Association of American Medical Colleges (12/09/25)

For the 2025-26 academic year, enrollment in U.S. MD-granting medical schools surpassed 100,000 students for the first time, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The number of applicants increased 5.3% after 3 years of decline, while the number of first-time applicants increased 8.4%, comprising 76.5% of all medical school applicants. “The growing number of applicants to medical school reflects the continued strong interest in medicine as a career,” said David J. Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO. “Training the next generation of physicians has always been, and will remain, a core mission of academic medicine.” The number of first-year enrollees in 2025-26 rose 1.2% from the previous year. Women accounted for the majority of applicants, matriculants, and total enrollment for the seventh consecutive year, while representation among historically underrepresented groups included 8.4% Black or African American and 11.5% Hispanic or Latino students. This year's entering class demonstrated strong academic credentials with a median grade point average of 3.87, included 163 military veterans, ranged in age from 18-60 years, and collectively performed more than 16.8 million hours of community service, underscoring both academic excellence and commitment to service.

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