Best Public Medical Schools
Of the 160 LCME-accredited medical schools, 96 are public schools. University of Virginia School of Medicine ranked first and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA ranked second in 2026 Best Public Medical Schools rankings.
Below statements summarize the average statistics including medical schools tuition and admission data for the top 10 Best Public Medical Schools.
- The average medical school tuition & fees of Best Public Medical Schools is $68,137, and University of Michigan Medical School has the highest tuition & fees of $81,960 and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine has the lowest tuition & fees of $35,176.
- The average MCAT score is 513 and, among Best Public Medical Schools, University of Central Florida College of Medicine has the highest MCAT score of 595 and University of Utah School of Medicine has the lowest score of 511.
- The average acceptance rate is 3.81% and, among Best Public Medical Schools, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin has the tightest (lowest) rate of 1% and The University of Texas Medical Branch has the loosest (highest) rate of 4%.
- The average medical school population is 632 and, among Best Public Medical Schools, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas has the most students of 1,005 and Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin has the fewest students of 208.
Comparison Table between Best Public Medical Schools
The following table compares the 25 Best Public Medical Schools. The tuition & fees is based on the 2025-2026 academic year. The admission data including MCAT, GPA, acceptance rate, applicants, and matriculants are based on the 2025-2026 data. You can sort the table by touching/clicking the column title that you want to sort.
| Rank[1] | College Name | Tuition & Fees (In-State) | Tuition & Fees (Out-of-State) | MCAT Score | GPA | Acceptance Rate | Student Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville, VA | 56,700 | $71,046 | 518 | 3.85 | 2.2% | 668 |
| 19 | David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Los Angeles, CA | 54,175 | $66,420 | 522 | 3.96 | 1.4% | 878 |
| 20 | University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine San Francisco, CA | 55,959 | $68,204 | 517 | 3.89 | 1.7% | 852 |
| 22 | University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA | 69,256 | $76,062 | 516 | 3.91 | 1.3% | 725 |
| 24 | University of California, San Diego School of Medicine La Jolla, CA | 54,300 | $66,545 | 514 | 3.83 | 1.4% | 670 |
| 26 | UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine San Antonio, TX | 26,454 | $37,239 | 518 | 3.87 | 4.0% | 983 |
| 28 | University of California, Irvine School of Medicine Irvine, CA | 53,177 | $64,413 | 516 | 3.86 | 1.5% | 521 |
| 30 | University of Michigan Medical School 6100 THSL, 1135 Catherine Street, MI | 60,495 | $81,960 | 518 | 3.90 | 1.6% | 773 |
| 31 | University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas Dallas, TX | 25,436 | $38,536 | 517 | 3.93 | 3.8% | 1,005 |
| 32 | Stony Brook University School of Medicine Stony Brook, NY | 55,006 | $79,726 | 516 | 3.93 | 2.5% | 607 |
| 33 | University of South Florida College of Medicine Tampa, FL | 33,694 | $60,500 | 520 | 3.96 | 2.3% | 631 |
| 34 | University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Cincinnati, OH | 38,069 | $58,435 | 514 | 3.81 | 2.6% | 779 |
| 37 | University of Utah School of Medicine Salt Lake City,, UT | 37,000 | $68,000 | 511 | 3.82 | 4.1% | 543 |
| 38 | The Ohio State University College of Medicine Columbus, OH | 31,999 | $56,919 | 514 | 3.83 | 2.4% | 920 |
| 39 | University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine Iowa City, IA | 40,494 | $61,893 | 514 | 3.81 | 3.4% | 665 |
| 40 | University of Florida College of Medicine Gainesville, FL | 37,130 | $49,390 | 516 | 3.92 | 2.4% | 605 |
| 43 | University of Massachusetts Medical School North Worcester, MA | 47,626 | $79,498 | 512 | 3.87 | 4.1% | 938 |
| 44 | SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine Brooklyn, NY | 47,472 | $72,192 | 513 | 3.79 | 2.6% | 883 |
| 47 | Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | 22,074 | $37,138 | 515 | 3.92 | 0.9% | 208 |
| 50 | Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Newark, NJ | 50,102 | $78,578 | 515 | 3.83 | 2.7% | 780 |
| 50 | Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School New Brunswick, NJ | 49,516 | $77,992 | 515 | 3.83 | 2.7% | 780 |
| 53 | University of Central Florida College of Medicine Orlando, FL | 29,835 | $59,406 | 595 | 3.91 | 2.2% | 492 |
| 54 | University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Madison, WI | 45,512 | $64,088 | 511 | 3.78 | 2.2% | 756 |
| 58 | The University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX | 27,471 | $42,437 | 513 | 3.87 | 4.2% | 966 |
| 59 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Lubbock, TX | 22,076 | $35,176 | 512 | 3.93 | 3.4% | 761 |
| Average | 53,567 | $68,137 | 513 | 3.82 | 3.8% | 632 |
[1] Medical School Rankings over based on multiple factors including admission, academic, size, and costs.