Question 1

How are the best Plastic Surgery residency programs ranked?

Accepted Answer

MatchPath ranks programs by the MatchPath Program Score — a transparent, objective composite of the teaching hospital's CMS Overall Star Rating (quality), the program's size relative to other Plastic Surgery programs (ACGME-approved positions), its teaching hospital's NIH research funding (where available), and its accreditation standing. It is not a reputation survey; the exact weights are published and every program shows the signals behind its score.

Question 2

What is the best Plastic Surgery residency program?

Accepted Answer

By the MatchPath Program Score, University of Pennsylvania Health System currently ranks first among Plastic Surgery programs. The full ranked list above shows each program's score and the factors behind it, so you can see why.

Question 3

Is this an official residency ranking?

Accepted Answer

No. There is no official ACGME, NRMP, or government ranking of residency programs. The MatchPath Program Score is our own transparent composite of objective, public data (CMS hospital quality, ACGME positions and accreditation) — published so you can see exactly what drives each position. It reflects the teaching hospital's measured quality and the program's scale, not a subjective judgment of the training.

Question 4

Does a program's rank mean it's the right fit for me?

Accepted Answer

Not on its own. The score weighs objective signals every applicant can verify, but fit also depends on your specialty goals, location, IMG-friendliness, visa needs, and salary. Use the ranking as a starting shortlist, then compare programs side by side.

Question 5

How is this different from the Doximity or U.S. News residency rankings?

Accepted Answer

Reputation rankings like Doximity are built from surveys of physicians' opinions. The MatchPath Program Score uses no opinions — only objective, public data (CMS hospital quality, ACGME positions and accreditation), with the weights published and every input shown. You can audit exactly why a Plastic Surgery program sits where it does.

Question 6

Which of these Plastic Surgery programs are IMG-friendly?

Accepted Answer

The score itself doesn't factor in IMG acceptance — filter the Plastic Surgery program list by "IMG-friendly" to rank by reported IMG acceptance rate, then check each program's IMG percentage, visa sponsorship, and Step 2 CK expectation. All of it is free to view.

#	Program	Location	CMS	Score
1	University of Pennsylvania Health System	Philadelphia, PA	5	100
2	University of California (San Francisco) School of Medicine	San Francisco, CA	5	100
3	University of Utah Health	Salt Lake City, UT	5	95
4	Houston Methodist Hospital	Houston, TX	5	95
5	Mass General Brigham	Boston, MA	5	95
6	University of Colorado School of Medicine	Aurora, CO	5	95
7	Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Nashville, TN	4	93
8	Tulane University School of Medicine	New Orleans, LA	4	91
9	University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center	Dallas, TX	4	85
10	University of Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	4	85
11	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Boston, MA	4	85
12	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine	Baltimore, MD	4	85
13	Emory University School of Medicine	Dunwoody, GA	4	85
14	Cleveland Clinic Foundation	Weston, FL	4	85
15	University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio Joe and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine	San Antonio, TX	3	76
16	University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston	Houston, TX	3	76
17	Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine	Charleston, SC	3	76
18	University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago	Chicago, IL	3	76
19	University of California (San Diego) Medical Center	San Diego, CA	5	75
20	St Luke's University Hospital	Bethlehem, PA	5	72
21	Indiana University School of Medicine	Indianapolis, IN	2	72
22	University of Oklahoma College of Medicine	Oklahoma City, OK	2	67
23	Summa Health System	Akron, OH	2	67
24	University of California Davis Health	Sacramento, CA	3	67
25	University of Florida College of Medicine	Gainesville, FL	4	65
26	Henry Ford Health	Detroit, MI	3	60
27	University of Tennessee College of Medicine-Chattanooga	Chattanooga, TN	3	57
28	Nassau University Medical Center	Garden City, NY	1	57
29	University of Louisville School of Medicine	Louisville, KY	1	57
30	University of Cincinnati Medical Center Inc.	Cincinnati, OH	3	56
31	Ohio State University Hospital	Columbus, OH	3	56
32	St Joseph's University Medical Center	Paterson, NJ	3	56
33	University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine	Omaha, NE	3	56
34	University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center	Iowa City, IA	3	56
35	University of Miami/Jackson Health System	Miami, FL	1	48
36	University of Southern California/Los Angeles General Medical Center (USC/LA General)	Los Angeles, CA	2	47
37	Broward Health	Fort Lauderdale, FL	3	45
38	Westchester Medical Center	Valhalla, NY	1	21

Best Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

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