Explore the 2021 Best Medical Schools for Research

Browse tuition figures, acceptance rates and other statistics for the top medical research programs.

research ranking med school

(Getty Images) |

See the top 40 medical research schools.

Aspiring doctors who dream of discovering vaccines and treatments for diseases like cancer should find a program that emphasizes research. Discover which universities earned a top 40 spot in the 2021 U.S. News Best Medical Schools for Research rankings.

Two medical students are working together on a group assignment. They are writing their notes on a laptop and sitting at a desk in a training laboratory. They are both wearing scrubs.

40 (tie). Albert Einstein College of Medicine (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 779

2019-2020 tuition: $53,709

2019 acceptance rate: 4.3%

More about the Albert Einstein College of Medicine .

A view of UC Davis Medical Center on February 27, 2020 in Sacramento, California.

(Justin Sullivan | Getty Images)

  • 40 (tie). University of California—Davis

Full-time enrollment: 463

2019-2020 tuition: $38,340 (in-state), $50,585 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 3.1%

More about the UCD School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

University of Florida | Bernard Brzezinski

  • 40 (tie). University of Florida

Full-time enrollment: 561

2019-2020 tuition: $32,744 (in-state), $45,000 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 5.1%

More about the UF College of Medicine .

research ranking med school

University Marketing & Public Relations |

  • 40 (tie). University of Minnesota

Full-time enrollment: 1,019

2019-2020 tuition: $39,402 (in-state), $56,547 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 4.9%

More about the University of Minnesota Medical School .

research ranking med school

Mike Cohea | Brown University

38 (tie). Brown University (Alpert) (RI)

Full-time enrollment: 598

2019-2020 tuition: $63,082

2019 acceptance rate: 2.8%

More about the Warren Alpert Medical School .

research ranking med school

(The University of Utah) |

  • 38 (tie). University of Utah

Full-time enrollment: 500

2019-2020 tuition: $40,538 (in-state), $76,745 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 4.7%

More about the University of Utah School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

(Ohio State University) |

  • 34 (tie). Ohio State University

Full-time enrollment: 813

2019-2020 tuition: $30,690 (in-state), $41,798 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 5.7%

More about the OSU College of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Office of Strategic Communication | University of Iowa

  • 34 (tie). University of Iowa (Carver)

Full-time enrollment: 609

2019-2020 tuition: $36,382 (in-state), $57,157 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 7.1%

More about the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine .

doctor briefing nursing students

  • 34 (tie). University of Maryland

Full-time enrollment: 629

2019-2020 tuition: $37,810 (in-state), $66,905 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 6.6%

More about the UMD School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

University of Rochester |

34 (tie). University of Rochester (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 423

2019-2020 tuition: $59,100

More about the Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry .

University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham

UAB Medicine 2017 |

  • 31 (tie). University of Alabama—Birmingham

Full-time enrollment: 799

2019-2020 tuition: $28,978 (in-state), $62,714 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 6.0%

More about the UAB School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Glenn Asakawa |

  • 31 (tie). University of Colorado

Full-time enrollment: 744

2019-2020 tuition: $40,348 (in-state), $66,304 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 3.7%

More about the University of Colorado School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Phil Channing |

  • 31 (tie). University of Southern California (Keck)

Full-time enrollment: 747

2019-2020 tuition: $64,538

2019 acceptance rate: 4.6%

More about the Keck School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

(Boston University Photography) |

  • 29 (tie). Boston University

Full-time enrollment: 709

2019-2020 tuition: $62,872

2019 acceptance rate: 6.5%

More about the BU School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Dan Addison |

  • 29 (tie). University of Virginia

Full-time enrollment: 615

2019-2020 tuition: $43,828 (in-state), $53,952 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 11.7%

More about the UVA School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Oregon Health and Science University |

  • 28. Oregon Health and Science University

Full-time enrollment: 630

2019-2020 tuition: $43,488 (in-state), $66,844 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 4.0%

More about the Oregon Health and Science School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Jeff Miller | UW-Madison

  • 27. University of Wisconsin—Madison

Full-time enrollment: 731

2019-2020 tuition: $36,266 (in-state), $50,201 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 5.5%

More about the School of Medicine and Public Health at University of Wisconsin—Madison .

young medical student, writes in the laboratory

(iStockphoto) |

  • 26. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Full-time enrollment: 911

2019-2020 tuition: $19,910 (in-state), $33,010 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 7.0%

More about UT Southwestern Medical Center .

research ranking med school

Annie O'Neill |

24 (tie). Case Western Reserve University (OH)

Full-time enrollment: 943

2019-2020 tuition: $65,476

More about the Case Western School of Medicine .

The campus at Emory University

(Ann Borden) |

24 (tie). Emory University (GA)

Full-time enrollment: 582

2019-2020 tuition: $51,000

More about the Emory School of Medicine .

An aerial view of the University of North Carolina campus including Kenan Stadium (left) and University of North Carolina Hospitals (right) on April 21, 2013 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

(Lance King | Getty Images)

  • 23. University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill

Full-time enrollment: 752

2019-2020 tuition: $32,746 (in-state), $60,140 (out-of-state)

More about the UNC School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

(Agapito Sanchez) |

22. Baylor College of Medicine (TX)

Full-time enrollment: 758

2019-2020 tuition: $32,525

More about the Baylor College of Medicine .

research ranking med school

UC San Diego Publications | Erik Jepsen

  • 21. University of California—San Diego

Full-time enrollment: 532

2019-2020 tuition: $34,977 (in-state), $47,222 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 3.8%

More about the UCSD School of Medicine .

Mount Sinai Hospital.

(Courtesy of Mount Sinai Hospital) |

20. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 578

2019-2020 tuition: $55,316

More about the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai .

research ranking med school

Northwestern University |

18 (tie). Northwestern University (Feinberg) (IL)

Full-time enrollment: 632

2019-2020 tuition: $62,088

2019 acceptance rate: 6.4%

More about the Feinberg School of Medicine .

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt University Medical Center) |

18 (tie). Vanderbilt University (TN)

Full-time enrollment: 398

2019-2020 tuition: $58,249

2019 acceptance rate: 5.3%

More about the Vanderbilt School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Tom Rossiter |

  • 17. University of Chicago (Pritzker)

Full-time enrollment: 358

2019-2020 tuition: $56,550

More about the Pritzker School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

Austin Thomason | Michigan Photography

  • 15 (tie). University of Michigan—Ann Arbor

Full-time enrollment: 689

2019-2020 tuition: $39,416 (in-state), $59,390 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 5.0%

More about the Michigan Medical School .

research ranking med school

(Michael Marsland | Yale University)

15 (tie). Yale University (CT)

Full-time enrollment: 421

2019-2020 tuition: $62,974

More about the Yale School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

University of Pittsburgh |

  • 14. University of Pittsburgh

Full-time enrollment: 597

2019-2020 tuition: $57,684 (in-state), $59,930 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 4.5%

More about the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine .

UW Seattle Campus; University of Washington Medical Center; Magnuson Health Sciences Center; Mount Baker; Portage Bay; Montlake Cut; aerial view; campus; exterior

Mary Levin |

  • 13. University of Washington

Full-time enrollment: 1,113

2019-2020 tuition: $37,635 (in-state), $67,830 (out-of-state)

2019 acceptance rate: 4.1%

More about the University of Washington School of Medicine .

A general view of the Davison Building on campus of Duke University on April 9, 2013 in Durham, North Carolina.

(Lance King | Replay Photos via Getty Images)

12. Duke University (NC)

Full-time enrollment: 502

2019-2020 tuition: $61,170

More about Duke School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

(University Photography) |

11. Cornell University (Weill) (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 442

2019-2020 tuition: $58,760

More about the Weill Cornell Medical College .

Columbia University Medical Center, between West 165th and 169th Streets from Riverside Drive to Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, USA.

6 (tie). Columbia University (NY)

Full-time enrollment: 580

2019-2020 tuition: $62,980

2019 acceptance rate: 3.5%

More about the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia .

research ranking med school

(Mayo Clinic School of Medicine) |

6 (tie). Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix) (MN)

Full-time enrollment: 362

2019-2020 tuition: $57,170

2019 acceptance rate: 2.4%

More about the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine .

research ranking med school

(University of California—Los Angeles) |

  • 6 (tie). University of California—Los Angeles (Geffen)

2019-2020 tuition: $36,374 (in-state), $48,619 (out-of-state)

More about UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine .

Main building of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) medical center in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California, September 20, 2016.

(Smith Collection | Gado

  • 6 (tie). University of California—San Francisco

Full-time enrollment: 643

2019-2020 tuition: $35,649 (in-state), $47,894 (out-of-state)

More about the UCSF School of Medicine .

Ellen S. Clark Hope Plaza at the BJC Institute of Health, a new center for biomedical research at Washington University School of Medicine.

(Bob Boston | WUSTL Photo)

  • 6 (tie). Washington University in St. Louis

Full-time enrollment: 470

2019-2020 tuition: $62,664

2019 acceptance rate: 8.2%

More about the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis .

Tisch Hospital, NYU Langone Hospitals, Best Hospitals, New York, New York City, Honor Roll

(Karsten Moran | NYU)

  • 4 (tie). New York University (Grossman)

Full-time enrollment: 430

2019-2020 tuition: $0

2019 acceptance rate: 2.5%

More about the  Grossman School of Medicine .

The Lu Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge building at School of Medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA.

(David Madison | Getty Images)

4 (tie). Stanford University (CA)

Full-time enrollment: 489

2019-2020 tuition: $60,234

2019 acceptance rate: 2.3%

More about the Stanford School of Medicine .

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

(University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine) |

  • 3. University of Pennsylvania (Perelman)

Full-time enrollment: 612

2019-2020 tuition: $59,910

2019 acceptance rate: 4.4%

More about the Perelman School of Medicine .

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore

2. Johns Hopkins University (MD)

Full-time enrollment: 476

2019-2020 tuition: $54,900

More about the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine .

Harvard University

1. Harvard University (MA)

Full-time enrollment: 712

2019-2020 tuition: $63,400

2019 acceptance rate: 3.3%

More about the Harvard Medical School .

Shot of a group of businesspeople sitting in the boardroom during a presentation

See the Best Graduate Schools rankings.

Explore the complete 2021 Best Graduate Schools rankings, which include the Best Medical Schools for Primary Care . You can also sign up for a free U.S. News account to receive content like this via email and stay up to date on education news by following U.S. News Education on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn .

Two diverse female scientists stand in their laboratory.

Top medical schools for research

  • 1. Harvard University
  • 2. Johns Hopkins University
  • 4 (tie). Stanford University
  • 6 (tie). Columbia University
  • 6 (tie). Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix)
  • 11. Cornell University (Weill)
  • 12. Duke University
  • 15 (tie). Yale University
  • 18 (tie). Northwestern University (Feinberg)
  • 18 (tie). Vanderbilt University
  • 20. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • 22. Baylor College of Medicine
  • 24 (tie). Case Western Reserve University
  • 24 (tie). Emory University
  • 34 (tie). University of Rochester
  • 38 (tie). Brown University (Alpert)
  • 40 (tie). Albert Einstein College of Medicine

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