Majority of medical students women for first time: study

Women made up the majority of medical students for the first time in 2019, the Association of American Medical Colleges announced on Tuesday. 

The number of women enrolled in medical schools had been rising over recent years, according to the association’s data. Women made up 46.9 percent of all enrolled medical students in 2015 and 49.5 percent in 2018 before reaching 50.5 percent this year.

The record follows a 2017 milestone when women made up the majority of first-year medical students, according to the association. 

“The steady gains in the medical school enrollment of women are a very positive trend, and we are delighted to see this progress,” said Dr. David J. Skorton, the president and CEO of the medical colleges association.

Skorton, however, called out the only “modest increases” in enrollment among underrepresented groups, saying they “are simply not enough.” 

In 2019, the number of Hispanic, Latino or students of Spanish origin enrolled in medical school grew 6.3 percent, to 2,466; the number of black or African American students increased by 3.2 percent, to 1,916 students; and the number of American Indian or Alaska Native students rose by 5.5 percent, to 230 students, according to the association. 

The number of new enrolled students in medical school overall grew by 1.1 percent from last year, to 21,869 percent, according to the data.