The Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences' College of Osteopathic Medicine in Joplin received permission to begin operations and start recruiting students, according to The Joplin Globe.
The medical school received the news in late August from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
KCU officials said the school will immediately begin recruitment for the 150 slots in its class of 2021. Construction on the campus, which is located on the former temporary site of Mercy Hospital Joplin, is set to be completed by April 2017, with classes beginning in July.
"We are proud to begin enrolling students in the first new medical school in Missouri in nearly 50 years. We share this excitement with the community partners who turned a vision into a reality, including Mercy Hospital Joplin, Freeman Health System, the city of Joplin and philanthropic leadership from the surrounding community," said Marc B. Hahn, DO, president and CEO of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.