Eleven medical students have said they want to attend the Medical College of Georgia's first class at the school's new Athens campus so far, according to MCG.

The students have indicated their preference as part of MCG's early admission process.

School starts in the fall of 2010.

Forty-nine other early admission candidates say they'd prefer the Augusta campus. The admissions committee expects to complete the early admission process by October.

MCG expects to have a total of 230 students at both campuses when school starts.

The decision to expand MCG to Athens was controversial, with some politicians and community leaders in Augusta wanting all expansion to happen in their city. They feared the new Athens school would mean a loss of resources at the main campus in Augusta.

Athens politicians and Governor Sonny Perdue pushed for the expansion to Athens, giving future doctors more educational opportunities in Georgia as the state tries to meet a growing demand for doctors. The Athens campus will operate through a partnership with the University of Georgia. MCG officials expect to enroll 40 students for the first class there. Eventually, the number of students per class will increase to sixty.

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