The new Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine in Provo has been granted pre-accreditation status from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), paving the way for the college to begin enrolling students for its fall 2021 inaugural class. The accreditation status was announced late last month.
The new status means that the nearly 2,000 applicants that the college has received can begin the enrollment process. The fall 2021 inaugural class will include 90 medical students. When all four years are at maximum enrollment, Noorda will have 194 medical students in each class.
Noorda also announced it has established affiliation partner agreements with most of the healthcare systems, many hospitals, and physician practice groups in Utah. The affiliation partnerships will allow Noorda’s future third-year students to complete core clinical education at facilities within an easy 30-to-40-minute drive from the Noorda campus in Provo.
“Reaching this important milestone in Noorda’s accreditation process is the result of several years of hard work on the part of many individuals within the Noorda campus community,” said Dr. John Dougherty, founding dean and chief academic officer. “Now that we have received pre-accreditation, we are excited to move forward in welcoming our inaugural class of students in 2021.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to reach this most important step in the accreditation process for Noorda,” said Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, founding president and CEO of the school. “Pre-accreditation allows Noorda to fully move onward in opening its doors for medical students in the fall of 2021. Pursuant to COCA regulations, Noorda can qualify for full accreditation status once the inaugural class graduates.”