The cost of education in medical school has never been affordable. Often, the total cost of attendance exceeds $200,000, which leaves medical school graduates with a hefty debt at the very start of their careers.
Given the huge financial pressure, receiving additional funding is a great way to make your education affordable and prevent debt. Luckily, many schools do offer grants and scholarships for medical students, among them:
- Yale School of Medicine
- Harvard Medical School
- Stanford School of Medicine
- Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- Perelman School of Medicine
- Duke University School of Medicine
In this article, we’ll tell you everything about scholarships, their types, and how to find one for yourself.
What Are Scholarships?
A scholarship is a type of financial support for students meant to cover the cost of education. It can vary in the amount and be awarded based on academic merit, financial need, and specific accomplishments.
Scholarship opportunities are available to all students. Yet, medical students tend to need them the most because of their heavy financial burden. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the cost of a four-year attendance ranges between $286,454 for public schools and $390,848 for private schools. The median debt for the class of 2024 was as high as $205,000, and this sum keeps growing.
Types of Scholarships
These days, scholarship opportunities come in different shapes and forms. They vary greatly by the awarded sum, provider, eligibility, and other factors.
We’ll briefly look into the most common scholarship types.
Need Based Scholarships
One of the most common forms of scholarships available to medical school students is a need-based scholarship.
What are need based scholarships? In a nutshell, it’s a type of financial aid granted to students who can’t afford to pay for their education otherwise. The eligibility for and amount of a need-based scholarship are determined individually, based on the following factors:
- Household size
- Household assets
- Total family income
To apply for such scholarships, students have to demonstrate their financial need.
Merit Based Scholarships
What are merit based scholarships? These are the grants provided to students based on certain outstanding skills. While need-based scholarships can be awarded to anyone with the goal of making education accessible to students from low-income families, merit-based awards are meant to support talent.
The eligibility criteria can include:
- Academic performance, for example, test scores or GPA
- Demonstrated talent in sports, music, etc.
- Specific groups of students pursuing a specific academic degree
- Other factors, such as leadership, community involvement, etc.
Outside Scholarships
Apart from scholarships that come directly from your school, there are also external opportunities. The so-called outside scholarships can be awarded by:
- State/federal government
- Nonprofit organizations
- For-profit organizations
- Community groups
Such scholarships can greatly range in the amount from $100 to a full-ride. They can also vary in terms of duration. Some options are one-off, whereas others are renewable and can be received annually until you complete your education. Some examples include Fulbright, Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, and National Overseas Scholarship.
How to Get Scholarships for Medical School
Applying for med school scholarships can be a lengthy and stressful process that requires a lot of effort. However, if you have a step-by-step plan and know exactly what you need to do, it can be much faster and easier.
To make the process smooth:
- Start early. Look for opportunities during your freshman and sophomore years of pre-med or during your junior year in college. This will give you enough time to research the options, prepare the necessary forms and documents, and capture different opportunities, regardless of their application period.
- Ask around. Whether you’re currently in college or pre-med, chances are that your current school has information about scholarships. Request information from your school’s career services, financial aid office, or academic advisor.
- Consider your passions and strengths. Students who go to medical schools have good academic performance by default. This makes scholarships awarded based solely on academic performance quite competitive. However, you can consider other strengths that you have, such as sports or other extracurricular activities. Find what makes you stand out.
Which Medical Schools Give the Most Scholarships?
Due to the large range of options, it can take a lot of time to research medical scholarships and find what suits your needs best. To help you get on the right track, we’ve gathered information about med schools that offer some of the best opportunities for students in 2025-2026.
Yale School of Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine has unmatched need-based scholarships for incoming medical students available to all students regardless of their citizenship. The amount of aid is calculated individually based on the same criteria for US and international students.
To apply, you need to:
- Fill out the school’s financial aid application.
- Submit a detailed CSS Profile.
- Provide financial documents, such as tax returns, and their translations.
There is also a Yale Graduate and Professional Loan that can be used instead of US federal loans, which aren’t available to international students.
Harvard Medical School
Harvard also offers need-based medical scholarships for both US and international students. The school’s Admissions Committee selects a limited number of students based on their commitment, achievement, excellence, and other qualities to nominate them for this scholarship.
The application for this opportunity is done through the CSS Profile. Additionally, students have to provide tax refunds and other financial documents demonstrating their need. The awarded sum can be used to cover tuition, fees, accommodation, and health insurance. Scholarship renewal is considered individually.
Stanford School of Medicine
Stanford School of Medicine offers several funding opportunities for its students. The two direct, institutional options include a need-based scholarship and a university loan. Both opportunities can be used by US citizens and international students.
The school’s scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. The money can be used toward tuition and living costs. In order to apply, students need to complete the financial aid application through Stanford’s online system and provide relevant financial documentation.
Columbia Vagelos College
Columbia Vagelos College states its commitment to covering 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all newly admitted students. This means that the awarded sum should fully cover the cost of studies, including tuition, living costs, and health insurance. Furthermore, the school provides aid to students across all socioeconomic groups. That is, incoming international students can also apply.
Applications are submitted through Columbia’s Financial Aid Office. Along with the financial aid form, students need to provide all required documents with translations if needed.
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has both academic and need-based scholarships for incoming medical students. The school offers a full-ride package to students who come from families with incomes under $175,000 and tuition-covering options for families with incomes under $300,000. To apply, students must turn to the school’s Student Financial Services upon admission and provide relevant financial documents.
The Johns Hopkins Medicine International Initiative has also unlocked scholarship opportunities for international students. But there are no full-ride options.
Perelman School of Medicine
The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine has need-based financial aid options for incoming students. The awarded sum is determined based on the family income and can be used toward tuition, accommodation, insurance, and other education-related expenses. Students applying for this opportunity need to complete the FAFSA form and the CSS Profile.
Additionally, the school offers 35 full-ride scholarships to students demonstrating academic excellence. This program considers all incoming Perelman School of Medicine students and selects winners based on accomplishments.
Duke University School of Medicine
Duke University School of Medicine also has need-based grants for medical school students. The need-based funds can be used to cover tuition and other mandatory fees, housing, and health insurance. The application process is as follows:
- Indicate your interest in aid when submitting your med school application.
- After enrolling, apply for financial support through the CSS Profile.
Apart from the need-based scholarship, the school also offers additional financial aid to students working toward their third-year research projects.
Additional Tips for Winning a Scholarship
Due to the high financial burden facing medical students, you can imagine that scholarship opportunities can be rather competitive. In order to increase your chances, follow these tips:
- Carefully study the available options to confirm your eligibility.
- Read the application terms and deadlines multiple times to ensure that you’re not missing something out of sight.
- Prepare your applications early to avoid a rush and meet deadlines.
- Complete common financial aid forms in advance. Most schools analyze eligibility for need-based scholarships through common forms, such as the CSS Profile or FAFSA.
- Take time to collect the needed documents. In addition to your application form, schools will be looking at income documentation of your family, such as tax returns, income statements, bank statements, and others. Before you start the application process, collect as many relevant documents that prove your financial need as you can.
- If you’re considering applying for merit-based and academic-based opportunities, also collect your document package in advance. Any documents that prove your accomplishments will work, including official transcripts, test scores, honor letters, etc.
- If you’re an international student, you may want to start preparing even more in advance. Take the time to research the native language equivalents of the required documents and prepare them. Also, don’t forget to make an English translation for every document that requires it.
- Pay more attention to recommendations and essays. While official documents are very important, letters of recommendation and personal essays give you a chance to stand out from the pack. So approach them with due care.
Conclusion
Applying to a med school can be rather stressful. And the high cost of attendance only adds more stress. Luckily, even if the cost of tuition and other fees is high, this doesn’t mean that you can’t afford to go to a med school. You just need to find the right scholarships for medical school that will make your education more affordable.
With this article, you have a detailed roadmap to the main types of med school scholarships, the top schools that have the best offerings, and the essential tips that should help you win. Use this knowledge to fund your education!