University of Minnesota Medical School
Key Facts and Figures

Faculty

There are approximately 5,000 medical school faculty, including adjunct and community instructors which makes the University of Minnesota one of the largest faculties nationally.

Faculty roles vary: some teach, some conduct research, some practice clinically—and many do all three. Faculty teach one class per academic year. Medical faculty are University of Minnesota employees.

Residency & Training

The University of Minnesota Medical School offers over 140 residency and fellowship programs across 21 departments and currently has over 1,000 current residents and fellows.

• Training occurs in major Twin Cities hospitals as well as rural clinics and hospitals statewide.
• Rural programs and new residency tracks are offered in partnership with health systems like CentraCare.
• Some residents are employed directly by the University of Minnesota and some are employed by the healthcare systems that host their residency programs.

Research

In fiscal year 2025 the University of Minnesota Medical School had $354.6 million in sponsored research funding. Funding sources: federal agencies (National Institute of Health, Department of Defense), foundations, industry, philanthropy, and internal funds. The Medical School faculty conduct basic science, clinical, and translational research.

Research is conducted across 27 departments, centers, institutes, and medical discovery teams. Research is conducted by research teams led by UMN faculty members. The faculty members may be PhD, MD, or MD/PhD trained, and contribute to the research, education, clinical, and service mission areas. The research teams may include other faculty, staff, and students (undergraduate and graduate).

Many medical students are interested in research and will find part time research positions with faculty and/or do research internships during their first summer of medical school, when they have a break from coursework.

Clinical Care

Faculty physicians practice statewide, providing care at many health systems including M Health Fairview, Hennepin Healthcare, HealthPartners, the Veterans Administration, CentraCare, Essentia Health, North Memorial, Aspirus network, and many rural healthcare sites. All Medical School clinical faculty have dual employment with the University and M Physicians.

Students gain clinical experience across more than a dozen health systems, including major urban hospitals and rural programs.

Medical students have early clinical experience in their first year of medical school, but are then centered in the hospital setting for years 3 and 4 of medical school. The Clinical Immersion required block clerkships include: Internal Medicine, OB/Gyn, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Neurology, Surgery, Outpatient, Emergency Medicine, and Intensive Care Unit. During this phase of medical school, students are based with preceptors (faculty physicians) and patients every day they are in school, learning how to work within a care team and the complexities of specific specialties.

Budget & Funding

The current medical school budget is $1.86 billion.  

• Funding sources:
  • M Physicians practice revenue — 54%
  • Sponsored research — 18.8%
  • Indirect cost recovery — 8.8%
  • State funding — 6%
  • Tuition — 3.2%
  • Philanthropy — 3%
  • Other sources — 2.5%

Minnesota Impact

The University of Minnesota Medical School is the primary source of Minnesota’s doctors, 70% of the state’s doctors were trained at the University.

The state is facing a growing physician shortage, as is most of the country. This is especially challenging in rural areas. In response, the Medical School has: 

• Increased class size by 10% (2025)
• Opened the CentraCare Regional Campus
• Expanded Duluth to a four-year campus
• The medical school offers unique programs to support rural health including the Rural Physicians Associate Program (RPAP). 
• Created new rural residency programs, including the Willmar Family Medicine Residency