Wichita State changed plans to fund a feasibility study on creating a dental school — adding an additional challenge to a financial shortfall. The university’s Board of Trustees recently approved up to $750,000 for the study after the Kansas legislature denied it a place in its budget in March. 

WSU will partner with Fort Hays State University on the dental school. The universities have cited a lack of access to dental care for rural Kansans and the state’s absence of a dentistry school‌ as reasons to start the new school. 

WSU currently has dental programs, but they consist of a pre-dental program and post-doctoral program. 

The school would be located in Wichita and be part of WSU’s downtown Biomedical Campus, which is set to open summer 2027. The dental school would be included in the second phase of the biomedical campus. Fort Hays State would provide additional programming to serve rural communities. 

The feasibility study is scheduled to be completed by fall 2026. It will investigate details such as the number of faculty and staff, as well as accreditation and facility needs. In addition, the study will look at potential partnerships with Federally Qualified Health Centers, a variety of medical networks and hospitals which qualify for certain federal reimbursement.