Johns Hopkins Takes Top Spot in U.S. News’ Best Research Medical Schools Ranking Preview

In the U.S. News’ preview of its 2024 Best Medical Schools (Research), Johns Hopkins University overtook perennial leader, Harvard, for the top rank. The full rankings will be released April 18th.  

In addition to the noteworthy change at the top, significant movement occurred elsewhere within the top-ranked schools when compared to the 2023 rankings. 

• University of Michigan and Northwestern University entered the elite tier of medical schools, climbing to 9th and 12th, respectively, from a tie at 17th last year. 

• Three schools dropped out of the top 15: University of Washington (ranked 8th in 2023), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ranked 11th in 2023), and Vanderbilt University (ranked 13th in 2023). 

• NYU Grossman saw a sharp decline, although it still remained in the top 15, falling from 2nd in 2023 to 13th in 2024. 

• Washington University in St. Louis climbed seven spots from last year, moving from the 11th rank in 2023, to tie for 4th in 2024. 

Rank School

1 Johns Hopkins University, +2 from 2023

2 University of Pennsylvania (Perelman), +4

3 Harvard University, -2

4 University of California—San Francisco (tie), -1

4 Washington University in St. Louis (tie), +7

6 Columbia University, -3

7 Stanford University (tie), +1

7 Yale University (tie), +3

9 Duke University (tie), -3

9 University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (tie), +8

11 University of Pittsburgh, +3

12 Northwestern University (Feinberg), +5

13 New York University (Grossman), -11

14 Cornell University (Weill) (tie), no change

14 Mayo Clinic School of Medicine (Alix) (tie), no change

U.S. News has also made changes to their ranking methodology, which includes the addition of a research quality metric, increased weight given to faculty-student ratios, and a reduced weight for reputation surveys, MCAT, and GPA scores.

Briefly addressing the departure of many medical schools from the rankings—including those at Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Duke and University of Chicago—U.S. News explained that it ranked all schools using publicly available data from the National Institutes of Health, as well as data submitted through surveys in 2023 (or 2022 if 2023 was not available).  

The Chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report Accuses Elite Law and Medical Schools of Evading Accountability

The U.S. News & World Report has publicly defended its rankings, hitting back at the elite law and medical schools that have staged public boycotts. Eric Gertler, Executive Chairman and CEO of U.S. News & World Report, penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed, which was ffollowed a day later by a full-page ad in the Boston Globe timed to coincide with a conference hosted by Harvard and Yale Law Schools on “best practices in data.” 

While US News & World Report’s previous response to the boycott focused on responding to criticisms of the methodology and seeking collaboration, more recently, they have taken a defensive stance. Gertler’s op-ed not only defended the rankings, but also leveled sharp accusations towards the withdrawing schools. He accused them of evading accountability and not wanting to rely on an independent third party that they cannot control. Gertler then went on to tie the schools’ decision to withdraw from the rankings to the Supreme Court’s current review of the use of affirmative action in school admissions decisions. He proposes that elite schools are currently de-emphasizing GPA and standardized test scores in admissions, in advance of the decision, to provide themselves more leeway in the future. 

“There is added urgency as the Supreme Court considers a pair of cases on affirmative action that could change admission norms. Some law deans are already exploring ways to sidestep any restrictive ruling by reducing their emphasis on test scores and grades—criteria used in our rankings,” Gertler wrote.

In defending the rankings, which Gertler admits cannot accommodate every nuance in educational excellence, he points to the ranking’s ability to provide “accurate, comprehensive information that empowers students to compare institutions and identify the factors that matter most to them.” And, he concludes, the elite schools that have withdrawn have ended their participation in a critical national discourse about what constitutes excellence in education. 

Harvard Medical School and University of Washington School of Medicine Maintain Top Ranking in US News’ Ranking of Research and Primary Care Medical Schools

Among research-oriented medical schools, Harvard and NYU Grossman maintained their positions in the top two spots of the US News ranking. However, the top ten did see movement with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine moving up into the third spot, from a tie at seventh place last year. Johns Hopkins shares the third rank, in a three-way tie, with Columbia University and University of California San Francisco. University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine also moved upwards, from ninth place last year to a tie at number six this year. Perelman shares the sixth rank with Duke University.

Find the complete 2023 Best Medical Schools: Research ranking.

For the primary care ranking, the top two schools maintained their places with University of Washington first, followed by the University of California San Francisco. Two new schools entered the top ten—University of California Davis moved up three spots to the eighth rank, from eleventh last year, and University of Pittsburgh had a meteoric rise into the top ten from the thirty-fourth rank last year. The school shares the tenth rank, in a three-way tie, with University of Kansas Medical Center and University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Find the complete 2023 Best Medical Schools: Primary Care ranking.