Are medical school rankings useful? We’ll try to answer that question while giving you our list in the hopes that they are useful. If you’re thinking about a career in medicine, choosing the right school is an important one for many reasons. You have to consider medical school tuition, medical school housing and where the school is located – in-state, out-of-state, along with medical school requirements and whether you qualify. These criteria are how medical schools are usually ranked, but there are so many other things to consider. For this reason, our list of medical schools will be ranked on a different scale, but we’ll also include the usual information that can help decide on which school is best for you, like medical school acceptance rates and minimum MCAT scores.
Disclaimer: BeMo does not endorse or affiliate with any universities, colleges, or official test administrators. The content has been developed based on the most recent publicly available data provided from the official university website. However, you should always check the statistics/requirements with the official school website for the most up to date information. You are responsible for your own results.
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Medical School Rankings: The Best Medical Schools in the US
This list of medical school rankings is based on the medical schools in the US and Canada that have either:
- Committed to perennially updating their curricula (US)
- Introduced social accountability into their curricula (Canada)
We’ll explain why we choose these criteria after the list but, for now, we’ll simply say that the “culture” of a medical school is often overlooked when considering which medical school is the “best”. We want to introduce a list that highlights medical schools that take an active approach to improving medical education rather than resting on their reputations and being resistant to change.
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We chose these schools based on which are members of the American Medical Association’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education (ACME) initiative started in 2013. These schools have signed on to this initiative to demonstrate their commitment to revamping medical school education for the betterment of all involved – students, medical schools, patients and communities.
There were 11 initial members (which will be first on the list), but the list has since grown to include over 40 different allopathic medical schools in the US. We made the leap to assume that these are the schools that are most dedicated to changing medical education according to several different factors, such as introducing competency-based learning requirements to replace traditional medical school prerequisites, and changing clerkship or core course requirements.
While the pace of change is different for each school, we consider the fact that these schools were admitted (yes, medical schools have to apply to be admitted to the ACME!) to mean they are most interested in your education and giving you the best possible educational experience.
1. Indiana University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 5.3%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 37%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1%
Average GPA: 3.89
Average MCAT: 512
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $61,963
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $87,528
Overall Acceptance Rate: 2.0%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.2%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 2.0%
Average GPA: 3.94
Average MCAT: 521
Total Cost of Attendance: $99,396
3. New York University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.2%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 1.4%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.2%
Average GPA: 3.96
Average MCAT: 522
Total Cost of Attendance: $25,800
4. Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 2.3%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 21%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.6%
Average GPA: 3.78
Average MCAT: 512
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $84,675
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $109,463
5. Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.3%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 5.7%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.8%
Average GPA: 3.79
Average MCAT: 512
Total Cost of Attendance: $83,157
6. The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Overall Acceptance Rate (In-State only): 7.3%
Average GPA: 3.67
Average MCAT: 508
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State only): $53,900
7. The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.6%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 23.9%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.5%
Average GPA: 3.83
Average MCAT: 517
Total Cost of Attendance: $93,270
8. University of California Davis, School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.6%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.5%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.08%
Average GPA: 3.67
Average MCAT: 511
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $93,270
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $89,439
9. University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.6%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.5%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.08%
Average GPA: 3.67
Average MCAT: 511
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $93,270
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $89,439
10. University of Michigan Medical School
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.7%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 5.8%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.1%
Average GPA: 3.87
Average MCAT: 518
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $88,665
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $108,614
11.Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.3%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.6%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.1%
Average GPA: 3.94
Average MCAT: 521
Total Cost of Attendance: $103,529
12. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 2.6%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 5.0%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 2.4%
Average GPA: 3.88
Average MCAT: 519
Total Cost of Attendance: $103,154
13. Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin
Overall Acceptance Rate: 0.8%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 1.1%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.16%
Average GPA: 3.89
Average MCAT: 515
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $56,891
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $71,211
14. Eastern Virginia Medical School
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.9%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 6.4%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.15%
Average GPA: 3.72
Average MCAT: 512
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $64,736
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $87,804
15. Emory University School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.17%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 3.8%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.93%
Average GPA: 3.79
Average MCAT: 516
Total Cost of Attendance: $94,340
16. Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.77%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 3.65%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.6%
Average GPA: 383
Average MCAT: 511
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $80,750
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $112,250
Overall Acceptance Rate: 2.1%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.6%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 2.0%
Average GPA: 3.95
Average MCAT: 521
Total Cost of Attendance: $99,416
18. Morehouse School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.76%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 10.0%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.67%
Average GPA: 3.65
Average MCAT: 506
Total Cost of Attendance: $93,425
19. Pritzker School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 1.4%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 2.6%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 1.24%
Average GPA: 3.93
Average MCAT: 522
Total Cost of Attendance: $89,667
20. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Overall Acceptance Rate: 2.9%
In-state Acceptance Rate: 8.8%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.99%
Average GPA: 3.84
Average MCAT: 515
Total Cost of Attendance (In-State): $85,269
Total Cost of Attendance (Out-of-State): $109,398
Medical School Rankings: The Best Medical Schools in Canada
We’ll talk more about why we choose these medical schools in Canada after the list, but, for now, we’ll say that we didn’t rank them according to traditional criteria. We followed a similar path to how we ranked medical schools in the US, but we adapted it to fit better with medical education in Canada and all its differences from the American system.
1. Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 4.3%
Average GPA: 3.81
Average MCAT: not required
Tuition: $24,065/year
2. Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 7.0%
Average GPA: 3.8
Average MCAT: 503
Tuition: $22,710/year
3. University of British Columbia School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 10%
In-Province Acceptance Rate: 16.7%
Out-of-Province Acceptance Rate: 2.2%
Average GPA: 3.5
Average MCAT: 514.49
Tuition: $22,867/year
4. University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 3.6%
Minimum GPA: 3.5
Average MCAT: not required
Tuition: $25,487/year
5. University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
Overall Acceptance Rate: n/a
Average GPA: 3.85
Minimum MCAT: 496
Tuition: $15,565/year
6. Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University
Overall Acceptance Rate: 38%
Average GPA: 3.93
Average MCAT: 510
Tuition: $25,528/year
7. Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University
Overall Acceptance Rate: 3.4%
Average GPA: 3.93
Average MCAT CARS-only: 129
Tuition (In-province): $26,253/year
Tuition (Out-of-Province): $29,660/year
Overall Acceptance Rate: 7.37%
Average GPA: 3.87
Average MCAT: 510
Tuition: $17,972/year
9. University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 7.37%
Minimum GPA: 3.2
Minimum MCAT: 492
Average MCAT: 509
Tuition: $20,246/year
10. University of Toronto School of Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 6.0%
Average GPA: 3.93
Minimum MCAT: 500
Tuition (In-Province): $23,090/year
Tuition (Out-of-Province): $91,760/year
Medical School Rankings: Why We Choose these Schools
US Medical Schools
The reason we organized these medical school rankings this way is because we see something inherently suspect about any kind of ranking list for medical schools, or any programs, including MBA rankings or law school rankings. There are the quantifiable measures of what makes a medical school the “best”, such as the admission requirements, acceptance rate, research budget, number of applications, etc. But those stats say nothing about a medical school’s quality of education or their striving to improve education.
What about the unquantifiable measures? What about how medical schools view and treat their students, their role in the community, and their commitment to all the different sectors of society impacted by healthcare? When we were looking for how to quantify a medical school’s commitment to quality of education, we decided that membership in the ACME qualified.
Similar to how medical schools view applicants attempts to improve, change, develop and learn – MCAT attempts; quality and duration of extracurriculars for medical school; taking post-bacc programs for medical school – as a positive, and a reliable indicator of whether they would be a good addition to their school, we took the same approach.
Of course, this approach is different from the way most premeds decide on which school to attend, and why should they when they are told constantly to focus on things such as their GPA, MCAT scores, and medical school personal statements, which are important, no doubt. But we think that membership in ACME means that medical schools are truly invested in giving you the best education possible.
To be sure, the above list contained a combination of schools from the hardest medical schools to get into to the easiest medical schools to get into, so, your chances of getting into these programs is not why we chose them. Whether a medical school is a member of ACME may not interest you at all, which is why we also included more traditional statistics to help you make a more informed decision.
Canadian Medical Schools
There are only 17 medical schools in Canada (although three more are in the process of opening), which means it is easier for changes to medical education and medical school curricula to be adopted nationwide. So, we won’t use the same standard to rank Canadian medical schools as we did with American medical schools. What we will do is list medical schools in Canada that have done the most to increase their social accountability. What do we mean by social accountability?
For us, social accountability means that these schools have done the most to take medical education outside of the traditional forums of big-city classrooms, lecture halls and teaching hospitals and have sought to engage more in community-based learning to the benefit of everyone (students, patients, and communities alike). Community-based learning can be anything from increasing the number of rotation sites to include more remote or underserved communities to introducing competency-based models for progressing through medical school and residency.
But social accountability doesn’t stop there. To us, it also means doing the most to:
- Create new tracks and pathways for rural, Indigenous or POC students
- Expand their reach by opening new campuses in remote regions
- Make service-learning and community engagement a part of the curriculum
Again, given the small number of medical schools in Canada (relative to the almost 150 in the United States) nearly all of them have taken the above actions. But the ones listed here have done more to integrate a sense of social responsibility into their mission and values, thereby giving you a more comprehensive, forward-thinking education than other schools.
Do Medical School Rankings Matter?
The short answer is, not really. Even though we made our best attempt to make a medical school rankings list that is more relevant than giving you medical school acceptance rates and medical school GPA requirements, this list may have little impact on what medical school you choose. And that’s OK. You should pick a medical school based on your personal preferences, such as whether it’s the program you want to attend, whether it aligns with your career goals and interests, and whether it’s affordable. Picking a medical school is a complex, lengthy process that is based on many factors and even though medical school rankings can give you an idea of what’s out there, the decision is ultimately yours.
Medical School Rankings: How to Get Accepted
Get High GPA and MCAT Scores
Medical schools vary on whether they have minimum GPA or MCAT requirements, but, unofficially, they all do and you should focus as much time and study as possible on getting good grades in your last two years of undergraduate, which are the years medical schools will look at the most. For some of these schools, the impossibly high or near-perfect GPA (3.93!) and MCAT scores may discourage you, but you should look at the range of scores they have and not only the median. Not everyone who is admitted to a medical school has perfect stats, so while you should certainly get a GPA or MCAT scores at or above minimum requirements, make sure to focus on other parts of your application, such as extracurriculars, personal statements, and interview performance.
Write Great Essays and Personal Statements
Nearly all the medical schools we listed have medical school secondary applications, where you have to write essays in response to a series of medical school secondary application prompts. These essays are on top of the AMCAS personal statement you have to submit if your schools use the AMCAS application service; or the OMSAS autobiographical sketch if you are applying to medical schools in Ontario. These essays are where you make your case for your suitability for the program, as the prompts usually cover questions such as “why do you want to be a doctor?” or “why this medical school?”, so, you should be genuine in your responses, and show, rather than tell, as much as possible.
Apply Locally
Many of the programs above (US and Canada) have residency requirements, meaning they usually only accept applicants from the same state or province. This may seem unfair, but not if you are part of the populations that these schools are trying to attract. While it’s not universal, some medical schools even adjust their requirements for local applicants, meaning they are usually easier or lower than for out-of-state, or out-of-province applicants, and you should take advantage of this. Why, if you’re a resident of Sudbury or Thunder Bay, Ontario, apply to the medical schools that are usually at the top of traditional medical schools' rankings (U of T; McGill Medical School) and incur higher fees or stricter admissions requirements, when the NOSOM is right next to you? The same goes in the US, where public medical schools usually offer lower tuition, and have preferences for in-state applicants. But, again, if you have your heart set on a school outside of your region and have a reasonable chance of getting in, you should still apply.
Focus on Interview Prep
Medical school interviews come in several formats (one-on-one; panel; MMI) but whatever format they take, giving a great performance in your interview can make all the difference. After you’ve submitted all your essays, transcripts and medical school letters of recommendation, the interview part of the application process is where you can speak more in-depth about important events and experiences in your life or demonstrate your competency in areas important to being a physician, such as your problem-solving, communication, and analytical skills, along with your ethics and opinions. Depending on the interview format used by your schools, you should either review common medical school interview questions and how to answer them, or, if you are applying to medical schools that use MMI, review MMI practice questions to prepare.
Conclusion
Medical school rankings have their place in the eco-system of how to get into medical school, but you shouldn’t take them as seriously as they take themselves. They can be a helpful guide and give you the information you need to make an informed decision on where to apply, but do your own work. You should be more proactive in reaching out to medical schools. You should write to current students, faculty and alumni to see what they say about the programs (positive and negative) and go for campus visits. Doing this will give you a more subjective feel for the culture of a medical school, which no medical school ranking list could ever give you.
1. Are medical school rankings useful?
Yes and no. They can provide a (somewhat) objective picture of certain characteristics of a medical school, but those characteristics do not often speak to a student’s actual learning experience. To do that, you’d have to go to the school or speak with current or former students.
2. Which medical school should I go to?
You should go to the medical school that best aligns with what kind of doctor you want to be, where you want to practice, what medical specialty you want to specialize in, and many other factors, including cost and location.
3. What is the best medical school in the US?
According to this and many other medical school rankings, Harvard Medical School and Mayo School of Medicine are among the best. But many of the other schools listed here offer a high-quality medical education.
4. What is the best medical school in Canada?
The University of Toronto, and McGill University are often at the top of most other medical school rankings, but based on quality of education, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is one of newest medical schools in Canada and has a unique, purpose-driven curriculum and mission.
5. What GPA should I have to get into these medical schools?
Your GPA should be anywhere at or above 3.0, although that is the minimum. To be a competitive candidate, you should have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.
6. What MCAT score should I have?
The best MCAT score depends on your school, but if you have an MCAT score anywhere between 510-520, you’ll be a competitive applicant.
7. What else do I need to get into medical school?
You have to have a long list of relevant extracurriculars (shadowing a doctor; research experience; working with non-profits or service-based organizations), along with writing excellent personal essays. Your performance in your interview also matters, and you should devote time to preparing even if you haven’t received an invitation yet.
8. How should I choose a medical school?
You should choose a medical school that you identify with through its mission, values, the quality of its educational programs, and that will best help you reach your career goals.
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