Record Year for Admissions Detailed
A more detailed analysis of the 2021 VMCAS cycle authenticates the huge 19% increase in year-over-year application rates. It also demonstrates that progress was made in the recruitment of underrepresented minorities, particularly Hispanic, and increases in the submission rate.
Overall, there were 13,036 unique individuals that initiated a VMCAS application and 10,273 of them submitted.
Those 10,273 applicants submitted a total of 50,234 applications; on average, candidates applied to 4.89 programs. More specifically, 29% applied to one to two programs, 36% applied to three to five programs, and 35% applied to six or more programs.
Beyond the cloud of the pandemic, this year’s cycle was different because it opened on January 21, 2020 instead of the usual opening date in mid-May. Because of problems associated with the pandemic, the AAVMC, as well as many colleges and schools, introduced more flexibility into the process.
For example, because some schools could not produce official transcripts on deadline, unofficial transcripts were provisionally accepted. Some schools relaxed standards such as the amount of relevant experience that candidate’s had.
Director for Admissions and Recruitment Ms. Diana Dabdub said the submit rate, which has averaged about 72-73% over the past eight-nine years, climbed to about 79%. She attributes that to increased communication and nurturing of the applicant pool.
Though efforts were undertaken to reduce the flurry of last-minute applications, almost 5600 of those applications were filed during the last week of the application period.
In terms of the recruitment of underrepresented minority populations, the year over year increase in the number of Black applicants climbed from 302 to 435; the increase in Hispanic applicants rose from 1101 to 1469, and the number of Asian applicants increased from 393 to 482.
On a year-over-year basis, the percentage of White applicants dropped from 71.5% to 69.1%, the number of Black applicants rose from 3.5% to 4.2% and the number of Hispanic applicants rose from 12.7% to 14.3%, and the number of Asian American applicants rose from 4.5% to 4.7%.
In terms of age and gender, 82.9% of applicants were between 19 and 24 years old and 84.5% were female and 15% were male.