A medical school in Austin will become reality within the next 10 years after a vote from the UT Board of Regents on May 3 to allocate up to $30 million a year from the state’s Available University Fund for the school.

This funding, along with a pending $250 million commitment from Seton Healthcare Family for a new teaching hospital, will make the medical school a possibility.

“The founding of a medical school at UT would be an enormous event in the life of the University, would offer dramatic new opportunities for our students and our faculty, and would advance health care in Central Texas,” said President Bill Powers in an email to the UT community.

The creation of a medical school in Austin aligns with Senator Kirk Watson’s “10 in 10” initiative, which lays out 10 initiatives to be completed in 10 years to improve the overall health of Central Texas.

“UT Austin has so many pre-med students and having a school so close to us would help foster connections before we actually attend a medical school,” said Naiya Patel, President of Longhorn Pre-Medical Student Association.

Austin is currently the largest city in the country without a medical school and creating one would open-up opportunities for research as well as attract top faculty and students.

Although there are many benefits to creating a medical school in Austin there are still questions about the availability of resources and hospital facilities.

Missy Wu, President of Kappa Rho Pre-Med Honor Society, believes that a medical school in Austin will be beneficial to students applying for medical schools in Texas, but resources could be scarce compared to other institutions.

“Currently, Austin does not have a wide range of medical resources. When compared to medical schools in Houston, it is apparent that the Houston Medical Center can provide students with a wide variety of experiences,” Wu said.