Study: Class of newest U.S. medical students is most diverse ever

More students are going to medical school than ever before, and the newest matriculants are the most diverse class yet, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The number of students who enrolled in U.S. allopathic medical schools for the first time in 2014 reached 20,343, and the total number of medical school applicants rose to a record 49,480.

New race and ethnicity reporting options updated in 2013 offered applicants and enrollees a different way to self-report their background. Since the reporting change, data show progress in the diversity of the nation’s medical students, including:

• A 1.1% increase in the number of African American enrollees, from 1,396 to 1,412
• A 1.8% increase in the number of Hispanic or Latino enrollees, from 1,826 to 1,859
• A 17% increase in American Indian and Alaska Native enrollees, from 173 to 202

Source: American Medical Association