Best Medical Schools In The World – A medical degree is essential for any individual who aspires to be a doctor. If you are looking for an undergraduate program that will prepare you for the rigors of medical school, then these are the best medical schools in the world.
Some of the features that make these universities stand out include their culture, curriculum, and area of research. These top 5 medical schools offer a wide range of opportunities that go beyond simply becoming a doctor.
A medical school is a place where people study to become a physician and receive the academic degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D., M.B., BCh, MBBS). It may also be referred to as an institution of higher learning in medicine. Medical schools offer undergraduate and postgraduate medical education that they believe will allow their students to understand the medical profession and apply it clinically, ethically, and effectively. There are currently over 200 accredited medical schools around the world, but here are some of the best known schools from each part of the globe.
Medical Schools in the World
| Top 10 Medical Schools in the World Based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 | ||
| Rank | Name of Institution | Location |
| 1 | Harvard University | United States |
| 2 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 4= | Johns Hopkins University | United States |
| 4= | Stanford University | United States |
| 6 | Karolinska Institute | Sweden |
| 7 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) | United States |
| 8 | Yale University | United States |
| 9 | UCL (University College London) | United Kingdom |
| 10 | University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) | United States |
Top Universities for Medicine in the US & Canada
The US dominates the medical school ranking with an impressive 89 universities featured in the global top 500, including 20 in the top 50. Harvard University maintains its position at the top of the table, joined by five other top US medical schools in the top 10.
Also featured in the top 20 this year for medicine are Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, =12th), Columbia University (14th), Duke University (17th), the University of Pennsylvania (18th) and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) (20th).
Neighboring Canada has 17 representatives in this year’s medical school ranking, including four in the top 50: the University of Toronto (11th), McGill University (22nd, up to five places this year), the University of British Colombia (27th) and McMaster University (35th).
Top Medical Schools in Europe
The United Kingdom boasts the most entrants of any European countries in this year’s ranking, with 41 out of the 500 top universities for medicine based in the UK. After Oxford, Cambridge and UCL in the top 10, six more UK medical schools feature in the top 50, including Imperial College London (=12th), King’s College London (16th, up from 21st) and the University of Edinburgh (23rd).
Germany also offers a good selection of top medical schools, with 31 featured. Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg leads the way in joint 42nd place. Italy is next with 26 top universities for medicine, including two featured in the top 100: Università degli Studi di Milano (University of Milan) and Università di Bologna (UNIBO).
France has 17 top medical schools in the ranking this year, including Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) in the top 100, while Spain has 13 representatives in the medical school ranking, with Universitat de Barcelona the highest ranked at 51-100.
The Netherlands and Belgium each have eight schools featured – the Netherlands’ highest entrant is the University of Amsterdam at 36th this year, while Belgium’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) are each ranked 51-100.
Heading to the Nordic countries, Sweden has seven entrants, including the well-known Karolinska Institute at sixth (up from 10th last year), plus two more in the top 100. Finland and Denmark each have five representatives in the medical school ranking, while Norway has four. Of these, the highest-ranked schools in these nations are Finland’s University of Helsinki (51-100), Denmark’s University of Copenhagen (37th) and Norway’s University of Oslo (101-150).
Elsewhere in Europe, Ireland can claim to host six leading medical schools, including the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) which is placed in the top 200. Also with six entrants is Switzerland, half of which are in the top 100. Portugal has five entries, with the University of Lisbon climbing from 301-400 to 251-300 this year.
Also home to some of the world’s most prestigious medical schools in Greece and Hungary with four representatives each, while the Czech Republic has three, including two new entrants.
Austria and Russia have two medical schools featured, with Austria’s Medizinische Universität Wien (Medical University of Vienna) ranked in the top 100. Finally, Estonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Croatia each have one representative in the medical school ranking.
Top Universities for Medicine in Asia
Asia is home to 104 of the 500 top medical schools featured this year, 31 of which are based in Japan while South Korea claims 21. Japan’s leading medical school is the University of Tokyo at 26th in the world, followed by Kyoto University and Osaka University at 51-100. Over in South Korea, Seoul National University is the country’s highest-ranked at 40th (up to eight places from last year).
Also home to 21 of the world’s leading medical departments is China, with Peking University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University its two highest-ranked at 51-100. Next is Taiwan with 10 medical schools featured, led by National Taiwan University (NTU) in 46th place.
Universiti Malaya (UM) is the leader amongst Malaysia’s six ranked medical schools at 101-150, while Thailand’s Mahidol University (101-150) leads the way out of the country’s five entrants.
Hong Kong claims three top medical schools with the University of Hong Kong (34th) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, joint 47th) both featured in the top 50.
India makes its first appearance in the medical school ranking this year with two entries, while Indonesia also has two representatives, with the University of Indonesia featured at 301-350.
Also, home to one top medical school each is Singapore, Pakistan, and the Philippines, with the National University of Singapore (NUS) leading by far at joint 29th.
Top Medical Schools in Latin America
Of the 34 top universities for medicine from the Latin American region, almost half (16) is found in Brazil. The country’s highest-ranked medical school is the Universidade de São Paulo at 51-100.
Chile and Colombia have five top medical schools featured each, with Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile the highest-ranked at 101-150. Mexico has three entrants, led by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) at 151-200, while Argentina has two, including the Universidad de Buenos Aires, which is also ranked 151-200 for medicine this year.
Venezuela and Uruguay are both new to the ranking with one entrant each, while Peru also features with one representative.
Top Medical Schools in Australia & New Zealand
Australia has 20 representatives in the medical school ranking this year, including five in the top 50: the University of Sydney (15th), the University of Melbourne (19th), Monash University (joint 29th), the University of Queensland (=42nd) and the University of New South Wales (50th).
In nearby New Zealand, two top universities for medicine are featured, both ranked 51-100: the University of Auckland and the University of Otago.
Top Universities for Medicine in Africa & the Middle East
South Africa is home to five institutions ranked within the world’s top medical schools, led by the University of Cape Town at 101-150. In the North, Egypt is home to three of the world’s top universities for medicine, including Cairo University at 251-300.
Elsewhere on the continent, Nigeria and Uganda both enter the medical school ranking with one entrant each, with Uganda’s Makerere University the highest ranked at 351-400.
And finally, 21 of the world’s top medical schools are found in the Middle Eastern region, with Iran home to the highest number (six), led by Tehran University of Medical Sciences at 251-300.
Israel claims five entrants, including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University, both ranked in the top 200. Turkey has four top medical schools, including Hacettepe University at 251-300, while Saudi Arabia’s three entrants are led by King Saud University, again ranked in the 251-300 range.
Finally, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, and Jordan each claim one institution in the medical school ranking each, with Lebanon’s American University of Beirut (AUB) the highest ranked at 251-300.