NYU Long Island School of Medicine in Mineola gets full accreditation

NYU Long Island School of Medicine — which offers a tuition-free, three-year degree in primary care — announced Tuesday that it has been granted full accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. 

“It is a significant milestone for us as a new medical school,” said Gladys M. Ayala, dean of the Mineola school. “It speaks to our commitment to providing quality education to our students. We are very proud of this recognition.” 

NYU Long Island School of Medicine, which opened in September 2019 and currently has 74 students, had been granted provisional accreditation to teach and conduct research. Full accreditation will give the school access to federal funding and makes it eligible to participate in medical school rankings by U.S. News & World Report and other organizations. 

The full accreditation is the result of years of work by more than 100 faculty members, staff and students, officials said.

“Their dedication to exceptionalism will ensure that NYU Langone Long Island School of Medicine remains a beacon of hope for the future of primary care and for the many underserved communities in desperate need of healing,” said Joseph J. Greco, vice president and chief of hospital operations. 

Medical schools have traditionally required students to study for four years, but the Long Island school offers a three-year program that specializes in primary care, population health and health system science, which looks at how to manage medical resources to provide the best outcome for patients. Ayala said graduates can remain in the NYU Langone system to study specializations such as pediatrics. 

NYU Langone Health is the only health system in the United States to have two medical schools. It also operates the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in Manhattan. 

Students who are accepted to the NYU Long Island School of Medicine do not pay tuition, and students in need receive money for housing, books and other necessities. 

“Without the pressure of medical debt, the world’s brightest medical students are now free to follow their passion for primary care and improving health in the community,” Ayala said.

LCME accreditation is a voluntary, peer-reviewed process that determines if a medical school meets established standards, according to the LCME website.