The University of Kansas Medical Center is the nation's most popular medical school, according to an analysis of yield data by U.S. News.
A school's yield is the percentage of admitted students who opt to enroll in the program. At Kansas, 176—or 82.2 percent—of the 214 accepted students chose to attend the school in the academic year beginning in 2010, narrowly edging out the University of Nevada—Reno School of Medicine, where 62 students, or 81.6 percent of the 76 accepted, enrolled last year.
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Of the top 10 most popular medical schools, only one—the University of Washington School of Medicine—placed in the top 10 of U.S. News's rankings of medical school research programs. Only two—Washington and the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill School of Medicine—of the most popular schools cracked the top 50 of that ranking.
However, five of the most popular medical schools were ranked among the top 50 primary care programs, including 14th-ranked Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the 41st-ranked University of Kansas Medical Center.
Each school on the list of most popular medical schools is a state institution, which likely contributes to the popularity of each, since tuition for in-state students at public medical schools is significantly lower than tuition for out-of-state students or at private schools. At the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, for instance, in-state tuition is $16,170 compared to $46,347 out of state.
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Of the 10 most popular medical schools, all have yield percentages of more than 70 percent, while the national average among the 121 schools that provided yield data to U.S. News is 50.2 percent. Below is a list of the 10 most popular medical schools, sorted by percentage yield among new students in 2010:
| School Name | Students Accepted | Students Enrolled | Yield Percentage | U.S. News Research Rank | U.S. News Primary Care Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kansas Medical Center | 214 | 176 | 82.2% | 71 | 41 |
| University of Nevada--Reno School of Medicine | 76 | 62 | 81.6% | Rank Not Published* | 92 |
| University of New Mexico School of Medicine | 117 | 94 | 80.3% | 87 | 28 |
| University of Washington School of Medicine | 272 | 216 | 79.4% | 9 | 1 |
| University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences | 79 | 62 | 78.5% | RNP | 66 |
| University of Oklahoma College of Medicine | 213 | 165 | 77.5% | 84 | 92 |
| University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine | 71 | 54 | 76.1% | RNP | 58 |
| University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill School of Medicine | 215 | 160 | 74.4% | 20 | 2 |
| Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine | 211 | 156 | 73.9% | 60 | 58 |
| Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine | 435 | 318 | 73.1% | RNP | 14 |
RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one fourth of all medical and osteopathic schools. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
For yield percentages for every medical school, as well as in-depth cost information, residency statistics, and more, access the U.S. News Medical School Compass.
U.S. News surveyed more than 140 medical schools for our 2010 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News's data the most accurate and detailed collection of school facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News's rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools.
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