score: 521
Median undergrad GPA: 3.95
Full-time tuition: $69,300
2. New York University (Grossman School of Medicine)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
#10 in Research
#67 in Primary Care
Application fee: $110
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 2.1%
Average MCAT score: 523
Median undergrad GPA: 3.97
Full-time tuition: $0
3. University of Pennsylvania (Perelman School of Medicine)
PHILADELPHIA, PA
#3 in Research
# 34 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 3.8%
Average MCAT score: 522
Median undergrad GPA: 3.96
Full-time tuition: $65,940
4. Johns Hopkins University
BALTIMORE, MD
#2 in Research
#92 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 6.3%
Median undergrad GPA: 3.96
Average MCAT score: 522
Full-time tuition: $59,700
5. University of California, San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
#5 in Primary Care
#5 in Research
Application fee: $80
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 2.6%
Average MCAT score: 516
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.88
Full-time tuition: $38,073 (in-state), $50,318 (out-of-state)
6. Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
#4 in Research
#92 in Primary Care
Application fee: $110
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 3.6%
Average MCAT score: 522
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.93
Full-time tuition: $66,816
7. Stanford University
STANFORD, CA
#5 in Research
#31 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 3
Acceptance Rate: 1.4%
Average MCAT score: 519
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.92
Full-time tuition: $63,747
8. Duke University
DURHAM, NC
#5 in Research
#111 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 2.9%
Average MCAT score: 520
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.9
Full-time tuition: $63,310
9. University of Washington
SEATTLE, WA
#1 in Primary Care
#13 in Research
Application fee: $35
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 4.5%
Average MCAT score: 512
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.75
Full-time tuition: In-state: $53,112, out-of-state: $93,996
10. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
NEW YORK, NY
#18 in Research
# 98 in Primary Care
Application fee: $110
Application Deadline: October 1
Acceptance Rate: 3.4%
Average MCAT score: 518
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.89
Full-time tuition: $58,685
11. Washington University in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, MO
#5 in Research
#82 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: November 30
Acceptance Rate: 7.5%
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.94
Average MCAT score: 521
Full-time tuition: $65,001
12. Vanderbilt University
NASHVILLE, TN
#5 in Research
#82 in Primary Care
Application fee: $95
Application Deadline: November 1
Acceptance Rate: 4.5%
Average MCAT score: 521
Median Undergrad GPA: 3.94
Full-time tuition: $64,882
13. Cornell University (Weill Cornell Medicine)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
#10 in Research
#61 in Primary Care
Application fee: $100
Application deadline: October 15
Acceptance rate: 3.4%
Average MCAT score: 520
Median undergrad GPA: 3.91
Full-time Tuition: $62,650
14. Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix)
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA
#13 in Research
#34 in Primary Care
Application fee: $120
Application deadline: October 1
Acceptance rate: 4.5%
Average MCAT score: 521
Median undergrad GPA: 3.94
Full-time tuition: $62,500
15. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
#13 in Research
#26 in Primary Care
Application fee: $85
Application Deadline: October 15
Acceptance Rate: 5.6%
Average MCAT score: 518
Median undergrad GPA: 3.87
Full-time tuition: $50,265 (in-state), $69,714 (out-of-state)
16. University of Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
#2 in Primary Care
#35 in Research
Application fee: $100
Application Deadline: October 15
Average MCAT score: 512
Median undergrad GPA: 3.82
Acceptance Rate: 3.43%
Full-time tuition: $41,919 (in-state), $62,085 (out-of-state)
17. Northwestern University (Feinberg School of Medicine)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
#13 in Research
#71 in Primary Care
Application fee: $95
Application Deadline: November 1
Acceptance Rate: 1.86%
Average MCAT score: 520
Median undergrad GPA: 3.92
Full-time tuition: $67,880
18. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA
#7 in Primary Care
#26 in Research
Application fee: $68
Application Deadline: October 1
Acceptance Rate: 4.1%
Average MCAT score: 515
Median undergrad GPA: 3.8
Full-time tuition: $32,746 (in-state), $60,706 (out-of-state)