In "Medical School Graduation and Attrition Rates" AAMC tracks the attrition and graduation rates of medical school students. the purpose of the study is ultimately to ensure that the increased enrollment numbers needed to produce enough doctors in the next few decades do not compromise medical educational quality or standards.
AAMC views the data presented there as a benchmark for future comparison. It shows a 96% graduation rate within ten years of matriculation and 80 – 82% of students (depending on the year of matriculation) graduating in 4 years. Academics rarely cause students to leave medical school, although the rates of academic attrition are higher for under-represented minorities than for other groups.
One other implication of this study is that medical schools are doing an excellent job in choosing their entering classes. They are picking students who will perform academically and complete the programs in much higher numbers than other graduate programs.
