Medical doctors are amongst the most highly respected professionals globally, and medical schools are one of the most desirable and challenging institutions in the world. When people think of the best medical schools, they might not instantly think of Ohio, which is often overlooked in favor of coastal states.
But Ohio is home to some of the top-ranked medical schools in the country. These medical schools prepare college graduates for the critical, challenging, high-stakes work of medical professionals.
With such a sturdy lineup of well-respected medical schools, Ohio medical schools are starting to get more and more attention which means more competition.
Luckily, this blog post lists the best medical schools in Ohio. By the time you are done reading it, you will be prepared to narrow down your options and get accepted!
Best Medical Schools in Ohio
Here are the top 7 best medical schools in Ohio
- Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (Athens, OH)
- Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine (Rootstown, OH)
- Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (Dayton, OH)
- University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences (Toledo, OH)
- University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Cincinnati, OH)
- Ohio State University College of Medicine (Columbus, OH)
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, OH)
Below I will explain my rankings in details
7. Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (Athens, OH)
The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) is the medical school of Ohio University and is Ohio’s only osteopathic college. US News ranks OU-HCOM in the #93-123 grouping of both medical schools for research and medical schools for primary care.
OU-HCOM’s mission focuses on primary care practice, especially in underserved regions of Ohio such as the Appalachian and urban areas. Graduates receive a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) and are eligible to practice medicine all across the United States and in 50 countries worldwide.
In terms of curriculum, students can choose to follow one of two tracks during the first two years of their studies: the Patient-Centered Continuum (PCC) and the Clinical Presentation Continuum (CPC). PCC is more hands-on with extensive patient interaction. While, CPC is the more traditional track, which centres on lectures, problem sets, and panel discussions.
During the last two years of medical school, students train at one of 29 teaching hospitals associated with the Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education (CORE), a statewide medical education conglomerate founded by Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Medical students enrolled in this highly sought-after medical school have ample opportunities to modify their desired learning programs to what will best suit their educational and future career goals.
Successful applicants to OH-HCOM have an average GPA of 3.65, and an average MCAT score of 502.
The tuition is $36,785 for In-state, and $51,416 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.65.
- MCAT of 502.
6. Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine (Rootstown, OH)
Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine (NEOMED), is situated in the rural town of Rootstown, OH. The medical school is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). As a public university, NEOMED has partnerships with four fellow state universities: Akron, Cleveland State, Youngstown State, and Kent State, in addition to one private school, Hiram College, which increases the resources available to medical students.
In keeping with the school’s location in rural northeastern Ohio, the curriculum focuses on community and public health. Its Integrated Steps Curriculum aims to develop five key traits in future doctors: competence, character, communication, caring, and community. NEOMED students gain experience in community-level medical care through training in community hospitals and ambulatory care settings. Additionally, clinical teaching occurs at 17 community hospitals, of which 8 are major teaching facilities. These facilities together have nearly 6,500 patient beds and 1,800 clinical faculty members.
The majority of students who graduate from this medical school remain in the area afterwards. This further provides the local citizens with better overall local healthcare services.
Applicants to NEOMED should have an average GPA of 3.67, an average college BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math) GPA of 3.6, and an average MCAT score of 505.
The tuition is $40,947 for In-state, and $78,392 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.6.
- MCAT of 505.
5. Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (Dayton, OH)
The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine is ranked by US News in the #93-123 grouping among medical schools for research and #80 among medical schools for primary care. It is located in Dayton, Ohio.
The Boonshoft School of Medicine is accredited by the LCME and partners with industry leaders such as the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the American Heart Association, Miami Valley Division.
Instead of conducting clinical training at a university-based hospital, the Boonshoft School of Medicine is associated with eight major teaching hospitals in the area and has additional affiliation agreements with dozens of other health care facilities in Miami Valley. As a result, students and resident physicians get to come across various ranges of patients and health care facilities.
The medical school offers various degree paths and offers residency training programs in 13 major medical specialties, and additional fellowship training in another 10 sub-specialties. The medical school also offers a master’s degree in public health and pharmacy/toxicology.
Admission to the Boonshoft School of Medicine is highly selective. For the Class of 2023, the acceptance rate was 3.94%. Out of 6,182 that applied, 243 were admitted and 119 matriculated. Successful applicants had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.7 and an average MCAT score of 509.
Those who were accepted learn from a faculty lineup that includes NASA physicians, aerospace engineers, and the Air Force Surgeon General.
The tuition is $35,714 for In-state, and $53,174 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.7.
- MCAT of 509.
4. University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences (Toledo, OH)
University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences is ranked by US News in the #93-123 grouping of both medical schools for research and medical schools for primary care. The medical school is located in Toledo, Ohio.
The school is home to 596 clinical faculty members and 715 medical students and focuses on cutting-edge medical technologies and research developments. In 2015, the medical school announced a new 50-year partnership with the Toledo-based health system ProMedica to fortify the quality of medical education and expand Toledo’s clinical training capacity.
Under the banner of “the next generation of medicine,” the medical school and ProMedica aim to create a world-class academic medical centre, attract and retain top talent, and expand medical research and economic development.
This well-respected medical school in Toledo, Ohio offers several degree options that include standard medical degrees, convenient dual degree programs, top-notch graduate degree opportunities, and certificate options.
The campus also boasts of an innovative Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center that brings medical students into the complex medical reality of medicine and healthcare. This unique setting and educational opportunity prepare students for after graduation life in their chosen medical field.
As such, the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences is recognized as the first medical school to integrate 3 different integrated simulation skills centres under one college campus.
Today, medical students train in progressive anatomy with a state-of-the-art surgical skills centre, an advanced simulation centre, and a virtual immersive reality centre.
The University of Toledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences practices very selective admissions. For the 2020 entering class, the medical school got 6,115 applications for an incoming class of 176 students.
Successful applicants had an average total GPA of 3.7 and an average MCAT score of 510.
The tuition is $34,843 for In-state, and $65,973 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.7.
- MCAT of 510.
3. University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Cincinnati, OH)
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is ranked by US News #42 for Best Medical Schools in Research and #59 for Best Medical Schools in Primary Care. One of the biggest magnets of the university is its location in Cincinnati, a lively yet often overlooked city with great culture, sports, and places to explore.
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, originally known as the Medical College of Ohio, was the first college of medicine to be established in the state of Ohio.
The medical school boasts of many significant achievements since its founding in 1819. It developed the heart-lung machine, Benadryl, the Fogarty heart catheter, and the Clark oxygen electrode.
Additionally, it founded the first residency program in emergency medicine in the entire US. One of the College’s most famous specialties is its neurosurgical research into degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Medical students that graduated from this stellar medical college will no doubt join the ranks of many eminent alumni that have gone on to make a positive mark on the medical field with important medical and research-related contributions.
Admission to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is highly selective. For the 2020 class profile, successful applicants had an average science GPA of 3.8, and an average MCAT score of 517.
Approximately half of the incoming class tends to hail from Ohio, while the other half represents students from all across the country.
Interestingly, UC College of Medicine was the first medical school in the US to implement the Canadian multiple mini interview (MMI) system, which aims to better assess which applicants have exceptional interpersonal skills and strong ethical decision-making capacities.
The tuition is $31,568 for In-state, and $49,832 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.8.
- MCAT of 517.
2. Ohio State University College of Medicine (Columbus, OH)
The Ohio State University College of Medicine is located in the state capital, Columbus. The medical school was ranked by US News #33 in Best Medical Schools in Research and #28 in Best Medical Schools in Primary Care.
The College of Medicine’s two primary teaching hospitals, Ohio State University Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, are both highly ranked as well: US News gives Ohio State University Hospital a national ranking in 9 adult specialties and assigns Nationwide Children’s Hospital the #8 position nationally on the Best Children’s Honor Roll.
This means that Ohio State University College of Medicine students have access to very high-quality resources and training in the classroom and in the field.
Ohio State University College of Medicine faculty have made some eccentric research contributions throughout the years, including discovering a revolutionary drug to treat heart failure, defining Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, inventing the first inferior vena cava filter, and numerous advances in cancer treatment research.
The Ohio State University Hospital is home to some of the innovative advances in robotic surgery.
Ohio State University College of Medicine has been part of the healthcare training network for over 100 successful years with top-notch learning opportunities in medicine and scientific-based patient care.
There are well over 2,000 plus faculty members with a wealth of knowledge that they are happy to share with the next generation of doctors, medical researchers, and scientists excited to learn from these innovators.
Admission to this College of Medicine is extremely selective. For the incoming Class of 2020, the school accepted approximately 6% of applicants, with an average GPA of 3.8, and an average MCAT score of 517.
The tuition is $30,800 for In-state, and $53,488 for Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- Public school.
- GPA of 3.8.
- MCAT of 517.
1. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, OH)
The top-ranked medical school in all of Ohio is Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, located in Cleveland. The only private school on this list.
US News ranks CaseMed #25 in Best Medical Schools in Research and #74 in Best Medical Schools in Primary Care. Additionally, CaseMed is the largest biomedical research centre in all of Ohio. And is the number 1 medical school that includes the largest biomedical research learning institute in Ohio.
CaseMed was a pioneer in educating female doctors, and the medical school has always set very high admissions standards and requirements. Among CaseMed’s faculty, alumni, and affiliates are dozens of Nobel laureates.
The CaseMed educational experience is categorized by small group learning and hands-on training through programs such as the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. CaseMed was the first to introduce the organ systems method to teaching the basic sciences, and its Western Reserve2 Curriculum (WR2), which is self-directed, learner-centred, and based on close-knit interactions, has been widely praised for its innovative nature.
For over 175 years, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has been considered a chief medical education institute remaining at the vanguard of medical education reviews through the years.
This Ohio medical school offers more than 22 degree and program options and is also nationally ranked at number 14 for turning out well-educated faculty graduates. Students can opt for the Medical Scientist Training Program or the more traditional University Program that has been around since 1843.
The medical school graduates more African American doctors making it a diverse and inclusive college campus environment.
Medical students here get the vast benefits of this higher learning institute’s ongoing affiliation with 4 local community-leading hospitals.
Unsurprisingly, admission to CaseMed is exceptionally selective. For the entering class of 2020, CaseMed received over 8,000 applications for an entering class size of 215. Admitted students had an average GPA of 3.8, and an average MCAT score of 518.
The tuition is $64,418 and it is the same for In-state, and Out-of-state.
Key takeaways.
- private school.
- GPA of 3.8.
- MCAT of 518.
Final note
These are the best medical schools in Ohio, so if you considering studying in Ohio, these medical schools are ones you should consider.
