The United States of America is known for having exceptionally high yearly tuition fees, particularly when a person wants to complete a medical degree. Annual tuition can reach $90,000 or higher, particularly at private institutions (though some public institutions like the University of Illinois Medical School are also at the higher end of tuition). Medical students often come out of debt when attending expensive medical schools, but you don’t have to.
Many medical schools in the USA are cheap. This applies to in-state, out-of-state, and international students alike. Though costs are always higher for out-of-state and international students, the schools listed in this article present rates that are not much more inflated than in-state tuition. It is crucial to remember that those looking to pursue a medical degree should look into financial aid, grants, and scholarships, which are best located on your university of choice’s official website. If granted, these options can help cut down your tuition fees exponentially.
Affordable Medical Schools in the USA
1. Texas A&M University
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $22,379.36/year (In-State) | $35,479.36/year (Out-State & International)
Texas A&M University boasts the nation’s leading health science center, which includes the institution’s School of Medicine. Established in 1977, it’s a public medical school offering a four-year medical degree in Bryan, TX. The school emphasizes rural population health, military medicine, and engineering medicine.
This affordable medical school in the USA has Houston, Dallas, Round Rock, Temple, and College Station campuses. The current design of this degree entails completing pre-clinical training for the first one-and-a-half years and clinical training for the latter two-and-a-half years. Students can take dual degrees, including but not limited to an M.D./Ph.D. (Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy), M.D.+MBA (Masters of Business Administration), M.D./M.S. (Medical Sciences), and M.D./MPH (Public Health).
2. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $6,550/year (In-State) | $22,893/year (Out-State & International)
Established in 1969 and located in Lubbock, TX, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine is a public institution that is part of the Texas Tech University System. The curriculum at this medical school offers both a three-year accelerated program and a four-year program.
For the four-year program, students must complete courses and clinical work in the first two years and a clinical clerkship in the latter two years. The three-year program is similar but is condensed and requires additional summer coursework. Students can do dual degrees, including M.D/Ph.D., M.D/MBA, and M.D/J.D. partnered with the Texas Tech University School of Law.
3. University of New Mexico
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $15,328/year (In-State) | $44,023/year (Out-State & International)
The University of New Mexico School of Medicine, established in 1961, is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This medical school has a four-year curriculum split into three phases. The first 18 months are predominantly focused on science education. The following 12 months are comprised of a clinical clerkship. The final months of the degree include clinical electives, rotations, sub-internships, and ambulatory clinical experience.
This cheap medical school in the USA also offers a combined or dual degree, the M.D./Ph.D. program. This program allows students to work on their Ph.D. dissertation or research while attending medical school. It has various departments, including anesthesiology & critical care medicine, neurosurgery, occupational therapy, psychiatry, dermatology, radiology, and other clinical divisions.
4. Baylor College Of Medicine
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $19,425/year (In-State) | $32,525/year (Out-State & International)
Located in Houston, TX, and established in 1900, the Baylor College of Medicine is a private medical school. It is known for having the lowest tuition of all private medical schools in the country. It is also one of only forty-five medical schools in the U.S. to have a Medical Scientist Training Program. The institution’s curriculum is a four-year program, divided as such: the first two years are focused on foundational sciences, and the latter two years on clinical clerkship.
Students can also partake in elective programs and gain dual degrees if they so choose, including an M.D./Ph.D., M.D./MBA, M.D./J.D., M.D./MPH, and M.D./M.S. A Medical Science Training Program student can work with the Biomedical Sciences Graduate School at the college or the Bioengineering Graduate Program at Rice University to conduct their research.
5. University of Texas Health Center at Houston
Our next cheap medical institution in the USA is the University of Texas Health Center at Houston. This institution is among the top ten largest medical schools in the United States with more than 1,000 total students. Its four-year medical degree curriculum, offered through the John P. and Kathryn G. McGovern Medical School, is split into three phases.
The first phase focuses on the foundations of medical science. The second phase is focused on the required clerkship, the rotation of which includes internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, neurology, family medicine, obstetrics, and psychiatry. The final phase is centered on career-focused tracks.
6. Ohio State University
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $21,802 – $25,486/year (In-State) | $51,540 – $59,568/year (Out-State & International)
Founded in 1914 in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State University is a public institution with affordable tuition. Its College of Medicine is among the best in the country in terms of cost-effectiveness. The college also offers dual degree programs and is one of the only institutions that provide an M.D/MHA (Master of Health Administration). Its medical degree follows a three-part, four-year curriculum program at this university, with an option of a three-year primary care track program for students interested in family medicine.
The first phase of the four-year program focuses on foundational and clinical sciences. The second phase is focused on clinical clerkship. The third and final phase focuses on advanced clinical management, including preparation for internships, electives, hospital-based care, and relationship-based care.
7. University of Texas at Austin
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: $9,503/semester (In-State) | $16,663/semester (Out-State & International)
Located in Austin, TX, and established in 2013, the University of Texas at Austin‘s Dell Medical School is a cheap medical school in the USA. Their four-year medical school program is split into four parts. The cutting-edge medical degree program at Dell Med aims to prepare students to take on systemic health problems and to be leaders in a changing healthcare system.
The first year is focused on the pre-clinical essentials and foundations. The second year is concentrated on clerkship. The third year is known as a “growth” year, allowing students to focus on areas of their interest. The fourth and final year prepares students for medical residency and offers internships, electives, and rotations.
Taking up a medical degree can indeed be highly costly. Fortunately, tuition fees do not reflect other expenses, such as cost of living, transportation, or additional fees. Many university websites offer a glance at your monthly and yearly budget while living in each respective state, so look at the official websites for further cost information.
We hope that this article on cheap medical schools in the USA was helpful. Make sure also to check out the Study in the USA and the Available Programs for International Students in the USA for more information about studying in the United States!
