Harvard Medical School, currently ranked the No. 1 medical school in the United States, has withdrawn from submitting data to U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best medical schools.
Harvard University has been ranked as the top medical school for several years. However, educational leaders have long criticized the methodology used by U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) to rank medical schools, and the rankings can create “perverse incentives for institutions to report misleading or inaccurate data” in order to get ahead on the list, according to Harvard University Dean of the Faculty of Medicine George Q. Daley, who wrote about the university’s decision to withdraw from the rankings.
Universities may also be incentivized to set policies aimed at boosting their rankings or even divert financial aid from students with financial need to high-scoring students to maximize ranking criteria, according to Daley.
“Ultimately, the suitability of any particular medical school for any given student is too complex, nuanced, and individualized to be served by a rigid ranked list, no matter the methodology,” he wrote. “What matters most to me as dean, alumnus, and faculty member is not a #1 ranking, but the quality and richness of the educational experience we provide at Harvard Medical School that encourages personal growth and lifelong learning.”
Harvard Medical School is not the only college with the institution to boycott the annual rankings. Harvard Law School also recently withdrew from submitting data. Additionally, USNWR has received a growing number of critics due to its influence on recruiting potential students and parents during the college selection process.
While Harvard Medical School will no longer submit data to USNWR for the rankings, it will still publish information on its admissions website, according to Daley. In addition, raw data with comparable details for all U.S. medical schools are available via the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) Reports for Applicants and Advisors, which is part of the Association of American Medical Colleges website.
Harvard was ranked the No. 1 medical school in 2023 by USNWR, followed by New York University, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of California San Francisco. USNWR produces two distinct rankings: Best Medical Schools: Research and Best Medical Schools: Primary Care. Both lists are based on data about faculty resources, the academic achievements of entering students and qualitative assessments by schools and residency directors.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."