A big change that is being called a boon for South Florida is a step closer to happening.
Davie's Nova Southeastern University has preliminary accreditation for a new medical school.
Final accreditation comes when the program graduates its first class.
Now that the wheels are in motion, applications will open by the end of the month and classes will begin in August 2018.
NSU will accept 50 students in the first year, a smaller class than the nearby University of Miami or Florida International University, which each have around 150 medical students per class.
The school expects about 4,000 applications for the 50 open spots in the medical doctorate program.
If accepted to the interview stage, candidates will rotate through multiple mini interviews with several faculty members.
A Broward health official says the new school will bring in top-notch doctors that will stay in the area after graduating to serve a growing population.
NSU plans to eventually build a 200,000-square-foot medical education building, but for the time being medical students will share space with all the other health science students on the Davie campus.