Leaders say St. Cloud med school on track for fall opening

ST. CLOUD — CentraCare Regional Campus St. Cloud remains on track to open and welcome 24 students later this year.

That’s according to Dean Chris Fallert and A ssistant Dean Jill Amsberry. They said the program is currently considering applications.

“We have a large number of people that are choosing this campus as their very first choice," Amsberry said. "Unfortunately, as it is for medical schools across the country, we always have many more applicants than we have spots for."

Contributed / University of Minnesota Medical School

She said applicants are interested in rural health care, where there is a great need for providers, according to CentraCare. The health care system says that only 11% of physicians serve rural areas, where roughly 20% of the country’s population lives.

“We’re specifically looking for people, not only that have the academic credentials, but are also in line with the mission of our campus, which is to serve rural Minnesota,” Fallert said. "That’s a unique set and it does take a student who is willing to also be on the front end of an experience as well.”

A list of the first 24 students accepted into the program is expected to be completed by June, with the first class to begin in fall 2025. The campus, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Medical School, will eventually have a capacity for 96 students by the end of the decade.

“These students are brilliant students and they are demonstrating a passion for our rural communities now, and they have so many ideas already about how they can help serve the community and how we can make the community better,” Amsberry said. “One of the things that I’m so excited for is to take our students and build on those ideas to connect with our communities and community resources.”

Large cranes hang overhead as construction continues on a residential building at CentraCare Plaza.

Amsberry said the residential building will feature 96 units ranging from one to three-bedroom apartments. The complex will be connected to the medical school inside the health care system’s repurposed building, which was once home to administrative services.

Contributed / University of Minnesota Medical School

“There will literally be a tunnel between the two (buildings) or some other direct connection so that on days that happen to be 20 below zero,” Fallert said.

The housing project, which received a $6.4 million building permit in December, has sparked interest from students, Amsberry said.

“I can tell you that the applicants are very excited about that,” Amsberry said. “... Some of our applicants will potentially have families that they’ll be bringing with, so it will be amendable to whatever type of learner we’ll have coming.”

Updates on the project can be found at med.umn.edu/CentraCare-Regional-Campus.

• 24: Number of students in 2025.
• 96: Expected enrollment in 2028.
• 2029: When the first class graduates.
• 2038: Residency program reaches maturity with 55 residents in five programs.