University of the Pacific University of the Pacific
University of the Pacific will open the Central Valley’s first MD-granting medical school in Stockton in 2030, expanding physician training to address the region’s critical doctor shortage. University of the Pacific - via CBS News Sacramento YouTube account

University of the Pacific will open a new School of Medicine at its Stockton campus in 2030, becoming the first and only institution to confer an MD degree based in California's Central Valley.

University officials say the Pacific School of Medicine is planned to welcome its first cohort of medical students in fall 2030, pending accreditation approval. The program is expected to grow to about 400 students by 2037, expanding in phases after an initial launch with a smaller entering class.

The Stockton-based medical school will be the first MD-granting institution located in the Central Valley, a region that has long relied on medical education programs tied to campuses in the Bay Area and other parts of California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Existing efforts, such as UC Davis' REACH pathway and the SJV PRIME and BS-to-MD programs based at UC Merced and UCSF Fresno, place students in the valley but award MD degrees through institutions headquartered elsewhere.

University of the Pacific leaders and local officials frame the project as a direct response to physician shortages across the valley, where the state is projecting significant gaps in primary and specialty care in the coming years.

In public remarks, Pacific President Christopher Callahan has cited forecasts that California could face a physician shortfall of around 20% by the time the school opens, underscoring the need for a locally based MD program, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The cost of the new medical school complex, including a roughly 100,000‑square‑foot academic building on the Stockton campus, is estimated at about $150 million.

According to city and university documents, Pacific has committed $50 million, secured about $20 million in private donations, and aims to cover the remaining cost through additional philanthropic, corporate, and public funding.

Stockton city leaders have already taken formal steps to back the project, unanimously supporting an application for approximately $7 million in federal funds to help purchase medical equipment.

The medical school will also be located near St. Joseph's Medical Center, which is expanding capacity on a similar 2030 timeline, creating a nearby clinical training site for future students, as per CBS News.