5 Best Medical Schools in North Carolina

The best medical schools in North Carolina offer unique medical education for incoming students pursuing a career in Medicine

These schools offer the best graduate programs in medicine, a metropolitan campus environment for learning, residency placements, and direct clinical experiences in reputable hospitals in the United States. 

Keep reading to know these 5 best medical schools in North Carolina, the quality of these schools, student enrollment, curriculum, research activities, rankings, and hospital affiliations. 

5 Best Medical Schools in North Carolina

How to get accepted into Medical school in North Carolina

Medical schools in North Carolina are both selective and competitive. The acceptance rate is 5.6%.

To get accepted into a medical school in North Carolina, incoming students are expected to have:

  1. Excellent High school diploma
  2. Undergraduate degree in the field of Sciences (3-4 years)
  3. Previous Clinical experiences
  4. Excellent undergraduate GPA score
  5. Undergraduate degree in the field of Sciences (3-4 years)
  6. Good TOEFL language scores
  7. Minimum MCAT exam result (depends on the university individually)
  8. Extracurricular activities
  9. Letters of recommendation

High School Diploma

Your High school diploma or academic standings must be exceptional and you should be sure that your exam scores and GPA (total and science) meet and exceed the medical school’s minimum requirements.

Undergraduate degree in the field of Sciences (3-4 years)

In the United States, Medical degrees or M.D programs are considered second degrees. Therefore, to enroll directly for a Bachelor of Medicine, you must first earn a bachelor’s degree in the science subject after completing a bachelor’s program degree in a related science subject (chemistry, biology e.t.c) before applying to study medicine. A medical degree program typically lasts 4 years.

Previous Clinical experiences

Clinical experiences are one of the top requirements for getting accepted. Medical schools in North Carolina are more interested in applicants who have previous clinical experience providing medical care or have actively engaged in patient care in underserved areas in Michigan.

During the admission process, students with experience providing medical care to the local community in North Carolina or those who are able to show a strong commitment to serving patients in North Carolina are highly considered.

You should also have completed internships, and/or had job experiences in the medical field, to increase your chances of getting accepted. You can choose to volunteer at a free clinic, or with a hospital service, as it is one of the best ways to show your commitment and passion for medicine.

For some medical work experiences, You can also be paid while working with professors in reputable medical colleges in research. Lab internships and assistantships vacancies may also be available to collaborate with other researchers on their projects or even do research on your own project.

Quality volunteering experiences at a hospital or a free clinic is another one of the best ways to have an advantage over other applicants as it boosts your application and shows your commitment to helping people. Nurse assistant or nurse’s aide jobs are available for those who want to work directly with patients, at a hospital, local clinic, or any place where ill and sick people are treated.

Letters of recommendation

Official letters of recommendation from your professors, employers, or people who can vouch for you are also required.

It is necessary that the recommendation letter comes from a current or previous employer who can vouch for your work ethic. This will enable the admissions committee to determine how committed and strong-willed you are to study medicine. 

Official letters of recommendation can be submitted either through email with the rest of your application materials or mailed directly.

5 Best Medical Schools in North Carolina

  1. Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, NC)
  2. University of North Carolina School of Medicine (Chapel Hill, NC)
  3. Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC
  4. East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine (Greenville, NC)
  5. Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (Lillington, NC)

1. Duke University School of Medicine (Durham, NC)

The Duke University School of Medicine (Duke Med), is the medical school of Duke University. It is established in 1925 by James Duke and is located in the Collegiate Gothic-style West Campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The School of Medicine, along with the Duke University Hospital, Duke University School of Nursing, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Children’s Hospital, and other affiliated clinics, hospitals, and laboratories make up the Duke University Health System. It is #1 on our list of best medical schools in North Carolina.

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The School of Medicine is a leading institution in education, patient care, medical science study, and clinical care. It is committed to research and collaboration across the school’s 24 basic science and clinical departments. This creates a unique learning environment to train and inspire the next generation of doctors and physicians. 

Medical students’ clinical rotations occur within the Duke University Health System, a fully integrated academic health care system comprising a tertiary-care hospital and specialty clinics on the Medical Center campus, a VA hospital, two community hospitals, home health and hospice services, a network of primary care physicians, and other affiliated partners across the SE United States. U.S. News & World Report ranks #3 in the United States for research, while Duke University Hospital is always ranked among the top 20 of about 5,700 American hospitals. 

Moreover, the Duke University School of Medicine is especially noted for its groundbreaking biomedical research, bringing in nearly $700 million in NIH-sponsored projects in 2016. Duke makes the list of top 10 schools in the U.S to receive over $460 million in federal funding from the National Institute of Health for medical research in 2020. The school is one of the leading pioneers in biomedical research and ranks Duke #3 in the U.S for best medical research schools by U.S. News & World Report. In terms of various types of clinical studies, Duke is ranked #2 in the U.S for surgery and #4 for anesthesiology. 

The school’s faculty has two Nobel Laureates: Robert J. Lefkowitz, MD, 2012winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; and Paul Modrich, Ph.D., 2015 winner of the Chemistry Prize. The distinguished faculty members of  Duke University School of Medicine include major national medical groups appointees, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Academy for Arts and Sciences, and the Association of American Physicians.

Duke Med partners with medical institutions in Singapore and China, offering medical students international opportunities and the chance for cross-regional collaboration in education and research. There are also tailored programs at the Duke Global Health Institute designed to support medical students with study abroad plans as well as locally based student projects created to support unprotected populations in underserved parts of the world.

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2. University of North Carolina School of Medicine (Chapel Hill, NC)

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine is a professional medical school of the University of North Carolina established in 1879 and located at Chapel Hill. 

The school offers a Doctor of Medicine degree with a combined Doctor of Medicine / Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health degrees.

The North Carolina School of Medicine (UNC) has outstanding facilities, state-of-the-art faculty, and a conducive team-oriented environment that make it one of the top medical schools in North Carolina as well as in the United States and internationally.  

During the first year, the class size at UNC is about 190 students, and according to the U.S. News & World Report, the faculty-to-student ratio is 2.3:1. 

There’s a supportive faculty that provides individualized attention to each student while students benefit from attending a large medical institution, including interdisciplinary units and cross-department collaboration across the school of medicine’s eight science-based departments and 20 clinical. 

U.S. News & World Report ranks UNC #3 in Best Primary Care Medical Schools. The school is able to maintain one of the lowest average rates of debt for graduates, from the support of public and private philanthropic programs. Additionally, the North Carolina School of Medicine is also ranked #1 for the number of minority students who earned a Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences, which proves UNC’s commitment to diversity. 

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UNC medical school has some notable well-known alumni. This includes Francis Collins, U.S National Institute of Health (NIH) current director, who was responsible for major aspects of the Human Genome Project, and Ken Jeong, actor and comedian, who graduated with a medical degree in UNC before becoming a popular Hollywood comedian in productions like Crazy Rich Asians and Community.

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3. Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC)

Wake Forest School of Medicine is the medical school of Wake Forest University, established in 1902 with two campuses in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The school is affiliated with an academic medical center called the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. 

U.S. News & World Report ranks Wake Forest School of Medicine #48th best medical school for research and 80th best for primary care in the U.S. It also ranks in the top third U.S. medical schools to have received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s primary focus is on medical innovation, classroom education, and North Carolina research. The school has state-of-the-art facilities and a new campus coming in midtown Charlotte. Medical students go through a clinical, patient-centered path, and benefit from working with faculty members experienced in how research-led insights result in excellent patient care practices.

The School of Medicine is part of the Wake Forest Baptist Health system – which includes the school and an integrated clinical system with primary care clinics, community hospitals, and specialty clinics where students directly participate in real-world clinical settings that includes interacting with patients from their first year. 

The “Wake Ready!” curriculum is a specially designed approach to provide an individualized preparation system for students studying by replacing the traditional two years of pre-clinical and clinical work with a better program.  

The two years of traditional pre-clinical and two years of clinical work are replaced with a highly integrated and flexible program, which enables students to master basic foundational sciences.

After foundational sciences, students go into clinical immersion and then an individualized training phase, to make sure each student is completely prepared for a unique career path in medicine.

The School of Medicine is internationally recognized as a top institution for biomedical research and breeds an academic culture of innovation and research. Recently, researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine researchers came together to create a data network that is helping to propel new research into viruses and their effect on various subpopulations. 

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4. East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine (Greenville, NC)

The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) is a public medical school established in 1969 and located in Greenville, North Carolina. It is a top institution in family medicine in the United States and one of the best medical schools in North Carolina. 

BSOM offers a Doctor of Medicine program, Doctor of Philosophy program, Master of Public Health programs, combined Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health program, and Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration programs.  

The school of medicine is ranked #1 in North Carolina and #2 in the U.S for most medical graduates to go into a family practice career. The track record of family physicians has been exemplary and leading medical groups, like the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) have noted it. 

Brody School of Medicine’s curriculum covers family medicine and provides a robust core classroom learning in sciences, clinical skills, and community care across various places. Medical students get the opportunity to master electronic medical records, online resources for evidence-based research, and more. All of this training is designed to ensure students gain sufficient digital and technological skills needed to contend with a rapidly dynamic medical field. 

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Many incoming students also appreciate that Brody’s student population consists of non-traditional and minority learners. Approximately 11.7% of Brody students are African American, which is double the national average of 6%. In terms of age, one out of three students (31.7%) are aged 30 and above, compared to 17.5% in various United States medical colleges. 

Moreover, BSOM ranks as one of the low tuition medical schools in the US. Less than 3.4% of graduates leave Brody with 200,000 or more educational debt and 32.5% of medical students are able to repay the debt amount after they graduate.

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5. Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (Lillington, NC)

Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSOM) is a private medical school established in 2011 and located in Lillington, North Carolina. It is one of seven schools at Campbell University.

U.S. News & World Report ranks CUSOM #5 in the North Carolina medical school rankings. The Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine (CUSUM) is a Christian institution that welcomes all faiths and is known for being the first and only osteopathic medical school in North Carolina. 

The School of Osteopathic Medicine has a holistic approach to the medical sciences programs and is a good option for students who want to learn the traditional aspects of medicine while increasing their knowledge with additional training in osteopathic principles. The curriculum doesn’t only focus on professional and academic skills, but also on altruism and compassion qualities. 

CUSOM is committed to caring for local communities and it is part of the school’s mission for its graduating doctors and physicians to practice in rural regions in North Carolina and beyond especially within populations who can’t easily access healthcare services.

The opportunity to give back to underserved communities in North Carolina attracts international and domestic students who want leading medical education and real-world experience providing medical solutions to healthcare issues. 

CUSOM maintains a 100% rate for residency placements as its medical students perform competitively on licensing examinations. 600 students from over 30 states, out of which 150 residents and fellows in eight clinical programs and five specialties make up the student body. There are approximately 1,000 physicians and scientist faculty members on staff. 

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Conclusion

And that’s it. Everything important information you need to know on the 5 best medical schools in North Carolina. 

These schools offer a comprehensive curriculum, hands-on work experiences and direct patient care, equipped laboratory facilities, training spaces, and lot’s more. They are also affiliated with reputable teaching hospitals.

FAQs on Best Medical Schools in North Carolina

What is the number 1 medical school in North Carolina?

The Duke University School of Medicine (Duke Med), is the medical school of Duke University. It is established in 1925 by James Duke and is located in the Collegiate Gothic-style West Campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The School of Medicine, along with the Duke University Hospital, Duke University School of Nursing, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Children’s Hospital, and other affiliated clinics, hospitals, and laboratories make up the Duke University Health System.
The School of Medicine is a leading institution in education, patient care, medical science study, and clinical care. It is committed to research and collaboration across the school’s 24 basic science and clinical departments. This creates a unique learning environment to train and inspire the next generation of doctors and physicians. 

How many medical schools are in North Carolina?

There are five accredited medical schools in North Carolina.

How long does it take to graduate from a medical school in North Carolina?

The Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) program in North Carolina requires 4 years to complete. 

Is it hard to get into the Medical schools in North Carolina?

Admission into medical schools in North Carolina is competitive, with a 5.6% acceptance rate for the incoming students. 

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