Medical Schools Enroll Fewer Blacks, Latinos from Illinois after Supreme Court Banned Affirmative Action
When Valerie Santos thinks about why she pursued medicine, she thinks of her grandmother, an immigrant from Guatemala. Ten years ago, her grandmother was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and died shortly after. Santos, 28, wonders if a Spanish-speaking doctor leading her grandmother’s care could have caught the disease earlier.
“It just made me realize, ‘What could have been done, what could have been prevented, how could my grandmother have been better served by a doctor who was Spanish-speaking?'” Santos said.
Now Santos, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Illinois Chicago, worries that other patients could see similar obstacles if progress toward increasing diversity in medical students slows down or takes a step back following the Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that race cannot be a factor in college admissions.
A 10% Drop in Black and Hispanic Medical Students
In the first year since the decision was handed down, enrollment for both Black and Hispanic medical school students fell by more than 10% nationally for the 2024-25 school year, according to figures released earlier this year by the American Association of Medical Colleges.
The trend is worse for Black and Latino Illinois residents. The number of Hispanic students who enrolled in medical school anywhere in the country dropped 42.6% between the 2023-24 school year and this year, according to AAMC data. The number of Black students decreased 6.5% while mixed-race students decreased by 8.3%. Meanwhile, the number of white students increased by 13.2%.
Other Factors at Play
Other factors are also at play in falling enrollment, said Norma Poll-Hunter, senior director for equity, diversity, and inclusion at the AAMC. Legislation and other strategies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in some states could be partially to blame for the downward trend, which started before President Donald Trump took office, she said.
Concerns for the Future
But diversity advocates say the shift, if it continues in years to come, is concerning. As the country tries to combat a physician shortage, medical education is more important than ever, Poll-Hunter said.
“When we think about addressing the health care needs of the nation, we want to make sure education is accessible to everyone who’s interested in becoming a physician,” Poll-Hunter said.
Medical Schools in the Chicago Area
Among the half-dozen medical schools in the Chicago area, it’s harder to see any trend in the change in the racial makeup of their student bodies, although none of the schools provided a racial breakdown of first-year students, who would have gone through the admissions process after the Supreme Court decision.
The state’s largest, the University of Illinois College of Medicine, saw an overall drop in Black students between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, even though total enrollment increased to 1,334 students, AAMC data shows. In 2023-24, 162 Black students were enrolled; that fell to 145 students this year. The number of Latino students dropped slightly to 126, while more Asian and white students enrolled.
Student Perspectives
Valerie Santos, a fourth-year medical student at UIC, said the drop in students of color in medical school following the Supreme Court decision is concerning for future patients.
“It’s not just about how many students are Black, are Latino, are Native Pacific Islander, it affects the patients. People’s lives are at stake here,” she said.
Kenichi Haynie, a fourth-year medical student at UIC’s Peoria campus, said it’s already difficult being Black in a medical setting, where he is used to being one of the only Black people.
“When I walk in [to a patient room] and they’re rattling off their breakfast order instead of acknowledging that I’m a medical student … we’re at a place where we don’t feel welcome, that we’re a respected member of the medical community,” Haynie said.
Conclusion
The drop in Black and Latino students enrolled nationally and among Illinois residents is a symptom of a larger problem of diversity in medicine. As the country tries to combat a physician shortage, medical education is more important than ever.
FAQs
* What is the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action on medical school enrollment?
+ The decision has led to a 10% drop in Black and Hispanic medical students nationally, and a 42.6% drop in Hispanic students from Illinois.
* How do medical schools in the Chicago area compare in terms of diversity?
+ The University of Illinois College of Medicine saw a drop in Black students, while other schools in the area did not report significant changes in their student bodies.
* What are the implications of this trend for the future of medicine?
+ A lack of diversity in the medical field can lead to negative patient outcomes and a lack of representation in the healthcare system.
