The University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine has been named the highest-rated medical school in the nation in a new Medical School Excellence Index released Wednesday.
Morsani was the only med school with a perfect score of 100 in the inaugural ranking by the Center for Accountability in Medicine, a conservative-leaning policy group.
The index evaluates schools based on student academic performance (grades, Medical College Admision Test), the rigor of their grading systems and recognition of student achievement through honor societies.
It also awards higher scores to schools that do not maintain a formal diversity, equity and inclusion office or consider race or gender in admissions, reflecting an ideological emphasis on merit and traditional metrics of excellence.
Morsani’s incoming Class of 2029 posted a median undergraduate grade-point average of 3.96 and a median MCAT score of 520, placing students in the top 3% nationally. These measures accounted for 60% of the ranking.
The school also uses a tiered grading system, emphasizing accountability and clinical competence, and maintains a chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, which has recognized student achievement at USF since 1976.
USF has not had a DEI office and has followed a race- and gender-neutral admissions policy since 1999, following an executive order signed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
The No. 1 ranking builds on USF’s recognition by U.S. News & World Report in April as a Tier 1 research medical school, making it Florida’s top-ranked program. The Morsani school was one of 16 programs nationally placed in Tier 1.
The next three schools in the index are New York University Grossman School of Medicine, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan Medical School, each with 92 points.
In overall grades handed out by the center, USF was given an A, as did the medical schools at Florida Atlantic University, University of Central Florida and
University of Florida.
Nova Southeastern University's medical school earned a C, the University of Miami's a B, and Florida State University's a D.
The Center for Accountability in Medicine was launched last month by the conservative nonprofit Do No Harm, which advocates against DEI policies in health care.
