A new class of medical schools is opening across the U.S., designed to expand access to training and bring more physicians to communities facing growing care demands.
Below are five new medical schools that opened or were announced this year.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. If you’d like to add a new medical school to the list, please email Mackenzie Bean at mbean@beckershealthcare.com. Organizations are listed in alphabetical order.
1. Bentonville, Ark.-based Alice L. Walton School of Medicine welcomed its first cohort of students in July. The nonprofit, independent medical school — founded by Walmart heir Alice Walton — will incorporate training in whole-person health, humanities, integrative health approaches, research and advanced technologies.
2. Milpitas, Calif.-based Aria University plans to open a new medical school in San Joaquin County, Calif., in 2027. The school will be housed in a renovated county building near San Joaquin General Hospital, a teaching hospital based in French Camp, Calif.
3. The Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Chicago School will welcome its first class of students in July 2026. The institution will be Chicago’s first osteopathic medical school and the city’s first new medical school in a century.
4. The Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine in Hagerstown, Md., welcomed its inaugural class of students in July. The medical school, affiliated with Hagerstown-based Meritus Health, is the first new medical school to open in Maryland in 100 years.
5. Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest University School of Medicine opened a new campus this summer at Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health’s $1.5 billion innovation district, The Pearl. The Charlotte location represents the city’s first four-year medical school.
