For most pre-med students, the challenge of paying for medical school is always top of mind. The desire to become a doctor can feel intimidating when looking at the absolute cost for medical school. But there are plenty of ways to pay for medical school. Before you seek out federal student loans, consider researching scholarship opportunities because you may qualify for monetary awards you won’t need to pay back.

Read on for tips on scholarships for medical school.

Advice for finding medical school scholarships

There are a number of different places you can look for medical school scholarships, with awards ranging from a few hundred dollars to the full cost of your tuition. Before you begin your search, it’s helpful to review the various types of medical school scholarships you’ll come across:

• School-based scholarships are offered by many institutions. The award criteria will vary from one school to the next, but medical schools like St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine offer a number of scholarship options. From academic merit scholarships to scholarships that recognize community service, achievements in research, a desire to work with populations that are traditionally underserved in medicine, and service in the healthcare sector, through its scholarship program, SGU is committed to fostering a diverse and talented community of future doctors.
• Merit-based scholarships are awards extended to students with notable academic standing, often based on things like your undergraduate GPA or MCAT score. These are offered by certain schools, as well as through outside organizations. SGU, for example, offers the Chancellor’s Legacy of Excellence Award and the SGU Medical Scholar Award. These awards recognize applicants for their academic accomplishments as demonstrated through overall and science grade point averages and standardized testing performance.
• Military service scholarships are offered through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) to military students, typically covering the entirety of their tuition if enrolled at a program in the US or Puerto Rico. Military students at international schools can often take advantage of  Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, provided the institution is approved by the Department of Veteran Affairs. SGU also offers awards to actively military and veterans through its Difference-Maker Scholarship.
• Organization and personal provider scholarships are a form of financial assistance from sources like local businesses, national organizations, and individuals or families who champion medical study. You can seek out these opportunities using online scholarship searches and networking within your local medical community.
• Medical service scholarships exist for students who commit to acting as primary care physicians in an underserved community for a specific amount of time after obtaining licensure. SGU’s CityDoctors Scholarship and CARE Scholarship, for example, offers full and partial tuition awards to aspiring physicians who are committed to working in New York City and New Jersey, respectively. Other scholarships, like the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program will cover the cost of tuition, fees, and educational expenses for award recipients from US medical schools.

Begin your search for medical school scholarships

As you can see, there are numerous different scholarships for medical school that can help fund your education. Now that you know how to begin your search, it can be helpful to learn how other students got through the process of paying for their medical training.

You can learn more by visiting our article “How to Pay for Medical School: Doctors Share How They Did It.”

Interested in learning more about scholarship options at SGU? Visit our  Scholarships and Awards page.

This article has been updated from March 2022 to include current facts and figures.