Top Public Medical Schools

There are 96 public medical schools accredited by LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education). Most public medical schools often give priority to in-state students during the admissions process, and tuition is somewhat cheaper than private medical schools. For this reason, the acceptance and enrollment rates of state residents in public medical schools are higher than private schools.

For the public medical schools, the 2026 average tuition & fees is $41,724 for state residents and $63,531 for out-of-state students. (The private medical schools' average is $69,522.)

University of Virginia School of Medicine ranked first among public medical schools. Its MCAT score is 518 and the acceptance rate is 2.18%. David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine follow it in public medical school rankings.

The following table lists the top 25 public medical schools. The ranking is based on the MCAT score & GPA, acceptance rate, yield, tuition, and more characteristics of medical schools.

Rank	School	Acceptance Rate	Applicants	Matriculated	Application Fee	Tuition & Fees	MCAT Score	GPA
1	University of Virginia School of Medicine PublicCharlottesville, VA	2.18%	7,148	156	$80	$69,002	518	3.85
2	David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA PublicLos Angeles, CA	1.40%	12,474	175	$95	$65,008	522	3.96
3	University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine PublicSan Francisco, CA	1.71%	10,372	177	$80	$65,686	517	3.89
4	University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine PublicPittsburgh, PA	1.27%	11,887	151	$110	$72,798	516	3.91
5	University of California, San Diego School of Medicine PublicLa Jolla, CA	1.35%	10,400	140	$135	$58,300	514	3.83
6	UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine PublicSan Antonio, TX	4.02%	5,774	232	$200	$41,764	518	3.87
7	University of California, Irvine School of Medicine PublicIrvine, CA	1.53%	7,440	114	$120	$62,021	516	3.86
8	University of Michigan Medical School Public6100 THSL, 1135 Catherine Street, MI	1.63%	10,277	168	$85	$79,500	518	3.9
9	University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas PublicDallas, TX	3.80%	6,025	229	$185	$38,222	517	3.93
10	Stony Brook University School of Medicine PublicStony Brook, NY	2.48%	5,689	141	$100	$73,608	516	3.93
11	University of South Florida College of Medicine PublicTampa, FL	2.31%	5,677	131	$30	$57,036	520	3.96
12	University of Cincinnati College of Medicine PublicCincinnati, OH	2.64%	6,636	175	$100	$55,231	514	3.81
13	University of Utah School of Medicine PublicSalt Lake City,, UT	4.05%	3,085	125	$110	$66,318	511	3.82
14	The Ohio State University College of Medicine PublicColumbus, OH	2.43%	8,685	211	$80	$56,919	514	3.83
15	University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine PublicIowa City, IA	3.38%	4,527	153	$60	$60,712	514	3.81
16	University of Florida College of Medicine PublicGainesville, FL	2.42%	5,612	136	$37	$49,390	516	3.92
17	University of Massachusetts Medical School PublicNorth Worcester, MA	4.14%	5,630	233	$100	$76,790	512	3.87
18	SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine PublicBrooklyn, NY	2.63%	7,490	197	$100	$72,192	513	3.79
19	Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin PublicAustin, TX	0.88%	5,684	50	No Fee	$37,138	515	3.92
20	Rutgers New Jersey Medical School PublicNewark, NJ	2.69%	6,479	174	$80	$78,578	515	3.83
20	Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School PublicNew Brunswick, NJ	2.69%	6,479	174	$80	$77,992	515	3.83
22	University of Central Florida College of Medicine PublicOrlando, FL	2.22%	5,395	120	$30	$56,709	595	3.91
23	University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health PublicMadison, WI	2.21%	7,744	171	$75	$62,533	511	3.78
24	The University of Texas Medical Branch PublicGalveston, TX	4.22%	5,450	230	$70	$42,014	513	3.87
25	Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine PublicLubbock, TX	3.40%	5,348	182	$75	$36,845	512	3.93

Top Public Medical Schools

More Rankings