Class of 2020: Highest number of minority medical students ever
COM recognized as national leader in recruitment, retention and graduation of African American medical students.
The Medical University of South Carolina’s 184th commencement ceremony back in 2013 at the McAlister Field House on the campus of The Citadel. The Honorable Donna Christensen, M.D., United States House of Representatives for Virgin Islands, gave the commencement address. (Sarah Bates Pack/MUSC)
CHARLESTON, SC — The Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Medicine (COM) has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as having the fifth largest number of African American medical students in the U.S., outside of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In addition, the American Association of Medical Colleges ranks MUSC COM in the 96th percentile for medical schools with the most African American students.
In the 2015-2016 academic year, COM enrolled 129 underrepresented minority (URM) medical students, or 18 percent of the medical student body. Of those students, 95 (13 percent of the student body) identified as African -American. The class of 2020 has 19 percent URM students, continuing the up-ward trend.
MUSC recognizes that the solution to increased diversity in the physician workforce starts with bringing minorities into medical education, and is focused on recruiting, supporting and graduating diverse medical students through a number of initiatives. For example, the cost of a medical education is a hindrance to many students, and particularly URM students.
Since 2012, MUSC’s “Opening Doors” medical scholarship program has funded 27 scholarships to URM students to ease their financial burden as they pursue medical careers.
