On May 15, the University of Georgia School of Medicine hosted a Second Look event for admitted students from the inaugural class. The optional, post-acceptance campus visit is designed to help applicants make final decisions of where they will complete their medical school education.

The event began with tours of the School of Medicine’s new medical education and research building. The 93,000-square-foot building on UGA’s Health Sciences Campus is scheduled for completion in December 2026 and will serve as the School of Medicine’s primary educational building.

Dean Shelley Nuss welcomed students and their guests and led them in Calling the Dawgs to begin the formal program.

“You have a chance to be part of something special here at the School of Medicine,” Nuss said during her welcoming remarks. “We are so excited to welcome you in the fall.”

Students were greeted by Hairy Dawg and presented with a School of Medicine welcome box containing branded merchandise and a postcard from Nuss welcoming them to Athens. The event concluded with a meet-and-greet session, offering students the opportunity to connect with faculty and staff.

The students who accept their offer of admission will be a part of history as the School of Medicine becomes the second public medical school in the state. With Georgia ranking 39th nationally in active patient care physicians per capita and 41st in public medical students per capita, expanding in-state medical education is a critical strategy to strengthen the physician workforce and improve access to care in underserved communities.

The School of Medicine extended admission offers to 64 prospective students in April. Those students were selected after 235 candidate interviews chosen from more than 2,000 applications received in a two-week admissions cycle.