UCLA ranks in nation’s top 10 medical schools, reports 2016 survey by U.S. News & World Report

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA ranked No. 7 among 57 accredited U.S. medical schools, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2016 survey of the best medical schools for primary care in the United States.  UCLA also received high marks in clinical specialty training programs, ranking No. 3 in geriatrics and No. 8 in AIDS. 

In the publication’s rating of the best medical schools for research, UCLA ranked No. 13, based largely on funding from the National Institutes of Health.

“The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is proud to be recognized for its superb track record in training physician leaders who provide extraordinary care for patients in every type of community,” said Dr. Clarence Braddock, vice dean for education at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and chief medical education officer for UCLA Health System.  “Nearly 48 percent of our graduates choose primary care careers, reflecting our curriculum’s emphasis on the importance of both treating disease and preserving health through prevention.”

“UCLA’s high score in primary care education offers hope in the face of projections by the Association of American Medical Colleges of a shortage of up to 31,100 primary care physicians in the next decade.  As thousands of baby boomers turn 65 and enter the Medicare program, the number of older Americans will double by 2039,” said Dr. John Mazziotta, vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  “Placing No. 7 is a wonderful tribute to our dedicated students--and to our outstanding faculty, staff, affiliated hospitals and community partners who play a role in training our graduates.”

U.S. News & World Report surveyed 157 medical schools based on two types of data: (1) peer experts' opinions about program quality and (2) statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty and students.  The latter consider students’ undergraduate grade-point average, medical college admission test score and job-placement success upon graduation, as well as the school's acceptance rate, total enrollment, out-of-state tuition and faculty-to-student ratio.

Each school’s primary-care rank was further calculated by averaging the percentage of graduates from its 2012, 2013 and 2014 classes who entered residencies in the fields of family practice, pediatrics and internal medicine.  Specialty training-program rankings were based solely on peer ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty. 

U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 rankings are scheduled for online release March 11. The 2016 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools” guidebook will be available in late March at usnews.com/store.

Founded in 1951, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA employs more than 2,500 full-time faculty members, including recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Medal of Science. Nearly 10,155 candidates apply each year for one of 175 spaces in the first-year class. Enrollment totals more than 860 students and almost 400 Ph.D. candidates.

More than 1,400 residents and fellows pursue advanced training at UCLA and its affiliated hospitals, which include Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the best hospital in the western United States for 25 consecutive years and No. 5 among the nation’s medical centers.