St. Cloud Medical School Welcomes 24 New Students at White Coat Ceremony

(KNSI) – Twenty-four future physicians will put on their first white coats this week as the University of Minnesota Medical School’s CentraCare Regional Campus in St. Cloud marks the arrival of its second class.

The White Coat Ceremony is set for Thursday, August 20th at 6:30 p.m. at The Park Event Center, 500 Division Street in Waite Park. CentraCare CEO Ken Holmen will give the keynote address.

The ceremony is a traditional rite of passage in medical education. Students receive their first white coat in front of family, friends, faculty and classmates, a moment meant to mark their formal entry into the profession.

The St. Cloud campus opened in August of 2025 with its first class of 24 students, the University’s first medical school expansion in more than 50 years. The campus operates out of the former CentraCare Administrative Support Building at 1600 County Road 134, just west of CentraCare Plaza, where students train in anatomy labs, small group rooms and simulated exam and emergency spaces.

The campus adds 24 students a year and is expected to reach full capacity of 96 students in 2028.

The St. Cloud program was built around a specific problem. CentraCare says 20% of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but only 11% of physicians practice there. Admissions at the regional campus prioritize students interested in serving rural and immigrant communities, many of them from small towns around Greater Minnesota.

According to CentraCare, the median age of a Minnesota physician is 59, and one in three say they intend to leave the profession within five years.

Statewide, the University of Minnesota Medical School will welcome 265 students in the Class of 2030 across its three campuses. The Twin Cities campus takes in 176 students and the Duluth campus 65. Both of those ceremonies are Friday, August 21st.

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