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Finding the best medical school in the US is a key step for future doctors. In 2026, U.S. News & World Report named Baylor College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Emory University, Hofstra/Northwell, and Mayo Clinic School of Medicine among the top for research excellence. But for aspiring specialists—especially surgeons or neurosurgeons—many other institutions shine. The top medical schools in the US offer world-class education, better research opportunities, and strong clinical training.
Best Medical Schools in the US (2026 Rankings)
The best medical schools in the US are ranked based on research, primary care, specialty training, and residency match rates. Here are the top medical schools in the US according to the latest rankings:
Top 10 Medical Schools in the US (2026)
| Medical School | Known For |
|---|---|
| Harvard Medical School | Consistently ranked #1 for research and prestige |
| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Best for surgery and biomedical research |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Leading in innovation and tech-driven medicine |
| University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) | Strong in clinical training and residency placements |
| Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons | Top for primary care and patient-centered learning |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | Elite for hands-on clinical experience |
| University of California—San Francisco (UCSF) | Best for biomedical research and primary care |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Renowned for research funding and NIH grants |
| Yale School of Medicine | Excellent for medical humanities and patient care |
| Duke University School of Medicine | Strong in both research and clinical rotations |
Top 20 Medical Schools in the US
| Medical School | Known For |
|---|---|
| Harvard Medical School | Consistently ranked #1 for research and prestige |
| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Best for surgery and biomedical research |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Leading in innovation and tech-driven medicine |
| University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) | Strong in clinical training and residency placements |
| Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons | Top for primary care and patient-centered learning |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | Elite for hands-on clinical experience |
| University of California—San Francisco (UCSF) | Best for biomedical research and primary care |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Renowned for research funding and NIH grants |
| Yale School of Medicine | Excellent for medical humanities and patient care |
| Duke University School of Medicine | Strong in both research and clinical rotations |
| University of Chicago (Pritzker) | High faculty-to-student ratio and strong mentorship |
| University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | Leading in public health and interdisciplinary education |
| Northwestern University (Feinberg) | Integrated curriculum and robust research opportunities |
| Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | Personalized training and flexible curriculum |
| New York University (Grossman) | Offers free tuition for all students |
| University of Washington | Best for rural and underserved medicine |
| University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen) | Top-ranked public med school with research excellence |
| Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Strong in innovation and urban health equity |
| University of Pittsburgh | Highly ranked for research and clinical partnerships |
| Cornell University (Weill) | Global partnerships and elite academic reputation |
US Medical School Rankings 2026 – Expand to Top 100
| Rank | School Name | Rank in USA | World Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harvard University | #1 in North America | #1 in the World |
| 2 | Johns Hopkins University | #2 in North America | #2 in the World |
| 3 | University of California – San Francisco | #3 in North America | #3 in the World |
| 4 | University of Michigan – Ann Arbor | #4 in North America | #5 in the World |
| 5 | University of Washington – Seattle | #6 in North America | #7 in the World |
| 6 | Stanford University | #7 in North America | #8 in the World |
| 7 | University of Pennsylvania | #8 in North America | #9 in the World |
| 8 | Yale University | #9 in North America | #10 in the World |
| 9 | Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science | #10 in North America | #11 in the World |
| 10 | University of California – Los Angeles | #11 in North America | #12 in the World |
| 11 | Cornell University | #12 in North America | #13 in the World |
| 12 | University of Pittsburgh | #13 in North America | #14 in the World |
| 13 | Columbia University | #14 in North America | #15 in the World |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego | #15 in North America | #17 in the World |
| 15 | University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | #16 in North America | #18 in the World |
| 16 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | #17 in North America | #19 in the World |
| 17 | Washington University in St Louis | #18 in North America | #20 in the World |
| 18 | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities | #19 in North America | #21 in the World |
| 19 | Emory University | #20 in North America | #24 in the World |
| 20 | University of Wisconsin – Madison | #21 in North America | #25 in the World |
| 21 | Baylor College of Medicine | #22 in North America | #26 in the World |
| 22 | Northwestern University | #23 in North America | #27 in the World |
| 23 | University of Southern California | #25 in North America | #29 in the World |
| 24 | University of Chicago | #26 in North America | #30 in the World |
| 25 | University of Florida | #27 in North America | #32 in the World |
| 26 | New York University | #28 in North America | #33 in the World |
| 27 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | #29 in North America | #34 in the World |
| 28 | Boston University | #30 in North America | #35 in the World |
| 29 | Ohio State University | #31 in North America | #38 in the World |
| 30 | Duke University | #33 in North America | #42 in the World |
| 31 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | #34 in North America | #43 in the World |
| 32 | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | #35 in North America | #46 in the World |
| 33 | University of California – Davis | #36 in North America | #48 in the World |
| 34 | Case Western Reserve University | #37 in North America | #51 in the World |
| 35 | University of Iowa | #38 in North America | #54 in the World |
| 36 | University of Utah | #39 in North America | #55 in the World |
| 37 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz | #40 in North America | #56 in the World |
| 38 | University of Miami | #41 in North America | #59 in the World |
| 39 | Indiana University – Purdue University | #43 in North America | #61 in the World |
| 40 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | #45 in North America | #66 in the World |
| 41 | University of California – Berkeley | #46 in North America | #69 in the World |
| 42 | Vanderbilt University | #47 in North America | #70 in the World |
| 43 | Rutgers University – New Brunswick | #48 in North America | #72 in the World |
| 44 | University of Illinois at Chicago | #49 in North America | #73 in the World |
| 45 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | #50 in North America | #76 in the World |
| 46 | Oregon Health & Science University | #51 in North America | #79 in the World |
| 47 | University of Arizona | #52 in North America | #82 in the World |
| 48 | Pennsylvania State University | #53 in North America | #83 in the World |
| 49 | University of Virginia | #54 in North America | #84 in the World |
| 50 | Tufts University | #56 in North America | #88 in the World |
| 51 | University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign | #57 in North America | #92 in the World |
| 52 | University of California – Irvine | #59 in North America | #97 in the World |
| 53 | Wayne State University | #60 in North America | #102 in the World |
| 54 | University of Rochester | #63 in North America | #106 in the World |
| 55 | Brown University | #64 in North America | #108 in the World |
| 56 | Wake Forest University | #65 in North America | #112 in the World |
| 57 | University of Kentucky | #66 in North America | #117 in the World |
| 58 | Medical College of Wisconsin | #67 in North America | #121 in the World |
| 59 | Medical University of South Carolina | #68 in North America | #122 in the World |
| 60 | Michigan State University | #69 in North America | #123 in the World |
| 61 | University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | #70 in North America | #124 in the World |
| 62 | University of Texas at Austin | #71 in North America | #132 in the World |
| 63 | Georgetown University | #72 in North America | #133 in the World |
| 64 | University of South Florida | #73 in North America | #140 in the World |
| 65 | University at Buffalo | #74 in North America | #144 in the World |
| 66 | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | #75 in North America | #145 in the World |
| 67 | University of Cincinnati | #76 in North America | #146 in the World |
| 68 | Thomas Jefferson University | #77 in North America | #147 in the World |
| 69 | University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester | #78 in North America | #152 in the World |
| 70 | University of Missouri – Columbia | #79 in North America | #154 in the World |
| 71 | University of Georgia | #80 in North America | #160 in the World |
| 72 | University of Texas Medical Branch | #81 in North America | #166 in the World |
| 73 | George Washington University | #82 in North America | #168 in the World |
| 74 | Texas A&M University – College Station | #84 in North America | #171 in the World |
| 75 | Virginia Commonwealth University | #86 in North America | #176 in the World |
| 76 | Purdue University | #87 in North America | #177 in the World |
| 77 | University of Louisville | #88 in North America | #182 in the World |
| 78 | Tulane University of Louisiana | #89 in North America | #184 in the World |
| 79 | Temple University | #92 in North America | #192 in the World |
| 80 | Stony Brook University | #93 in North America | #193 in the World |
| 81 | University of Connecticut | #94 in North America | #194 in the World |
| 82 | University of New Mexico | #95 in North America | #200 in the World |
| 83 | Rockefeller University | #96 in North America | #206 in the World |
| 84 | Florida College | #97 in North America | #207 in the World |
| 85 | University of Maryland – College Park | #98 in North America | #208 in the World |
| 86 | University of Tennessee Health Science Center | #99 in North America | #219 in the World |
| 87 | University of Nebraska Medical Center | #100 in North America | #221 in the World |
| 88 | University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | #101 in North America | #223 in the World |
| 89 | Arizona State University – Tempe | #102 in North America | #225 in the World |
| 90 | Louisiana State University | #103 in North America | #226 in the World |
| 91 | University of Tennessee – Knoxville | #104 in North America | #227 in the World |
| 92 | University of Vermont | #105 in North America | #233 in the World |
| 93 | Princeton University | #106 in North America | #234 in the World |
| 94 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | #107 in North America | #241 in the World |
| 95 | Iowa State University | #108 in North America | #244 in the World |
| 96 | Saint Louis University | #109 in North America | #251 in the World |
| 97 | Colorado State University – Fort Collins | #110 in North America | #252 in the World |
| 98 | University of Kansas | #111 in North America | #254 in the World |
| 99 | University of Colorado Boulder | #112 in North America | #255 in the World |
| 100 | University of South Carolina – Columbia | #113 in North America | #257 in the World |
Best Medical Schools in the US for Specialties
Best Medical Schools for Neurosurgery
If you want to specialize in neurosurgery, these are the best medical schools in the US for neurosurgery:
| Medical School | Why It’s Best for Neurosurgery |
|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | World-renowned neurosurgery department and cutting-edge research |
| Harvard Medical School | Prestigious program with elite neurosurgery training hospitals |
| University of California—San Francisco (UCSF) | Top-ranked in neurosurgery and neuroscience research |
| Stanford University School of Medicine | Innovative neurosurgical techniques and advanced technology |
| New York University (Grossman School of Medicine) | Strong neurosurgery residency and high surgical case volume |
Best Medical Schools for Surgery
For aspiring surgeons, the best medical schools in the US for surgery include:
| Medical School | Why It’s Best for Surgery |
|---|---|
| Harvard Medical School | Premier surgical training at top hospitals like Mass General |
| Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Cutting-edge surgical innovation and world-class faculty |
| Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | Exceptional hands-on surgical experience with expert mentorship |
| Duke University School of Medicine | Highly ranked surgical residency programs and advanced techniques |
| University of Michigan Medical School | Strong general surgery program with robust research opportunities |
Best Pre-Medical Schools in the US
Before applying to med school, strong undergraduate preparation is key. The best pre-medical schools in the US include:
| University | Why It’s Great for Pre-Med |
|---|---|
| Harvard University | Rigorous science programs and top medical school acceptance rates |
| Johns Hopkins University | Renowned for biology and pre-health advising; strong medical school pipeline |
| Stanford University | Excellent research opportunities and flexible pre-med curriculum |
| Duke University | Strong undergraduate research and personalized pre-med support |
| University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill | Affordable in-state tuition, top public health program, strong med placement |
Conclusion
Whether you’re searching for the best medical school in the US, the top 10 best medical schools in the US, or the best medical schools in the US for neurosurgery or surgery, these institutions represent the pinnacle of medical education and research. Use this guide to help you find the right fit for your medical career ambitions, and remember to consider factors like location, specialty strengths, and admission requirements as you apply.
FAQs About the Best Medical Schools in the US
What are the Top Medical Schools in the US?
The top medical schools in the US include Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and UPenn.
What is the #1 Best Medical School in the US?
Harvard Medical School is often ranked as the best medical school in the US.
What are the Best Pre-Med Schools in the US?
Top pre-med schools include Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Duke.
Which Medical School is Best for Surgery?
Johns Hopkins and Harvard are among the best medical schools in the US for surgery.
What are the Top 20 Medical Schools in the US?
See our list above, including Harvard, Stanford, Mayo Clinic, and NYU.
