In a release, Benedictine College says the school has been granted Candidate Status by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
The designation allows the college to advance to the next stage of the accreditation process. Benedictine submitted its application for Pre-Accreditation Status earlier this month, with consideration expected during the commission’s December meeting.
Pre-Accreditation Status would allow the school to begin recruiting, admitting and educating medical students. The college hopes to reach that stage by the middle of next year and welcome its first class in 2028.
Benedictine says it has secured more than 50 million dollars in donations for the project and more than 270 clinical training seats.
Planning is also underway for a medical education facility of more than 110 thousand square feet. The building would house both the medical school and Benedictine’s School of Nursing and would represent the largest construction project in the college’s history.
All plans remain subject to the required accreditation and institutional approvals.
