August 24, 2026

The university plans to admit 10 medical students per year for the three-year program.

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A branch campus of the University of Arizona College of Medicine will open next July in the Gila River Indian Community, according to a news release from the university. It will be the first U.S. medical school to grant doctor of medicine degrees within a tribal nation.

The university plans to admit 10 medical students per year for the three-year program in partnership with Gila River Health Care, which will fund the student scholarships, faculty positions and educational infrastructure, according to the release. Students will spend the first half of the program in Phoenix and the second half—the clinical education portion—at the branch campus in Sacaton.