A new medical school has rejected plans to reserve 75 percent of places in its next cohort for diverse and “equity-deserving” students.
Metropolitan University of Toronto’s new medical school had previously said it would “intentionally admit” Indigenous, Black and other “equity-deserving students” in an effort to address the “persistent underrepresentation of these groups in medical schools and the medical profession.”
Previous language on the school’s admissions site featured equity-based enrollment percentage breakdowns for the class of 2025.
This would have barred people from groups that did not “deserve equity” from most admissions offers, Canada’s True North claims. reported.
Additionally, TMU announced that it would not rely solely on academic performance when considering applicants for admission, but would also heavily take life experience into account.
Some criticized the school for its policy, alleging that it was relaxing relevant qualifications and selecting applicants by race, and the head of the Canadian province of Ontario, Doug Ford, demanded that TMU educate qualified students “regardless of their race.” or provenance”.
Now, the leadership of TMU, which will open its doors to 94 students in September 2025, announced it would backtrack on plans to allocate three-quarters of its places next year to these students.
And the president of the university, Mohamed Lachemi. saying in a news release last week that the school never had quotas for the demographics it would accept, and removed “aspirational language” from TMU’s website that was “causing confusion.”
Metropolitan University of Toronto’s new medical school will enroll 94 students in September 2025
The university announced that it would not rely solely on academic performance when considering applicants for admission (file photo)
A news release said: ‘While we have established equity pathways, similar to other schools in the province, we do not have quotas and there have never been quotas on who we will accept.
“We understand that aspirational language on the website was causing confusion on this point and that language has been removed.”
the school states was founded “on equity, diversity and inclusion, decolonization and reconciliation.”
It says the admissions process “will identify applicants who have lived experiences and/or are committed to promoting these principles.”
in september Press releasethe university said it had “developed intentional application and admissions processes that have the school’s mission at their core and that reflect the needs of the community and society.”
He continued: ‘The school will use a holistic and multi-faceted approach to identify students who possess the academic capabilities, interpersonal skills and personal attributes necessary to excel in medicine.
“The admissions process will also intentionally admit deserving equity students and identify applicants interested in primary care practice, particularly in medically underserved areas.”
This photo shows a rendering of a public gathering space at the main entrance of the new Faculty of Medicine at Metropolitan University of Toronto.
Additionally, the September press release stated that it had created “dedicated admissions pathways” for Indigenous, Black and equity-deserving applicants.
The school states on its website that these pathways are intended to “address the underrepresentation of groups identified as deserving equity in medical education.”
Dr. Dominick Shelton, interim associate dean of recruitment and admissions, said in the statement: ‘Our admissions pathways are designed to account for systemic bias in applicant review processes and remove barriers to success for these groups in the medical school admission process.
“We are also committed to ensuring that pathways provide an inclusive and supportive process for applicants in these groups.”
Before the changes, 75 percent of the places in the new class had to be assigned to students who applied through these routes. Now, these pathways remain open, but TMU will no longer apply fees to each of them.
Current admission requirements for the new medical school include a 3.3 GPA, but the school does not require students to have a background in science or certain undergraduate prerequisites.
Additionally, the school will not require the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a standardized exam for prospective medical students required in the United States, Australia, other Canadian universities, and schools in the Caribbean islands.
Despite alternative admissions practices, Lachemi said in last week’s statement that the school’s admissions process will be “highly competitive without exception,” with the goal of removing barriers for qualified students who “traditionally have faced challenges to access medical education.
TMU leadership announced it would backtrack on plans to allocate three-quarters of its spots next year to these students.
TMU leaders have said the goal of their admissions process is to graduate doctors from the same places, cultures, languages and experiences as their future patients.
A 2021 census of Brampton, where TMU is located, found that more than 33 per cent of respondents spoke a language other than English, with 171 languages reported in total.
Data also shows Ontario is facing a critical shortage of primary care doctors and there are currently 2.5 million people in the province without a family doctor, The Star reported.
The school also conducted its own research and found there was an urgent need for more family doctors, “and in particular, doctors who understand the languages, cultures and religions of local residents.”
Mr Lachemi continued: “That is why our commitment to hiring people from diverse backgrounds that make up the Peel region and its surrounding communities is so important.”