UI Carver College of Medicine among nation’s ‘Best Medical Schools’ in 2024-2025 ‘US News & World Report’ rankings
2 programs in top 5 nationally; strengths in primary care, research, practice areas also recognized
In its 2024-2025 edition of “Best Medical Schools,” U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in these categories:
- Physical Therapy: No. 2
- Physician Assistant: No. 2
- Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas: No. 35
- Most Graduates Practicing in Health Professional Shortage Areas: No. 74
- Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care: No. 88
- Most Diverse Medical Schools: No. 97
- Primary Care: Tier 2
- Research: Tier 2
UI Carver College of Medicine is once again ranked as one of the best graduate schools in the United States. Thank you for educating the next generation of health care professionals.
This year, U.S. News placed medical schools in one of four tiers for the Primary Care and Research categories. Each school’s tier was derived from an overall score, calculated across several factors. The first two tiers comprise approximately 50 medical schools, according to U.S. News.
This latest U.S. News rankings means that Iowans can be proud of the fact that the Carver College of Medicine is among the best medical schools in the country, says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine.
“The ‘Best Medical Schools’ rankings are a critical source of information as prospective students, faculty, and staff make decisions about where to work, learn, and receive care,” Jamieson adds. “In many ways, national rankings reflect the quality of our programs and our people, and the U.S. News rankings are well-recognized across the country. National rankings also can help us recruit and retain outstanding faculty members, whose expertise as scientists, clinicians, and educators strengthens our educational and research programs.”
Methodology for ‘Best Medical Schools’ rankings
During the winter of 2023-24, U.S. News surveyed 196 medical and osteopathic schools fully accredited in 2024 by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association. Data from these medical schools, along with some third-party statistics, was used to calculate the rankings. There were 99 schools with eligible data for the Primary Care category, and 102 for Research.
For Primary Care and Research, medical schools are presented in tiers instead of numbered rankings. There are four tiers—with tier 1 medical schools being the highest performing.
For the Rural Areas, Health Professional Shortage Areas, and Practicing in Primary Care rankings, U.S. News calculated the percentage of 2015-2017 medical and osteopathic school graduates practicing in these respective areas. For the Most Diverse Medical Schools ranking, U.S. News examined a school’s total enrollment of underrepresented minority students and the ratio of a school’s underrepresented minority students to state or national numbers.
The No. 2 ranking for the Carver College of Medicine’s Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science was calculated and based on U.S. News surveys conducted in fall 2023 and early 2024. Respondents from 245 accredited doctoral programs rated peer programs on a 1-5 scale, and rankings were determined by the average of ratings each program received.
The No. 2 ranking for the Carver College of Medicine’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services is from the 2023-2024 U.S. News rankings. New physician assistant rankings were not compiled for the 2024-2025 edition.