U.S. Medical School Enrollment Hits Historic Milestone, Surpassing 100,000 Students

Key TakeawaysTotal U.S. medical school enrollment surpassed 100,000 for the first time ever in 2025Women continue to outnumber men, making up 55% of the nation’s incoming first-year medical studentsEntrance requirements are becoming more competitive, with average GPAs and admissions test scores for new students rising.TUESDAY, Dec. 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More people than ever are entering medical school, and with the number of applicants increasing, it is harder to get in.For the first time, enrollment in U.S. medical schools surpassed 100,000.New data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) show how a record-breaking 2025 class, driven by a surge of first-time applicants and women, tipped the scale.In 2025, the number of all students enrolled in medical school reached 100,723 — a significant milestone for the future of health care. After a slight dip in recent years, overall applications rose 5.3% to 54,699 in 2025.The growth was largely powered by newcomers, with the number of people applying for the first time up 8.4%. That represented more than three-quarters of the applicant pool this year.The nation's first-year medical school class also hit an all-time high of 23,440.Since 2019, women have made up the majority of medical students, according to AAMC, and that trend showed no signs of slowing in 2025. They accounted for 57.2% of all applicants and 55.0% of the incoming class.While men’s applications rose for the first time since 2021, men remain the minority at 44.4% of first-year students.California, Texas and Florida accounted for the highest number of 2025 applicants.The racial and ethnic breakdown of the 23,440 first-year students is:White: 11,081Asian: 7,505Hispanic or Latino: 2,695Black or African American: 1,970Middle Eastern or North African: 1,485American Indian or Alaska Native: 215Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 102Other race or ethnicity: 226While overall diversity has fluctuated, the report noted that the number of Black men entering medical school has remained nearly flat for decades. In 2025, 552 first-year students were Black men, 10 more than the 542 recorded in 1978.First-year students ranged in age from 18 to 60, with 2.6% of students over 30.Academic standards for entry are continuing to climb. The average college grade point average for new students rose to 3.81, and average scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) reached 512.1 out of a possible 528.Beyond their grades, this year’s incoming class showed a massive commitment to charity, completing a combined 16.8 million hours of community service before starting medical school, or about 717 hours per student.AAMC President and CEO Dr. David Skorton noted that the data reflect a bright future for the profession.“The growing number of applicants to medical school reflects the continued strong interest in medicine as a career,” he said in a news release.“Training the next generation of physicians has always been, and will remain, a core mission of academic medicine,” Skorton added.More informationThe Health Resources and Services Administration provides data on the U.S. health care workforce and training programs.SOURCE: Association of American Medical Colleges, news release, Dec. 9, 2025.What This Means For YouAspiring doctors face an increasingly competitive medical school admissions process that requires not only high academic scores but also a very high level of community service..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

U.S. Medical School Enrollment Hits Historic Milestone, Surpassing 100,000 Students

Related Stories