Top 10 universities for medicine 2025
Explore the top 10 universities for medicine, nursing and dentistry degrees worldwide, ranked using the latest Times Higher Education World Subject Rankings data.
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Insights into the top 10 universities in the world for medicine 2025
| Clinical health rank 2025 | Clinical health rank 2024 | University | Country/region |
| 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 2 | 2 | Harvard University | United States |
| 3 | 3 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 4 | 4 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| 5 | 6 | Johns Hopkins University | United States |
| =6 | 5 | Stanford University | United States |
| =6 | 8 | Yale University | United States |
| 8 | 7 | UCL | United Kingdom |
| 9 | 9 | University of Toronto | Canada |
| 10 | 10 | University of Pennsylvania | United States |
Explore the full table for the best universities in medicine here
The study of medicine varies greatly around the world. In the US, medicine is studied in graduate school after the completion of an undergraduate degree that is not directly related to medicine.
Elsewhere, such as in the UK, students can enrol for undergraduate clinical degrees.
Wherever you study, almost all clinical degrees span a good number of years – more than non-clinical courses.
So it’s best to ensure that you make a wise choice when you commit yourself to a lengthy course of study.
Times Higher Education has published a ranking of the top 1,150 universities for clinical, pre-clinical and health studies, featuring colleges in more than 50 countries worldwide.
The ranking uses the same methodology as the THE World University Rankings, but with more weight on citations and slightly less on teaching and research metrics. The full methodology can be found here.
Top 10 universities for clinical studies and health sciences
1. University of Oxford
Medicine at the University of Oxford is a traditional course, split into pre-clinical and clinical stages.
About 150 students are admitted to the course each year, and another 30 to a graduate course that condenses medical studies into just four years.
In the first few years, students are taught theoretically with little patient contact. In the course’s later years, they move to the clinical phase, spending much more time at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
The university has two main libraries for medicine and clinical studies, one providing resources for the pre-clinical elements of the course and another focusing on healthcare.
In addition to its distinctive course, Oxford offers students the experience of college life, where social events and small tutorials take place.
2. Harvard University
Founded in 1782, the medical school at Harvard University is the third-oldest medical school in the US.
Faculty of the school also teach in other science departments at Harvard, as well as working in clinical departments at some of the hospitals affiliated to the university.
There are four main teaching hospitals across the Boston area.
Harvard has introduced problem-based learning to the curriculum. There is also a specialised programme, accepting only 30 applicants each year, that focuses on biomedical research.
Medical students at Harvard belong to one of five societies named after alumni. Students work in small groups within each society, compete in sports competitions and attend social events.
3. University of Cambridge
Students can enrol in an undergraduate medicine degree at the University of Cambridge.
Graduates also have several options to study medicine, on either an accelerated graduate programme or a condensed version of the pre-clinical and clinical courses.
Half the graduates of Cambridge’s medical degrees become general practitioners, and almost all will work in the NHS in the UK.
Entrance to the medicine degree requires excellent secondary qualifications and high scores on the BMAT test.
Cambridge students, particularly medical students, have a busy schedule, juggling studies, college social events and a variety of recreational activities.
4. Imperial College London
The medical programme at Imperial College London offers a range of teaching approaches, from traditional theoretical classes to innovative and hands-on experience.
From the very first term, students have direct contact with patients, unlike at other universities in the UK.
The six-year undergraduate qualification in medicine also includes a bachelor of science, in addition to the MBBS.
Imperial’s courses are heavily scientific, with an emphasis not only on clinical practice but also on research techniques.
Entry requirements are high; most accepted students will have top grades in chemistry, biology and a third subject, and will have achieved a high score in the BMAT exam. The application process also includes an interview.
Imperial is one of the most international institutions in the UK, but only a few overseas students are accepted on the medical programme each year.
5. Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has a number of academic departments and institutes within it including dermatology, emergency medicine, history of medicine and surgery among others.
As the university is located in the US, there are not undergraduate programmes available at present, but there are master’s and PhD medical programmes available. One of the courses the university provides is a combined MD/MBA programme. This is delivered in conjunction with the university’s Carey Business School.
=6. Stanford University
The graduate school at Stanford University provides master’s and PhD programmes to students who wish to further their medical training.
Six Nobel prizewinners, 31 members of the National Academy of Sciences and 42 members of the Institute of Medicine are among the current faculty at the school.
Researchers at Stanford Medicine are undertaking research across a number of different areas, including cancer, immunology, genetics and neuroscience.
The school also provides healthcare for adults and children, with a dedicated centre for children.
=6. Yale University
Yale University’s School of Medicine is the sixth-oldest in the US.
All medical students at the university are required to write a thesis based on original research and literature reviews.
Many students at the university also take a tuition-free fifth year to pursue additional study or undertake internships. The School of Medicine also offers joint degree programmes with other professional schools including public health, law, management, engineering and divinity.
8. UCL
Medical education at UCL is provided across three campuses in London.
The Bloomsbury campus has its clinical facilities at University College Hospital (UCH), the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Heart Hospital and the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital. The Royal Free campus in Hampstead is the site of the Royal Free Hospital. The Whittington campus in Archway is the site of the Whittington Hospital.
It offers a six-year undergraduate programme as well as a range of postgraduate options for medical professionals.
9. University of Toronto
The University of Toronto offers a four-year MD programme in medicine. Students must have completed a bachelor’s degree in a related subject in order to apply.
When students are admitted on to the programme, they will choose between four academies. The academy system offers students smaller class sizes, and each academy is affiliated with a specific set of hospitals.
During their course, students are able to attend rotations outside of their affiliated hospitals if they wish. A range of research opportunities are available for students.
10. University of Pennsylvania
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is the oldest medical school in the US.
It has six affiliated hospitals including Pennsylvania Hospital, Chester County Hospital and Penn Medicine Princeton Health.
It offers an MD programme, a PhD programme, master’s programmes and joint MD programmes with other faculties. There are also certificates and non-degree programmes for healthcare professionals.
