Reviewed by:
Former Chief Resident in Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, & Admissions Officer, Columbia University
Reviewed: 2/2/24
Curious about applying to medical schools in Florida? This article will take you through the best medical schools that the Sunshine State has to offer.
Florida is home to several impressive medical schools. Many are rapidly becoming some of the best medical schools in the nation thanks to their ground-breaking research and integrative, hands-on approach to community health care.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the best Florida medical schools, including admission requirements and tips for getting accepted.
To help you find the institution that’s the best fit for you, let’s take a look at various Florida med schools and what they can offer to potential future students.
This comprehensive list of medical schools in Florida gives you a brief overview of what to expect when becoming a medical student in the sunshine state.
The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton. According to U.S. News, Schmidt College of Medicine ranked #106 in research and #112-123 for primary care.
Schmidt College of Medicine has several requirements you need before applying, including completing an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. These requirements also include a list of prerequisite courses that range from various chemistry classes to English.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the prerequisite course list as well as the average admissions statistics (below) before applying to Schmidt College of Medicine.
In addition to these requirements, Schmidt College of Medicine also requires you to take the CASPer test, a standardized test that demonstrates your judgment and critical thinking skills.
Schmidt College of Medicine uses a holistic approach to select applicants and will consider your grades, MCAT score, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities.
The Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University is located in Boca Raton. According to U.S. News, Schmidt College of Medicine ranked #106 in research and #112-123 for primary care.
Schmidt College of Medicine has several requirements you need before applying, including completing an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. These requirements also include a list of prerequisite courses that range from various chemistry classes to English.
Be sure to familiarize yourself with the prerequisite course list as well as the average admissions statistics (below) before applying to Schmidt College of Medicine.
In addition to these requirements, Schmidt College of Medicine also requires you to take the CASPer test, a standardized test that demonstrates your judgment and critical thinking skills.
Schmidt College of Medicine uses a holistic approach to select applicants and will consider your grades, MCAT score, extracurricular activities, and personal qualities.
Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine is Florida International University’s medical school. U.S. News ranked Wertheim #106 in research and #102 for primary care.
Wertheim has certain academic requirements in place for both in-state and out-of-state applicants. These include a list of prerequisite courses that vary from organic chemistry to English. Applicants are also expected to have completed their MCAT with a competitive score.
While Wertheim is not quite as competitive as other Ivy League medical schools, you will still need a strong application and interview to receive an offer from Wertheim.
Additionally, your previous volunteer work and clinical experiences will be of particular interest to Wertheim’s admissions committee. This is because the institution provides its students with abundant opportunities to participate in mobile health initiatives designed for underserved communities and other community-based medical services.
Located in the state capital of Tallahassee, Florida State University College of Medicine is ranked #98 in research and #71 for primary care by the U.S. News categories.
Florida State has a list of academic requirements that include both required and recommended courses. They list six undergraduate courses as requirements and four as recommended, however, it would be a good idea to enroll in all ten if this is your dream school. Laboratory experience will be a huge boon to your application so be sure to prioritize that for this school.
Florida State requires you to achieve a minimum grade of C in all of their required courses.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine focuses on the theory and practice of osteopathic medicine and is known across the country for its excellence in teaching osteopathic medicine. U.S. News ranked LECOM as #84th for primary care and #118-130 for research.
The admission requirements at LECOM are fairly typical of other Florida med schools. They require applicants to maintain a 2.7 science GPA, however, their student populace’s average is 3.2. LECOM also lists several undergraduate courses as required to be considered for acceptance.
In their prerequisite courses, LECOM requires a minimum grade of C.
Nova Southeastern University’s College of Allopathic Medicine is Florida’s newest college of medicine, having just opened its doors in 2018 in the town of Davie, just outside Fort Lauderdale.
Despite its absence from the U.S. News rankings, it’s incredibly difficult to get into Nova Southeastern’s College of Allopathic Medicine. To be considered for admission, you need to meet the following academic requirements:
There is no set grade, GPA, or MCAT score to get into the College of Allopathic Medicine, but they do note that your MCAT score and GPA will be the first items looked at when your application is initially screened.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University is ranked #112-130 in the U.S. News rankings in both the primary care category and the research category.
To get into the College of Osteopathic Medicine, there are a few academic requirements that you will need to meet. These include several undergraduate courses, like English and Biochemistry, in which you have three to eight hours of work experience per course.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine requires you to achieve a minimum grade of C(or 2.0 GPA) in their required courses.
Located in Orlando, the University of Central Florida College of Medicine ranked #98 in research and #112-123 in the primary care category, according to U.S. News.
University of Central Florida College of Medicine lists its academic requirements as a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum MCAT score of 500. That being said, as indicated in the table below, the average score for both is 3.84 and 515 respectively.
The University of Central Florida also lists several course requirements needed during your undergrad to be accepted.
Along with these academic requirements, Central Florida will also consider the clinical experiences, community work, and extracurriculars outlined in your primary and secondary applications.
U.S. News ranked the University of Florida College of Medicine 35th in research and 84th in primary care.
The University of Florida College of Medicine accepts applications from both in-state and out-of-state. To get in, they require you to have completed a myriad of academic courses, including general biology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry.
The University of Florida College of Medicine has a particular focus on labratory experience as well so try to enroll in classes that offer this.
Since the University of Florida emphasizes clinical care and public service, it’s imperative you have volunteer work and clinical experience in your application.
Founded in 1952, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine is the oldest medical school in the state. Miller is ranked by the U.S. News as the 44th best medical school for patient care and #108 for research.
The Miller School of Medicine lists both required and recommended courses on its admissions requirement page. Their required courses range from English to Biochemistry. While their recommended courses are just that, recommended, it is always a good idea to take as many of these as possible.
Miller is home to the only university-based healthcare system in southern Florida, which provides its medical students with a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in a clinical setting alongside leaders in the local medical community.
If that wasn’t impressive enough, Miller also receives the most NIH funding out of all of the other Florida medical schools.
The University of South Florida Morsani School of Medicine is located in the city of Tampa. U.S. News ranked USF the 50th-best medical school for research and 46th-best medical school for primary care, which makes this medical school a great choice if you are interested in being a part of research studies.
USF’s academic requirements are fairly straightforward. They list a series of courses applicants should take during their undergraduate to be accepted. They also emphasize the importance of extracurricular activities and transcript diversity when applying to USF.
There is no minimum GPA or MCAT requirement to apply to USF.
If you’re still looking for more medical schools in Florida, don’t worry. With our interactive selection quiz down below, you can find schools that are tailored to your every need. You can even search by the specific location in Florida that you’d like!
Florida’s medical schools are competitive, with the average incoming class size being typically 100. This means you need to put together a competitive application with a competitive science component and high GPA and MCAT scores.
Though it may sound overwhelming, here are a few tips to help improve your chances of being accepted to one of Florida’s medical schools:
You’ll also need impressive extracurriculars such as clinical and research experiences, great volunteer experience, and strong letters of recommendation.
If you’re still curious about the best medical schools in Florida and what it takes to get accepted to them, take a look below for some commonly asked questions.
There are ten medical schools across the state of Florida, all of which boast comprehensive hands-on training and research skills.
According to USA News, the #1 medical school in Florida for research is the University of Florida while the #1 medical school in Florida for primary care is the University of South Florida (Morsani).
Yes, there are some extremely competitive and well-reputed medical colleges in Florida.
These vary by school, but in general, both your science and cumulative GPA should be at least a 3.0, but the higher these numbers are, the more competitive your application will be. The same can be said about your MCAT score. Florida’s medical schools will be more receptive to your application if your score is higher, so generally try to aim for above a 510, but check with each school to see their specific cut-offs and class averages.
Research experiences can primarily be gained through being a research assistant to one of your professors. Alternatively, if you conducted a particularly impressive independent or group research project for one of your classes, you could describe the details of this project in your application.
This will largely depend on the specializations of each medical school. Ideally, you should have some experience providing health care to patients in the field(s) that most interest you.
Shadowing a doctor is also important so you can prove to admissions committees that you have taken the time to test-drive your potential career.
Check out the types of clinical experiences the medical schools you are interested in provide to students and use that to narrow your search for the types of clinical experiences you pursue.
Though the application process has many similarities to that of medical schools in other states, Florida’s medical schools do have some unique considerations to keep in mind when you are applying to them.
Many of these schools use a holistic screening process, so you need to participate in a diverse range of activities to be a competitive candidate for medical colleges in Florida.
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