Students & Residents

Graduating Medical School Class 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 2024 using graphics, data, and text.

Page 1

The title at the top of the page says, "Medical School Class of 2024: Their Journey into a Career in Medicine."

Below that is a graphic of a funnel with text inside. Illustrations on either side of the funnel depict groups of people.

At the top of the funnel the text says, "Congratulations to the graduating Class of 2024! They are entering the health care workforce at a time when America needs them more than ever. Some will begin biomedical research training programs. Most started their residency training on July 1 and will spend the next 3-7 years learning to practice in their chosen specialty. Here are some interesting facts and statistics about this class that entered medical school in Fall 2020."

The next level down says, "They began applying to medical school in May 2019."

Below that are three statistics: 

  • 53,030 applicants

  • 23,105 accepted

  • 22,239 enrolled

Below the funnel, it says, "In 2019, the AAMC Fee Assistance Program awarded $13.1 million in total benefits to 8,969 students."

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.”

Four boxes show statistics:

  • GPA (total) mean=3.73
  • 55: Average number of courses taken
  • 1,329.5: Average number of research lab hours
  • 392.6: Average community service hours

A circular graphic reads, "Nearly 80%" in the center with the text "of Class of 2024 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: 477. Average: 511.5. High: 528."

Page 2

The title at the top of the page says, "Most students entered medical school in Fall 2020 at the height of the pandemic."

Below that is a graphic with the heading "That year — for the second time in history — women were the majority of..."

The graphic shows silhouettes of three women, each with a statistic above her head:

  • Applicants: 53.4%
  • Matriculants: 53.6%
  • Enrollees: 51.5%

At the bottom of the graphic, it says, "The youngest member of the Class of 2024 was 17 years old. The oldest was 50."

In the center of a circular graphic it says, "Nearly 27% 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 27%:

  • Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin: 12.0%

  • Black or African American: 9.5%

  • Other: 3.8%

  • American Indian or Alaska Native: 1.1%

  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0.4%

Of the 73%:

  • White: 53.4%
  • Asian: 24.9%

  • Decline to Respond: 4.9%

The next graphic head says, "About 30% of the Class of 2024 is bilingual, and many speak more than 5 languages."

Three chat bubbles show these statistics:

  • Maximum number of languages spoken: 13
  • Median number of languages spoken: 5.5
  • Number of matriculants that have a Native or Advanced Language that is not English: 6,666

At the bottom of the page, there is a graphic showing silhouettes of two parents and a child with text that says, "11.4% 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, "They experienced virtual learning, virtual interviews, and other unprecedented challenges."

Below that is a graphic with the heading, "Their choices about their specialties, where to work, and why they chose their career paths changed throughout medical school."

The graphic is a table with percentages shown inside circles:

  Year 1/MSQ Year 2/Y2Q Year 4/GQ
Interest in pursuing a career in primary care or primary care subspecialties 35.5% 40% 43.5%
Work in underserved areas 34.1% N/A 29.1%

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 63.4% 52.3% 49.0%
Teach 55.2% 59.8% 80.1%

The next graphic has the heading "During Year Two (2021 Y2Q), when asked about their career path after medical school, 'work/life balance' was the top 'essential' consideration." An illustration of a person using a computer is next to bars showing percentages by topic:

  • Work/life balance: 52.9%
  • Stable, secure future: 48.7%
  • Ability to pay off debt: 41.9%

Below that a circle shows "Over 50%" in the center followed by the text "... of 2024 GQ participants 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 is text that says, "VSLO® Host institutions offered 14,000+ rotations (unique electives + alternate date options) in 90 specialties and subspecialties."

At the bottom of the page is a graphic with the heading "At graduation (2024 GQ), when asked about what influenced their choice of future medical specialty, 'fit with personality, interests, and skills' was the top Strong Influence." An illustration of two people graduating is next to bars showing percentages by topic:

  • Fit with personality, interests, & skills: 86.1%

  • Content of specialty: 82.8%

  • Work/life balance: 48.3%

Page 4

The title at the top of the page says, "This class of 2024 was among the 51,813 who began submitting their residency applications." 

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

These include:

  • MD: 22,657
  • IMG: 19,871
  • DO: 9,285

The pie chart says "2024 ERAS® Data" in the center and depicts the breakdown for applicants by type:

  • MD: 43.73%
  • IMG: 38.35%
  • DO: 17.92%

Text to the right of the pie chart says, "These new doctors will be practicing in one of 131 specialties and subspecialties of medicine. For future MDs, they apply most to anesthesiology, diagnostic radiology, 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, "20,219 applicants (39%) 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, "Most applicants were interested in urban and suburban settings, but some focused on rural practice."
  • The second column shows an illustration of a person reading a document with a magnifying glass with text that says, "3: Median number of Peer-Reviewed Journals, Articles/Abstracts."
  • The third column shows an illustration of two people with arrows pointing to their brains with text that says, "Across all specialties, applicants reported that in their experiences, they most demonstrated: Teamwork, 14-22%; Critical Thinking, 14-21%."
  • The fourth column shows an illustration of an American flag with text that says, "1%: Applicants who report having military experience."
  • The fifth column shows an illustration of three doctors with text that says, "Applicants reported that the majority of their experiences were in these focus areas: Medical Education, 12%-22%; Clinical, 13%-22%; Community, 10%-19%."
  • The sixth column shows an illustration of a person writing with text that says, "3.4% fewer applications submitted, on average, than the previous year, yet their match rates remained steady."

Below that there are two boxes. The box on the left says "20,855 students graduated from a U.S. MD-granting medical school in 2023-2024." The box on the right says, "2,127 graduated with a dual degree, including 607 MD-PhD graduates."

Below that, it says, "Good luck to the Class of 2024! 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 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."


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