Morehouse School of Medicine on Friday welcomed 100 medical degree candidates, its largest incoming class of students.

The school, near downtown Atlanta, set a goal five years ago to expand its class size by 2017.

“This 'Road to 100' has been a journey long in the making, and expanding our class size to 100 is part of MSM’s commitment to educating and preparing future health leaders to serve those who may not have access to quality health care,” the school’s president, Valerie Montgomery Rice, said during Friday’s convocation.

Sixty-three of the 100 students are from Georgia, with 17 of them from Gwinnett County, officials said.

Morehouse School of Medicine also has a goal of increasing enrollment in other degree granting programs by 20 percent before 2020.