Florida has roughly 14 medical school campuses, making it one of the largest medical education hubs in the country. That count includes seven MD-granting (allopathic) programs and seven DO-granting (osteopathic) campuses, though the exact number shifts depending on whether you count branch campuses separately from their parent institutions. Here is a breakdown of every program, what distinguishes them, and what prospective students should know about getting in.
MD-Granting Medical Schools
Florida is home to seven allopathic medical schools that award the Doctor of Medicine degree. Three are housed within large public research universities, three sit within other public institutions in the state university system, and one is private.
- University of Florida College of Medicine (Gainesville). One of the state’s most competitive programs, with an average entering MCAT of 516 and average science GPA of 3.85.
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (Miami). Florida’s oldest medical school and its only private MD program, affiliated with an extensive hospital network in South Florida.
- University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (Tampa). Located alongside Tampa General Hospital and the Moffitt Cancer Center, giving students access to a wide clinical training environment.
- Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (Miami). Focused on training primary care physicians for underserved communities, with a curriculum built around community-based clinical experiences.
- University of Central Florida College of Medicine (Orlando). One of the newer MD programs in the state, enrolling its first class in 2009, now fully accredited and closely tied to Orlando’s hospital systems.
- Florida State University College of Medicine (Tallahassee). Uses a distributed clinical model, placing third- and fourth-year students at regional medical campuses across the state rather than a single teaching hospital.
- Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine (Boca Raton). A smaller program with an emphasis on biomedical research and community health in the Palm Beach County area.
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine also trains students at its Jacksonville campus, though the degree is conferred by the parent institution rather than a separately accredited Florida school.
DO-Granting Medical Schools
Osteopathic medical schools award the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. DOs are fully licensed physicians who can practice in every specialty, just like MDs, but their training includes additional coursework in musculoskeletal manipulation. Florida hosts seven DO campuses, several of which are satellite locations of schools headquartered in other states.
- Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (Fort Lauderdale, with a second campus in Clearwater). The largest and longest-established DO program in the state.
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton (LECOM-Bradenton). A branch of the Pennsylvania-based school, offering multiple learning pathways including a problem-based curriculum.
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Jacksonville (LECOM-Jacksonville). A newer LECOM campus expanding clinical training opportunities in Northeast Florida.
- Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, Florida (Melbourne). Originally based in New Mexico, this branch campus serves students on the Space Coast.
- Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (Celebration). A standalone DO school located near Orlando’s major hospital systems.
- Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Orange Park (near Jacksonville). The newest addition to Florida’s medical education landscape, with its inaugural class starting in 2025. It is the first four-year medical school in the Jacksonville area and LMU’s first campus outside Tennessee.
Public vs. Private Tuition
Cost is one of the biggest factors in choosing a Florida medical school. The six public MD programs (UF, USF, UCF, FSU, FIU, and FAU) offer significantly lower tuition to Florida residents. According to the Florida Department of Education, out-of-state students at public institutions pay roughly three and a half times the in-state tuition rate. For medical school, that difference can amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year.
At the University of Miami and the private DO schools, tuition is the same regardless of where you live, and it generally runs higher than in-state public rates. Private programs often offset that cost with institutional scholarships and loan programs, but the sticker price matters when you are looking at four years of tuition plus living expenses. Total debt at graduation for medical students nationally averages above $200,000, so choosing a public school with in-state tuition is one of the most straightforward ways to reduce that burden.
Admissions Competitiveness
Florida’s public MD programs are highly competitive, partly because they prioritize state residents and receive far more qualified applicants than they can accept. The University of Florida, for example, reports an average entering MCAT of 516 (roughly the 93rd percentile) and an average science GPA of 3.85. Other public programs have slightly lower averages but still expect strong academic records and meaningful clinical experience.
DO programs in the state tend to have somewhat lower median MCAT scores and GPAs than the MD schools, though they are by no means easy to get into. A competitive applicant for a Florida DO school typically holds an MCAT in the 504 to 510 range and a GPA above 3.4, along with clinical volunteering and strong letters of recommendation.
Public MD schools give heavy preference to Florida residents. Some programs fill 80% or more of their seats with in-state applicants. Private schools draw from a national applicant pool, which can make them a better option if you are applying from out of state but want to train in Florida.
What the School Count Means for Students
Having this many medical schools concentrated in one state creates real advantages for applicants and trainees. Clinical rotation sites span dense urban hospitals in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando as well as rural and underserved communities across the Panhandle and Central Florida. That variety gives students exposure to different patient populations and practice settings before they choose a specialty.
The growing number of DO campuses, including the new LMU-DCOM site in Orange Park, also reflects a national push to expand physician training. Florida’s population has been growing faster than its physician supply, and new campuses are designed to produce doctors who are more likely to stay and practice in the state after residency. For aspiring physicians, more seats in the state mean more opportunities to attend school close to home, often at a lower cost and with clinical networks they may eventually join as practicing doctors.