The Best Universities in the US to attend for Medical School

• Harvard University ranked the best medical school in the U.S., with an index score of 99.1
• Stanford University is in second with a score of 92.6, and John Hopkins University is in third with a score of 92.2
• Oakland University is the worst university to attend for a medical degree, with an index of 45.2

A new study has revealed that Harvard University is the best medical school in the U.S. 

Determining which college to attend after high school or a career path change can be challenging, especially if you want the best education to achieve a successful medical degree. New research by online healthcare training school U.S Career Institute delved into different factors that helped determine the best medical schools in America.  

These factors included academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index citations (index based on the date of the academic’s most cited papers), and international research network (the ability of institutions to diversify the geography of their international research network by establishing sustainable research partnerships with other higher education institutions). These factors were used to create an index that scored institutions out of 100 to determine which university provides the best medical education. 

The university that provides the best medical schooling is Harvard, with an index of 99.1. The prestigious Ivy League school is based in Boston, Massachusetts and has produced some notable medical alumni since its opening in 1636, including Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH (Chief Health Officer at Google) and Ashish Jha, MD, MPH (Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health). Harvard Medical School is a private institution nominated as the best medical school program for the eighth consecutive year in 2023. Harvard also scores highly in other medical-related degrees, such as Biological Sciences with a 98.8 index score, Life Sciences & Medicine with an index of 98.6, and Pharmacy with a 95.5 index score. 

The second-best university for medical school is Stanford University, with an index score of 92.6. Founded in 1858, Stanford University School of Medicine in California is renowned for patient care. It is the site of the first successful human heart transplant in the U.S. and the first combined heart-lung transplant in the world. Stanford also provides America’s third-best Life Sciences & Medicine degree, with an index score of 88.1. 

Rank	University	Index Score
1	Harvard University	99.1
2	Stanford University	92.6
3	John Hopkins University	92.2
4	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)	88.8
5	University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)	88.5
6	Yale University	88.4
7	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	88.2
8	Columbia University	87.4
9	University of Pennsylvania	86.3
10	Duke University	84.9

In third place is John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, with an overall index score of 92.2. The school, founded in 1893, is home to many medical advancements, including being one of the first medical schools to accept women and introducing rubber gloves. This provided the necessary attention to sterility needed in surgical procedures. As the nation’s first research university, John Hopkins provides many other stellar medical-related degrees ranked second-best. Nursing is one, with an index score of 94.2; Life Sciences and Medicine is another, with an index score of 93.0; and also Pharmacy, with an index score of 88.1. 

The fourth most prestigious university for medical school is the University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA), with an overall index score of 88.8. Founded in 1951, The David Geffen School of Medicine offers a state-of-the-art medical education building tailored to all students’ needs. It offers multiple medical-related degrees and is ranked among the top ten medical schools nationwide. It provides the sixth-best Dentistry degree in the U.S., with an index score of 72.9, and the sixth-best Life and Sciences & Medicine degree, with an index of 88.2. 

In fifth place is the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), with an overall index of 88.5.  UCSF is home to five Nobel laureates who have advanced the understanding of cancer, neurogenerative diseases, aging, and skin cells since its establishment in 1864. It provides the second-best Dentistry course in the country, with an index of 80.2, and the fourth best pharmaceutical degree, with a score of 86.7. 

The sixth most prestigious university for medical school is Yale University with an index score of 88.5. The Yale School of Medicine is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut that opened in 1813. Yale also provides the fifth-best Nursing degree in the US and the sixth-best Biomedical Sciences course. 

In seventh place is Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with an overall index score of 88.4.  The Cambridge, Massachusetts institution established MIT Medical over a century ago to provide high medical care for the MIT community. It currently provides the second-best Biomedical Sciences degree in the country, with a score of 94.5. 

Columbia University is in eighth place, with an index score of 88.2. Founded in 1767, The Manhattan-based institution known as “The Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons” was the first school in the U.S. to grant the M.D. degree. 

The ninth-best university for medical school is the University of Pennsylvania, with an index score of 87.4. The medical institution is based in Philadelphia, founded in 1765, and was the first-ever medical school in the United States. 

Duke University is in tenth place, with an index score of 86.3. The North Carolina Institute, commonly known as Duke Med, has been around since 1925 and is internationally recognized as a global health research and education leader. 

Oakland University is ranked the worst university for medical school with an overall index score of 45.2. 

Holly Cook, VP of Marketing at U.S Career Institute, commented on the findings:

“The 112 medical schools in the U.S. all have different attributes that contribute to where they rank in this table. There are so many directions in which a student can choose to go when it comes to a medical degree, and it can be a life-changing career for people with some of the best job prospects. 

“Medicine is undoubtedly one of the most difficult degrees to achieve and is much longer than other typical degrees. Still, it can lead to over 60 areas of specialization within the sector, and with the constant development in medicine, there are always new challenges. 

Although the acceptance rate for top medical schools is very strict and can be extremely difficult to get into, the education these institutions provide has produced some of the most highly equipped and trusted doctors in the world.”