Black Enrollments in Graduate Professional Schools

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that slightly over 25,000 African Americans are enrolled in graduate professional schools throughout the United States. Blacks make up 7.1 percent of all students enrolled in professional schools.

The largest number of black professional school students are enrolled in law school. Data from the American Bar Association shows that 9,493 black students were enrolled in law school in 2008. Thus, about 38 percent of all blacks enrolled in professional schools are studying law. Blacks make up 6.3 percent of all law school students.

The latest data shows that there are 5,023 black students enrolled in U.S. medical schools. They make up 7.3 percent of all medical school students. Another 517 black students are enrolled in schools of osteopathic medicine. They constitute 3.9 percent of students enrolled in these schools.

There are 1,060 black students enrolled in schools of dentistry in the United States. They make up 5.7 percent of all dentistry school students.

There are 189 blacks enrolled in schools of optometry. They make up 3.5 percent of all optometry school students.

Copyright © 2009. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.