Fewer New Students at Medical Schools for 4th Straight Year

WASHINGTON — New enrollment at U.S. medical schools declined this fall for the fourth straight year, the Assn. of American Medical Colleges said Tuesday.

The nation’s 127 medical schools accepted 16,268 first-time students this fall, a decline of 113 from 1984 and a drop of 362 from the record 1981 level. Applicants totaled 32,893, down 3,051 from last year.

“The decline in both applicants and matriculants appears to be largely due to the increasing cost of medical education and the public’s perception that there will be a surplus of physicians within this decade,” the association said.