Gearing up to apply to medical school? While it may be tempting to apply only to the “top” medical schools according to any number of lists you can find online, here’s what I’ve found after decades of serving on admissions committees and advising hundreds of prospective medical students:
The best medical school for YOU is one that you can reasonably get into, aligns with your values, and where you feel confident you will succeed.
There’s no ‘best medical school’ that applies to every student, and that’s why we help our students choose where to apply on a case-by-case basis. That being said, many schools stand out among the rest by virtue of their innovations in medical education.
That’s why our list was created using a combination of the U.S. News & World Report ranking tiers for Primary Care and Research* and a review of the country's most cutting-edge medical programs and educational curriculum.
Check out our other ranked school lists:
*Note: Due to concerns with the ranking methodology and its implications, many medical and osteopathic schools have withdrawn from the U.S. News medical school rankings altogether. If a school on our list is missing a rank tier, it may be because they chose not to participate.
City: Durham, NC
Selectiveness: 91/100
Median GPA: 3.9
Median MCAT: 520
Tuition: $101,487
Instead of doing core clinical clerkships in the third year of medical school, Duke’s School of Medicine puts these in year two of medical education. This condenses traditional training into three years, which allows students to pursue electives and independent interests before applying to residency.
City: Irvine, CA
Selectiveness: 60/100
Tier 2 in Research
Median GPA: 3.87
Median MCA: 517
Tuition: $38,250 (in-state), $50,495 (out-of-state)
University of California: Irvine School of Medicine uses a cutting-edge technology curriculum, paving the way for introducing medical students early on to ultrasound and other healthcare tech. Their newer approach to education is a systems-organized approach called iTEACH, which stands for “Technology-Enhanced, Activity-Coordinated, Humanistic.”
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City: Hempstead, NY
Selectiveness: 62/100
Tier 1 in Research
Median GPA: 3.86
Median MCA: 519
Tuition: $58,000
Zucker uses a case/problem-based curriculum known as PEARLS (Patient-centered Explorations in Active Reasoning, Learning, and Synthesis) during the first two years of medical school. This program uses a small group structure with minimal lecture time to increase critical thinking and basic science skills needed for the medical profession.
City: Bronx, NY
Selectiveness: 68/100
Tier 2 in Research
Tier 2 in Primary Care
Median GPA: 3.86
Median MCA: 516
Tuition: $0
You read that tuition correctly — Albert Einstein COM is now completely tuition-free for all students. Not only is this prestigious school one of the most well-known in the country, but they chose to use a generous $1B donation to “ensure that no student at Einstein will have to pay tuition again,” making it possible for qualified students to attend even if they couldn’t have otherwise afforded to do so. Watch this emotional response from students as they find out (just make sure you have a box of tissues nearby!).
City: New York, NY
Selectiveness: 100/100
Median GPA: 3.96
Median MCA: 522
Tuition: $0
Grossman SOM was the first medical school to offer free tuition to all students, regardless of financial merit. They offer innovative education options to students, including an accelerated 3-year program to allow qualified students to begin their medical careers an entire year early. Grossman also uses a holistic application process to ensure students with the brightest potential are accepted, not just those with the best scores.
City: Boston, MA
Selectiveness: 96/100
Median GPA: 3.95
Median MCA: 521
Tuition: $71,032
Harvard University’s medical program is not just one of the most recognized names in medicine — it’s also one of the most consistently innovative and prestigious. From one of the largest medical libraries in the world to prestigious connections with hospitals and research institutions and an unmatched facility, Harvard University provides best-in-class resources to its medical students.
Concerned that your MCAT score isn’t competitive enough for the program of your choice? Our tutoring students increase their practice exam or previous MCAT scores by 12 or more points on average, which can be the difference between your shot at the Ivy League or not.
City: Boca Raton, FL
Selectiveness: 32/100
Median GPA: 3.9
Median MCA: 515
Tuition: $28,112 (in-state), $62,532 (out-of-state)
Schmidt has developed a curriculum style to minimize lecture time and, instead, introduce early patient exposure and small class sizes. Their Integrated Patient Focused Curriculum comes from the idea that “future physicians should learn essential basic science information in the context of patient care, case studies, and the practice of clinical skills.” Students get dedicated independent study time and 2-3 half days of clinical experience during their first two years in the program.
City: Cleveland, OH
Selectiveness: 80/100
Tier 1 in Research
Median GPA: 3.88
Median MCA: 519
Tuition: $0
All students who attend the Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University (CCLCM) receive a full-tuition scholarship. They offer an optional 5-year program incorporating a special research component into the MD track, which offers graduating students a special qualification in biomedical research.
Read Next: What Are MD-PhD Programs? Overview & Program List
City: New York, NY
Selectiveness: 88/100
Median GPA: 3.89
Median MCA: 518
Tuition: $70,653
Students at Icahn experience a more relaxed grading experience through the first three years (pass/fail during years 1-2 and honors/high pass/pass in year 3). Shelf exams are also pass/fail. This structure allows for a less stressful experience throughout the demands of medical school. Icahn’s FlexMed program for college sophomores is also a great way for highly qualified students to skip the MCAT and pursue social justice endeavors during a somewhat less rigorous academic load.
City: New York, NY
Selectiveness: 41/100
Median GPA: 3.78
Median MCA: 515
Tuition: $0
Another tuition-free medical program, NYU Long Island SOM has designed a 3-year MD program to allow graduates to begin working as primary care providers as soon as possible. Their program also boasts very small class sizes for individualized attention and support.
City: Baltimore, MD
Selectiveness: 99/100
Median GPA: 3.96
Median MCA: 522
Tuition: $59,700 (waived for a majority of students)
After a $1B donation from Mike Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins joins the ranks of (mostly) tuition-free medical programs. One of the nation’s most prestigious schools of medicine, Johns Hopkins is a leader in medical research and has some of the biggest names in medicine on its faculty roster. Its “Genes to Society” curriculum is a groundbreaking approach to medical learning based on learnings from the Human Genome Project.
City: Nashville, TN
Selectiveness: 5/100
Median GPA: 3.48
Median MCA: 505
Tuition: $55,821 (waived for a majority of students)
One of the most prominent historically Black medical schools, Meharry recently received a $175M donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies to help it continue addressing inequity in the medical profession. This school trains 10% of all Black physicians in the United States.
Several programs were also on our ‘runners-up’ list, as they are standout medical programs in their own right. Here are some of the other programs I often hear fantastic things about:
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Ready to start the med school application process and begin the career of your dreams? Our Physician Advisors can help you through the process from Day One of your undergraduate education (and even before!) to 2X your chance of getting into a medical program.