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Best universities in the United States for medicine degrees 2024

Find the best universities in the United States for medicine degrees through Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data 2024

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November 28 2023
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Top 10 universities for medicine in US 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities for medicine in the US

US Medicine rank 2024  Medicine rank 2024  University State
1  2  Harvard University Massachusetts
2  5  Stanford University California
3  6  Johns Hopkins University Maryland
4  8  Yale University Connecticut
5  10  University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
6  11  University of California, Berkeley California
7  12  Columbia University New York
8  15  University of California, Los Angeles California
9  18  University of Washington Washington
10  21  University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan

Students who wish to study medicine in the US will have to take a slightly different approach than they would for other countries.

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In most cases, medical degrees can be taken only at the postgraduate level, and this is usually a five-year course. At the undergraduate level, students can take health- and science-related courses, which are known as “pre-med”. Students will then go on to apply for medical school, known as “post-med” or MD (doctor of medicine).

Nearly all universities will provide guidance about which undergraduate courses are most recommended and will provide major and minor programmes that will start students on their medical career journey. It is usually recommended that students take courses in the sciences and maths, but this can vary across universities.

Many US medical schools will require students to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) as part of their application.

These are the best universities in the US for medical degrees 2024.

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5. University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine is the university's medical school. It is one of the oldest medical schools in the country. 

The school has six affiliated hospitals including Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine Princeton Health. 

Departments in the school include genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, emergency medicine, surgery, radiology and many more. 

While the school does not offer undergraduate programmes, there is the MD programme and the PhD programme as well as other master's programmes and continuing medical professional development courses. 

4. Yale University

The medical school at Yale University offers a number of MD and PhD programmes for students looking to pursue a career in medicine.

The Yale School of Public Health also offers a range of courses in public health as well as joint degree programmes with other faculties.

All medical school students will take a clinical skills course in the first 18 months of their degree; this teaches students how to interact with patients and the importance of the patient-doctor relationship. Training in palliative and end-of-life care is mandatory, as the school believes that all future clinicians should have a basic understanding in this area.

At Yale, students may study for a certificate in global medicine alongside their programmes.

The medical school emphasises research among students and requires all students to submit dissertations based on original research. The school encourages many students to consider a fifth year of medical school, which would be devoted to research training.

3. Johns Hopkins University

Students at Johns Hopkins University can choose from an MD programme, as well as graduate, PhD and fellowship programmes.

The university offers an undergraduate major in medicine, science and the humanities, which explores the history of medicine and health.

Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland is named after the philanthropist Johns Hopkins, who used his wealth to establish a hospital where everyone could get care, regardless of age, race and sex. The Johns Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889, and the School of Medicine opened four years later.

Teaching at the university follows the “Genes to Society” curriculum, which “presents a model of health and disease based in the principles of adaptation to the environment, variability of the genotype and stratification of risk” rather than approaching health and disease as two different subjects.

The Johns Hopkins Medical School was among the first medical schools in the US to admit women, back in 1893.

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2. Stanford University

Stanford University’s medical school comprises three institutions: Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Children’s Health.

Undergraduates may also undertake biomedical research through the Undergraduate Research Programme.

The school offers MD, PA and PhD programmes to its students. The MD programme launched the Discovery Curriculum in 2016, adding new courses such as pathophysiology and a pharmacological treatment of disease series. This curriculum aims to combine organ-based learning and patient-centred clinical care. Students are also given the opportunity to individualise their course based on their interests.

The School of Medicine also offers a number of opportunities for undergraduate students. These include introductory seminars, an emergency medical technician programme, courses in community health and undergraduate courses in biology and human biology, among others.

1. Harvard University

Harvard University’s medical school is the third oldest in the United States – it was established in 1782.

The medical school offers a five-year MD programme; however, students can extend this by a year to obtain another degree, embark on a research project or take an additional year of formal coursework.

There is no undergraduate “pre-med” concentration at Harvard. Students are generally expected to take classes in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, maths, biochemistry and English before applying to medical school, but there is no set structure for what undergraduate students should study.

Harvard Medical School is responsible for several ground-breaking advances, such as in 1799 when one of its professors, Benjamin Waterhouse, introduced the smallpox vaccine to the United States. Harvard has partnerships with 15 of the world’s most prestigious hospitals, allowing students and staff to undertake exchanges across the world.

Top universities in the United States for medicine 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results.

US Medicine rank 2024  Medicine rank 2024  University State
1  2  Harvard University Massachusetts
2  5  Stanford University California
3  6  Johns Hopkins University Maryland
4  8  Yale University Connecticut
5  10  University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania
6  11  University of California, Berkeley California
7  12  Columbia University New York
8  15  University of California, Los Angeles California
9  18  University of Washington Washington
10  21  University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan
11  22  Duke University North Carolina
12  25  The University of Chicago Illinois
13  =27  University of California, San Diego California
14  31  New York University New York
=15  =32  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina
=15  =32  Washington University in St Louis Missouri
17  40  Northwestern University Illinois
18  41  Boston University Massachusetts
19  =44  Emory University Georgia
20  57  University of Southern California California
21  58  Vanderbilt University Tennessee
22  =62  Brown University Rhode Island
23  66  University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus Pennsylvania
24  67  University of Minnesota Minnesota
25  79  University of California, Davis California
26  87  Tufts University Massachusetts
27  92  University of Florida Florida
28  94  Ohio State University (Main campus) Ohio
29  =98  Case Western Reserve University Ohio
=30  101–125  Dartmouth College New Hampshire
=30  101–125  University of Illinois Chicago Illinois
=30  101–125  University of Iowa Iowa
=30  101–125  University of Rochester New York
=30  101–125  University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin
=35  126–150  University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Colorado
=35  126–150  Georgetown University Washington DC
=35  126–150  George Washington University Washington DC
=35  126–150  University of Massachusetts Massachusetts
=35  126–150  University of Miami Florida
=35  126–150  Oregon Health and Science University Oregon
=35  126–150  University of Texas at Dallas Texas
=35  126–150  University of Utah Utah
=43  151–175  University of California, Irvine California
=43  151–175  University of Texas at Austin Texas
=43  151–175  University of Virginia (Main campus) Virginia
=46  176–200  Indiana University Indiana
=46  176–200  Michigan State University Michigan
=46  176–200  Northeastern University, US Illinois
=46  176–200  Penn State (Main campus) Pennsylvania
=46  176–200  University of South Florida Florida
=51  201–250  University of Arizona Arizona
=51  201–250  University at Buffalo New York
=51  201–250  University of Maryland, College Park Maryland
=51  201–250  Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana
=51  201–250  Texas A&M University Texas
=51  201–250  Tulane University Louisiana
=51  201–250  Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia
=58  251–300  Boston College Massachusetts
=58  251–300  Drexel University Pennsylvania
=58  251–300  George Mason University Virginia
=58  251–300  University of Kansas Kansas
=58  251–300  University of Kentucky Kentucky
=58  251–300  Rutgers University – New Brunswick New Jersey
=58  251–300  Saint Louis University Missouri
=58  251–300  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia
=67  301–400  University of California, Riverside California
=67  301–400  Colorado State University, Fort Collins Colorado
=67  301–400  University of Connecticut Connecticut
=67  301–400  University of Delaware Delaware
=67  301–400  Florida State University Florida
=67  301–400  University of Georgia Georgia
=67  301–400  Georgia State University Georgia
=67  301–400  University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Hawai'i
=67  301–400  University of Nebraska Medical Center Nebraska
=67  301–400  Rush University Illinois
=67  301–400  University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina
=67  301–400  Stony Brook University New York
=67  301–400  Temple University Pennsylvania
=67  301–400  Wake Forest University North Carolina
=67  301–400  Washington State University Missouri
=67  301–400  Wayne State University Michigan
=83  401–500  University of Arkansas Arkansas
=83  401–500  University of Central Florida Florida
=83  401–500  Florida International University Florida
=83  401–500  University of Houston Texas
=83  401–500  Louisiana State University Louisiana
=83  401–500  Mizzou - University of Missouri Missouri
=83  401–500  University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina
=83  401–500  Ohio University (Main campus) Ohio
=83  401–500  Oklahoma State University Oklahoma
=83  401–500  San Diego State University California
=83  401–500  The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee
=94  501–600  Auburn University Alabama
=94  501–600  Baylor University Texas
=94  501–600  Central Michigan University Michigan
=94  501–600  Kansas State University Kansas
=94  501–600  Montana State University Montana
=94  501–600  New Mexico State University (Main campus) New Mexico
=94  501–600  Oakland University Michigan
=94  501–600  University of Rhode Island Rhode Island
=102  601–800  University of Alabama Alabama
=102  601–800  Chapman University California
=102  601–800  Florida Atlantic University Florida
=102  601–800  Howard University Washington DC
=102  601–800  Marquette University Wisconsin
=102  601–800  University of Memphis Tennessee
=102  601–800  University of Nevada, Las Vegas Nevada
=102  601–800  Nova Southeastern University Florida
=102  601–800  Old Dominion University Virginia
=102  601–800  Rowan University New Jersey
=102  601–800  SUNY Binghamton University New York
=102  601–800  University of Texas at Arlington Texas
=102  601–800  University of Texas at El Paso Texas
=102  601–800  University of Toledo Ohio
=102  601–800  University of Wyoming Wyoming
=117  801–1000  Bowling Green State University Ohio
=117  801–1000  Georgia Southern University Georgia
=117  801–1000  Northern Illinois University Illinois
=117  801–1000  University of South Dakota South Dakota
=117  801–1000  University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Texas
=117  801–1000  Texas State University Texas
=117  801–1000  Western Michigan University Michigan

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Best universities in the United States 2024

Find the best universities in the United States 2024 through Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings data

September 27 2023
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