Pre-Health Handbook

Section 5: Other Information

Financial Aid

The cost of attaining a medical education has increased significantly in the last decade.  The same is true for the other health professions of dentistry, optometry, podiatric and chiropractic medicine.  The average tuition for private medical schools for 2002-2003 was between $30,971 and $32,612. The average tuition for public medical schools for 2002-2003 was between $14,577 and $30,924. The average debt for indebted medical school graduates in the class of 2003 was $109,457. Dental education is very similar.  The topic of financial aid is a very large one and would take several more pages here to cover fully.  For now, know that you should consider how you will finance your education at the same time of application.  It may be a factor when you choose schools.  Keep your credit in good standing now because loans will be a necessity for most everyone.  If you would like to read more information about financing your professional education, both the Medical School Admission Requirements for United States and Canada and the American Dental Education Association Official Guide to Dental Schools have comprehensive sections on this topic as well as scholarships, loans, and budgeting.  You can purchase these resources in the University bookstore as well as on-line.

National Health Service Corps and Military Service Scholarships are competitively awarded based on academic promise. These scholarships pay educational costs plus a living stipend, but they require one year of service for each year spent in professional school.

Foreign Professional Schools

The statistics vary from country to country and school to school regarding the quality of medical education at foreign schools. While there are some foreign medical programs that do have dismal records, there are others that are doing considerably well - graduating medical students with great success.  Foreign medical schools have developed significantly over the past decade.  There used to be considerable stigma with attending these programs; however, recently, USMLE test scores (Exams taken at the end of the second year of medical education) have been comparable to those of US Medical School students.  Likewise, because many of the quality programs have copperative agreements with US medical schools and teaching hospitals, foreign medical students usually spend part of their education at tyhe foreign facility and part of it in the US.  Those who contemplate investing precious years and a considerable sum of money in foreign medical studies owe it to themselves to thoroughly investigate the situation.   There are two programs that I would encourage UF students to look into:  St. George's University and Ross University.  Further details, brochures and videos are available in the Office of Health and Legal Professions Advising under "Foreign Medicine."

Know that a foreign medical education will take some sacrifice.  Not only will you be undertaing an intense education of difficult subjects, you will also be required to transition to a new country, be further away from family and friends, and give up some of the amenities that you are used to in the United States.  For some students, these adjustments are small sacrifices to becoming a doctor.  Foreign medical education is for adventuresome and flexible students.  The cost of a medical education is similar in cost to many of the private institutions in the United States, but you will also need to add a large amount to your budget for the costs associated with travel.

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