It’s no secret that there is a high cost to medical school. Add undergraduate costs on top of that and you’re likely looking at a whole lot of student debt for years to come.
While it is rare to find a medical school that offers free tuition to students, it is possible to win merit scholarships. These scholarships are typically awarded to students when they receive their admissions acceptance.
They are usually based on academic performance, interviews and GMAT scores. Furthermore, these can help eliminate the high debt from medical school.
Top Scholarships for Medical School
Another place to search for medical school scholarships is right here on Fastweb. In addition to scholarships from medical schools, we feature medical school scholarships from outside groups and organizations.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 4 through Year 5
Award Amount: $60,000
Scholarship Details: The Damon Runyon Fellowship Award is available to early career scientists who have completed an MD, PhD, MD/PhD, DDS, or DVM degree. You must be pursuing theoretical and experimental research relevant to the study of cancer and the search for cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies and prevention to be considered for this award.
Available to: College Seniors
Award Amount: $7,000 - $38,000
Scholarship Details: The Delaney Medical School Scholarship is available to students who have been accepted to allopathic medical school. You must be a graduate of an Erie County high school as well as Gannon University to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students, Years 4 - 5
Award Amount: $25,000
Scholarship Details: The San Miguel Association Medical Scholarship is available to students at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. You must be in your last two years of medical school and demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. You must also practice in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine or pediatric medicine for at least three years after completion of your residency to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Georgia Student Scholar Aid Fund Award is available to first-year students at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine.
You must be a resident of the state of Georgia, adhere to the ideals of the podiatric medical profession and demonstrate leadership qualities and financial need to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1 through Year 5
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Aaron Bram Medical Students Book Fund is available to students at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. You must demonstrate academic excellence and financial need to be eligible for this award. Preference will be given to non-traditional students.
Available to: College Freshmen
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The JumpStart Summer Program is available to high school graduates who are entering a four-year college or university. To be eligible, you must be pursuing a career in healthcare, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and be at least 18 years of age. Students will be paid at the rate of nine dollars per hour during this eight - week program.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 2 through Year 5
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The General Scholarship Fund is available to students at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. You must be an upper level medical student and demonstrate financial need and academic excellence to be eligible for this award.
Available to: College Juniors through College Seniors
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Hartwell C. Howard Scholarship is open to pre-medicine and pre-dental majors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Selection will be based on academic merit and financial need.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Medical Alumni Association Scholarship is available to first-year students at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. You must demonstrate academic excellence and be a resident of Kentucky to be eligible for this award.
Available to: College Freshmen through College Seniors
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: Sponsored by the Centralia Foundation, the J. Carl Hall Doctors Degree Scholarship is available to students who are residents of the Centralia area. You must be a resident of Centralia and plan to pursue a medical doctors degree to qualify for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1 through Year 2
Award Amount: $3,000
The Wayne Anthony Butts Scholarship is available to first- and second-year medical students who are members of an underrepresented minority. You must be enrolled in an accredited medical program that is located in the New York metropolitan area to be eligible for this award.
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 3 through Year 5
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Navy Medical Financial Assistance Program (FAP) is an Individual Ready Reserve Program for physicians currently accepted to or enrolled in an accredited residency or fellowship program progressing toward a specialty which has been designated as critical to the Department of Defense.
FAP participants receive a monthly stipend, 14 days of active duty annual training, reimbursement for all required tuition, fees, books and equipment for training, and a yearly grant paid on the anniversary of enrollment into the program.
In exchange for these benefits, the FAP participant agrees to serve on active duty for a period of the number of years of participation in FAP plus one year (i.e. 4 years of FAP benefits results in 5 years of active duty obligation).
Available to: Graduate Students, Year 1 through Year 5
Award Amount: Varies
Scholarship Details: The Arkansas Health Education Grant Program is available to Arkansas residents who are seeking professional training in chiropractic medicine, dentistry, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine and veterinary medicine.
This award will allow you to attend accredited out-of-state institutions that offer graduate or professional programs unavailable in Arkansas.
Available to: College Freshmen through Graduate Student, Year 5
Award Amount: $1,000
Scholarship Details: Provided by RateADrug, the PreMed Prescription Rating and Experience Program (PPREP) is open to students majoring in medicine, pre-medicine, nursing, and other health-related fields and select fields in alternative medicine.
Participants will be working directly with prescription and over-the-counter drug users to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of their medications. You must conduct a minimum of 100 five-minute patient surveys within the first four months of acceptance into the program.
The top intern per cycle will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship. Selection is based on academic background, experience, and extracurricular activities.
Quick Tips for Winning Medical School Scholarships
The
key to winning scholarships for medical school is the same as any other scholarship search. You want to stay persistent and keep searching, applying early and often.
•
Start applying for scholarships early. If you know as a college freshmen or sophomore that you wish to attend medical school, start researching scholarship opportunities now and create a spreadsheet of awards, deadlines, and amounts. When the time comes for you to apply for med school, you’ll have a roster of
scholarships that you can apply for. Once you can apply, create applications for every opportunity.
•
Customize your application toward medical school. While scholarships have similar requirements, like
essays or short answers, you want to be sure that your responses are reflective of the scholarship you’re applying to and the values of the scholarship sponsor. Though you can reuse things like essay, be sure it’s tailored to each individual award.
•
Get strong letters of recommendation. Recommendations go a long way in the medical world. If you have a professor, mentor, or previous employer who can speak to your strong character and how it will help you in med school, be sure to tap into those resources. Ask professionals that you have a relationship with, and communicate your medical school plans to them so that their recommendation is as personal as possible.
•
Apply to multiple scholarships. The best way to increase your odds of winning a scholarship is to apply to every scholarship for which you qualify. The more you apply, the greater your chances of winning. Don’t limit your
scholarship application to one sponsor – or one school.
Finding the Right Scholarship for Your Medical School Journey
Just like any other scholarship search, hopeful medical students must look at all the resources available to them in order to get funding. From schools to scholarship providers to financial aid, there are multiple ways to
pay for medical school without incurring high debt.
Scholarship providers recognize your passion to heal and want to help you achieve those dreams. Don’t limit your scholarship search. Apply early, often, and throughout your medical school career.