Recently, some Americans have not been able to find physicians because the medical profession as a whole is suffering from a shortage of doctors. These shortages have emerged in the context of increased retirement rates which have been exasperated by pandemic-induced burnout among physicians. But perhaps most concerning is a decrease in the number of applicants for medical school. Such statistics indicate that physician shortages are not a short-term problem confined to this decade but rather a systemic issue which must be combatted. At various prestigious medical schools across the nation, donors have worked to combat this decrease with donations earmarked to make medical education free. University donors must follow suit. Donations which work to fundamentally reduce, if not entirely eliminate, the cost of attendance at the University’s School of Medicine will not only make medical education more affordable but also ensure a stronger future for healthcare in America.
Medical school debt is one of the biggest stressors that students face, and it steers away many who might be interested in pursuing medicine. At the University, for example, tuition costs rise to $53,444 for in-state students and $67,006 for out-of-state students for the 2024-2025 academic year. With such staggering annual tuition rates, it is not shocking that the average debt for a School of Medicine graduate in 2023 stands at $156,691. Even the cost of applying to medical school foreshadows the later debt that medical students and physicians have to pay off — the costs are estimated to be around $5,000 to $7,000 dollars throughout the whole application process. Overall, the journey to becoming a doctor is an exorbitantly costly and demanding marathon that discourages many potential medical professionals before they even reach the starting line.
In response to these financial challenges, the University’s School of Medicine helpfully provides need-based scholarships, which is measured by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. They give up to $28,000 for in-state students and $35,000 for out-of-state students. While this aid is helpful, it is often not enough. Even after aid, the cost of medical school is daunting, and often the thought of going into even more college debt after already accruing debt during undergraduate studies is a devastating prospect for pre-medical students. Around 25 percent of doctors anticipate taking six to ten years to pay off their student loans, while 34 percent expect it to take over a decade. The high cost of medical school is an obstacle that could cost us future physicians as qualified candidates may choose careers that require less debt and time.
The cost of medical school especially and unduly affects students from disadvantaged backgrounds who may lack the financial resources to cover tuition and related costs. Indeed, many first-generation students must learn to navigate medical school with less financial support and guidance than students whose cultural and economic capital has equipped them to understand the ins and outs of medical school. On top of such socioeconomic inequities, many marginalized groups find themselves underrepresented in medicine, a disturbing fact which makes the medical profession less able to accommodate diverse backgrounds. Doctors who come from a similar background as their patient can not only understand their patients better, but they can also raise awareness for culturally-competent care throughout the profession. As such, expanding sources of funding to cover medical school fees and debt is crucial in order to promote diversity of physicians. Making medical school free would encourage socioeconomic diversity in our future healthcare workforce, which is important to reduce health disparities, build stronger patient trust and promote novel treatments.
In order to ensure that pre-medical students from marginalized groups are motivated to pursue medicine, it is essential that universities contend with the issue of medical school debt. Financial aid, while integral, is often woefully insufficient considering the major debts that students out of medical school experience. To overcome such a systemic issue of cost, it takes the effort of both the University and donors to make change. Universities and donors must begin thinking beyond financial aid and start addressing the source of the problem — tuition. One major way that this can be accomplished is by removing tuition from the equation entirely. Practically speaking, this means donors who are willing to help with reducing the cost of attendance.
It is important to note that while this approach is transformative in nature, it is not without precedent. In fact, recently, several donors have made substantial contributions to medical schools for the exact purpose of eliminating tuition. For example, in August 2018, billionaire Ken Langone donated millions to NYU Grossman and Long Island School of Medicine, making them tuition-free. Similarly, in February, billionaire Ruth Gottesman gave $1 billion to Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In July, billionaire Michael Bloomberg donated $1 billion to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, covering tuition for students from families earning under $300,000 annually and additionally, living expenses for those earning under $175,000. And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Such donations recognize that medical school debt is a significant deterrent to aspiring physicians and highlight the donors' commitment to empowering future physicians.
To support a diverse and dedicated physician workforce, the University and its alumni should prioritize debt-free education at the School of Medicine, enabling talented individuals to pursue their dreams without financial obstacles. Many medical schools have relied upon singular billionaires to realize this sort of transformative change. While this is certainly a feasible option, a concentrated and conscious effort from a breadth of alumni — much like what we see with the University’s athletic department — could also enable the same result. Tuition-free medical education may seem like a pipe dream, but real progress requires a bold, transformative approach which creatively resolves entrenched problems such as physician shortages.
Gayathri Kavitha is an opinion columnist who writes about health, technology and environment for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.
The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.
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