North Carolina has an illustrious educational history in the United States: the University of North Carolina was the first public university in the nation to open to students, in 1795. Today, North Carolina is home to several medical education options, including established M.D. programs, an osteopathic medical school, and a newer M.D. program scheduled to open in Fayetteville in July 2026. This article focuses on four established M.D.-granting medical schools in North Carolina.
The state is well known for its mix of public and private universities. Studying medicine in North Carolina can also expose students to urban, rural, and underserved patient populations, as well as the state’s local health care needs.
Let’s have a look at the top medical schools in North Carolina.
Top Medical Schools in North Carolina
1. Duke University School of Medicine
- Website
- Admissions
- Official admissions snapshot:
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Minimum MCAT: 500
- 2025 entering class: 6,106 applications submitted, 642 interviews, and 123 matriculants
The School of Medicine at Duke University is one of North Carolina’s most research-intensive medical schools. While Duke University traces its roots to Trinity College, founded in 1838 and relocated to Durham in 1892, the School of Medicine was established in 1930. Duke’s medical education and research network also includes Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, a partnership with the National University of Singapore established in 2005.
The School of Medicine is closely connected to Duke University Hospital, which opened in 1930 and remains its flagship teaching hospital. Duke researchers and clinicians have contributed to major medical advances; for example, Duke surgeons performed the first U.S. adult heart transplant using donation after circulatory death in 2019. In 2025, Duke School of Medicine ranked ninth nationally among medical schools for NIH research funding.
The M.D. curriculum covers core basic sciences in the first year and core clinical clerkships in the second year. Students then devote 10 to 12 months to scholarly investigation and complete additional elective rotations in the third and fourth years. Duke also offers many dual-degree and specialty-track opportunities, and its Medical Scientist Training Program leads to both the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
- Website
- Admissions
- Official admissions snapshot:
- Average MCAT for matriculants: 512
- Matriculant BCPM GPA: 3.6–3.7
- Current mean GPA: 3.79 for science coursework and 3.66 for non-science coursework
The School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a long tradition of patient care, education, and research. Its stated vision is to be the nation’s leading public school of medicine, and its mission includes improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others it serves. In the 2026 U.S. News graduate school rankings, UNC School of Medicine maintained Tier 1 status in Primary Care, and in the most recent Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report, it ranked fifth among peer public universities and 18th nationally in NIH funding for fiscal year 2025.
The patient side of UNC’s mission focuses on promoting health and reducing health disparities in North Carolina and beyond.
The M.D. program uses the Translational Education at Carolina curriculum, now TEC 2.0, which launched in August 2023. TEC 2.0 integrates basic science and clinical skills, includes longitudinal patient-care experiences, and preserves opportunities for early career exploration.
The curriculum includes three phases: a Foundation Phase with integrated preclinical coursework and clinical-skills development; an Application Phase, in which students complete core clinical clerkships across campus programs and clinical sites; and a 13-month Individualization Phase, in which students build advanced clinical skills, complete acting internships, choose electives, and prepare for residency.
3. East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine
- Website
- Admissions
- Official admissions snapshot:
- Minimum science undergraduate GPA: 3.0
- Minimum MCAT: 500
- Latest official archived class profile: 3.61 average undergraduate GPA and 506 average MCAT for the Class of 2024
Located in Greenville, North Carolina, the Brody School of Medicine was established by the North Carolina legislature in 1974. Brody is known for its strong primary care orientation. Its mission is to increase the supply of primary care physicians serving North Carolina, improve the health and well-being of the region, and train physicians who can meet the state’s health care needs.
As a result, the Brody School of Medicine has strong ties to the community, reflected in many student projects and service initiatives. One example is the Greenville Community Shelter Clinic, where Brody medical students first became involved in December 1988. The clinic offers basic medical care to homeless and indigent patients at no charge, and its operations committee is managed by students.
The James D. Bernstein Community Health Center also serves the local community by providing primary medical and dental services principally to low-income and uninsured patients from Pitt and neighboring counties.
4. Wake Forest School of Medicine
- Website
- Admissions
- Official admissions snapshot:
- Class of 2028 average GPA: 3.83
- Class of 2028 average MCAT: 511
- Class of 2028 profile: 12,139 applicants, 498 interviews, and 145 new matriculants
- Minimum review criteria: 500 MCAT and 3.2 BCPM GPA with at least 15 BCPM credit hours
We end our list of top medical schools in North Carolina with the School of Medicine at Wake Forest University. The school’s history dates to 1902, when Wake Forest College Medical School was founded as a two-year program in Wake Forest, North Carolina. It later moved to Winston-Salem and expanded to a four-year medical curriculum. Today, the school is part of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist academic health system and has a nationally recognized research program with more than $400 million in extramural funding.
The redesigned Wake Ready curriculum offers two campus-based learning models: a problem-based and team-based learning approach on the Charlotte campus and an integrated didactic, case-based, and simulation approach on the Winston-Salem campus. Both emphasize early patient exposure, integration of basic, clinical, and health systems science, and training in bedside and point-of-care ultrasound.
The curriculum begins with an 18-month Foundations phase, followed by an Immersion phase with core clerkships in areas such as emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, OB-GYN, psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics, and surgery. In the Individualization phase, students complete advanced requirements such as acting internships, critical care, geriatrics and palliative care, and electives across the two campuses, while preparing for Step 2 CK and the residency match.
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