If you are interested in attending medical school, you should start gathering information about schooling options well in advance of when you need to enroll. While there are many details that you will need to consider as you search for a school that is perfect for you, some of the most important considerations will likely be reputation, location, and cost of attendance.

When you consider that most medical school graduates leave school with more than $100,000 in student loan debt, cost becomes quite important for most people. The way medical schools are rated is also a very important aspect of choosing which school to attend, as you want to be certain that you will graduate with a degree that will be honored and respected by potential employers.

Choosing the Best Research School

In this article, we provide you with an overview of the 10 highest rated medical schools in the world as they have been rated by independent news sources. This particular ranking is for the top research schools, though other types of rankings do exist concerning areas such as primary care and various medical specialties.

• Harvard University – Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard consistently ranks among the best schools anywhere. Annual tuition cost of $39,900.
• Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, Maryland. Annual tuition cost of $38,000.
• University of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Annual tuition cost of $41,036.
• Washington University in St. Louis – St. Louis, Missouri. Annual tuition cost of $45,550.
• University of California–San Francisco – San Francisco, California. Annual tuition cost of $12,245 (out-of-state and international students).
• Duke University – Durham, North Carolina. Annual tuition cost of $41,126.
• Stanford University – Stanford, California. Annual tuition cost of $43,389.
• University of Washington – Seattle, Washington. Annual tuition cost of $45,527 (out-of-state and international students).
• Yale University – New Haven, Connecticut. Annual tuition cost of $42,350.
• Columbia University – New York, New York. Annual tuition cost of $43,140.

Other Top Schools

In addition to the medical schools listed above, there are other top-rated institutions that you might want to consider. Two schools that are currently ranked as the eleventh and fifteenth best in the world are the University of California–Los Angeles and the University of California–San Diego, respectively. Both of these institutions offer students an excellent education at an affordable price. For out of state and international students, the annual cost of tuition is under $13,000 per year, not including fees.

The University of Michigan–Ann Arbor is ranked twelfth in the world with an annual out of state tuition cost of approximately $41,000. The University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois is ranked thirteenth in the world and has an annual tuition cost of about $37,000. Holding the rank of fourteenth best medical school is the University of Pittsburgh with an annual out of state tuition rate of $40,772.

For additional information about the top-rated medical schools in the world, see the US News and World Report.