The Gender Gap in Medical School Enrollments Is Widening in Women’s Favor

The Association of American Medical Colleges recently released data on applicants, acceptances, matriculants, and enrollments at the nation’s medical schools.

In 2020, more than 53,000 students applied to medical schools in the United States. This was down 0.6 percent from the previous year. Of these more than 53,000 applicants, 28,343 were women. Thus, women made up 53.4 percent of all applicants to U.S. medical schools. This was up from 52.2 percent in 2019. The number of women applicants increased by 1.8 percent, while the number of male applicants dropped by 3.4 percent.

There were 38,531 first-time applicants to U.S. medical schools in 2020, again down slightly from 2019. Of these, 21,422 were women. Thus, women made up 55.6 percent of all first-time medical school applicants, up from 54.2 percent in 2019.

Note: Preliminary data for 2021 shows a huge increase in the number of students applying to medical school. Some of the nation’s top medical schools have seen a 20 percent or more rise in applications compared to the same time last year. Officials believe that the global pandemic has created a surge in students who want to contribute to serving public health.

In 2020, 43.6 percent of all applicants to U.S. medical schools were accepted for admission. Some 12,417 women were accepted for admission compared to 10,644 men. The acceptance rate for women was 43.8 percent. For men, the acceptance rate was 43.2 percent.

In 2020, there were 22,239 students who enrolled in medical school for the first time. Of these, 11,962, or 53.8 percent were women. This is up from 52.4 percent in 2019. The number of women matriculants was up 4.1 percent from 2019 while the number of men entering medical school dropped by 1.3 percent.

All told, in 2020, there were 94,243 students enrolled in U.S. medical schools. Women made up 51.5 percent of total enrollments. For the past five years, women’s enrollments have increased by at least 3 percent each year. During the same time period, the enrollment of men has declined slightly.

Since 2010, the number of women enrolled in medical school is up 29.9 percent. For men, the increase has been 10.4 percent.