A $3 million anonymous gift will fund the full tuition of the University of Houston College of Medicine’s inaugural class, according to a news release from the university. The proposed College of Medicine, which will be located on the university's main campus, intends to admit its first 30 medical students in fall 2020.

Director of Media Relations Chris Stipes said the donation will save each medical student roughly $100,000 in tuition over a four year period, as the college approximates that tuition will cost $25,000 annually.

Since the UH board of regents approved the creation of the College of Medicine in November 2017, the university has reached many milestones. In mid-June, the university secured three associate deans for the proposed medical school.

Additionally, UH is in the process of finalizing a partnership with HCA Healthcare’s Gulf Coast Division to bring first-year resident positions to the Greater Houston area beginning in 2019 and expand to 389 total resident positions by 2025, according to the release.

However, the college still needs to receive approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Legislature, as well as accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is the national accrediting body for medical schools, before it can accept its first students.

If UH receives accreditation from the committee, prospective medical students can start applying in fall 2019 for the fall 2020 semester, Stipes said.

For more information on UH’s College of Medicine, visit the website.