Budget Woes Force Indiana University Medical School to Cut Incoming Class Size - Barbara Bein, AAFP

At a time when new medical schools are opening up and class sizes are expanding, the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis is planning to reduce the number of first-year medical students it admits in August 2010 to deal with a $7 million reduction in state funds. Medical school administrators at the university have confirmed that 308 students will be admitted this year, 14 fewer than in 2009. The school had been steadily increasing its first-year enrollments since 2006, according to Eric Schoch, manager of science communications in the school's office of public & media relations. But it plans to return to its 2008 enrollment level in response to the economic downturn.