USF Health Morsani College of Medicine ranks No. 1 in the nation for second straight year in Medical School Excellence Index

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine has been ranked the No. 1 medical school in the country for the second consecutive year in the 2026 Medical School Excellence Index, released today by the Center for Accountability in Medicine.

USF was the only university to receive a perfect score of 100, a designation the college also earned last year.

The Morsani College of Medicine received top marks for the outstanding GPAs and MCAT scores of its admitted students, as well as the college's overall approach to medical admissions. This year, the college welcomed the strongest incoming class of medical students in its history, setting new college records with a median MCAT score of 521 - equal to the top 2% nationally - and a median GPA of 3.98.

"I am so pleased to see the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine place first again on the Medical Excellence Index," said Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. "This high ranking is a testament to our hard-working faculty and our amazing students. They share a deep commitment to excellence and a dedication to working to achieve that level of excellence. Our students understand that our rigorous curriculum is designed to prepare them to provide the absolute best care for our patients. They will go on to be the future physician leaders who save lives and improve health for the people of Florida and our nation."

The Medical School Excellence Index ranks allopathic and osteopathic medical schools according to "measurable standards of academic excellence, institutional resistance to politicized ideology and transparency about student performance."

The rankings report states that USF Health Morsani College of Medicine "has established itself as a model of what medical education can look like when academic standards remain paramount and ideological capture is resisted." The Center for Accountability in Medicine is a project of Do No Harm, a national medical policy group.

In addition to the competitive of its incoming students, the college was recognized for its rigorous approach to medical education, including its use of tiered grading, a system designed to prioritize academic excellence, transparency and accountability. USF received further credit for maintaining a chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, a national medical honor society with membership determined by academic achievement. The Morsani College of Medicine has held an AOA chapter since 1976.

The Center for Accountability in Medicine also awarded higher scores to programs without offices of diversity, equity and inclusion or statements supporting DEI in their mission. USF does not have a DEI office and has not permitted race or gender preferences in admissions since 1999, following an executive order signed by then Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Four medical schools tied for second place in the rankings: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

USF's No. 1 ranking adds to the Morsani College of Medicine's continued national recognition for medical excellence. Earlier this year, the college earned the highest possible Tier 1 rating for research from U.S. News & World Report, making it one of just 16 medical schools to receive this top ranking. USF became the first medical school in Florida to achieve Tier 1 status in 2025 and is the only in the state to have held the honor consecutively.