Racial and ethnic student body diversity is essential for medical schools to serve their educational mission of addressing racial and ethnic health inequities in the United States. Yet bans on the practice of affirmative action in six states have led to declines in students of color enrolled in medical schools. In this article, we examine prior stages that contribute to enrollment declines--namely, applications and admissions--to better inform educational policies that seek to address the negative consequences of affirmative action bans. Findings suggest that a focus on institutional actors at the admissions stage is an important lever for medical schools seeking to address the nation's racial health disparities.