An accreditation agency has confirmed the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine’s accreditation, fulfilling the last requirement before the college can enroll its charter class next semester.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)’s accreditation follows the college’s accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) on Oct. 18, which was the first requirement to recruit a charter class of medical students for fall 2017.

The accreditation process was “rigorous,” Dean John Tomkowiak said in a WSU news release.

“The team effort that resulted in this accomplishment is exemplary of the kind of collaboration the college has received from the beginning,” Tomkowiak said.

This was the final requirement in order to place the College of Medicine’s M.D. program under WSU’s accreditation umbrella, according to the news release. The college will began issuing offers of acceptance to the charter class in early March, said James Zimmerman, vice dean and chief operating officer for the College of Medicine.

The college received more than 700 applications. Of those applicants, 340 to 400 will be offered interviews. They began interviewing applicants in January and won’t finish until early March, Zimmerman said.

The charter class size will be about 60 students, give or take three students, he said.

“We’re really excited to complete this last step in our accreditation process,” Zimmerman said.

WSU is requesting $10.8 million in the state 2017-19 biennial operating budget to support the first few classes of medical students, according to the news release. The accreditation won’t go into effect until August when the students arrive on campus.

Reporting by Sarah Olsen