The University of South Florida’s medical school has been recognized as the best in the state and one of the best nationally for research, according to a U.S. News & World Report analysis.
In a list titled “The 2025 Best Medical Schools: Research,” U.S. News places the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as one of 16 nationally and the only one in Florida to receive a Tier 1 ranking, the highest designation.
The publication ranked the schools in two categories: research and primary care.
To determine the research ratings, U.S. News assembled data from more than 100 medical schools based on measures for research activity, student selectivity and faculty resources. The data was ranked into four tiers (Tier 4 was the lowest).
In the research category, the University of Florida and University of Miami were placed in Tier 2.
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“I am deeply grateful to our faculty physicians and researchers who are working hard every day to unlock scientific discoveries, heal our patients and train the next generation of physician leaders,” Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the medical school, said in a news release. “They come to work every day fueled by the spirit of scientific inquiry and a passion to help humanity.”
In the primary care rankings, only Florida State University fared as high as Tier 2 on state schools. USF, UF, UM, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and University of Central Florida were in Tier 3.
U.S. News said the category rated medical and osteopathic schools into four tiers based on primary care metrics, faculty and admissions data.
The publication ranked FSU at No. 51 in graduates practicing primary care and No. 8 in graduates in health professional shortage areas,.
“Having access to a primary care physician provides a foundation for healthy individuals and entire communities,” Dr. Alma Littles, dean of FSU’s med school, said in a statement. “This ranking underscores our commitment to serving the health care needs of Floridians – and we are proud that more than half of our graduates continue to live and work in this state.”
The growth of the Morsani college's research is evident in its research funding: a 158% increase from the National Institutes of Health and a 212% overall from fiscal year 2014 to 2024, according to the USF news release. It’s not known how recent NIH cap cuts by the Trump administration will affect future grants.
The medical school has benefited from USF's 2023 acceptance into the Association of American Universities. A high point last year included luring the headquarters of the Global Virus Network and addition to the faculty of the group's co-founder, Dr. Robert Gallo, a pioneering virologist.
“Over the many years I’ve been affiliated with the University of South Florida, it has been remarkable to see the journey of our medical school’s rise to now become the best in our state and among the top in the nation,” USF President Rhea Law said.
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In its release, the USF medical school touted a median 3.95 grade-point average and a Medical College Admission Test average of 520, placing it in the 97th percentile nationally. The MCAT is a standardized exam required for admission to medical schools.
The Morsani college's mean scores for the Step 2 Clinical Knowledge U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, used to determine preparedness and residency placement, were also among the nation’s highest: 257 in the past academic year with a 100% pass rate.
