Acting head of rural medicine Professor Geetha Ranmuthugala said the university was on track to enrol about 60 new students in the course, which she said was about average.

Professor Ranmuthugala said UNE’s medicine program was vital in attracting more doctors to practise in rural and regional areas.

“The literature shows people who are trained in, and are from, rural backgrounds are twice as likely to come back to those settings,” she said.

Professor Ranmuthugala urged potential students who had yet to enrol to consider UNE for its small class sizes and hands-on teaching approach.

“It’s a small school with a very warm, welcoming environment,” she said.

“The teachers get to know each student by name.”