Applications are now open for the Southern Alberta Medical Program at the University of Lethbridge. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Admissions now open for U of L’s Southern Alberta Medical Program

Jul 28, 2025 | 10:20 AM

It will mark the first time that soon-to-be doctors will receive their entire education at the University of Lethbridge (U of L).

The new Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP), a three-year Doctor of Medicine Program, is accepting applications.

Designed to help increase rural and regional healthcare, the program is delivered through a partnership between the U of L and the University of Calgary’s (U of C) Cumming School of Medicine.

Students who complete the SAMP will earn a U of C medical degree while completing their training in Lethbridge.

“We’ve been building this program with students in mind from the very beginning,” says Dr. Richard Buck, Associate Dean of SAMP. “From curriculum design to clinical placements, every element is centred around preparing future physicians for the realities of rural and regional care.”

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Students will complete their degrees through an intensive, community-integrated curriculum that responds to the growing need for sustainable, locally grounded approaches to medical education — particularly in areas where physician access remains essential.

The first cohort of students at the SAMP will begin their learning in July 2026.

Learn more about the SAMP here.

READ MORE: New med school programs being created in Lethbridge & Grande Prairie

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