Premier Medical Schools in the World

Evidence of surgical practices have been in effect in various parts of the world as far back as 8000+ years ago. However, Medical Schools as degree-awarding institutions are relatively more recent. 

World Directory of Medical School database shows that there are over 3,112 recognized and Operating Medical Schools in nearly 185 Countries as of September 2018. 
 
Here are the 30 Premier Medical Schools in the world:
 

The criteria used to prepare the list is as follows:

  • Medical Institutions closed for more than 30 years are left out. (In some cases, during wars or vocations, relatively old universities were shut down for long periods).
  • The list includes only schools that are active and currently offering accredited medical schools. Schools no longer in existence are thus left out.
  • In the case of case of mergers of learning institutions, the oldest date is used provided it refers to some form of medical teaching.
  • Medical schools have been left out for which an official established date or date range could not be determined.

American medical schools do not make this list. The oldest such school is the School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, founded in 1765. All other existing American medical schools were founded after this date.

1. University of Bologna – School of Medicine and Surgery

  • Institute established: 1088
  • Medical faculty established: ~1200
  • Location: Bologna, Italy

2. Queen Mary – Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry

  • Institute established: 1989
  • Medical faculty established: 1123
  • Location: London, UK

3. Montpellier 1 University – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1289
  • Medical faculty established: 1181
  • Location: Montpellier, France

4. University of Oxford – Medical Sciences Division

  • Institute established: ~1096
  • Medical faculty established: 1220-1255
  • Location: Oxford, UK

5. University of Florence – School of Health Sciences Human

  • Institute established: 1923
  • Medical faculty established: 1321
  • Location: Florence, Italy
6. University of Padua – Department of Medicine – DIMED
  • Institute established: 1222
  • Medical faculty established: 1399
  • Location: Padua, Italy

7. University of Siena School of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1240
  • Medical faculty established: 1245
  • Location: Siena, Italy

8. University of Coimbra – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1290
  • Medical faculty established: 1290
  • Location: Coimbra, Portugal

9. University of Perugia – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: September 1308
  • Medical faculty established: February 1321
  • Location: Perugia, Italy

10. University of Pisa – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1343
  • Medical faculty established: 1343
  • Location: Pisa, Italy

11. First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague

  • Institute established: 1348
  • Medical faculty established: 1348
  • Location: Prague, Czech Republic

12. Jagiellonian University Medical College

  • Institute established: 1364
  • Medical faculty established: 1364
  • Location: Krakow, Poland
13. Medical University of Vienna
  • Institute established: March 1365
  • Medical faculty established: March 1365
  • Location: Vienna, Austria
14. Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg University School of Medicine
  • Institute established: June 1386
  • Medical faculty established: June 1386
  • Location: Heidelberg, Germany

15. Leipzig University – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1409
  • Medical faculty established: 1409
  • Location: Leipzig, Germany

16. University Medical Center Rostock, University of Rostock

  • Institute established: February 1419
  • Medical faculty established: February 1419
  • Location: Rostock, Germany

17. Sapienza University of Rome – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: April 1303
  • Medical faculty established: 1431
  • Location: Rome, Italy

18. University of Catania – Department of Medicine and Surgery

  • Institute established: October 1434
  • Medical faculty established: October 1434
  • Location: Catania, Italy

19. University of Turin – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

  • Institute established: 1404
  • Medical faculty established: October 1436
  • Location: Turin, Italy

20. Greifswald Medical School, University of Greifswald

  • Institute established: October 1456
  • Medical faculty established: October 1456
  • Location: Greifswald, Germany
21. University of St Andrews School of Medicine
  • Institute established: 1413
  • Medical faculty established: 1450
  • Location: St Andrews, Scotland
22. University of Freiburg – Faculty of Medicine
  • Institute established: 1457
  • Medical faculty established: 1457
  • Location: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

23. University of Basel – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: April 1460
  • Medical faculty established: April 1460
  • Location: Basel, Switzerland

24. University of Tubingen – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1477
  • Medical faculty established: 1477
  • Location: Tubingen, Germany

25. Uppsala University – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1477
  • Medical faculty established: 1477
  • Location: Uppsala, Sweden

26. University of Copenhagen – Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

  • Institute established: 1479
  • Medical faculty established: 1479
  • Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

27. University of Genoa – School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

  • Institute established: 1471
  • Medical faculty established: 1481
  • Location: Genoa, Italy

28. Complutense University of Madrid – Faculty of Medicine

  • Institute established: 1293
  • Medical faculty established: ~1509
  • Location: Madrid, Spain
29. University of Pavia – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
  • Institute established: 1361
  • Medical faculty established: Before 1520
  • Location: Pavia, Italy
30. University of Zaragoza – Faculty of Medicine
  • Institute established: September 1542
  • Medical faculty established: Sept 1542
  • Location: Zaragoza, Spain
~ means approximately
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