UNC Wilmington wants a medical school. It could transform health care in the region
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- UNCW proposed creating a four-year medical school with a three-year option.
- The school would rely on training placements with health centers and medical practices.
- The board expressed deep support, and will consider authorization at the May meeting.
UNC Wilmington is planning to open a medical school, a move that its chancellor says would transform not only the university but the health care landscape in Southeastern North Carolina as a whole.
UNCW chancellor Aswani Volety was met with deep support and excitement this week at a UNC Board of Governors meeting.
The last time the UNC System approved a new medical school, it was more than 50 years ago, Volety said.
In Southeastern North Carolina, appointment wait times are long and physicians are few and far between. By 2030, North Carolina is projected to have a deficit of more than 7,700 physicians.
“Think about the last time you or your loved one were ill and tried to call a doctor’s office a specialty care and got an appointment right away,” Volety asked the board. “The chances are probably not. Bottom line is, North Carolina faces a significant physician shortage, healthcare shortage in general. ... It is especially acute in fast-growing areas like Southeast North Carolina and underserved areas or rural areas.”
The closest medical school to Wilmington is in Greenville, more than two hours away at East Carolina University.
UNCW doesn’t want to compete with ECU. UNCW’s medical school would not be a traditional teaching hospital, Volety said, but rather would partner with and rely on “collaborative training placements” with existing health centers, hospitals and medical practices. It will focus primarily on primary care.
‘Simply aren’t enough seats’
“There are many qualified students that are present in North Carolina that want to go to medical school, but there simply aren’t enough seats. For example, in 2025 of the number of individuals that apply to go to medical school, roughly less than half of them got into a medical school — 45% to be precise,” Volety said.
Six of NC’s seven existing medical schools lie between Interstae 77 and Interstate 95, Volety said, and Wilmington’s hospital, Novant Health, serves a seven-county area. A medical school in Wilmington would mean more much-needed doctors in the area. Medical students tend to stay to pursue careers where they’ve studied and done residencies, Volety said.
UNCW’s nursing program is already one of the largest in the state, Volety said. With 2,000 pre-health undergraduates and strong existing science programs, Volety said he sees a medical school as a natural extension of UNCW’s existing identity.
Volety requested authorization to initiate planning for a four-year medical degree program at UNCW, with a three-year accelerated option. The Board of Governors couldn’t have been more supportive.
“I only have one question, and really it’s a question to the board: ‘Why would anyone say no to this?’” asked member Sonja Phillips Nichols.
If planning is authorized at the board’s May meeting, Volety will work on hiring a dean, conducting a self-study, seeking accreditation and recruiting an inaugural class.
“You are looking at a seven year to eight year process before you start to see the graduates and then tack on residencies to it, that’s another three years,” Volety said.
He’s seeking a nine-figure philanthropic gift to help fund the project.
No vote was taken Wednesday, because the presentation was an informational first step in what could be a decade-long process.
“The best time to tackle any problem like this was yesterday,” Volety said. “The second-best time to do it is today.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 12:08 PM.
