Key to that preparation are the College's academic programs, which are designed to ensure that (1) every student has the maximum opportunity to perform at his or her best, (2) every graduate has the necessary mastery of basic knowledge and skills to be a competent practitioner and to pass licensure examinations, and (3) every graduate is equipped to pursue whatever further training and career interest he or she selects.

Equally important in a student's medical education are the teachers -- those who not only instruct, guide and advise, but also serve as role models. The College of Medicine's faculty, which strives for interpersonal rapport with students, includes physicians and scientists who are nationally and internationally renowned in their fields. Among the most eminent in the faculty's history is Dr. Charles R. Drew, who organized mass storage and distribution of plasma and who directed the Blood for Britain project that supplied plasma to U.S. and British armed forces during World War II. Students in the College of Medicine have often stated that the camaraderie among their fellow students significantly enhances the learning environment. The College's student body has traditionally been predominantly black, with black students annually composing an average of nearly 70 percent. However, since its inception the College, like the University, has always been open to people of all races, religions and nationalities. Historically, the College has had the largest percentage of foreign students (primarily African and Caribbean) among medical schools in the United States.

About 110 new students are enrolled each year. Traditionally, entering classes have come from a wide variety of public and private colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Around 10 to 20 percent of the students in most entering classes attended Howard for premedical studies. An average of 25 to 30 states and several African and Caribbean countries are usually represented.