The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is the highest ranked medical school in
the country and the only school to receive a perfect score of 100 in a new Medical
Excellence Index ranking released Wednesday by a national medical policy group.
The Medical Excellence Index, created by the Center for Accountability in Medicine,
a new project of the policy group Do No Harm, highlights medical schools that adhere
to “core principles of excellence and merit instead of political ideology.”
The Morsani College of Medicine’s exceptional student GPAs and MCAT scores and the
college’s rigorous curriculum helped propel the college to the top of the rankings.
Students in the incoming Class of 2029 boast a median undergraduate GPA of 3.96 and
a median MCAT score of 520, placing them among the top 3% of U.S. medical school students.
These two scores account for 60% of the group’s ranking.
USF also received top marks because the Morsani College of Medicine uses a tiered
grading system rather than a pass-fail system. This approach emphasizes academic excellence,
accountability and clinical competence. Additionally, the Center for Accountability in Medicine ranked schools higher if they reward student achievement by maintaining a chapter of the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha, as USF has
since 1976. Membership is determined by academic achievement.
“We are incredibly proud of our dedicated faculty, merit-based admissions process,
competency-based curriculum and remarkable medical student achievements as well as
their commitment to the highest standards of excellence,” said Charles J. Lockwood,
MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of
Medicine. “Our students recognize that demonstrating academic excellence is vital
to providing the best care to our patients. As this ranking shows, we are preparing
our future physician leaders to save lives and improve health for the people of Florida
and our nation.”
In the new Medical Excellence Index, the Center for Accountability in Medicine also
scored medical schools higher if they do not maintain an office of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion or support DEI in their mission statements. USF does not have a DEI
office and has not allowed race or gender preferences in admissions since 1999, following
an executive order signed by then Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
The next three schools in the rankings, each receiving 92 out of 100 points, are the
NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan Medical School.
This No. 1 ranking builds upon the Morsani College of Medicine’s recent recognition
from U.S. News & World Report as a Tier 1 medical school for research, making it the top-ranked program in Florida
and one of the 16 highest rated medical schools in the nation.