New Jersey Meical School (NJMS) is the oldest school of medicine in the U.S. state of New Jersey, predating its broader parent institution the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) by 16 years. The school of medicine was founded in 1954 as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry, established under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. On August 6, 1954, the College was incorporated as a legal entity separate from Seton Hall University, but with an interlocking Board of Trustees. The first class of 80 students was admitted to the four-year MD program in September 1956, becoming only the sixth medical school in the New York City metropolitan area.