Paying for a medical school education can be an expensive venture; four years of tuition can range from $80,000 to $140,000. Unlike graduate education, for which one's tuition may be fully subsidized by the institution, the burden of paying for medical school falls largely on the student. The small amount of grant or scholarship aid provided by many medical schools is usually reserved for the truly destitute or exceptional applicant. Consequently, most medical students use loans to pay for their education and living expenses. On average, graduates of private medical schools borrow about $100,000 and graduates of public institutions borrow about $70,000. There are a number of programs which offer forgiveness for medical school loans. The Health Professions Advisors and medical school admissions offices will be able to answer questions about these programs. There are numerous public and private loan programs available to help meet expenses, but qualifying can be complicated and the terms vary significantly. One should not assume that qualification for college aid automatically ensures qualification for financial assistance to attend medical school. The single best guide for applicants pertaining to financing a medical school education is MD2 (Monetary Decisions for Medical Doctors), a publication of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Applicants to programs in the health professions should also speak to one of the Health Professions Advisors prior to submitting an application. Sponsored by the NIH, the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) covers tuition costs for MD/PhD programs. The Air Force, Army, and Navy also offer fully paid scholarships, as does the National Service Corps. Many of these details are discussed with the medical school financial aid officer following acceptance. Here are some useful websites:
Financing Your Medical Education
http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/start.htm The Pre-Medical Years
http://www.aamc.org/students/financing/md2/phase1/start.htm AspiringDocs.org
http://www.aspiringdocs.org/site/c.luIUL9MUJtE/b.2011075
/k.5AA9/Financing_Medical_School.htm Financing A Medical School Education
http://coe.stanford.edu/development/financing.html The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid in Medical School
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/medical.phtml Financial a Medical Education (USC)
http://www.sc.edu/oppa/med/handbook06.shtml Financing Health Careers - How to Fund Medical Education & Training
http://healthcareers.about.com/od/financinghealthcareers
/Financing_Health_Careers_How_to_Fund_Medical_Education_Training.htm Student Financial Services
http://www.jhu.edu/finaid/ The SmartStudentTM Guide to Financial Aid
www.finaid.org | 
