MOUNT PLEASANT, MI Nearly 90 percent of Central Michigan University College of Medicine's students are from Michigan.

The medical school has seated its first class of 64 students, and 57 students are from Michigan. More than 2,700 students applied to the College of Medicine.

Students will begin their studies Aug. 4, with an emphasis on diseases and medical conditions seen across central and northern Michigan.

The College of Medicine has the goal of training primary physicians to work in central and northern Michigan, areas that face a shortage of doctors. Of the 64 students, 25 are from central and Northern Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula.

As the only medical school in Michigan training doctors to address the needs of residents and families living in more rural regions, we selected students with a passion for medically underserved communities, said Ernie Yoder, dean of CMUs College of Medicine.

Students also are coming fromCanada, California, Massachusetts and Georgia.

CMU's College of Medicine class is 58 percent female. Eleven students are CMU graduates.

Each year, the college will add students to reach a full capacity of 400 students. For two years, the students will train in Mount Pleasant, then spend another two years in Saginaw for clinical training at Covenant HealthCare and St. Mary's of Michigan.

CMU has partnerships with about 24 hospitals throughout mid- and Northern Michigan for clinical training and some residencies after graduation. About 60 percent of physicians practice within 100 miles of their residency site, according to CMU.

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Central Michigan University medical school's first class mostly Michigan natives