Medical Schools in Florida: How to Get In (2024)
/Learn how hard it is to get into the best medical schools in Florida and strategies to make it happen
There are 10 medical schools in Florida, 8 of which are allopathic
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: List of medical schools in Florida: 2023 rankings & admissions statistics
Part 3: Florida medical school profiles
Part 4: Florida medical school admissions strategies
Appendix A: Florida medical schools by degree type
Appendix B: Florida medical schools by institution type
Appendix C: Florida medical schools by region
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Part 1: Introduction
Florida medical schools are an attractive option for many premed hopefuls, given the perennially warm climate, rich cultural diversity, and affordable tuition for in-state students.
Florida also has the fourth-largest number of medical schools (10) of any state in the nation, following the 17 medical schools in New York, 16 medical schools in California, and 15 medical schools in Texas. Whether you are interested in serving marginalized communities through the University of Miami DOCS program or participating in cutting-edge research at the University of Florida, chances are there’s a medical school in Florida that has what you’re looking for.
Our goal for this guide is to answer the question, “What is the best college for medicine in Florida?,” and to discuss what it takes to get into Florida medical schools so you can submit an application that maximizes your admissions odds. We’ll cover admissions statistics, detail short profiles of each Florida med school, and include strategies you can use so that adcoms take notice.
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Part 2: List of medical schools in Florida: 2023 rankings & admissions statistics
We did some research on your behalf, gathering the most relevant information about each school to help paint a picture describing admissions throughout Florida medical schools.
Whether you’re a nontraditional applicant, Florida resident, or any other combination of unique demographics, it’s important to know the similarities and differences between medical schools in Florida and programs across the United States.
While gathering this data, we noted the following trends:
Nine Florida medical schools appear in the 2023 U.S. News Best Medical Schools: Research ranking, with three in the top 50.
Tuition and fees to attend Florida medical schools are comparable to schools outside Florida. In-state residents enjoy significantly reduced tuition at public institutions.
While out-of-state students must pay more than in-state students at nearly all of the schools, many Florida medical schools will allow you to reclassify your residency status after a year for tuition purposes.
Florida has a mix of schools that have considerable in-state resident preferences, but also several that admit as many out-of-state students as in-state students.
Numbers in parentheses reflect each medical school’s national ranking, whereas numbers outside parentheses reflect each Florida medical school’s relative rank. We use relative rankings to determine which are the “best” medical schools in Florida.
(Note: We strongly advise you to sign up for MSAR for the most up-to-date and comprehensive data on individual MD programs and to sign up for Choose DO for DO program data.)
| Florida Medical Schools | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Florida College of Medicine* | $49,390 OOS |
2.7% OOS |
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| University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | $51,628 OOS |
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| University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine* | $54,916 OOS |
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| University of Central Florida College of Medicine* | $56,553.80 OOS |
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| Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine* | $67,972 OOS |
1.9% OOS |
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| Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine* | $62,739 OOS |
4.1% OOS |
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| Florida State University College of Medicine* | $41,963.04 OOS |
0.3% OOS |
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| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus | $39,545 OOS |
NA |
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| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine | $67,513 OOS |
NA |
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| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine | $67,513 OOS |
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Part 3: Florida medical school profiles
Now that you’re familiar with the admissions landscape for Florida medical schools, we’ll discuss what makes each school unique beyond its statistics. When creating your med school list, you’ll certainly want to consider how difficult a school is to get into, but you’ll certainly also want to take into account factors such as a school’s location, curriculum, culture, focus, and resources. Keeping all of these considerations in mind will help you select schools that align with your interests and talents.
(Suggested reading: Do Medical School Rankings Matter?)
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
One of the newer medical programs in Florida, Florida Atlantic University is a community-based medical school committed to training physicians who will serve Florida. FAU boasts an integrated curriculum that it describes as “high-touch, high-tech”—this includes developing supervised doctor-patient relationships with patients as early as first year. FAU’s curriculum also includes threads such as “Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice” and “Ethics, Professionalism and Professional Identity.” FAU is known for its small class sizes and individualized attention; it also offers pass/fail grading and the opportunity for students to pursue their own projects or research during “white space time” in the third year. FAU students rotate at affiliated hospitals throughout Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and they can also take advantage of FAU’s research affiliations with the prestigious Scripps Research Institute Florida and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Florida International University was founded with the mission to prepare socially accountable physicians ready to serve the local Miami community and Florida as a whole. As such, FIU’s integrated curriculum emphasizes understanding both social and biological determinants of disease, utilizing interprofessional teamwork to treat underserved populations at home through the Green Family Foundation Neighborhood Health Education Learning Program (NeighborhoodHELP), and clinical exposure beginning in the first month of school. In addition, FIU recently switched to pass/fail grading. FIU’s affiliated clinical sites include a range of different types of hospitals throughout Miami and Broward County.
Florida State University College of Medicine
FSU’s College of Medicine was created to educate more physicians to care for medically underserved rural and inner city communities, as well as for Florida’s large geriatric population. As such, FSU places an emphasis on training students for primary care and offers a Rural Education Program as well as a geriatrics department (one of few in the country). All students spend their first two years at the FSU campus in Tallahassee; following this, they are assigned to one of six regional campuses throughout Florida to complete clinical training. FSU offers an early start, meaning that students begin medical school over the summer with an anatomy component. Additionally, students are sorted into Learning Communities, small groups of around 30 students who share study and lounge facilities in order to foster a sense of comradery and teamwork.
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. While its original campus is located in Erie, Pennsylvania, the demand for primary care physicians and the rapid population growth of Florida led LECOM to open a second campus in Bradenton (it has since opened two other campuses in Pennsylvania and New York). LECOM Bradenton exclusively offers a problem-based learning curriculum; students work through case-based study in self-directed, small groups. In the third and fourth years, students rotate at over 90 affiliated hospitals and clinics throughout the country. That said, LECOM Bradenton has faced criticism for an inconsistent availability of high-quality rotation sites, particularly in the local area. Thus, some students must complete rotations in the Northeast or set up their own rotation sites.
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Though Nova Southeastern University’s osteopathic medical school has been around since the 1970s (more on that below), NSU recently established an allopathic medical school, making it one of few universities to offer both degrees. NSU-MD offers a small entering class size, interprofessional collaboration, a problem-based learning curriculum, and pass/fail grading. NSU-MD’s core clinical rotations take place within the Hospital Corporation of America East Florida system of hospitals, with additional rotations through the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM) aims to train primary care physicians and emphasizes caring for the medically underserved and interprofessional collaboration across healthcare disciplines. With campuses in both Fort Lauderdale and Tampa/Clearwater, NSU-COM students begin clinical exposure in the first month of medical school and complete a mandatory, three-month clinical rotation in a rural environment. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in international medical outreach programs in Cuba, Ecuador, India, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. NSU-COM’s clinical rotations are well-established and include large hospitals in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as elsewhere. NSU-COM has been faulted in past years for declining first-time COMLEX pass rates; however, the last few years have seen pass rates once again trending upwards.
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
UCF offers students a research-based medical school experience, drawing on the strengths of other UCF programs, such as the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. UCF offers an integrated curriculum, highlights of which include individualized research projects and the Community of Practice program, a longitudinal experience that helps students develop clinical skills. Though two of its largest affiliated hospitals were recently lost as rotation sites, UCF opened its own teaching hospital, the UCF Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona, in 2021.
University of Florida College of Medicine
Considered the top medical school in Florida, University of Florida’s College of Medicine is known for its friendly, tight-knit community; UF students benefit from built-in first-year mentoring and small class sizes. In addition, UF offers pass/fail grading, early clinical exposure (three months into the first year, students leave Gainesville to work with a Florida primary care physician for 2.5 weeks), and excellent research opportunities, including the Discovery Pathways Medical Student Research Program. Students also get access to a diversity of patient care experiences through student-run free clinics, international medical outreach trips, and rotations at UF’s large teaching hospital, Shands Hospital.
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
The University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine is both the oldest medical school and the top-ranked private medical school in Florida. Miami offers an integrated curriculum that: makes use of small group and team-based learning opportunities; has a shortened, one-year pre-clinical phase; and allows students to develop a personalized pathway towards the end of medical school, such as a scholarly project or an early transition to residency. Miami boasts both excellent research and top-notch, diverse clinical opportunities via free clinics and the UM-Jackson Memorial Hospital Medical Center, the second-busiest medical center in the U.S.
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
USF offers medical students two programs: its Tampa-based CORE program and its SELECT program in which students spend the first two years in Tampa and the final two years in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Both programs make use of an integrated curriculum that includes a small group and engaged learning emphasis and early clinical experience. However, the CORE program offers scholarly concentrations that allow students to focus on an area of interest, whereas the SELECT program offers a graduate certificate program in medical leadership. USF offers strong research and clinical opportunities—students rotate primarily at Tampa General Hospital, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center. USF recently completed a new medical school facility close to Tampa General, allowing for greater synergy between the two.
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Part 4: Florida medical school admissions strategies
In this section, we’ll discuss a few strategies—beyond achieving high stats and selecting all the right extracurriculars for medical school—to help maximize your admissions odds.
Strategy 1: Take a data-driven approach to decide which Florida medical schools to apply to
Though the majority of the medical schools in Florida hover around an average matriculant GPA of 3.8, average MCATs vary widely. For example, on the lower end of the spectrum lies Lake Erie’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (average MCAT 503) and on the upper end of the spectrum lies University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine (average MCAT 518).
(Recommended reading: Average GPA and MCAT Score for Every Medical School)
It’s easy to spontaneously add another school to your list, thinking “it can’t hurt” to apply. However, this thinking can actually do more harm than good. By spending time on applications for schools where your odds are quite low, you may be compromising the quality of other applications for schools where your odds are significantly higher.
For instance, let’s say you’re an out-of-state applicant with a 506 MCAT score. You might be interested in adding Florida State University College of Medicine to your school list, given that their average MCAT score is a 507. However, upon closer inspection, you can see that this school’s first-year class was made up of around 97 percent in-state students! Why waste time and money applying when your chances of receiving an acceptance are slim to none?
While we’re not against applying to a few reach schools, we don’t subscribe to the “let’s just apply and see what happens” philosophy when it comes to schools where you have little to no chance of getting in.
Know that “just applying” requires you to write high-quality secondary essays which is time-consuming. The medical school application process is long and arduous; even the most dedicated applicants will feel exhausted at some point. The less time you spend focusing on long-shot schools, the more time you can spend on improving your application for schools within reach.
In short, use a data-driven approach to develop a quality school list. Not doing so can hurt your admissions odds significantly.
(Suggested reading: Picking Your State of Residency for Medical School)
Strategy 2: Demonstrate alignment with each Florida medical school’s mission
Often, medical schools are conveniently bunched together because they all have missions to serve the community, be academically productive and train the world’s next generation of excellent clinicians. While that may be true, as we noted in the profiles above, individual Florida schools—like all medical schools—place more importance on certain aspects of their mission.
For example, Florida State University’s website spends considerable real estate discussing their service to elder, rural, minority, and other underserved populations. Their goal is to recruit a culturally diverse class of future clinicians who will serve these communities. On the other hand, the University of Florida’s homepage emphasizes their strong research orientation.
To be explicit, it’s not that Florida State University doesn’t pour resources into conducting research; they do. In fact, they have dedicated research programs built into their curriculum. Rather, the takeaway is that each program has a specific focus and looks for certain qualities in each candidate that align with it.
Therefore, when answering the secondary prompts for each school, make sure that you intimately understand the school’s mission and demonstrate fit.
The same advice applies outside the written application and during medical school interviews in Florida or elsewhere. While MMI interviews may give you less of a platform to explicitly demonstrate your dedication to a certain community within Florida, or to the academic community, you can still provide thoughtful responses that will make you an attractive candidate to admissions officers.
Strategy 3: Identify the unique aspects of each Florida medical school and connect them to your own skills and experiences
Considering where to spend your time and energy when applying to medical schools can be further narrowed down by researching the unique qualities of schools on your list. This way, you can tailor your essays to specific opportunities at each school.
Adcoms love to see specificity in applications as this shows a candidate who has taken initiative to really learn about the school. Additionally, it offers you the chance to demonstrate how you will contribute to the campus community with your skills and experiences.
For example, if a school has a distinctive research program or investigates something of interest to you such as Alzheimer’s or cancer, make a case for why you should be admitted by stating what you’ve done in that regard. Mentioning extracurriculars and research activities you participated in as a premed are a fantastic way to do this.
Strategy 4: Consider the MMI interview
The multiple mini-interview (MMI) format has been growing in popularity in recent years and is currently in use at two medical schools in Florida. This format differs from a traditional interview in a number of ways.
First, you’ll be given two minutes to consider a question before giving your answer and discussing it with interviewers. Usually, you will have 7 minutes to engage with them before moving on to the next question. You’ll be given another question and have another 2 minutes to think about what you will say before doing it all again.
The rapid fire structure is meant to test your critical thinking skills and ability to think on your feet. The questions diverge from a typical interview in that you’ll be asked to consider ethical issues and how you would cooperate with teammates.
If you’ve been invited to an interview with a school that uses this format, you can prepare by practicing with a friend or family member and timing yourself to stay within the flow of the questions. This simple strategy can make all the difference on interview day when your nerves are running high. Currently, Florida Atlantic University and NSU Florida for Osteopathic Medicine use this format, conducted virtually.
Strategy 5: Structure your work on applications around the number of secondary essays
GPA and MCAT scores are important but the personal statement and secondary essays are where you really shine as a candidate. To ensure that’s the case, organize your time around the number of essays you need to write for each school.
The number of essays you’ll need to write will be different for each school. Some will require 5 or 6, some only 1. Some schools want 500-word essays and some much less.
Look over this information before you begin writing and make a plan. With a plan in place, you’ll be aware of how much work is ahead of you and can choose how best to tackle it via your own work style. We’ve put the number of essays for each medical school in Florida into the table below, but if you’re looking for the prompts themselves, check out our guide here.
Suggested Reading: Medical School Secondary Essays: The Complete Guide
| Florida Medical Schools | |
|---|---|
| University of Florida College of Medicine | |
| University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | |
| University of Central Florida College of Medicine | |
| University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine | |
| Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine | |
| Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | |
| Florida State University College of Medicine | |
| Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus | |
| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine | |
| Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine |
Part 5: Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to go to medical school in Florida?
There are many factors to consider when determining the final cost of attending medical school in Florida. As noted in the table above, your tuition can range from $29,680 for in-state residents up to $67,513 for both in-state and out-of-state residents at a private university.
However, this alone doesn’t take into account the varied cost-of-living across the state, whether you choose to live on or off campus, whether you will need to purchase and maintain a car, as well as books and supplies.
It’s worth researching the cost of attendance at the schools you’re interested in applying to to get a fuller picture of what you’ll need to pay. For example, the University of Miami estimates the total cost for the first year of their MD program to come in at $103,916. Their tuition is on the higher end of med schools in Florida and Miami itself is a pricer metropolitan area.
Is the University of Miami med school hard to get into?
We often get asked questions such as “Is X school hard to get into?” because students want to have as complete a picture as possible of their chances of acceptance before going through all the work it takes to craft a compelling application.
Keep in mind that getting into medical school is no easy feat and in 2023 only about 43% of applicants matriculated into any MD program across the country. When it comes to the University of Miami Miller, we know that they received 10,106 applications for a total of just 201 seats. That would be a matriculation rate of just under 2%.
We believe this points to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine being difficult to get into even compared to the overall med school admissions process in the U.S. You will ultimately need fantastic stats, a robust extracurricular profile, and great interview skills to get in.
Suggested reading: (How Hard Is It to Get into Medical School?)
Is Florida a good state to be a doctor?
If you’re considering med school in Florida, you may also be thinking that’s where you’d ultimately like to practice. If so, you’d be wondering whether Florida is a good state in which to practice medicine.
Florida has a warm, sunny climate and generally lower cost of living outside of the densely populated urban areas compared to other areas in the U.S. It also has a large retired population meaning demand for health services will remain high.
However, according to WalletHub’s rankings of the best states to be a doctor, Florida comes in at 37th. You won’t necessarily earn the highest wages in Florida, but without any state income tax, you will keep more of your money in your pocket.
Final thoughts
By taking a data-driven approach and tailoring your responses to each school’s mission, getting into Florida medical schools is possible. With the right qualifications and a well-crafted application, you can convince admissions committees that you’re an excellent fit for their program.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix A: Florida medical schools by degree type
Allopathic medical schools in Florida (MD)
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Osteopathic medical schools in Florida (DO)
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Appendix B: Florida medical schools by institution type
Public medical schools in Florida
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Florida State University College of Medicine
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Private medical schools in Florida
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
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Appendix C: Florida medical schools by region
Medical schools in North Florida
Florida State University College of Medicine
Medical schools in Central Florida
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton Campus
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
University of Florida College of Medicine
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Medical schools in South Florida
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
