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 2024 average tuition & fees is $39,216 for state residents and $61,203 for out-of-state students. (The private medical schools' average is $65,416.)
University of Virginia School of Medicine ranked first among public medical schools. Its MCAT score is 518 and the acceptance rate is 2.78%. 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.
Top Public Medical Schools Comparison Table
RankSchoolAcceptance RateApplicantsMatriculatedApplication FeeTuition & FeesMCAT ScoreGPA
1 University of Virginia School of MedicinePublic, Charlottesville, VA2.78%5,679158$80$64,4845183.86
2 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLAPublic, Los Angeles, CA1.34%13,064175$95$56,0885143.8
3 University of California, San Francisco School of MedicinePublic, San Francisco, CA1.96%8,847173$80$59,8255153.87
4 University of Pittsburgh School of MedicinePublic, Pittsburgh, PA1.69%8,782148$110$67,0725143.79
5 University of California, San Diego School of MedicinePublic, La Jolla, CA1.61%8,757141$135$55,5375153.77
6 UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of MedicinePublic, San Antonio, TX4.31%5,378232$200$40,4545183.88
7 University of California, Irvine School of MedicinePublic, Irvine, CA1.62%7,030114$120$56,0805163.93
8 University of Michigan Medical SchoolPublic, 6100 THSL, 1135 Catherine Street, MI1.84%8,916164$85$72,2685153.79
9 University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at DallasPublic, Dallas, TX4.20%5,527232$185$36,1235173.83
10 Stony Brook University School of MedicinePublic, Stony Brook, NY2.49%5,469136$100$71,0435153.89
11 University of South Florida College of MedicinePublic, Tampa, FL3.30%5,507182$30$54,9165183.92
12 University of Cincinnati College of MedicinePublic, Cincinnati, OH2.86%6,180177$100$55,2315153.83
13 University of Utah School of MedicinePublic, Salt Lake City,, UT4.12%3,035125$110$84,7625143.87
14 The Ohio State University College of MedicinePublic, Columbus, OH2.74%7,229198$80$56,0015143.81
15 University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of MedicinePublic, Iowa City, IA4.48%3,395152$60$58,8975143.81
16 University of Florida College of MedicinePublic, Gainesville, FL2.54%5,316135$37$49,3905143.79
17 University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolPublic, North Worcester, MA3.80%5,264200$100$70,4555143.81
18 SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of MedicinePublic, Brooklyn, NY2.97%6,974207$100$67,8165143.73
19 Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at AustinPublic, Austin, TX0.95%5,28350No Fee$35,4065143.78
20 Rutgers New Jersey Medical SchoolPublic, Newark, NJ2.97%5,859174$80$71,6345123.7
20 Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPublic, New Brunswick, NJ2.97%5,859174$80$70,7665123.7
22 University of Central Florida College of MedicinePublic, Orlando, FL2.42%4,952120$30$56,5545153.85
23 University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthPublic, Madison, WI2.68%6,384171$75$59,4485113.75
24 The University of Texas Medical BranchPublic, Galveston, TX4.47%5,148230$70$40,7285113.8
25 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of MedicinePublic, Lubbock, TX3.64%4,969181$75$35,4795123.9