GREELEY — Recruiting and admitting medical students for the University of Northern Colorado’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine is likely to get underway next week, according to the school’s president, who announced that applications are about to go online.
The path to begin recruiting students got the green light early this month when the university received pre-accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
“This is a major milestone — one we reached because of the dedication, vision, and hard work of many people within our university community,” UNC president Andy Feinstein wrote to the university community in an email Monday.
“Pre-accreditation means we have met the rigorous standards required to move forward,” he wrote, “and it opens the door for the next big step: recruiting and admitting medical students. We anticipate our admissions application will go live on the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine platform sometime next week, which keeps us on track to welcome our inaugural class of medical students next fall. This is a moment for all of us to celebrate.”
The state approved funding in April 2024 for the $127.5 million building to house the college, which will be located on the 10.6-acre site of the former Bishop-Lehr Hall at 11th Avenue and 20th Street in Greeley.
Construction on the new medical college, which began in September 2024, will be completed this coming summer. Students will learn in a brand new, 110,000-square-foot medical education facility featuring state-of-the-art simulation labs, flexible learning spaces, plus cadaveric and virtual anatomy labs.
“This achievement represents far more than the launch of a new college at UNC — it is a powerful affirmation of our university’s resolve to meet the most pressing workforce needs of our state,” Feinstein wrote. “This university was founded 135 years ago in response to the critical need for teachers in communities across northern Colorado. Today, we carry that legacy forward with equal purpose as we take on another urgent challenge: to help address the physician shortage in Colorado, expanding access to health care in communities across the state and region for many years to come.”
The college also has the potential to be a powerful economic engine for Weld County and the state. A study released last year that was conducted by Lightcast projected a $1.4 billion boost to Colorado’s economy over the next 20 years, along with $84 million in taxpayer benefits. The study further projected that the new college will continue to positively impact Coloradans well into the future, contributing at least $197.2 million annually in added income to the state’s economy even after the 20-year period analyzed in the study.
