The University of California San Francisco was the top awarded medical school by the National Institutes of Health in fiscal 2024, receiving $726 million in research funding.
Thirteen of the top 20 medical school recipients are located in the Northeast and California. The data comes from the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which analyzes NIH’s publicly reported grant awards annually. In total, NIH distributed more than $37.2 billion in extramural funding through over 65,000 awards or contracts in 2024.
This year’s rankings spotlight a policy flashpoint: At each of the 20 highest-funded medical schools, indirect cost rates were well above the 15% cap proposed by the Trump administration in February. When institutions receive federal funding for a medical research project, they also receive a percentage for indirect costs, which cover expenses such as lab operations and supplies.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the 15% cap from taking effect, but uncertainty surrounding the future of research funding stability is already causing disruptions in academic medical settings.
Here are the 20 medical schools that received the most NIH funding in 2024, along with their award totals, and breakdowns for direct and indirect cost amounts:
Note: Direct and indirect costs do not always add up precisely to the total award amount, due to rounding, funding carried over from previous years or adjustments made after initial award reporting.
- University of California San Francisco — $726,020,299
Direct costs: $539,756,014
Indirect costs: $188,866,089 - Washington University St. Louis — $683,318,054
Direct costs: $512,595,847
Indirect costs: $176,303,541 - Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) — $598,157,843
Direct costs: $433,446,452
Indirect costs: $186,142,364 - University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) — $587,526,359
Direct costs: $417,155,739
Indirect costs: $176,115,805 - Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tenn.) — $586,273,695
Direct costs: $442,042,601
Indirect costs: $155,666,431 - Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore) — $571,755,774
Direct costs: $431,281,916
Indirect costs: $163,234,906 - Stanford (Calif.) University — $548,681,085
Direct costs: $396,279,626
Indirect costs: $157,406,740 - University of Pittsburgh — $535,038,697
Direct costs: $386,172,212
Indirect costs: $155,741,173 - Columbia University Health Sciences (New York City) — $527,236,660
Direct costs: $379,345,298
Indirect costs: $151,545,706 - University of Michigan Ann Arbor (Mich.) — $510,493,010
Direct costs: $376,305,608
Indirect costs: $142,860,738 - New York University School of Medicine (New York City) — $490,227,441
Direct costs: $384,694,806
Indirect costs: $122,213,005 - Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine (New York City) — $460,463,801
Direct costs: $320,423,542
Indirect costs: $141,928,383 - Duke University (Durham, N.C.) — $454,891,637
Direct costs: $330,166,893
Indirect costs: $134,940,325 - University of California San Diego (La Jolla, Calif.) — $421,750,478
Direct costs: $303,291,772
Indirect costs: $122,428,826 - Northwestern University Chicago — $414,130,627
Direct costs: $300,013,429
Indirect costs: $125,122,116 - University of California Los Angeles — $403,553,360
Direct costs: $330,452,392
Indirect costs: $95,925,268 - University of Washington Seattle — $380,713,087
Direct costs: $280,221,231
Indirect costs: $104,305,153 - Emory University (Atlanta) — $374,577,692
Direct costs: $278,197,421
Indirect costs: $104,087,083 - University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (N.C.) — $349,006,891
Direct costs: $261,096,988
Indirect costs: $91,139,903 - Baylor College of Medicine (Houston) — $319,871,538
Direct costs: $229,755,028
Indirect costs: $93,414,981
