UF College of Medicine holds strong in annual rankings

The University of Florida College of Medicine has maintained its historically high standing in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the nation’s top medical schools.

The UF College of Medicine held firm in its No. 40 ranking among 140 medical schools in the country and is No. 16 among medical schools at public universities, according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings released today. UF also remained the highest-ranked medical school in Florida. Last year, UF achieved the No. 40 ranking, the highest ever for the medical college.

The UF College of Nursing’s doctor of nursing practice program also maintained its standing as one of the highest-ranked programs, ranking No. 44 in the country and tying Florida Atlantic University for first in the state.

“These college and program rankings are the results of a sustained dedication to excellence in both research and medical education,” said David S. Guzick., M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health. “We are proud of this ongoing distinction. The company we keep among the best research medical schools in the nation could not have been accomplished without ambitious and dedicated faculty in all of our health-related colleges. Ultimately, that benefits the many patients of UF Health.”

The magazine based its rankings on factors that include federal research grants, multiple surveys of academic administrators, the medical school’s acceptance rate and faculty-to-student ratios. Grants from the National Institutes of Health to the UF College of Medicine continued to grow between 2015 and 2016, according to figures reported by U.S. News & World Report. The college also made other gains among the publication’s criteria, including an acceptance rate that went from 5.3 percent in 2015 to 5 percent in 2016. On a per-faculty basis, research grants from the National Institutes of Health grew 15.2 percent during that time.

“Our commitment to world-class research and education has been validated yet again by medical school leaders throughout the nation. The continued growth of our National Institutes of Health funding is a direct reflection of the relevant and promising research being pursued by our faculty,” said Michael L. Good, M.D., dean of the UF College of Medicine.

To determine the rankings, multiple assessment surveys were sent to administrators, deans and faculty members at accredited programs and universities in disciplines that include medicine, nursing and other health professions. The rankings were determined in part by surveys sent to administrators at 1,970 graduate programs as well as reputation surveys distributed to 16,500 academics and professionals.