The UF College of Medicine jumped up three spots on Tuesday in the top research medical school rankings in the nation.
For the second year in a row, the university’s medical school has improved in ranking in the U.S. News and World Report, moving from its spot last year as No. 45 to No. 42 out of the 114 schools ranked.
The rankings also revealed the college ranked No. 75 for best primary care education.
Marian Limacher, senior associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development for the College of Medicine, said the increase in ranking was due to a couple of factors, including student excellence, faculty accomplishments and college curriculum.
She said it is gratifying that there is external recognition for the work and accomplishments everyone in the college has done during the past years.
According to the U.S. News and World Report’s website, the medical schools are ranked by several factors, including MCAT scores, students’ undergraduate grade point averages, acceptance rates, faculty-to-student ratios and National Institutes of Health grants awarded.
The average GPA for incoming medical students is 3.8, and the MCAT scores are above the national average for accepted students, Limacher said.
The College of Medicine is building a new medical school education building to enhance the ability to fully implement the new changes in the college’s curriculum, she said
“It will continue to help us improve in national stature,” Limacher said.
The college has also had an increase in the level of the National Institutes of Health funding over the past several years due to competitive research awards, Limacher said. She said a factor is having effective researchers on faculty and being able to recruit people who are similarly successful in receiving funding.
However, the rise in ranking doesn’t necessarily affect decisions made by the college or by students.
“We don’t consider U.S. News and World Report’s ranking to be the ultimate measure of success for the College of Medicine,” Limacher said. “It is one metric of external recognition. It’s not what drives us.”
Harrison Bonilla, a 19-year-old UF chemistry sophomore on the pre-med track, said the UF College of Medicine is among his top choices for medical schools.
Bonilla said he would be able to flourish at the UF College of Medicine because it fosters a low-stress environment and tight-knit community.
“I’m surprised (the ranking) didn’t rise even higher,” Bonilla said. “I see how UF is constantly improving. So to me, it doesn’t really influence my opinion because it’s something that I expected.”
[A version of this story ran on page 10 on 3/14/2014 under the headline "UF med school jumps in national rank"]
