Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine Class of 2016 (Photo courtesy of Virginia Tech Carilion)

Applications to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine increased nearly 19 percent last year over the previous year, as the Roanoke school continues to grow its reputation.

Fewer than 2 percent of the 3,253 people who sought one of the 42 spots in the medical school’s third class were admitted. In its previous two years the school received applications from 2,743 and 1,654 interested candidates.

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Dr. Cynda Johnson, the school’s dean.

Johnson said the school has been successful not only in attracting applications but also in enrolling a high caliber student population.

“These are very strong students who have that extra something that we look for, those critical characteristics that our school has sought in developing physician thought leaders,” Johnson said.

Two-thirds of the most recent class, which began this month, are from Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Nearly half received undergraduate degrees from one of four institutions: Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Virginia.

Here are some other statistics for the most recent group of 42:

• 17 women were admitted
• 14 already have a graduated degree
• 14 are Virginia residents
• 2 have full Army scholarships