The total number of students in the nation’s medical schools has reached a new high, approaching 100,000 for the first time, even as applications for the 2024-25 academic year declined, according to data released today by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
The new class of students is less racially and ethnically diverse than in recent years: The percentage of first-year enrollees from groups that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) declined, reversing a decade-long trend. This despite the fact that the numbers of applicants rose among Black or African Americans and among those of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.
“The AAMC and its member medical schools are committed to continuing our efforts to increase the supply of physicians and to increase the range of backgrounds and experiences in the applicant and matriculant pools that are critical to the future physician workforce,” AAMC president and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, said in a press release.
Below are highlights from the data.
There are more medical students than ever
Total enrollment stands at 99,562, an increase of 1.8% from 2023-24. Enrollment has been increasing for a decade.
- 2014-15 — 85,122
- 2018-19 — 91,217
- 2021-22 — 95,340
- 2023-24 — 97,797
- 2024-25 — 99,562
Among the reasons for the rise in total enrollment: the expansion of slots at existing medical schools and the opening of a new school this year — the Thomas F. Frist Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University, in Nashville.
That makes room for more new students. First-year enrollees (matriculants) rose 0.8% from the previous academic year, to 23,048, a new high.
Fewer students apply
The number of applicants declined for the third consecutive year, but at a slower rate than in previous years. The 1.2% decline compares with decreases of 4.7% last year and 11.6% the year before. The number of applicants in 2024-25 reached the lowest total (51,946) since 2017-18.
This appears to be part of a post-COVID pattern. Applications rose significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching all-time highs. Expectations were that applications would settle back toward previous levels after the pandemic.
“We’re seeing a return to pre-COVID application numbers,” says Amy Addams, AAMC director of student affairs alignment and holistic review.
The data support that. Applicant totals have ranged from about 52,000 to 53,000 in recent years, except for a couple of years during the pandemic. For example:
- 2017-18 — 51,680
- 2019-20 — 53,369
- 2021-22 — 62,443 (Height of the pandemic)
- 2022-23 — 55,189
- 2023-24 — 52,577
- 2024-25 — 51,946
Note: These figures show the number of people who applied, not the number of total applications. Many students apply to more than one school.
On the upswing: First-time applicants (representing 74.3% of all applicants) increased by 2.3% for 2024-25.
Diversity rates vary among groups
There were increases and decreases in the numbers of applicants and matriculants of various races and ethnicities, with matriculant figures declining among several URiM groups. Below are the figures according to applicants’ self-identified race and ethnicity.
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Applicants decreased 15.4%.
- Matriculants decreased 22.1%.
- Asian
- Applicants increased 3.8%.
- Matriculants increased 8.4%.
- Black or African American
- Applicants increased 2.8%.
- Matriculants decreased 11.6%.
- Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin
- Applicants increased 2.2%.
- Matriculants decreased 10.8%.
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders
- Applicants did not change.
- Matriculants decreased 4.3%.
- White
- Applicants declined 5.2%.
- Matriculants declined 0.3%.
Total enrollment
The medical school class has become more racially and ethnically diverse since 2015-16. Over the past nine years:
- The proportion of Black or African American students rose from 7.2% to 10.3%.
- The proportion of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin students rose from 9.2% to 12.3%.
Below are the enrollment changes from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
- American Indian or Alaska Native — declined 1.8%
- Asian — increased 6.2%
- Black or African American — increased 1.5%
- Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin — increased 0.6%
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders — decreased 0.5%
- White — decreased 0.2%
Gender differences continue, with shifts
Women have comprised the majority of applicants for the past seven years and the majority of matriculants for the past eight years. There were some small changes in those trends.
Women as a percentage of each category:
- Applicants: Increased from 56.6% to 56.8%
- Matriculants: Declined from 55.4% to 55.1%
Among applicants overall, the number declined for both genders.
- Women: 29,528, declined 0.8%
- Men: 22,088, declined 2.2%
Among matriculants overall, 2024-25 marks the second year in a row that the increase was greater for men than for women.
- Men: 10,261 total, up 1.0%
- Women: 12,749 total, up 0.2%
More about the new class of students
- Matriculants range in age from 17 to 55.
- 166 are military veterans (compared with 171 in 2023-24).
- The mean MCAT score for matriculants was 512, the same as 2023-24.
- The median undergraduate GPA was 3.86, slightly higher than in recent years.
- Matriculants cumulatively performed over 16.4 million community service hours, an average of 709 hours per student.
- The number of first-generation matriculants (meaning their parents did not complete a four-year college degree) decreased 2.3% from 2023-24.
