Charlotte's new medical school is on track to start in 2025 with 48 first-year students

Forty-eight students will make history next year as the first class to start at Charlotte's new medical school , Atrium Health tells Axios.

Why it matters: Charlotte has long been the largest U.S. city without a four-year medical school, but next year, Wake Forest University School of Medicine's Charlotte campus opens at The Pearl.

• The medical school has had third- and fourth-year students in Charlotte for several years. But these 48 will be the first ones to start here.

Context: Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte is opening as part of The Pearl , a major under-construction development in midtown.

• Construction is almost complete on the 14-story campus building at Baxter and South McDowell streets.
• The innovation district also has a 10-story research facility, where the global surgical training institute IRCAD will house its North American headquarters.

By the numbers: The Class of 2029 will have 193 students, of which 145 will be in Winston-Salem.

• Charlotte's class size will gradually increase to around 100 students over five years, an Atrium spokesperson says.
• Eventually, almost 1,000 medical students will train across both campuses.

What's next: The application process is underway. Prospective students are applying to the school of medicine, not to specific campuses.