Who gets to become a doctor

The Association of American Medical Colleges asks every entering medical student about family income. More than three quarters come from the top two fifths of households. About one in twenty comes from the bottom fifth. Those shares have held for thirty years.¹

Compare that with who gets sick. The richest 1 percent of American men live 14.6 years longer than the poorest 1 percent, and for women the gap is 10.1 years.² The people who study and treat that gap mostly come from the households it affects least.

Where the route narrows

Applicants to medical school and to science PhD programs are expected to show research experience. Much of that experience is unpaid.³ A student from a low-income family is more likely to be working while enrolled, and more likely to hold a job far from their field.⁴ Students who must work to pay for college often cannot volunteer in a lab.⁵

So the application asks for something that costs money, and asks everyone as if it were free.

What changes it

Pay for the research. When students with fewer resources do take part in undergraduate research, the graduation gaps between them and their classmates shrink or close.⁶ The route into medicine and public health runs through a lab, and a summer of rent is a small price for keeping someone on it.

We fund students in the health sciences, the life sciences, and health economics. Read why we fund health inequality research, or apply.

Sources

1. Association of American Medical Colleges. An Updated Look at the Economic Diversity of U.S. Medical Students. Analysis in Brief, October 2018. aamc.org
2. Chetty R, Stepner M, Abraham S, et al. The association between income and life expectancy in the United States, 2001-2014. JAMA. 2016;315(16):1750-1766. jamanetwork.com
3. Von der Mehden BM, Pennino EM, Fajardo HL, Ishikawa C, McDonald KK. Building authentic science experiences. CBE Life Sciences Education. 2023;22(4):ar46. doi.org
4. Carnevale AP, Smith N. Balancing Work and Learning: Implications for Low-Income Students. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2018. cew.georgetown.edu
5. Bangera G, Brownell SE. Course-based undergraduate research experiences can make scientific research more inclusive. CBE Life Sciences Education. 2014;13(4):602-606. doi.org
6. Haeger H, Bueno EH, Sedlacek Q. Participation in undergraduate research reduces equity gaps in STEM graduation rates. CBE Life Sciences Education. 2024;23(1):ar11. doi.org

Sources checked September 21, 2026. See every source we cite.