Reviewed by:
Former Admissions Committee Member, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Reviewed: 4/2/24
Are you interested in studying psychiatry? To help you choose the right psychiatry residency program for you, take a look at our guide.
A psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in mental health. They often work in private practices, hospitals, prisons, and other similar settings. For such an important field, adequate education and training are needed to help those needing mental health specialists.
A great way to gain the knowledge necessary is by enrolling in a residency program. Additionally, adequate education and training are also important.
In this guide, we’ll go over the best residency programs for psychiatry. We’ll also help you decide when to choose a residency program, go over deciding factors, and more.
Below is an extensive list of the best psychiatry residency programs in the U.S.
Below is an extensive list of the best psychiatry residency programs in the U.S.
Ranking: #1 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: New York, New York
GPA: 3.9
MCAT score: 522
Faculty-student ratio: 4:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $66,816
Website: https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/
Columbia University Medical School has an excellent Psychiatry Residency program. PGY1’s, PGY2’s, and PGY3’s have classes daily, while PGY4s have classes three times a week. The resident’s classes coincide with their clinical activities to help them develop the skills and knowledge needed for future practice.
Ranking: #2 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
GPA: 3.9
MCAT score: 520
Faculty-student ratio: 14.6:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $66,284
Website: https://psych.hms.harvard.edu/
Harvard University Medical School has a Psychiatry Residency program and is among one of the most respected programs in the U.S. The program teaches students to:
Harvard University Medical School offers an outstanding education to students and is a great school to consider for your psychiatry residency.
Ranking: #3 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
GPA: 3.92
MCAT score: 521
Faculty-student ratio: 5.2:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $59,700
Website: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/
The Psychiatry Residency program at Johns Hopkins University Medical School allows students to foster outstanding clinical experience. When residents graduate, they have the opportunity to work in every clinical practice setting and lead clinical and research teams.
The curriculum incorporates lectures, seminars, and recitations. The curriculum and the clinical rotations prepare students for a career in the psychiatric field.
Ranking: #4 (Tie) in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: San Francisco, California
GPA: 3.8
MCAT score: In the 90th percentile
Faculty-student ratio: 3.9:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $38,073
Website: https://psych.ucsf.edu/rtp/residents
The University of California-San Francisco Medical School has an Adult Psychiatry Residency Training program that trains residents to become leaders in this area of healthcare. They offer students a didactic curriculum, clinical experiences, and clinical fellowships. Residents can expect top-notch education from one of the best medical schools in the country.
Ranking: #4 (Tie) in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GPA: 3.9
MCAT score: 521
Faculty-student ratio: 4.6:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $61,586
Website: https://www.med.upenn.edu/psychiatry/
The University of Pennsylvania Medical School has a Psychiatry Residency program where residents participate in clinical experiences, the didactic curriculum, and research. The didactic curriculum integrates many aspects of modern psychiatry into different departments of Neuroscience, PsychoPharmacology, and Psychotherapy.
Opportunities are available to residents who want to venture into the research field. These research opportunities are presented as mentorships, monthly forums, peer networking, protected research time, and funding opportunities.
Ranking: #6 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
GPA: 3.8
MCAT score: 519
Faculty-student ratio: 4.2:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $67,484
Website: https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/
The Psychiatry Residency program at Yale University offers residents clinical and centralized didactic curriculum and research training. Residents participate in both inpatient and outpatient work in various settings for their clinical curriculum. Besides the clinical curriculum, residents also take classes based on the didactic curriculum.
Ranking: #7 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
GPA: 3.8
MCAT score: 514
Faculty-student ratio: 4.4:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $61,194
Website: https://www.psychiatry.pitt.edu/
The General Psychiatry Residency program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School offers diverse clinical experiences. They offer training experiences in neuroscience, psychotherapy, and psychosocial interventions.
The medical school also has a five-week clerkship opportunity where third-year students can work in both inpatient and ambulatory settings. In addition to the clerkship, students also attend learning sessions to learn fundamental skills for the field.
Ranking: #8 (Tie) in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: New York, NY
GPA: 3.91
MCAT score: 519
Faculty-student ratio: 4.1:1
Program length: Four Years
In-state tuition: $62,650
Website: https://psychiatry.weill.cornell.edu/
Cornell University's psychiatry residency program stands out for its excellence in several key ways. It boasts a renowned faculty of leading experts, cutting-edge research opportunities, a diverse patient population, and strong emphasis on holistic, patient-centered care. Its location in the heart of New York City provides unmatched clinical exposure, making it a top choice for aspiring psychiatrists.
Ranking: #8 (Tie) in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Durham, North Carolina
GPA: 3.9
MCAT score: 520
Faculty-student ratio: 2.7:1
Program length: Five years
In-state tuition: $63,310
Website: https://medicine.duke.edu/education-and-training/
The Medicine-Psychiatry Residency program at Duke University Medical School teaches students to be compassionate when providing medical and psychiatric care to diverse populations. The program's goal is to provide residents with comprehensive training in medicine and psychiatry.
Graduates of the residency program are eligible for board certification in both disciplines. The program combines the disciplines through didactics, case conferences, and journal article discussions which take place weekly. This unique residency allows residents to venture out to medicine and psychiatry.
Ranking: #8 (Tie) in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Los Angeles, CA
MCAT score: 514
Faculty-student ratio: 3.6:1
Program length: Four Years
In-state tuition: $40,562
Website: https://residency.semel.ucla.edu/
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) psychiatry residency program stands out for its unique blend of cutting-edge research opportunities, multicultural patient exposure, and a strong emphasis on fostering diversity and inclusion. Its location in a culturally vibrant and diverse city enriches clinical experiences, making UCLA's program distinctive and highly sought after.
Ranking: #12 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: New York, New York
GPA: 3.9
MCAT score: 523
Faculty-student ratio: 2.5:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $0
Website: https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/psychiatry/
The Psychiatry Residency program at New York University Medical School provides students with clinical, academic, and research opportunities. The school emphasizes research and encourages students to pursue research opportunities.
Students also attend a class weekly as a part of their didactic curriculum. The didactic curriculum focuses on cultural, structural, and global mental health. The curriculum focuses on those components because the school is aware that the drivers of socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial inequalities in mental health are socially based.
Ranking: #12 in Best Medical Schools for Psychiatry
Location: Stanford, California
MCAT score: 519
Faculty-student ratio: 2.3:1
Program length: Four years
In-state tuition: $63,747
Website: https://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/
Stanford Medical School offers a General Psychiatry Residency program consisting of clinical rotations and events where residents interact and teach medical students on their rotations. Students also have the opportunity to do their rotations at Stanford Outpatient Clinics, Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto VA, and Menlo Park VA.
Besides the clinical rotations, students also follow a didactic curriculum where they meet once a week for a few hours.
If you still have questions after reading this guide, check out these frequently asked questions.
According to the U.S. News, the best residency program for psychiatry is at Columbia University, followed by:
These Ivy League schools are extremely competitive, but they do offer the best programs in the country for a psychiatry residency. It’s also important to note that these schools do offer scholarships, fellowships, and loans to help with the cost of tuition.
No, psychiatry isn’t a competitive residency. The probability of a person matching is about 76%. Recent data shows that psychiatry had 2,486 applicants and 1,858 spots. However, when it comes to M.D. seniors, it is even less competitive for them.
As with anything else a person is studying, hard work is one of the main components that determines if something is going to be complicated or not. Hard work is also needed to make things easier when you're invested in a program.
However, psychiatry may be complex for those who find science, not their strongest suit. However, you probably don't have that problem because you've graduated from medical school.
Choosing the best psychiatry residency program can be a difficult decision to make. There are plenty of great schools out there that can offer you a great education and excellent training. However, after reading this guide, you'll better understand what each school offers.
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