How To Get A Full Ride To Medical School

Medical school is undoubtedly expensive especially to those who are financially marginalized. This is why a question such as ‘how to get a full ride to medical school’ is often raised. 

However, is this entirely possible? Let’s find out.

Can You Get A Full Ride To Medical School?

Going into medical school is not only challenging but also costly. Aside from getting good grades and having enough preparation, many students think that money is one of the most significant obstacles on the route to becoming a doctor. 

Medical school is not cheap, and increasing educational expenditures are making it even more difficult for people who wish to pursue a career in medicine.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, medical school graduates have an average debt burden of more than $200,000. Unfortunately, that figure scares a lot of would-be doctors away from medicine altogether.

The chance of receiving a full scholarship is something that practically every medical school candidate considers. Is it possible to acquire a full scholarship to medical school, or are those elusive offers only the stuff of Hollywood movies?

There are full-ride possibilities available. Unfortunately, earning a full scholarship to medical school is extremely difficult and rare. 

With the growing demand for doctors across the country, it’s difficult to understand why medical schools don’t provide full scholarships and full rides more frequently. Why are these offers so unusual? 

It all boils down to the significant costs associated with providing a full ride.

The average annual tuition for medical school was $34,592 for in-state students. The average cost of tuition for out-of-state students is $58,668. 

The average tuition at the end of a four-year degree is more than $138,000 and $226,000, respectively. Full ride scholarships are just out of reach for most colleges, whether they admit less than a hundred students per year or more than a thousand.

It’s critical to realize that a “full ride” includes more than just tuition. Many people mix up full-ride and full-tuition scholarships. 

These two prospects appear to be identical, but they are completely different.

Why Is It Difficult For Medical Schools To Offer A Full Scholarship?

Only 20 medical schools (23%) were in the same or better financial position as New York University to consider such a change. This exclusive group, which includes 15 of the top 20 research universities, includes well-known names like Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.

It took NYU 11 years to generate enough money to keep tuition free, with more than 2,500 individual contributors contributing about $600 million to a dedicated endowment fund. Even if universities were able to rival NYU’s donations, it would take a very long time of persistent solicitation.

Depending on super-rich CEOs to support medical education is not a long-term answer to the escalating costs of physician training. Some opponents believe that such dependency fosters an unhealthy relationship between wealthy contributors and prestigious academic institutions.

The bulk of medical schools does not have access to such donations. Even if a few institutions follow NYU’s lead, it will be insufficient to address the financial constraints of medical school or improve the diversity of candidates across the country. 

The majority of institutions and students are unable to gain financially from this method, and it does nothing to remove the upstream constraints that prevent underprivileged students from being eligible candidates in the first place.

Tips On How To Get A Full Ride To Medical School

If you are seeking ways on how to get a full ride to medical school, you can make good use of the following subsidies:

Small Subsidies

As a medical student, a small amount would somehow alleviate your financial burden. The following are awards or programs where you can seek a financial grant. 

• Physicians of Tomorrow Awards

During their third year of medical school, the American Medical Association Foundation gives $10,000 to ten medical students. Students must be nominated by the school dean. 

Applicants interested in women’s health are eligible for one scholarship. There are also awards for students from underrepresented groups.

• Diverse Medical Scholars Program

Every year, the program gives $7,000 to 30 medical students. Because the scholarships are continuous, winners will be able to benefit for several years. 

Winners complete 200 hours of community service and prepare a presentation about their experience. African-American, Latino, Native American, or Asian-American students are required.

• Tylenol Future Care Scholarship

This program provides ten students $10,000 and thirty students $5,000. Applicants must be interested in working in the medical field.

• Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship

The AAMC awards five medical students in their third year of medical school a $5,000 scholarship. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to increasing minority access to medical education. 

Their medical school must nominate them.

Large Subsidies

Of course, the following large subsidies would be more beneficial for you. These are programs that will cover or reduce your medical school tuition/fees (either through a school or an organization).

Many of these awards are renowned and much sought after. Students who want to receive a medical school scholarship must work hard and maintain good marks.

• National Health Service Corps Program

This program covers the cost of medical school tuition and fees for two years. It also provides a stipend for living expenses while in school. 

Some of the money is exempt from taxes. In exchange, winners must work for two to four years in an underprivileged area following their residence. 

This is dependent on how many years they receive financial assistance.

• NYU School of Medicine

All current and future matriculated students in NYU’s MD degree program, irrespective of merit or financial necessity, are eligible for a full-tuition scholarship if they maintain good academic progress.

• Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine

For classes starting in the fall of 2020 through 2024, Kaiser will waive tuition and fees. For all four years of enrollment, this waiver will be offered for each class.

• Perelman School of Medicine Scholarship

Every year, the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania awards 25 full tuition scholarships. All approved students are taken into consideration.

• David Geffen Medical Scholarship

UCLA students can get four years of financial help. The scholarship covers the entire cost of attendance for four years. 

Tuition, accommodation and board, books, and materials are all included. This merit-based scholarship is automatically awarded to all candidates.

• Health Professions Scholarship Program

If you have served in the military, you may be eligible for tuition and fee reimbursement. You will also receive a monthly allowance. 

You must spend one year of active service for every year of your scholarship to be eligible. A three-year minimum is required.

• F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine

The students at this medical school are all appointed officers in the United States military. Public Health Service, United States Air Force, United States Army, or United States Navy Navy. 

During their four years of medical school, they earn a salary of more than $60,000 per year. They must serve in the military for at least seven years following graduation.

• Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Students at the Lerner College of Medicine have their tuition paid in full.

• Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Columbia University introduced a scholarship program in April 2018 that will substitute student loans with scholarships for all students who are eligible for financial help.

• Cornell University School of Medicine

Cornell stated in September 2019 that a new scholarship will remove medical school loans for all students who apply for financial help (due to $160 million in donations). 

Can You Negotiate Your Way To A Full Ride In Medical School?

Trying to get a full ride to medical school? This is nearly impossible. Negotiation, on the other hand, is a rarely discussed and undervalued strategy.

Universities are frequently asked if it’s acceptable to utilize one scholarship to “bargain” with another. One of the medical students was on the waitlist for a prominent institution, but she was also accepted and given a full scholarship to a lower-ranked school. 

She was able to get off the waitlist at the top school and earn a full tuition scholarship through smart correspondence and tact. A well-timed and targeted letter or phone contact with the authorities can surely persuade a school to reconsider an individual applicant’s offer.

Medical Schools That Offer Full Ride Scholarships

The value of developing competent doctors and medical researchers is widely acknowledged around the world. Graduate scholarships for medical students are commonly offered at medical schools everywhere around the world as a result of this recognition.

Medical school scholarships are less popular at the undergraduate level. There are, however, a variety of options for students seeking finance for the first degree in health and medical sciences, encompassing a variety of program kinds. 

Look for possible scholarship opportunities in your field of interest, whether it’s tropical medicine or hereditary disease. Here are some varieties of medical scholarships available at all levels of study around the world.

Australia or New Zealand

1. AFPHM John Snow Scholarship

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians awards medical scholarships to students at authorized medical schools and universities throughout Australia and New Zealand.

2. University of Auckland John Hamel MacGregor Award in Medical Science

International and domestic students can apply for medical scholarships to pursue at the University of Auckland in New Zealand for a Bachelor of Medical Science or a postgraduate research degree.

3. University of Melbourne Baillieu Research Scholarship

Scholarships for medical students to enroll at the University of Melbourne at the graduate level in Australia. Only Australian students are eligible, with priority granted to descendants of WW1 troops from Australia.

4. University of Wollongong Scholarships

A variety of medical school scholarships are available to support students at the University of Wollongong’s Faculty of Science, Medicine, and Health.

North America

1. Edith SeVille Coale Scholarships

Scholarships for third-year medical students enrolling in the United States at one of four medical schools around Washington, DC, including Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

2. Harvard Medical School

The Emirates Cardiac Society Scholarships are among the available medical scholarships, with preference offered to students from the United Arab Emirates.

3. University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Awards

Doctoral scholarships are available to students enrolling in the University of Calgary’s Doctor of Medicine (MD) program.

4. UCLA David Geffen Medical Scholarships

Merit-based scholarships for students attending the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (including overseas students) (UCLA). Offers financial assistance to cover the entire four-year cost of medical school, including tuition, housing, and other fees.

Europe

1. AMC Amsterdam Merit Scholarships

Scholarships for non-EU/EEA students studying at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the master’s level.

2. Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine

Imperial College London offers a variety of scholarships for students pursuing an MBBS or BSc in medicine.

3. King’s College London Global Health & Social Medicine

One bursary is available for entrance into the university’s BA/BSc Global Health and Social Medicine program. All nationalities are welcome.

4. QMUL John Abernethy (Barts) Scholarship for Medicine

Scholarships for medical and dental students pursuing an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) or BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) at Queen Mary University of London.

5. ISEG Postgraduate Training Fellowship in Medical Statistics for African Students

This fellowship, sponsored by the UK Medical Research Council, enables a master’s student from Sub-Saharan Africa to study Medical Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

6. UCLan MBBS Scholarships

Scholarships to study MBBS at the University of Central Lancashire for UK students from the North West of England (UCLan).

7. University of Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine Bursary

Medical students from around the EU can apply for scholarships to study at the University of Cambridge.

8. University of Edinburgh/Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

Scholarships to pursue an MSc in Internal Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, which is offered as an online distance learning degree that can be completed part-time over three years.

Getting a full ride to medical school may be a rare opportunity. However, an aspiring doctor is surely willing to hop on whether the ride is bumpy or smooth.

You may be in medical school and you want tips and strategies that will help you avoid pitfalls and become more successful. Study better and have better time management and productivity with the Domination Bundle!

The Domination Bundle is literally all the guides and resources that I have put together when I was in medical school and things that I wish that I used back then. And it’s been reviewed by hundreds of students. So check it out here if you’re interested.

If you think this is worth the read, how about browsing through some of our other helpful articles?

• Can Medical School Student Loans Be Forgiven?
• Best Books On Personal Finance For Doctors
• Color Codes In Hospitals [What Do They Mean?]
• How To Write A Medical School Letter Of Intent
• Exactly How Much It Cost Me To Become A Doctor
• Should I Go To Medical School? [How To Know If It’s Right For Me]
• Early Decision Medical Schools [Ultimate Guide]

Until the next one my friend…