PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — The University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria will admit first-year medical students for the first time in 2017.
The Peoria Journal Star reports the medical school will launch a $2.5 million renovation this summer to make room for about 55 new medical students each year. Average enrollment currently is about 165 students.
The Peoria school is shifting from a three-year to a four-year program. Now, medical students study for a year at the university’s Urbana-Champaign campus before moving to Peoria.
Regional Dean Dr. Sara Rusch announced the changes Monday in Peoria.
She predicts the four-year medical school will enhance Peoria’s ability to attract doctors and improve health care. She says about 20 percent of local doctors are graduates of the medical school’s programs.
