Medical School Acceptance Rates by Race (2024): Does Ethnicity Play a Role?
/Learn how much race matters when applying to medical schools and how diversity is achieved through admissions
The AAMC publishes annual data regarding medical school acceptance rates by race
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Part 1: Introduction
The role of race in admissions is an incredibly hot topic these days. Talk of discrimination is seemingly everywhere, affirmative action lawsuits against universities are making headlines, and at least one student per week asks us how their ethnic background will factor into their admissions process.
The question comes mostly from students who are Asian American (e.g., Chinese American, Korean American, Indian American) or white. Because these students are considered “overrepresented in medicine” (ORM), they wonder whether their applications—despite having a GPA and MCAT score at or above the average among matriculants—will be reviewed with greater scrutiny than applicants from other ethnic or racial backgrounds.
The media, Reddit threads, and private conversations within premed circles tend to generalize how individuals from certain backgrounds perform academically. Of course, there is great variance in performance within groups. Specifically, there are high-achieving and low-achieving applicants who are Asian, White, Hispanic or Latino, Black or African American, or Native American. Moreover, it’s well documented that there are no differences in intelligence between members of different racial groups.
In this guide, our goal is to review what we know about the role of race in medical school admissions and to provide guidance on applying this understanding to your applications.
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Part 2: Medical school acceptance rates by race
AAMC offers data annually on acceptance and matriculation rates by race/ethnicity. Here is the most recent data, which reflects students who applied to begin medical school in Fall 2023 (i.e., the class of 2027):
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | ||||||
| Asian | ||||||
| Black or African American | ||||||
| Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin | ||||||
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | ||||||
| White | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Multiple Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Unknown Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Non-U.S. Citizen and Non-Permanent Resident | ||||||
| Total | ||||||
The percentages of applicants from the largest ethnic/racial applicant groups—Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and White—who were accepted and matriculated to medical school by race are as follows:
Asian:
Accepted: 48%
Matriculated: 46%
Black or African American:
Accepted: 41%
Matriculated: 39%
Hispanic or Latino:
Accepted: 49%
Matriculated: 47%
White:
Accepted: 47%
Matriculated: 45%
The data show that Asian, Hispanic or Latino, and White applicants tend to get into medical school at roughly the same rate, whereas African American students have a markedly lower acceptance rate.
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Part 3: GPA and MCAT scores by race/ethnicity
The controversy surrounding race and medical school admissions doesn’t stop at acceptance rates. The question isn’t simply “Which group gets in at the highest/lowest rate?,” but rather how much individuals from various groups must achieve, on paper, in order to be competitive for admissions.
To our knowledge, the best available data to answer this question is the following provided by the AAMC:
| MCAT CPBS | |||||||||||
| MCAT CARS | |||||||||||
| MCAT BBLS | |||||||||||
| MCAT PSBB | |||||||||||
| Total MCAT | |||||||||||
| GPA Science | |||||||||||
| GPA Non-Science | |||||||||||
| GPA Total | |||||||||||
| MCAT CPBS | |||||||||||
| MCAT CARS | |||||||||||
| MCAT BBLS | |||||||||||
| MCAT PSBB | |||||||||||
| Total MCAT | |||||||||||
| GPA Science | |||||||||||
| GPA Non-Science | |||||||||||
| GPA Total | |||||||||||
The average stats among matriculants from the largest ethnic/racial groups are as follows:
Asian:
Total MCAT: 514.3
Total GPA: 3.83
Black or African American:
Total MCAT: 505.7
Total GPA: 3.59
Hispanic or Latino:
Total MCAT: 506.4
Total GPA: 3.66
White:
Total MCAT: 512.4
Total GPA: 3.80
Clearly, Asian and White applicants are applying to medical schools with higher GPAs and MCAT scores relative to their Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino peers. The same trend holds true for matriculants.
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Part 4: Will race impact my admissions odds?
The answer to this question may seem to be a clear “yes”; however, it’s complicated.
We’re not aware of any data describing the average GPA and MCAT scores among applicants from specific racial backgrounds at specific schools. Without this data, we can’t know whether students from group X get into school Y with lower stats relative to peers from other groups.
Keep in mind that some schools admit a far larger number of students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine (URM) than others, whether that’s due to various race-based initiatives (e.g., historically black college or university; diversity initiatives), geography (i.e., certain states have relatively few individuals from URM backgrounds and prefer in-state students), or some other reason.
There is one other major source of complication. It’s well documented that race is strongly associated with socioeconomic status (i.e., educational attainment, income) and academic opportunity in the United States. Specifically, individuals from URM backgrounds tend to also have lower socioeconomic status and fewer academic opportunities.
Unfortunately, we’re also unaware of any data demonstrating the percentage of students accepted to medical schools by race, over and above socioeconomic status. Perhaps students who get in with lower stats—whether from URM or ORM backgrounds—tend to also have lower socioeconomic status. Having access to this information would give us a more definitive answer.
The role of diversity in medical school admissions
Medical schools widely publicize their goal of admitting a diverse applicant pool and their practice of holistic admissions; that is, they consider all factors—stats, experiences, personal background, etc.—when making admissions decisions.
You may have heard about the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action in 2023 that bars universities from explicitly considering race in their admissions process. Medical schools are also bound by this decision and while they won’t be able to directly take race into account while making decisions, they will still seek to foster a diverse student body that represents a cross-section of American society.
Regardless of where you stand on this issue, schools will continue to see it as in their interest to expose their students to as many different types of people as possible to create the most well-rounded and effective doctors possible.
A diverse physician population can better serve the diverse patient population we have in the United States. Of course, race/ethnicity is an integral aspect of diversity. Therefore, it’s understandable why admissions committees aim to recruit students from various backgrounds and walks of life.
Does race matter when applying to medical school?
While the impact of race when considering admissions statistics tilts us toward answering “yes,” it is ultimately inconclusive. The fact that schools are so transparent about their diversity initiatives gives us confidence that this is indeed the case.
This isn’t very surprising. The question is how this information impacts your application. Should you do anything differently when applying to medical school?
Yes and no.
If you’re part of an ORM group, don’t throw your hands up in defeat before you apply. Just because Asian or white applicants apply with higher stats on average doesn’t mean that you won’t get in. If you don’t believe you’ll get in due to your background or some other reason, you simply won’t try as hard, increasing the odds of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Instead of asking, “Are admissions committees going to be tougher on my application because of my background?,” ask yourself:
“How can I discuss my personal background and professional journey—in my personal statement, AMCAS Work and Activities section, and secondary essays—in a way that will lead me to be viewed as an attractive candidate?”
“How can I contribute to the school’s mission, diversity or otherwise?”
Last we checked, there were many students from ORM backgrounds in medical schools. Consider how you can join them.
Likewise, if you’re a URM medical school applicant, consider how you can contribute to each school’s diversity, how your personal and professional insights will make you a good doctor, and so on.
In other words, your medical school admissions strategy should not change based on your personal background. “Lean into” what makes you a compelling candidate so that medical schools can clearly distinguish you from the rest of the applicant pool.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
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Appendix: Previous medical school acceptance rates by rate
Medical school acceptance rates by race: 2022–2023
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | ||||||
| Asian | ||||||
| Black or African American | ||||||
| Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin | ||||||
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | ||||||
| White | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Multiple Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Unknown Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Non-U.S. Citizen and Non-Permanent Resident | ||||||
| Total | ||||||
Medical school acceptance rates by race: 2021-2022
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | ||||||
| Asian | ||||||
| Black or African American | ||||||
| Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin | ||||||
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | ||||||
| White | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Multiple Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Unknown Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Non-U.S. Citizen and Non-Permanent Resident | ||||||
| Total | ||||||
Medical school acceptance rates by rate: 2020–2021
| Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | ||||||
| Asian | ||||||
| Black or African American | ||||||
| Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin | ||||||
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | ||||||
| White | ||||||
| Other | ||||||
| Multiple Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Unknown Race/Ethnicity | ||||||
| Non-U.S. Citizen and Non-Permanent Resident | ||||||
| Total | ||||||
