This year there were nearly 3,500 applicants wanting to attend the school.

DULUTH, Minn. More people are filling out applications to attend the University of Minnesota Medical School campuses including in Duluth.

There are many factors that may play into the increase of applicants, but U of M Medical School officials say it is impressive knowing so many people are willing to dedicate to a career in healthcare.

In a typical year, the University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth Campus receives about 2000 applications.

This year there were nearly 3,500 applicants wanting to attend the school.

This is approximately an increase of more than 75% for the Duluth campus, which houses about 300 medical students.

Admission officials believe the pandemic is highlighting the value of healthcare for these applicants.

Theyre seeing the pandemic really impacting their lives, their families, their friends, and their communities. Its driving them to pursue a career in medicine that they may have been on the track for, but are really passionate about now because now is the time, said Dr. Kendra Nordgren, the assistant dean of admission at the U of M Medical School Duluth Campus.

In recent years, there has been a strong need for family physicians in rural and under-represented populations like the native community.

Leadership says the medical school has been on a mission to fill the gap for the last 50 years.

Now more than ever its so important that we see this uptick because it shows us that there are candidates out there and there are people that want to serve these communities, said Nordgren.

In 2019, the U of M Medical School Duluth Campus welcomed a record number of incoming Native American students on track to becoming physicians.

The Twin Cities campus has also seen about a 45% jump in the number of applications to the medical school.

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U Of M Medical School Sees Increase In Student Applications - FOX 21 Online