Delaware is finally getting its own four-year medical school. Thomas Jefferson University has been tapped to open the state’s first full MD program, a Sidney Kimmel Medical College regional campus at the University of Delaware that aims to welcome its first students in 2028. The project is powered by a five-year federal rural health grant that has funneled roughly $157 million to Delaware for training, residency support and tuition assistance, with officials planning to center clinical training in Kent and Sussex counties in hopes of steering more doctors into underserved communities.
Jefferson Selected To Lead The New Campus
State leaders picked Jefferson as the winning partner in a competitive procurement process, describing the regional campus model as a quicker way to train doctors in-state than building a brand-new independent medical school, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. The decision followed months of planning and a formal request for proposals from the Department of Health and Social Services.
Federal Cash Makes The Project Possible
The federal Rural Health Transformation Program awarded Delaware $157,394,964 for fiscal 2026, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. State officials have said a slice of that money will back tuition assistance for students who agree to practice in southern Delaware. Local reporting and state briefings indicate the grant is serving as seed money for several initiatives, including the new medical school, while lawmakers press for detailed long-term cost plans.
How The State Picked A Partner
The bidding process drew proposals from Jefferson, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, PwC and Tiber Health, and the state had previously signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Jefferson in October 2025, according to CoastTV. The request for proposals and its addenda outline a phased rollout with interim classroom space and a requirement that the partner secure LCME or COCA accreditation as the program grows.
Officials And Lawmakers Weigh In
Gov. Matt Meyer has pitched the medical school as a way to keep homegrown talent in state. “We need to stop exporting future doctors and start educating them here at home,” he said, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Members of the Joint Finance Committee, however, have raised concerns about long-term state obligations and how service-commitment scholarships will be enforced once the federal seed money dries up, according to Delaware Public Media.
Timing, Accreditation And Where Students Will Train
Jefferson plans to seek accreditation for the Delaware campus and expects to name an assistant dean by the end of the year. School leaders told reporters the first cohort will complete preclinical coursework in temporary space at the University of Delaware before rotating through clinical sites across the state, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jefferson CEO Joseph G. Cacchione said, “More than ever, training physicians is about not only high tech, but ensuring that it remains high touch.” The program is planning an inaugural class of about 40 students in fall 2028, with clinical placements concentrated in Kent and Sussex counties to build a local physician pipeline.
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