School of Medicine Holds Annual White Coat Ceremony for Incoming Class of 2025

08/04/2021

The next generation of Saint Louis University-trained researchers and healers have officially been welcomed to campus. The White Coat Ceremony marks the start of the students' journey into the medical profession.

During the ceremony, incoming Saint Louis University School of Medicine students are cloaked in their first white coat as a symbol of the trust being bestowed upon them to carry on the honorable tradition of doctoring.

The white coat ceremony for the Class of 2025 took place Sunday, Aug. 1, at St. Francis Xavier College Church.

SLU received 8,220 applications and completed 962 interviews. Of those interviews, 181 students joined to make the Class of 2025. Of those, 43 students went to SLU for undergrad. 

The class is 52% female and 48% male. Geographically, 46% of the class is from the central region, 30% from the west, 15% from the south, 4% from the northeast and 4% are international. The average age of students is 23 years old. The age range for the class is 20-33 years old.

Twelve of the students are first-generation college students. Two are military veterans. More than half the class took a gap year.

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding the first medical degree west of the Mississippi River. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level. Research at the school seeks new cures and treatments in five key areas: infectious disease, liver disease, cancer, heart/lung disease, and aging and brain disorders.