Delaware takes a major step toward having its own in-state medical school, confirming an official partnership with Thomas Jefferson University.
It signed a non-binding agreement with the Philadelphia-based school to explore the possibility of a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in November 2025.
And Governor Matt Meyer joined Department of Health and Social Services officials, local office holders, and Thomas Jefferson university representatives in front of of a health clinic in Dover on Tuesday to announce that the university's medical college won out against the state's other bids.
Meyer said the current situation for access to healthcare providers in the state, "is not good."
Delaware's workforce, particularly in low-income and rural areas, has lagged for decades. And one 2024 report said the state meets less than 20% of residents’ dental, primary care and mental health care needs.
Delaware has programs, such as student loan repayment, that aim to retain residents who left the state for school. But Meyer said these haven't been effective enough.
"For too long, Delaware's watched its educated, talented young people leave for medical school and hoped they would come back," Meyer said. "The reality is many of them never come back."
Things are expected to move quickly for the new Delaware Medical School Consortium from here. Student applications open in 2027 and the first cohort of forty students will start in summer 2028.
The plan uses $78 million of a five-year federal grant to expand rural health care.
"The sooner we start, the sooner we get that first class in," Meyer said. That enables the state to use more of its the federal money on "tuition we can supplement to build this program and attract students."
but Meyer said the state hopes its philanthropic organizations will add support.
Classes will be based on the University of Delaware’s main campus in Newark. Second and Third year training will be spread throughout the state’s clinics and hospitals.
Delaware's program will focus on training primary care specialists to increase availability in rural areas.
Meyer added for those in the first cohort who commit to practicing for their first five years in rural Delaware, tuition will be free.
Along with being a regional campus of the Sidney Kimmel College, the state will partner with local universities, community-based clinics, and the state’s health systems to provide all pre-clinical and clinical training in Delaware.
Notably not involved at the outset is the state’s largest hospital system: ChristianaCare which submitted a competing proposal with the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
A joint statement from ChristianaCare and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine said the organizations, "respect the state's decision but are disappointed that we are not part of the solution to create Delaware's medical school."
The statement questioned, "whether the school's goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare's meaningful participation in its clinical training mission."
The statement said ChristianaCare is "open to conversations" about how it can support the state's vision for physician workforce development in Delaware.
Thomas Jefferson University President Susan Aldridge said the Delaware Medical School Consortium has "an inclusive approach...if Christiana chooses to join the consortium, they'll be more than welcome."
