A cross-sectional study of newly established medical schools in the United States: student body diversity remains an unmet challenge

Abstract

Introduction: The number of medical schools in the United States (US) has rapidly increased over the past two decades, but it is unclear if these newer schools better address the needs of a diversifying population. We hypothesized that newer medical schools might be less encumbered by historical processes and power structures and, therefore, more successful in recruiting students more representative of the US population. This study assesses whether medical schools established since 2000 are advancing diversity compared to their predecessors.

Methods: Between October 1 and 14 December 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted of all US allopathic and osteopathic medical schools that achieved accreditation and enrolled students by December 2023. School characteristics and matriculant demographics were collected from publicly available sources, including the 2022-2023 Medical School Admission Requirements website provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website. Descriptive statistics compared schools established before and after 2000.

Results: Sixty new medical schools were identified. Thirty-three (55%) are allopathic and 27 (45%) are osteopathic; 40 (66.7%) are private and 20 (33.3%) are public. Allopathic schools are primarily located in urban areas (21/33; 63.6%); osteopathic schools are in suburban areas (16/27; 59.3%). Mean annual tuition costs are $48,782.82 (standard error (SE) 2201.09) and $56,072.37 (SE: 2120.63) for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively. Out-of-state tuition, matriculant grade point average, and Medical College Admissions Test scores are significantly lower in newly established medical schools. More women entered medical school but the number of underrepresented students by race and ethnicity has not made substantial gains and continues to fail to represent the US population.

Conclusions: Geographic maldistribution, high tuition, and lack of student body diversity persist in newly accredited medical schools. Newly established medical schools are perpetuating many existing obstacles to diversifying the US physician workforce.

Keywords: Medical school; diversity; healthcare disparities; medical education; medical students; physician workforce; tuition; underrepresented in medicine.

Figure 1.

US medical schools accredited after 2000 (N = 60).

Figure 2.

Racial/Ethnic distribution of students in United States medical schools ‘class of 2022’, the US general population in 2022, and the projected population in 2060.