Med School Enrollment Increases

According to an AAMC press release, 45,266 applicants applied to med school this year, which is an increase of 3.1% over last year. 33.772 of these were first-time applicants with a 3.4% increase since 2011. First-time enrollment hit an all-time high of 19,517 students, up 1.5% since last year. At this rate, notes the press release, med schools will be on track to boost enrollment 30% by 2016. â€Å"Medicine continues to be a very attractive career choice for our nation’s best and brightest,† said Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., president and CEO of AAMC. â€Å"Given the urgent need our nation has for more doctors to care for our growing and aging population, we are extremely pleased with the continued growth in size and diversity of this year’s entering class of medical students.† In terms of diversity, all ethnic and racial groups saw increases in both applications and enrollment: Black/African American 3,824 applicants / 1,416 enrollees Hispanic/Latino 3,701 applicants / 1,731 enrollees American Indian/Alaska Native 430 applicants / 184 enrollees See the AAMC press release for more details. //