(a)

(1) The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas shall provide for the admission annually of not less than one hundred fifty (150) freshman students to the University of Arkansas College of Medicine. However, the board may provide for a reduction in this number to any figure not less than ninety (90) during any school year if the admission of freshman students in excess of ninety (90) would endanger the accredited rating of the University of Arkansas College of Medicine as determined by the standards of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

(2) Whenever the board has developed the necessary policies and procedures to enable the Admissions Committee of the University of Arkansas College of Medicine to comply with this subsection, the policies and procedures shall be published in the bulletin issued annually by the University of Arkansas College of Medicine.

(b) (1) (A) The board shall allocate the first seventy percent (70%) of the first one hundred fifty (150) enrollment positions for the freshman medical class among Arkansas congressional districts, using the population of each congressional district as determined by the last federal decennial census to determine that district's proportion of the freshman positions so allocated and shall assign those apportioned enrollment positions for each district to those applicants who are legal residents in that particular congressional district.

(B) The board shall give additional consideration to rural applicants from medically underserved areas in an effort to address health disparities.

(2)

(A) The next fifteen percent (15%) of the first one hundred fifty (150) freshman enrollment positions shall be allocated to the state at large and assigned to applicants who are legal residents of any place within Arkansas.

(B) However, in allocating the fifteen percent (15%) to the state at large, the board may allocate not to exceed one-third (1/3) of the fifteen percent (15%) of the first one hundred fifty (150) freshman enrollment positions to applicants who do not actually reside in the state but who were born and reared and attended public schools in Arkansas and who in addition thereto shall meet two (2) or more of the following criteria:

(i) Applicant is a registered voter in Arkansas;

(ii) Applicant holds a current valid Arkansas driver's license;

(iii) Applicant or parents of applicant are Arkansas taxpayers;

(iv) Parent of applicant resides in or is employed in Arkansas; and

(v) Applicant meets other related criteria as may be prescribed by the board.

(3) The remaining fifteen percent (15%) of the first one hundred fifty (150) freshman enrollment positions may be assigned either to legal residents or to nonresidents, however, any qualified legal resident shall have a preference in securing an assignment to a position when compared to a nonresident, and the total number of nonresidents assigned positions shall not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the first one hundred fifty (150) freshman enrollment positions assigned for any school year.

(4) The board may provide for an alteration in the percentages set forth in this subsection only if the adherence to these percentages would endanger the accredited rating of the University of Arkansas College of Medicine as determined by the Standards of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

(c)

(1) The board may provide for additional freshman enrollment positions if the University of Arkansas College of Medicine determines it is necessary to address a projected shortage of practicing physicians in the state.

(2) The additional freshman enrollment positions shall be granted to the best qualified applicants as determined by the Admissions Committee of the University of Arkansas College of Medicine without regard to residency status.

(d) The selection of freshman medical students shall be accomplished competitively without any favoritism or discrimination on the basis of sex or race, and with due consideration being given scholastic standings, recommendations of the premedical advisory committees of the various schools where the applicants pursue their premedical studies, their performance on the Medical College Admission Test, and any other procedures that can be developed that would deal fairly with the applicant group as a whole.

(e)

(1) The board shall promulgate rules and provide resources to allow the area health education centers to offer programs to prepare identified medical school candidates from medically underserved areas of the state for the Medical College Admission Test.

(2) Preparation for the Medical College Admission Test shall include, but not be limited to:

(A) Recruitment and guidance of individuals interested in health care professions;

(B) Early targeting of potential candidates, including junior high school, high school, two-year college, and four-year college undergraduate students;

(C) Use of community colleges and four-year colleges and universities throughout the state to offer MedPrep and other targeted studies with the aid of video and distance learning tools; and

(D) Ensurance that everyone interested in a medical profession receives an equal opportunity for success.