Medical School Entrants Increase 2% to Record 18,036 in U.S.

By Oliver Staley

Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Enrollment of entry-level students at U.S. medical schools climbed 1.6 percent to 18,036, the biggest class in history, with the number of Latinos increasing 10 percent.

Latinos made up 7.9 percent of the new enrollees this year at 130 accredited U.S. medical schools, according to a statement today from the Association of American Medical Colleges, based in Washington. African-American students made up 7.2 percent of the entrants, unchanged from last year.

Most of the rise in enrollment came from new branch campuses of three medical schools. The Macon, Georgia-based Mercer University School of Medicine opened a branch in Savannah; the College Station-based Texas A&M Health Science College of Medicine, expanded to Round Rock; and the Tucson- based University of Arizona Medical College has a new campus in Phoenix.

Women made up 48 percent of the class, the same as last year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Oliver Staley in New York at ostaley@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: October 21, 2008 11:18 EDT

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