An anonymous donor, who gifted $3 million, will fully fund tuition for the entire inaugural class of medical students at the University of Houston College of Medicine, the university announced July 18.
The first class of medical students, set to begin school in fall 2020, will have their tuition fully covered for all four years. There will be 30 students in the class.
"Student debt is the No. 1 deterrent for students when applying to medical school," said Renu Khator, PhD and president of the University of Houston. "This generous gift will allow such students an opportunity to attend and ultimately lead the future medical workforce."
The UH College of Medicine will begin accepting applications next year.
Texas ranks No. 47 out of 50 states in primary care physician-to-population ratio. The college of medicine will focus on fighting this physician shortage by aiming for "at least 50 percent of each graduating class to specialize in primary care," according to a university news release.