September 4, 2026
Written By
Dr. Michael Minh Le
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The med school journey doesn’t begin with a white coat. It begins with an application. And who gets in (and who doesn’t) tells a powerful story.
In this article, we’ll break down the most current data on medical school acceptance rates by race in 2025: who’s applying, who’s being accepted, how the numbers have changed over time, and more.
After years of mentoring hundreds of premeds from all different backgrounds, one thing is clear: the numbers reveal what you’re up against. And that kind of clarity doesn’t just inform you; it sharpens you. It shows you just how competitive you need to be to get in.
So, let’s get into the data.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, 18,597 applicants identified as White, 14,585 as Asian, 5,022 as Black or African American, 3,752 as Hispanic or Latino, 2,539 as Middle Eastern or North African, 81 as American Indian or Alaska Native, and 51 as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. These figures come from the AAMC's race/ethnicity categories reported alone, meaning applicants who selected more than one race/ethnicity are represented separately in the Multiple Race/Ethnicity category.
As a percentage of the 54,699 total applicants, this represents approximately 34.0% White, 26.7% Asian, 9.2% Black or African American, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 4.6% Middle Eastern or North African, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Another 12.5% were classified as Multiple Race/Ethnicity and 5.4% as Unknown Race/Ethnicity.
The AAMC reported 54,699 total applicants in 2025–2026, up from 51,946 in 2024–2025.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, White students represented the largest racial/ethnic group among U.S. medical school matriculants when looking at the AAMC's “alone” categories, with 8,773 students, or approximately 37.4% of the 23,440 matriculants. Asian students followed with 6,484 matriculants, or 27.7%.
When race/ethnicity responses are counted “alone or in combination,” the AAMC reports that 47.3% of matriculants selected White, 32.0% selected Asian, 11.5% selected Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% selected Black or African American, and 6.3% selected Middle Eastern or North African. Because students can select more than one category under this method, these percentages are not mutually exclusive and do not add to 100%.
The AAMC reported 23,440 total first-year matriculants in 2025–2026, an increase of 1.2% from 2024–2025.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students were the least represented among matriculants in the AAMC's “alone” categories, with just 13 students, or approximately 0.06% of all matriculants. American Indian or Alaska Native students followed with 33 matriculants, or approximately 0.14%.
The AAMC's “alone or in combination” data reports both American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander at 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively, because students can select multiple racial/ethnic responses under that methodology.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, 1,558 students identified as Black or African American in the AAMC's “alone” category and matriculated into U.S. MD-granting medical schools. That represents approximately 6.6% of all 23,440 matriculants.
When students who selected Black or African American in combination with another racial/ethnic category are included, the AAMC reports 1,970 Black or African American matriculants, representing 8.4% of matriculants.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, 1,459 students identified as Hispanic or Latino in the AAMC's “alone” category and matriculated into U.S. MD-granting medical schools. That represents approximately 6.2% of all matriculants.
When students who selected Hispanic or Latino in combination with another racial/ethnic category are included, the AAMC reports 2,695 Hispanic or Latino matriculants, representing 11.5% of matriculants.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, 48.9% of White applicants were accepted to at least one U.S. MD-granting medical school. Asian applicants had an acceptance rate of 45.7%, while American Indian or Alaska Native applicants had an acceptance rate of 43.2%.
The acceptance rate was 42.9% for applicants identifying as Multiple Race/Ethnicity, 43.3% for applicants with an Unknown Race/Ethnicity, 40.8% for Hispanic or Latino applicants, 39.6% for Middle Eastern or North African applicants, and 32.7% for Black or African American applicants. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander applicants had an acceptance rate of 27.5%.
The AAMC defines the acceptance rate here as the number of acceptees divided by the number of applicants in each race/ethnicity category. These are group-level statistics and should not be interpreted as an individual's probability of admission.
Among accepted applicants, the percentage who ultimately matriculated was also high across groups: 96.4% for White applicants, 97.3% for Asian applicants, 94.8% for Black or African American applicants, 95.4% for Hispanic or Latino applicants, 97.0% for Middle Eastern or North African applicants, 94.3% for American Indian or Alaska Native applicants, and 92.9% for Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander applicants.
According to the AAMC's 2025–2026 data for medical school applicants, the average total GPAs by race/ethnicity were:
These figures represent applicants, not matriculants. The AAMC calculates GPA means using applicants with available GPA data.
According to the AAMC's 2025–2026 data for applicants, the average total MCAT scores by race/ethnicity were:
The overall mean MCAT score among all applicants was 506.3.
For additional context, the average MCAT and GPA among matriculants were higher than the applicant averages. For example, Asian matriculants had a mean MCAT of 514.3 and mean total GPA of 3.85, while White matriculants had a mean MCAT of 512.3 and mean GPA of 3.82.
Across all matriculants, the mean MCAT was 512.1 and the mean total GPA was 3.81.
Medical school demographics have changed over time, but it’s important to distinguish representation from acceptance rates. The percentage of matriculants who identify with a particular racial or ethnic group tells us how that group is represented among incoming medical students—it does not tell us the percentage of applicants from that group who were accepted.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the most recent data track race and ethnicity among U.S. medical school matriculants through the 2025–26 entering class. The AAMC reports race/ethnicity responses both for individuals who selected a single category and for those who selected multiple categories. Because individuals can appear in more than one category, the “alone or in combination” percentages should not be expected to add up to 100%.
Looking at the 2021–22 through 2024–25 classes, Asian representation increased from 26.5% to 32.1%, while White representation declined from 51.5% to 50.9%. Black representation was 11.3% in 2021–22 and 9.0% in 2024–25, while Hispanic/Latino representation remained around 11–13% during this period. American Indian or Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students continued to represent a much smaller share of matriculants.
These percentages come from the AAMC's “alone or in combination” reporting, so a matriculant can appear in more than one racial/ethnic category and the percentages can therefore total more than 100%.
There is also an important break in the data beginning with 2025–2026. The AAMC added the Middle Eastern or North African category, modified subcategories within several existing groups, and began reporting race/ethnicity for all individuals who provided the information regardless of citizenship or permanent-resident status. Because of these methodological changes, the AAMC cautions that 2025 data may not be directly comparable with previously published years.
As a result, the 2025–2026 figures are best treated as the new baseline for future comparisons rather than as a perfectly comparable continuation of the older series.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2026). Table A-12: Applicants, First-Time Applicants, Acceptees, and Matriculants to U.S. Medical Schools by Race/Ethnicity, 2025–2026. In 2025 FACTS: Applicants and Matriculants Data.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2026). Table A-18: MCAT Scores and GPAs for Applicants and Matriculants to U.S. MD-Granting Medical Schools by Race/Ethnicity (Alone), Academic Year 2025–2026.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2025). U.S. Medical School Matriculants, 2018–2025: Race/Ethnicity Self-Identification. Applicant Matriculant Data File as of October 28, 2025.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2025, December 9). Medical School Enrollment Reaches 100,000 Students for the First Time.
Association of American Medical Colleges. (2026). FACTS Glossary. Used to verify the AAMC's updated race/ethnicity reporting methodology and definitions.
Association of American Medical Colleges. 2025 FACTS: Applicants and Matriculants Data. This is the current AAMC data hub containing Tables A-10, A-11, A-12, A-14, A-16, A-18, and related 2025–2026 applicant and matriculant data.
