Alice Walton, one of the world’s wealthiest women and the only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, has established a medical school in Bentonville, Arkansas, with the goal of making medical training more attainable by covering tuition for its first groups of students.
The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) welcomed its inaugural class in July 2025 and currently has an enrollment of nearly 100 students. The school says it will “waive tuition for the first five cohorts of students,” covering the four years of enrollment for those classes.
Forbes’ 2026 ranking identifies Walton as the world’s richest woman, with an estimated fortune of $134 billion. Established as part of Walton’s philanthropic work, the institution provides a four-year Doctor of Medicine program that combines conventional medical training with a “whole health” philosophy.
AWSOM describes itself as a program that enhances medical education through “art, humanities, and whole health principles.” The school also intends to train physicians dedicated to improving health in “medically underserved and rural communities” in Arkansas and beyond, while using new partnerships and technologies to expand access to quality care.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the median education debt for the class of 2025 was $215,000, while the median four-year cost of attendance for the class of 2026 was $297,745 at public schools and $408,150 at private institutions. Through its tuition-waiver initiative, AWSOM is seeking to make the path into medicine more financially accessible for its early students.
Walton’s philanthropic interests extend well beyond her family’s Walmart legacy. Her broader health-focused efforts include the Heartland Whole Health Institute, which says its mission is to “increase access to care, improve outcomes, and transform the health care system,” while her arts philanthropy includes the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine represents one of her most significant efforts to influence the future of healthcare by training a new generation of physicians.
