Graduating Medical School Class of 2025 Statistics: Text Only

Estimated Read time: 7 minutes

Note: This page serves as an accessible, text-only version of the Graduating Medical School Class Statistics infographics page.

View the sources of data included on this page (Note: These sources are not listed on the infographics but are included here for references.)

Introduction

A series of four infographics show a number of different facts and statistics about the graduating medical school class of 2025 using graphics, data, and text.

Page 1

The title at the top of the page says, "Medical School Class of 2025: Their Journey into a Career in Medicine."

The next paragraphs says, "You are entering the health care workforce at a time when America needs you more than ever. Some of you will begin biomedical research training programs. Most of you will start your residency training on July 1 and will spend the next 3-7 years learning to practice in your chosen specialty. Here are some interesting facts and statistics about this class that entered medical school in fall 2021."

Below that is a graphic of a large arrow pointing down with text inside that includes three statistics:

  • 62,443 

     applicants

  • 23,711

    accepted

  • 22,666 enrolled

Left of the arrow is a circle that says, "85.8%" Text underneath says, "of class had at least one undergraduate research experience."

Right of the arrow is a circle that says, "94.8%" Text underneath says, "of class had at least one undergraduate community service experience."

The next level down a paragraph says, "In 2020, the AAMC Fee Assistance Program awarded $22 million in total benefits to 15,987 students; 2,680 from the Class of 2025."

Below that a bar shows two sections: “69% of the class majored in biology, chemistry, physics or math" and "31% majored in subjects outside the natural sciences.”

To the right a circle graphic says, "30% (6,861 students) of the class attended classes at a community college."

Below that: "Mean Undergraduate GPA: 3.74"

A circle graphic reads, "75% of Class of 2025 hopefuls took the MCAT® exam during their junior or senior year of college prior to the pandemic."

A graph shows the range of MCAT scores: "Low: 479. Average: 511.9. High: 529."

Page 2

The title at the top of the page says, "Most students in the Class of 2025 entered medical school in fall 2021."

Below that is a graphic with the heading "That year women were the majority of..."

The graphic shows percentages as bars with the following data:

  • Applicants: 56.8%
  • Matriculants: 55.5%
  • Enrollees: 55.5%

At the bottom of the graphic, it says, "At enrollment, the youngest member of the Class of 2025 was 16 years old. The oldest was 55."

In the center of a circular graphic it says, "25% of the class self-identified as one or more race/ethnicity traditionally underrepresented in medicine."

Two columns show a breakdown of races and ethnicities:

Of the 25%:

  • Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin: 12.7%

  • Black or African American: 11.3%

  • American Indian or Alaska Native: 1.0%

  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.4%

Of the 73%:

  • White: 51.5%
  • Asian: 26.5%
  • Other: 3.9%

  • Decline to Respond: 3.5%

The next graphic header says, "Nearly 75% of the Class of 2025 speaks more than one language."

Three chat bubbles show these statistics:

  • Maximum number of languages spoken: 9
  • Median number of languages spoken: 2
  • Percent of class that has a Native or Advanced Language that is not English: 33%

At the bottom of the page, there is a graphic showing silhouettes of two parents and a child with text that says, "12.4% of the class are the first generation in their families to go to college."

Page 3

The title at the top of the page says, "The Class of 2025’s choices of specialties, career paths, and practice locations changed throughout medical school."

  Year 1/MSQ Year 2/Y2Q Year 4/GQ
Interest in pursuing a career in primary care or primary care subspecialties 36% 38.4% 42.7%
Work in underserved areas 35% N/A 29.9%


The next graphic has the heading, "They remained committed to practicing patient care. More wanted to teach and fewer to do research."

The graphic is a table with percentages shown as bars:

  Year 1/MSQ Year 2/Y2Q Year 4/GQ
Practice patient care 97.6% 97.7% 97.2%
Do research 64.5% 52.2% 49.5%
Teach 54.9% 59.9% 80.5%

The title of the next section says, "During Year Two (2022 Y2Q), when asked about their career path after medical school, 'work/life balance' was the top 'essential” consideration.'"

Next to a silhouette of a person and a computer screen are three statistics:

“work/life balance 54.6%” 

“stable, secure future 51.8%” 

“ability to pay off debt 44.1%” 

A circle graphic says "Over 50% of the Class of 2025 indicated they completed at least one clinical away rotation. Most students used their clerkship and away rotation experiences to finalize their decisions about career specialty."

To the right of that it says, "Through the VSLO® program, many students in the Class of 2025 participated in at least one of the 15,000+ away rotations (unique electives + alternate date options) in 140+ specialties and subspecialties."

The next graphic has the heading "At graduation (2025 GQ), when asked about what influenced their choice of future medical specialty, 'My personality, interests, and skills' was the top strong influence."

An illustration of two people graduating is next to bars showing percentages by topic:

  • My personality, interests, & skills

    : 85.6%

  • Content of specialty: 84.1%

  • Work/life balance: 47.2%

Page 4

The title at the top of the page says, "This class of 2025 was among the 51,717 who submitted their residency applications in 2024."

A pie chart is labeled "Number of Applicants by Type" and includes "Data for All Applicants Who Submitted Applications (MD, IMG, DO)."

These include:

  • US Medical School Graduates (Class of 2025) – 21,803 / 42.2%
  • International Medical School Graduates – 20,553 / 39.7%
  • DO-granting Medical School Graduates – 9,351 / 18.1%

The pie chart says "All applicants to ERAS residency programs 2024-25" and includes the percentages listed above.

Text to the right of the pie chart says, "These new doctors will practice in one of 131 specialties and subspecialties of medicine. US medical school graduates—including the Class of 2025—apply most to anesthesiology, diagnostic radiology, general surgery, internal medicine, and orthopaedic surgery. Top choices differ for Osteopathic and International Medical Graduates."

Below that is a box with several graphics and statistics. At the top of the box it says, "32% of the Class of 2025 applied to more than one specialty."

The box is divided into six columns:

  • The first column shows an illustration of tall buildings with text that says, "In their residency applications, most of the Class of 2025 said they wanted to practice in urban and suburban settings, but some focused on rural practice."
  • The second column shows a magnifying glass and paper and says, "Median number of peer-reviewed journal articles/abstracts authored: 3"
  • The third column shows an illustration of two people with arrows pointing to their brains with text that says, "In their medical school experiences, the skills they most frequently demonstrated were: Teamwork 14% - 17%; Critical Thinking, 13% - 14%."
  • The fourth column shows an illustration of three people with text that says, "Most of their notable experiences were in these focus areas:: Medical Education, 13% - 18%; Clinical, 14% - 19%; Community, 12% - 17%."
  • The fifth column shows an illustration of an American flag with text that says, "1.3%: Applicants who report having military experience."
  • The sixth column shows an illustration of a person writing with text that says, "11.1% fewer applications submitted, on average, than the previous year, yet their match rates remained steady."

Below that there are two boxes that contain text: "21,590 graduates in the Class of 2025" and "2,173 graduated with a dual degree, including 650 MD-PhD graduates."

Below that, it says, "Good luck to the Class of 2025! We are so proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished during your medical education journey."

At the bottom of the page is a QR code and footnote that says, "Where did this data come from? The AAMC gathers data across the learner journey, from premed through residency. We are also the national source for data on faculty, biomedical research trainees, and physician workforce trends. AAMC data is readily available through aamc.org. Scan the QR code to find the data sources for this graphic."


Sources: