Admission of Black, Hispanic medical school students falls by double digits

More than a year after the Supreme Court ruled that it’s unconstitutional for colleges to consider race as a factor in admissions, the number of new Black and Hispanic medical students is dropping.

David Skorton, MD, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges, says medical schools are committed to enrolling a wide range of students.

The Association of American Medical Colleges released new data Thursday on medical school enrollment for the 2024-25 school year, offering the first snapshot of medical school admissions since the high court’s ruling. The data shows declines in enrollment among first-year students from some racial groups, including Black and Hispanic Americans.

The declines are in the double digits, according to AAMC data.

The percentage of Black first-year medical students fell 11.6% in the 2024-25 school year. The AAMC notes it’s the third consecutive year that there’s been a drop in Black matriculants, but the one-year decline is still significant.

The percentage of first-year students of Hispanic, Latino and Spanish origin fell 10.8% in the 2024-25 year, according to AAMC’s new data.

The decline among matriculants identified as American Indian or Alaska Native fell even more sharply, plunging by 22.1% in the 2024-25 school year.

The drop in first-year students who were Black or Hispanic came even after there was an increase in applications from those groups. The percentage of Black applicants rose 2.8% in 2024-25, while there was a 2.2% uptick in applications from Hispanic or Latino Americans.

David A. Acosta, MD, AAMC chief diversity and inclusion officer, pointed to the high court ruling and some states enacting laws barring offices and programs to promote diversity at colleges and universities.

“In the wake of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision on the consideration of race in admissions and state-level policies ending funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, medical schools are operating in a new environment,” Acosta said in a statement accompanying the AAMC data.

Acosta added that “it is critical that schools support pathways programs and use effective race-neutral admissions practices and tools, such as holistic review.”

The AAMC urged the high court to allow medical schools to continue using race as a factor in admissions, arguing that a more diverse student body will improve healthcare for everyone.

David J. Skorton, MD, president and CEO of the AAMC, said Thursday that medical colleges are committed to building a more diverse physician workforce to improve the quality of healthcare.

“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,” Skorton said in a statement. “Evidence shows that a more varied workforce can improve access to health care and the health of our communities.”

• Read more: Why hospital boards need more diversity

Healthcare leaders worried that the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action would affect diversity in medical schools. After the high court issued its ruling in June 2023, Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, MD, then-president of the American Medical Association, said he feared the decision would lead to fewer students from minority groups.

“Diversity is vital to health care, and this court ruling deals a serious blow to our goal of increasing medical career opportunities for historically marginalized and minoritized people,” Ehrenfeld said in a statement after the ruling. He added, “A physician workforce that reflects the diversity of the nation is key to eliminating racial inequities.”

In a more encouraging development, women made up a majority of medical school students for the sixth consecutive year. Women make up 55% of students, and 56.8% of applicants.

The AAMC data revealed an uptick in Asian first-year students in 2024-25, an 8.4% increase over the previous year.

But the total number of medical school applicants fell 1.2%, dropping to the lowest level since 2017-18. The AAMC reported a 15% drop in applications from those identified as American Indian or Alaska Native.