A wave of new medical schools has opened or broken ground across the U.S. in the last few years — an expansion driven by a projected physician shortage that the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates could reach 86,000 by 2036.
The schools opening are a mix of MD and DO programs, and most share a common thread: a focus on primary care, rural medicine and underserved communities — the areas where the shortage is felt most acutely. Many are also health system-backed, embedding students directly into clinical networks from day one rather than relying on traditional academic medical center pipelines.
What makes this moment distinct is not just the number of schools but where they are opening. Several are planting flags in states and cities that have gone decades — in some cases more than a century — without a new medical institution. They are also arriving at a complicated moment: Accreditation is a yearslong process, residency slots have not kept pace with enrollment growth and federal student loan changes passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act have raised new questions about who can afford to attend. Whether these schools can deliver on their workforce promises remains to be seen, but their inaugural classes are already in session.
Here is where each of them stands.
Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University (Nashville, Tenn.)
Announced in 2020 and affiliated with Nashville-based HCA Healthcare, the Frist College of Medicine is a whole-person-care MD program and the city’s first new medical school in 148 years. It earned preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October 2023 and welcomed its inaugural class of 50 students in July 2024, selected from 1,368 applicants. The school is housed in a 246,000-square-foot facility featuring one of the most comprehensive simulation centers in the country, using virtual and augmented reality as part of its training model.
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (Bentonville, Ark.)
Founded in 2021 by philanthropist Alice Walton, AWSOM is a nonprofit institution that offers a four-year MD program that integrates traditional medical education with the arts, humanities and whole health principles. The school secured preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October 2024, according to a report from NBC affiliate KNWA, allowing it to begin recruiting students — with an inaugural class of 48 and classes beginning in July 2025. AWSOM welcomed that first class on July 14 on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art campus, according to KNWA. The school is waiving tuition for its first five cohorts, a move that drew national attention, and has partnered with Mercy as its primary clinical education partner.
Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (Hagerstown, Md.)
Founded in 2022 and affiliated with Hagerstown-based Meritus Health, MSOM is the first medical school in Maryland in more than a century. It launched its inaugural class of 90 students in fall 2025, with plans to expand enrollment to 180 students in future cohorts. The school received conditional approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission and pre-accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. When MSOM reaches full capacity, there will be 720 future doctors enrolled. An independent economic impact study projects more than $120 million per year in contributions to Maryland’s GDP once the school reaches steady state.
Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Memphis, Tenn.)
Established in 2023 and affiliated with Memphis-based Baptist Memorial Health Care, BUCOM is the first osteopathic medical school in Memphis and West Tennessee. It received COCA pre-accreditation in April 2023 and opened its doors to its first class of up to 81 students in August 2024 following $34 million in renovations to a 100,000-square-foot building in the city’s medical district. Like several schools on this list, its mission centers explicitly on primary care in urban and rural underserved communities across Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Duquesne University Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine (Pittsburgh)
DUQCOM welcomed its inaugural class in July 2024, with an initial enrollment of 85 students. The college aims to address the national shortage of primary care physicians, particularly in underserved urban and rural areas, and the second class, which started in 2025, grew to 137 students, with plans to reach 170 annually by 2026. The school was recently renamed the Nasuti College after receiving what Duquesne described as the second-largest donation in the university’s history. The 80,600-square-foot building features a simulation hospital with an operating room, an ICU, an emergency department, a labor and delivery room, and a HoloAnatomy lab integrating augmented reality with holographic imaging.
University of Northern Colorado College of Osteopathic Medicine (Greeley)
UNC-COM is opening its state-funded building in June 2026 and welcoming its inaugural class in July 2026, with a curriculum emphasizing clinical reasoning, osteopathic principles, and early exposure to primary care. The college was granted pre-accreditation status by COCA on Dec. 8, 2025, clearing the way for applications. Colorado ranks 28th in the U.S. for enrolled medical students per capita, according to a report from the Denver Gazette, and UNC-COM is designed to help close that gap — with a particular focus on rural and underserved communities. Once fully accredited, the school is projected to graduate 150 physicians per academic year.
Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine (Santa Clara, Calif.)
The newest announcement on the list: Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health and Santa Clara University plan to launch the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine — the first new medical school in the Bay Area in more than a century. It is funded in part by a $175 million gift from Santa Clara alumna Mary Stevens and her husband, venture capitalist Mark Stevens — the largest gift ever to either organization and the largest-ever cash gift to Catholic higher education. The school aims to initially admit 30 to 40 students per class, expanding to 120, with Santa Clara granting the MD degree and Sutter serving as the exclusive clinical partner, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle. Targeting an opening around 2030, the school plans to center its curriculum on AI fluency and emerging health technology. Accreditation applications are pending.