Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

Coordinates: 40°50′29″N 73°56′28″W / 40.841519°N 73.941139°W / 40.841519; -73.941139

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, colloquially known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located in the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded in 1767 by Samuel Bard as the medical department of King's College (now Columbia University), the College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first medical school in the thirteen colonies and hence, the United States, to award the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree. Beginning in 1993, P&S also was the first U.S. medical school to hold a White Coat Ceremony.

According to U.S. News and World Report, P&S is one of the most selective medical schools in the United States based on average MCAT score, GPA, and acceptance rate. In 2011, 6,907 people applied and 1,158 were interviewed for 169 positions in its entering class. The median undergraduate GPA and average MCAT score for successful applicants in 2014 were 3.82 and 36, respectively. Columbia is ranked 6th amongst research-oriented medical schools in the United States and ranked 51st for primary care by U.S. News and World Report. It is currently ranked 5th amongst medical schools in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Clinical Medicine, 2012). The college also has the highest tuition of any private medical school in the United States.