Maryland’s long-established LCME-accredited M.D.-granting medical schools include the three institutions below. Prospective students should also know that the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine, a COCA pre-accredited D.O. school in Hagerstown, enrolled its first class in 2025. Each school on this list offers a distinctive path: Johns Hopkins is especially known for biomedical research, the University of Maryland combines long public-medical-school history with a broad academic medical center, and the Uniformed Services University is tuition-free for admitted students who are prepared for a service commitment.
Top Medical Schools in Maryland
1. Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is one of the most prestigious medical schools in the U.S. Founded in 1893, JHUSOM is a private medical school in Baltimore with a long record of medical education, research, and clinical innovation. It ranked second among research-oriented medical schools in the 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings, but Johns Hopkins later withdrew from the U.S. News medical school rankings.
The school has been a pioneer in many areas of medicine and education. It was the first graduate school of medicine in the United States and the first to admit women on the same terms as men. The Women’s Fund Committee helped raise money to establish the medical school on the condition that women be admitted, and three of the 18 students in the first class were women. Johns Hopkins also helped set standards for modern medical education, including requiring a college degree for admission and advancing intern and residency training.
Besides granting M.D. degrees, JHUSOM offers several combined-degree options, including M.D./Ph.D., M.D./M.B.A., M.D./M.P.H., and M.D./M.S.H.C.M. programs. The M.D. curriculum is a four-year program built around the integrated Genes to Society curriculum. Students study on Johns Hopkins’ Baltimore medical campus, with access to major clinical, public health, nursing, and research resources.
Admissions are highly competitive. For the Class of 2028, Johns Hopkins reported 4,409 applicants, 129 matriculated students, a 5.62% admit rate, an average GPA of 3.94, and an average MCAT score of 520. Applications begin through AMCAS and continue with the Johns Hopkins secondary application, letters of recommendation, and official MCAT scores.
Unlike some U.S. medical schools, Johns Hopkins considers international applicants. Financial aid is also available to qualified international medical students in the form of institutional loans and/or scholarships.
2. University of Maryland
Another Maryland medical school known for its discoveries and more than two centuries of educational experience is the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Chartered in 1807, it is the first public medical school in the United States and one of the country’s oldest medical schools. The school reports $501.2 million in total grants and contracts for FY 2025 and says it ranks 12th among public medical schools according to the AAMC.
Along with M.D. degrees, UMSOM offers dual degree programs and graduate programs. Its dual degree options include the M.D./Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program and the M.D./M.P.H. program. The school also lists M.S. programs in biomedical research, cellular and molecular biomedical science, epidemiology and human genetics, genetic counseling, lab management, public health, and pathologists’ assistant studies.
The M.D. program uses the Renaissance Curriculum, which was implemented in August 2020. It is a 150-week curriculum designed to be completed in four academic years. The preclerkship phase is integrated and systems-based, while the clinical phase includes required and elective experiences across medical specialties and settings.
For admissions, UMSOM reported 6,519 applications for the 2024 entering class and 165 seats in the first-year class. Accepted students in the 2025 entering class had an average GPA of 3.84 and an average MCAT score of 512.
As a state-assisted medical school, UMSOM gives preference to Maryland residents, although non-residents are encouraged to apply and are admitted each year. The school considers applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, Canadian citizens, or DACA students in Maryland who are eligible for Maryland State Financial Aid. Students in the process of applying for permanent resident status may apply, but their applications are reviewed only after they obtain a green card.
3. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
Lastly, we have the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Its medical school is the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, an LCME-accredited school in Bethesda and a distinctive option for students who want a tuition-free medical education and a career serving in the uniformed services.
The M.D. program teaches the Molecules to Military Medicine curriculum, integrating basic science, clinical medicine, health systems science, and more than 500 hours of military-unique training. Students accepted to the M.D. program pay no tuition and are commissioned as officers before beginning classes. USU states that it accepts 178 civilians and active-duty personnel into each class.
USU also offers an M.D./Ph.D. Physician Scientist program. Its current program page lists four military-relevant M.D./Ph.D. disciplines: Emerging Infectious Diseases, Molecular and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Public Health. The M.D./Ph.D. page also lists $0 tuition.
The functioning of USU is different from that of other medical schools. Applicants must meet both admissions and commissioning requirements, and U.S. citizenship is required for commissioning. Students apply through AMCAS and a USU supplemental application, and the supplemental application fee is $0. The school reports an average GPA of about 3.6 and an average MCAT score of 510 for its incoming class.
Students complete a tuition-free four-year M.D. program while receiving the full salary and benefits of a junior-ranking officer. The service commitment is substantial: USU states that graduates serve seven years after graduation and residency in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard, while Public Health Service graduates incur a 10-year obligation. Students who serve fewer than 10 years of active duty after graduation may also have an Individual Ready Reserve obligation.
The curriculum is divided into pre-clerkship, clerkship, and post-clerkship phases. The pre-clerkship period lasts 16 months, uses an organ-systems approach, and includes military-relevant clinical care and population health. The post-clerkship phase includes advanced clinical instruction, USMLE preparation, clinical rotations, and elective or research opportunities.
While Maryland has a limited number of medical schools, the institutions above offer several strong pathways to becoming a physician. Students can choose between research-intensive academic medicine, a public medical school connected to a major academic medical center, and a tuition-free federal medical school tied to service in the uniformed services.
We hope this article on the best medical schools in Maryland was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Study in the USA Page and the Available Courses for International Students!
