Objective To understand the academic and campus life of ethnic minority medical students and provide ideas for improving their training quality. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 72 ethnic minority medical students from grade 2016 to 2020 at Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Xuzhou Medical University in December 2021, and the results of the survey were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results Learning difficulties were reported by 60(83.3%) students, of which 43(71.7%) attributing this to a lack of foundational knowledge. Additional specialized knowledge enhancement courses and professional skills training were desired by 53(73.6%) and 46(63.9%) students, respectively. Appropriate adjustments to training standards were supported by 53(73.6%) students. Special scholarships for ethnic minority students or policies favoring them in the evaluation of prizes and merits were considered beneficial for stimulating learning enthusiasm by 71(98.6%) students. Ethnic minority status was not seen as a negative impact on campus life by 70(97.2%) students, although cultural differences and living habits were challenging for 33(45.8%) and 32(44.4%) students, respectively. School initiatives to promote ethnic cultural integration were recognized as helpful by 41(56.9%) students. All students (100.0%) considered employment after graduation. Region and salary benefits were regarded as priority considerations for employment by 51(70.8%) and 54(75.0%) students, respectively. Conclusions Ethnic minority medical students generally encountered learning difficulties because of weak foundational knowledge. They aspired for the establishment of targeted professional enhancement courses and the implementation of educational preferential policies by the school. Although their ethnic minority status did not negatively impact their campus life, they still experienced challenges from cultural differences and lifestyle habits. Students benefited to a limited extent from campus ethnic integration initiatives. Following graduation, students tended to seek employment, with geographic location and salary benefits being the primary factors influencing their employment choices.