Key Takeaways:
- Some great colleges with good medical programs include Rutgers University, Wake Forest University, and Dartmouth College.
- To find the right medical school, consider your personal preferences, including location, desired specialty, and cost.
- You should also compare institutions’ admission requirements, research funding, graduation outcomes, and curriculum.
The medical program you choose impacts your education as well as your career choices after graduation. The top schools in the country offer cutting-edge research facilities, access to the newest technology, experienced faculty and staff, support, and curriculum that help their students achieve their goals in the medical field. Below, we’ve put together a list of 10 great colleges with good medical programs, plus provided advice on how to compare your options.
What Should You Look for in a Medical School?
To find the right medical school for you, consider your personal needs and goals same as you did when searching for an undergraduate college. Think about desired geographical location, concentration, and more. Here are a few other factors you should review and compare as you research medical schools:
Considerations of a Great Med School:
- Academic standards: The best medical schools have high admission standards. Most programs accept students with a 3.6 or higher undergraduate GPA and an MCAT score of at least 510. Look at your schools’ averages and requirements to help determine your admission chances.
- Type of school: Decide what type of education fits your career goals. Allopathic schools, where students learn about evidence-based treatment, are the more common option for medical students. Osteopathic institutions focus more on holistic, whole-person approaches to treatment.
- Curriculum: Review the courses you’ll be attending and the skills you’ll learn over your time at medical school. Consider your learning preferences. For example, do you learn well in lecture-style classes? If not, you’ll want to find institutions that have fewer required lecture courses.
- Resources: Your school should have support services that help you succeed, including programs for mentoring, exam preparation, residency planning, and more. You’ll also need access to facilities and technology that help you meet your goals, whether you’re learning online or on-campus.
- Graduation outcomes: How many students graduate and match into residency programs? How many pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE)? Higher numbers increase your potential for success.
- Grading system: Many medical schools have moved to a Pass/Fail model for grades, while others still use a tiered or ranking system. Students report less stress with the P/F model, but the importance of this can come down to the individual.
- Cost: The average cost of medical school is $59,605 per year. The cost depends on the institution type and location, with students paying more for out-of-state and private schools than in-state and public options. Consider your finances and compare financial aid offers.
Best Medical Schools
Below, we’ve listed just some of the best medical schools in the United States, along with their Medicine program acceptance rates and average GPAs and MCAT scores for accepted students.
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY – NEW BRUNSWICK
- Location: New Brunswick, NJ
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 332
- Acceptance rate: 2.88%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.82
- Average accepted MCAT: 514
Rutgers University is home to the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, with campuses in Piscataway and New Brunswick, NJ. Their website states they had a 97% residency match rate in 2024 and have more than 2,500 faculty on site. Rutgers’s pre-clerkship curriculum lasts 18 months, offering a focus on foundational knowledge with clinical cases throughout.
BROWN UNIVERSITY
- Location: Providence, RI
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 135
- Acceptance rate: 1.73%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.87
- Average accepted MCAT: 516
Brown University is one of the top ranked institutions — as is their medical school, the Warren Alpert Medical School. Founded in 1811, it’s also one of the oldest medical schools in the United States. Brown works with seven teaching hospitals to offer more than 100 residency and fellowship programs.
THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 274
- Acceptance rate: 3.5%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.5
- Average accepted MCAT: 513
Previously called the Jefferson Medical College, the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University breaks their curriculum into three phases – foundational knowledge, clinical clerkships, and a customized specialized program. Some common specialty matches for the class of 2024 included anesthesiology, internal medicine, and pediatrics.
DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 243
- Acceptance rate: 1.93%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.76
- Average accepted MCAT: 512
The Drexel University College of Medicine was originally two separate medical schools – Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann Medical College. In students, Drexel looks for ethical responsibility, service orientation, social skills, cultural competence, resilience, teamwork, and more.
CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 211
- Acceptance rate: 2.54%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.92
- Average accepted MCAT: 518
Affiliated with University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center, the MetroHealth System, and Cleveland Clinic, the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has $400 million in active research funding and nearly 9,000 faculty members. Its MD program lasts four years, covering clinical mastery, leadership, civic professionalism, and research and scholarship.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – SEATTLE CAMPUS
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 266
- Acceptance rate: 5.4%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.76
- Average accepted MCAT: 509
The University of Washington School of Medicine has a teaching facility network that stretches across Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Over 95% of students accepted to the program are from those five states. UW will still consider your application if you live elsewhere, but you need to have ties to the area. You also have to come from a disadvantaged background and/or shown commitment to helping disadvantaged populations.
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
- Location: Winston-Salem, NC
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 141
- Acceptance rate: 1.19%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.88
- Average accepted MCAT: 510
With two campuses – Winston-Salem and Charlotte – the Wake Forest University School of Medicine receives more than $400 million in extramural funding for research. Some focus areas for research include healthy aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and regenerative medicine. The minimum MCAT score Wake Forest accepts is 500, and you’re welcome to take it multiple times – they’ll review your top attempt.
TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- Location: New Orleans, LA
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 176
- Acceptance rate: 1.4%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.67
- Average accepted MCAT: 510
Founded in 1834, the Tulane University School of Medicine was originally called the Medical College of Louisiana. Their website states that they don’t have any specific prerequisites required to apply, but they recommend you take courses in biology, chemistry, math, and physics. They also suggest focusing on psychology, foreign language, writing skills, and sociology.
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
- Location: Saint Louis, MO
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 180
- Acceptance rate: 3.03%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.89
- Average accepted MCAT: 513
The Saint Louis University School of Medicine requires applicants to have a 502 MCAT score or higher to be considered. They offer several scholarships for medical students, including the Everett M. Sugarbaker School of Medicine Scholarship Program, Dr. Tom Dooley Memorial International Elective Scholarship Program, and Magis Scholarship, among others.
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
- Location: Hanover, NH
- Annual Medicine degrees awarded: 74
- Acceptance rate: 1.13%
- Average accepted GPA: 3.77
- Average accepted MCAT: 516
The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College dates back to 1797. Since then, the school was home to many “firsts,” including the first medical education-only building in the United States (1811), first successful carotid artery tying (1824), and introduction to the stethoscope in medical schools (1838). Dartmouth requires a minimum 502 MCAT score and encourages undergraduates to select majors that match their interests.
How To Find Great Colleges with Good Medical Programs
Most medical schools have a 7% acceptance rate or lower, and fewer than 50% of all applicants are accepted to at least one of their choices. To improve your admission chances, you need to find medical programs that fit your unique needs and goals.
College Raptor makes it easy to discover great colleges with good medical programs that fit within your perimeters. Start exploring institutions here.
