For the first time, the number of women enrolling in U.S. medical schools has exceeded the number of men, according to new data released today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges).

Females represented 50.7% of the 21,338 matriculants (new enrollees) in 2017, compared with 49.8% in 2016. Female matriculants increased by 3.2% this year, while male matriculants declined by 0.3%. Since 2015, the number of female matriculants has grown by 9.6%, while the number of male matriculants has declined by 2.3%.

Overall, the number of matriculants in U.S. medical schools rose by 1.5% this year, and total enrollment stands at 89,904 students.

In contrast, the number of applicants to medical school declined by 2.6% from 2016. Although this is the largest decrease in 15 years, it is not the first; previous declines occurred in 2002 and 2008. As with matriculants, there was a significant difference by sex: the number of female applicants declined by 0.7%, while male applicants fell 4.4%. Since 2015, the number of female applicants has increased by 4.0%, while the number of male applicants has declined 6.7%. While the majority of matriculants this year were female, males remained a slight majority (50.4%) of applicants.

Read the full article about the enrollment of female medical students at AAMC News.