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Top Medical Schools in 2015
By Laura Tucker
Updated March 26, 2020 Updated March 26, 2020Discover the top medical schools based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020.
If you’re a prospective medical student, you might be wondering where, out of the thousands of medical schools on the planet, you should study. If you’re aiming for one of the world’s highest-reputed medical universities, check out the latest QS University Rankings by Subject, extended this year to feature 400 of the world’s top medical schools.
The ranking is compiled based on global surveys of academics and employers, alongside data on research citations (find out more here). See below for an overview of the world’s leading medical departments, based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015.
Top 10 Medical Schools in the World
based on the QS World University Rankings 2015
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
5
Stanford University
United States
6
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
United States
7
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
8
Yale University
United States
9=
Karolinska Institute
Sweden
9=
UCL (University College London)
United Kingdom
See the full medical school ranking >
Top medical schools in the US & Canada
As you might imagine, the US lays claim to a particularly large number of the world’s leading medical schools, with 78 institutions featured among the top 400. Aside from six spots in the top 10, including Harvard University in first position, the US has a further 15 schools in the top 50. All ranked among the top 20 are: the University of Pennsylvania (13th in the world rankings), Duke University (25th in the world rankings), Columbia University (14th in the world rankings), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, 1st in the world rankings) and the University of Washington (65th in the world rankings).
For more information on studying in North America, see our regional guide.
Top medical schools in Europe
Offering almost as many top medical schools is Germany, with 31. Five German universities rank within the top 100, led by Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (39= for medicine; 49th in the world rankings). Next is Italy with 24 entries, including two among the top 100: Università degli Studi di Milano (University of Milan, 238th in the world rankings) and Università di Bologna (UNIBO, 182nd in the world rankings).
The Netherlands has eight entrants in the ranking, including three top-50 appearances. These are Erasmus University Rotterdam (90th in the world rankings), the University of Amsterdam (50th in the world rankings) and Leiden University (75th in the world rankings)
Belgium and Sweden each have seven schools featured. KU Leuven (51-100 for medicine; 82nd in the world rankings) is Belgium’s top offering, while the Karolinska Institute (9=) is Sweden’s. Sweden’s Lund University (60th in the world rankings) and Uppsala University (81st in the world rankings) are also ranked among the top 100 for medicine.
Another four entries each are claimed by Portugal, Greece, Hungary and Norway. Among these nations, the highest positions go to Norway’s University of Oslo (101st in the world rankings) and Hungary’s Semmelweis University – both within the world’s top 150 medical universities.
Austria has two representatives in the ranking, while the Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia and Croatia each have one. Russia also makes an appearance with Lomonosov Moscow State University (114th in the overall world rankings).
To read more about studying in Europe, see our regional guide.
Top medical schools in Asia
Japan’s leading entrant is the University of Tokyo (20th for medicine; 31st in the world rankings), followed by Kyoto University (46= for medicine; 36th in the world rankings) and Osaka University (51-100 for medicine; 55th in the world rankings). In South Korea, Seoul National University (SNU, 48th for medicine; 31st in the world rankings) and Yonsei University (51-100 for medicine; 106th in the world rankings) take the top spots.
Among China’s 11 entrants, the highest place goes to Peking University (57th in the world rankings), which appears in the top 100 for medicine. Taiwan has eight schools featured, including National Taiwan University (NTU, 41st for medicine; 76th in the world rankings) and Taipei Medical University (101-150 for medicine; 379th in the world rankings).
Although Hong Kong makes only two appearances in the medical school ranking, both are within the top 100: the University of Hong Kong (HKU, 28th for medicine; 28th in the world rankings) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK, 51-100 for medicine; 46th in the world rankings).
Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore all claim one entrant. Of these, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is by far the leader, ranked 21st for medicine and 22nd in the world rankings.
For an overall ranking of universities in Asia, see the latest QS University Rankings: Asia.
Top medical schools in Latin America
Colombia has three medical schools ranked within the world’s top 400, while Chile has two within the world’s top 250. These are Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC, 167th in the world rankings) and the Universidad de Chile (220th in the world rankings).
Mexico also has two schools featured – Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM, 151-200 for medicine; 175th in the world rankings) and Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN, 301-400 for medicine; 551-600 in the world rankings). And Argentina has one, the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA, 151-200 for medicine; 198th in the world rankings).
To view the latest overall Latin American university rankings, see the QS University Rankings: Latin America.
Top medical schools in Australia & New Zealand
In neighboring New Zealand, two top medical schools feature in our rankings – the University of Auckland (51-100 for medicine; 92nd in the world rankings), and the University of Otago (101-150 for medicine; 159th in the world rankings).
Learn more about studying in Australia and Zealand here.
Top medical schools in Africa & the Middle East
A further two entries are found in Egypt – Ain Shams University (701+ in the world rankings) and Cairo University (551-600 in the world rankings).
Heading north-east, Israel has four entries in the medical school ranking, including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (138th in the world rankings), Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (190th in the world rankings) and Tel Aviv University (195th in the world rankings), all ranked in the top 200. Lebanon’s sole entrant is the American University of Beirut (AUB, 251-300 for medicine; 249th in the world rankings).
Turkey claims three of the world’s top medical universities, of which the highest-ranked is Istanbul University (601-650 in the world rankings). Saudi Arabia and Iran each have one entrant; King Saud University (KSU, 301-400 for medicine; 249th in the world rankings) and Tehran University of Medical Sciences (201-250 for medicine; not featured in the world rankings).
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This article was originally published in April 2015 . It was last updated in March 2020
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Laura is a former staff writer for TopUniversities.com, providing advice and guidance for students on a range of topics helping them to choose where to study, get admitted and find funding and scholarships. A graduate of Queen Mary University of London, Laura also blogs about student life.
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