Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine said it received preliminary accreditation earlier today from the Liaison Committee of Medical Education, which is the accrediting agency for MD-granting medical schools.

The school described the initial approval as “a major milestone that keeps the college on track to enroll its inaugural class of students in August of 2017.”

WSU President Kirk Schulz said of the accreditation, “It puts us one step closer to educating physicians who will practice in Washington’s underserved communities and furthers the university’s land-grant mission to serve the needs of the state.”

During the next week, WSU will be working to achieve membership in the Association of American Medical Colleges so it can have access to the American Medical College Application Service. Upon securing that membership, the medical school will be able to begin accepting applications in early November.

The accreditation comes 19 months after Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill that changed state law to enable WSU to offer medical education