For students who are interested in going to medical school someday, the University of Akron (UA) offers unique research opportunities with faculty and community partners, and plenty of support for the complicated med school preparation and application process.

UA’s pre-med track through the Bachelor of Science in Biology and B.S. in Biomedical Science programs, is also among the best values in the country for students who want tp pursue medicine.

In 2026 rankings from EDsmart, UA is now No. 6 in the country for best-value higher education pre-med programs. The new ranking is an increase of nine places since 2024. UA is still the only Ohio institution in the top 10.

Department of Biology Chair Jordan Renna credited a number of people and University programs and offices for the increase in ranking.

“This is all of us pulling in the same direction,” said Renna, who also noted that new student enrollments are up more than 20% from two years ago. “Our faculty and instructors, graduate students, department staff, academic advisors and staff in the office of the dean of the Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences are crucial to our excellence and our growth.”

The Department of Biology offers programs and partnership that expand opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work closely with faculty on research projects and with community partners that offer students hands-on research and clinical experience.

The department’s Tiered Mentoring Program connects undergraduate students to research, internship and clinical shadowing experiences with local community partners that build confidence and foster belonging in biology and biomedical fields. Designed for students early in their academic journey, this program pairs each student with a faculty mentor, graduate student and experienced peer.

In year one, students are mentees gaining hands-on experience; in year two, they become mentors to incoming participants. This cycle of guided learning, collaboration and leadership helps students persist in their degrees, explore career pathways and build strong letters of recommendation for graduate and professional schools.

Fall 2026 health care partners for the Tiered Mentoring Program include Summa Health, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Northeast Ohio Medical School, and Akron Children's Hospital. Other partners are the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Crown Point Ecology Center, Davey Resource Group, Stark County Community Action Agency Head Start, Stark Parks and the University of Akron Field Station.

UA students interested in the pre-med track are also supported by the Pre-Health Advising program, which guides students through prerequisites, the MCAT exam and applications for medical school, including the NEOMED Early Assurance Pathway.
EDsmart’s best-value pre-med schools are undergraduate colleges with a low average net price and a real pre-health advising path, not medical schools themselves. The list only includes programs that meet quality standards for graduation, retention and graduate earnings.

Other universities in the top 10 include University of Florida (No. 1), University of North Carolina (4), University of Michigan (5), Ball State University (7), University of New Mexico (8), University of Maryland (9) and University of Utah (10).

Media contact: media@uakron.edu