HAGERSTOWN, Md. – After 1,000 days of continuous planning, enrollment is now open for the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine for the fall 2025 semester.
The school received conditional approval to operate in Maryland as an in-state degree-granting institution from the Maryland Higher Education Commission and pre-accreditation from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
“We started on this path to fill the critical shortage of physicians in our community, the state and the nation,” said Maulik Joshi, Meritus president and CEO. “Now, we’ve taken the steps that will create generational change.”
There are not enough physicians in the United States to meet the needs of the population, college officials said. By the year 2030, there is a projected shortage of 124,000 physicians, they added, and in Washington County alone, studies indicate a current shortage of 52 physicians. Additionally, in Maryland, one out of three physicians are over the age of 60.
The Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine will be the first medical school opened in Maryland in more than 100 years.
“We are fortunate to have outstanding medical schools in Maryland with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and we are honored to contribute to the growth of undergraduate medical education in our state,” said Dr. Paula Gregory, founding dean of the school. “Our MSOM mission is to train socially responsible, professionally accomplished and community-oriented physicians.”
The first class, the class of 2029, will include 90 medical students, and future classes will be at 180 students, college officials said.
The D.M. Bowman Academic Hall, which will be the school’s main building, has been under construction for about two years on the Meritus Medical Center campus off Robinwood Drive near Hagerstown. The academic hall is slated to be completed by December 2024.
The 200,000-square-foot, five-story building will house a state-of-the-art simulation center, simulation labs, classrooms and a conference center that can host up to 1,000 people.
The adjacent Meritus Commons will provide student housing through 340 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The complex will also include a club house, commons area and dog park. The first 90 units will be completed in time for the first class.
An independent economic impact study performed by Tripp Umbach, a nationally rated consulting firm, shows the Meritus School will bring considerable benefits to the region.
Capital impacts from 2023-2026 are estimated at $268 million dollars, with 1,595 jobs created and estimated tax revenue of $6.2 million dollars.
Once the school welcomes its first class, an estimated $500 million of economic impact is expected between 2025 and 2030, with more than $120 million per year to the Maryland gross domestic product every year beyond 2030, according to the Tripp Umback studies .
Those interested in more information about the Meritus School, including details on academics, tuition and fees and how to apply, may visit www.msom.org.
