The Liaison Committee on Medical Education granted preliminary accreditation to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine on Oct. 18, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.
"This is truly significant for the university. It's the permission that we've been waiting for to begin admitting students," said UNLV President Len Jessup, PhD.
In February, the LCME updated the UNLV School of Medicine from "applicant" status to "candidate" status. With the accreditation announcement, the medical school is one step closer to welcoming its first class of students to campus in July 2017.
Though it's currently housed on the UNLV School of Dental Medicine campus, the medical school is awaiting a $100 million donation to help build a new campus on the former site of the Southern Nevada Health District.