Historically Grambling State University in Louisiana announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The medical school currently enrolls about 2,000 students and African Americans are 7 percent of the student body.
The articulation agreement will guarantee provisional admission to five students annually into the four-year doctor of osteopathic medicine program at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. Successful applicants from Grambling State must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 after completing all required pre-medical coursework, required community service, and health care volunteer hours.
Grambling State students also will have access to an early acceptance program at the end of their second year. This early acceptance program will allow them to matriculate to the medical school contingent upon meeting standards and completing all coursework toward graduation at Grambling State University.
“The need for exceptional doctors in medically underserved and rural communities like North Louisiana has been on a steady increase for many years. That’s a gap that our students can fill,” said Connie Walton, Grambling State’s vice president of academic affairs and provost. “This agreement is one of the many ways that Grambling State is equipping our students for the nation’s most in-demand career fields.”
