Top 12 Surgery Residency Programs in 2020

Top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020 will make your life a lot easier if you’re currently on a quest for reliable residency program rankings for the current year. Every help is welcome in pursuing your dream, isn’t it? Because you really have to love your calling if you’re planning on becoming a surgeon.

Perhaps you’re still in high school and daydreaming about saving lives. Let’s first check if you have any idea what you’ll be getting into. Preparing to become a glorious medical worker is a lengthy process. We’re talking about four years of undergraduate school, four years of medical school and 3-10 years of residency and fellowship (as explained by this study). In this job, more than any other, you have to keep up the pace. Your licensure needs maintaining, and you have to stay informed about advances in medicine. Do you still believe you have what it takes? Excellent! If you have great love and persistence needed for this job, you’ll find that it pays off pretty nicely. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the demand for this particular job is only expected to rise even more. Then, there’s the annual salary of $247,520. Not bad, is it?

On the other hand, if you have some qualms and thoughts you’d be in over your head, you can forget about general surgery residency rankings and maybe opt for another program. We wrote about top anesthesiology residency programs in top 12 anesthesiology residency programs in 2020. Or perhaps top psychiatry residency programs, if you’re more into opening people’s minds rather than their bodies? In that case, go to Harvard, or King’s College in London, Stanford or Yale. John Hopkins is more than recommendable as it came first in orthopedic residency program rankings. But if you’re keen on following the latest trends, you’ve noticed how much people (women) have become extremely interested in their skin and its youthful appearance. According to the US dermatology residency program rankings for 2020, it is Harvard that’s in the first place, followed by the University of California in San Francisco, and Stanford. Some of them are on our list, too, but Harvard is not number one. And neither is Yale if that’s what you’re thinking.

So here is a word or two about our very own ranking system. First, we consulted with Research Gate and read their article on universities’ reputations and outcomes. As you are already aware, sometimes the most famous and advertised option isn’t necessarily the best one. Bearing that in mind, we checked which universities have poor outcomes compared to their reputations. Next, we looked into the ranking situation with one of the most reliable sources when it comes to medicine resident program rankings – Start Class. They listed the US medical schools according to several criteria (in-state tuition, median MCAT score, and median incoming GPA). What we did was compare these two lists and choose the medical programs, i.e. universities which weren’t said to be resting on their laurels.

Our list is giving you the location and in-state tuition for every school. Also, you can expect data on the number of students, how that compares to the others if there are any perks and benefits, or which ones are very much endorsed by the National Institutes of Health, and so on.

Therefore, our dear surgeons-to-be here’s your essential reading material to get things started – a list of top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020!

12. Boston University School of Medicine

Location:  Boston, Massachusetts

In-state tuition: $53,186

In total, the school has 704 students. As it is the usual case among medical students, 83% of them have some kind of financial help. Unfortunately, when they finish college, their debt is higher than the national average.

11. Feinberg School of Medicine

Location: Northwestern University Chicago; Illinois

In-state tuition: $50,668

6% of students opt for general surgery, which seems to be an average here. The school costs are the same for Illinois students, and out of state students.

10. Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons

Location: New York, New York

In-state tuition: $53,378

If you’re thinking of enrolling, students typically achieve MCAT score of 36.0 out of 45 possible points.

9. Michigan Medical School

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

In-state tuition: $30,150

Without a doubt, Michigan Medical School is one of the largest. There are 692 students attending various programs, and that’s 26% above the average number. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded 997 research projects at this university, which is an impressive figure.

8. Pritzker School of Medicine

Location: Chicago, Illinois

In-state tuition: $45,835

In case you find Michigan too crowded, Pritzker School of Medicine which ranks 8th on our list of top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020, has only 358 students, so you can hope for some undivided attention.

7. Yale School of Medicine

Location: New Haven, Connecticut

In-state tuition: $52,085

Getting smaller and smaller in our list of top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020. Yale only accepts 100 first-year students. Therefore, only the best of the best get a chance to study surgery at this university. The knowledge and prestige that comes with it are costly, but you can turn to AAMC Fee Assistance Program (FAP) for some financial help.

6. Stanford School of Medicine

Location: Stanford, California

In-state tuition: $49,892

The tuition is high, but you’ll be paid $64,459 as an intern or  $81,827  as a Chief Resident. If you know anyone interested in internal medicine residency program, Stanford is highly recommendable since internal medicine is the field with the most research.

5. Harvard

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

In-state tuition: $53,581

As opposed to its rival Yale, Harvard is considered to be a very large medical school (709 students in total). Your MCAT will have to be 37 or higher if you wish to enroll.

4. David Geffen School of Medicine

Location: University of California, Los Angeles

In-state tuition: $32,546

On the other hand, if your MCAT score makes you anxious, perhaps you could try David Geffen. It’s ahead of Harvard on our list, and students need to have 35 points on average to sign up. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded 833 research projects done at this university.

And now, let’s see the top three on the list of top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020.

3. UC San Diego School of Medicine

Location: La Jolla, California

In-state tuition: $32,748

About 80% of the student body has some kind of a loan, and 266 students (53%) are receiving some form of scholarship from the medical school. 5% of students specialize in general surgery, while most opt for internal medicine.

2. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri

In-state tuition: $54,050

The average MCAT score is pretty high here: 38 points. That speaks volumes. It’s also the right place to be for the best emergency medicine residency programs (together with John Hopkins).

1. Perelman School of Medicine

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In-state tuition: $52, 478

Perelman is one of the largest medical schools (653 students) and the best option from top 12 surgery residency programs in 2020. 6% of the student body decides to pursue a surgeon career. As for the research opportunities, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved Perelman’s 1,109 research projects(!).