Kansas is a U.S. state. Students researching medical education in Kansas should note that the University of Kansas School of Medicine (KU SOM) is Kansas’ only allopathic medical school. According to its eligibility requirements, the M.D. program only considers applicants who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or have approved Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.
So, let’s check what the school has to offer!
University of Kansas
The history of KU SOM dates to 1880, when the University of Kansas began offering a preparatory medical course. The School of Medicine was founded in 1905 as a four-year medical school.
The school has three campuses in Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina.
The Wichita campus is community-based and provides hands-on clinical training through a network of more than 1,000 volunteer faculty members.
The Salina campus opened in 2011 as a four-year medical education site with a class of eight students. Its M.D. program was designed to help address Kansas’ shortage of rural physicians.
KU SOM also supports rural health initiatives throughout Kansas through its Medical Education Network Sites.
KU SOM offers more than the M.D. degree. Its combined and dual-degree options include the M.D./Ph.D., M.D./M.P.H., and M.D./M.H.S.A. programs. The school also offers graduate programs in fields including biomedical sciences, biostatistics, public health, health policy and management, and clinical research.
Although KU SOM is Kansas’ only allopathic medical school, it also considers out-of-state applicants. Its admissions page says the school focuses on selecting out-of-state candidates who will contribute to the depth and breadth of backgrounds and life experiences in the entering class. For the 2024 entering class, KU SOM received more than 4,700 applications and interviewed 473 applicants.
In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, KU SOM was ranked Tier 1 for primary care and Tier 2 for research.
We hope this article was helpful. Check out the USA Study Guide and Available Programs for international students!
