There’s just no way to sugarcoat it: applying to medical school is an expensive process. But how much does it actually cost to apply? In this article, we’ll explore the cost of applying to medical school.
In the 2018-19 application cycle, medical school applicants applied to an average of 16 schools through AMCAS. For this article, I will discuss the costs of applying to medical school as of the 2021-2022 application cycle.
I will also make a sample calculation of the costs of applying to 10 allopathic schools and 10 osteopathic medical schools for a total of 20 applications between the two systems. Please note, this is not a representation of how many schools you should apply to or how you should distribute your applications between allopathic and osteopathic schools. 20 schools just felt like a nice round number to work with.
Two Application Services
If you decide to apply to both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, be prepared to apply to (and pay fees for) two application services. These services are AMCAS for allopathic schools and AACOMAS for osteopathic medical schools.
Cost of Primary Applications
The primary application is your initial application that goes to all medical schools within a given application system. Your primary application includes your transcripts, GPA, MCAT score, personal statement, and extracurricular activities descriptions.
For both AMCAS and AACOMAS, the first school you apply to has an initial fee. Every school you apply to afterwards has a second, slightly less expensive fee. Again, all application fees used below will reflect the costs of the 2021-22 application cycle fees.
AMCAS:
Cost of applying to first school: $170
Cost of applying to every additional school: $42
$170 + (9 schools x $42) = $548
AACOMAS:
Cost of applying to first school: $197
Cost of applying to every additional school: $48
$197 + (9 schools x $48) = $629
Total Cost of AMCAS & AACOMAS Primary Application Fees:
$548 + $629 = $1,177
Alright, now that we’ve made a calculation of primary application fees (10 for AMCAS and 10 for AACOMAS), let’s calculate the approximate cost of secondary applications.
Cost of Secondary Applications:
If you pass a medical school’s initial primary application screening requirements, that school will send you a secondary application. (Please note, some schools have no screening requirements and send secondaries to everyone who applies.) The secondary application contains additional essay prompts that are specific to each school.
Schools require applicants to pay a fee to submit secondary applications. This fee can range from $50 to $150. For our purposes, we will use the amount of $100 per school.
AMCAS Schools
$100 x 10 schools = $1,000
AACOMAS Schools
$100 x 10 schools = $1,000
Total Cost of Secondary Application Fees:
$1000 + $1000 = $2,000
Interview Costs:
If a school likes what they see in your primary and secondary applications, they will send you an interview invitation. This is a huge step! While there are no costs for the actual interview, most will require you to travel.
In the 2020-21 application cycle, all interviews were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Time will tell if this new interviewing style will stick. If your future school does conduct in-person interviews, it’ll be important to plan for the associated travel costs.
Let’s calculate the cost of attending interviews for 3 schools. Please note, this is not in any way reflective of how many interviews you can expect to get based on how many schools you apply to. In addition, travel costs can vary greatly depending on how far the school is from where you live and what kind of housing arrangements you make. The calculation below is a ballpark estimate:
Interview Attire: $150 (one time cost)
Flight: $350 (flight costs can vary dramatically)
Hotel: $100 for one night
Transportation: $100 for rental car
Food: $50
Misc: $100
Travel, Lodging, Food per Interview: $700
Total Cost for Interviews:
$150 + (3 interviews x $700) = $2,250
Total Cost of Applying to Medical School
Now that we’ve calculated the costs of 20 primary applications, 20 secondary applications, and 3 interviews, let’s add up our totals:
Primary Application: $1,177
Secondary Applications: $2,000
Interview Costs: $2,250
Grand Total: $5,427
Calculation Caveats
Thanks for sticking with me through the math! I hope this gives you a ballpark reference of the costs of applying to medical school. Again, please take into consideration the following caveats and assumptions made in these calculations:
1. The number of medical schools you apply to completely depends on you. I’ve met people who have applied to over 50 medical schools and others who applied to just one.
2. The number of secondaries and interview invitations you receive will vary. In this scenario, our applicant received secondaries from all 20 schools they applied to and chose to attend 3 interview invitations. In reality, the number of secondaries and interview invitations you receive can vary widely depending on your application and the schools you’re applying to.
3. You don’t have to respond to all secondary applications or interview invites. If something changes during the interview process and you decide you don’t want to proceed with a particular school’s application, you are free to turn them down.
4. Secondary application costs will vary. Again, secondary application fees will vary from school to school, but most will fall between $50 and $150.
5. Flight and travel costs will vary. Flight, hotel, and transportation costs can vary widely depending on how far your interview is and when you purchase tickets/make reservations. This is just a ballpark estimate. I also added $100 of “miscellaneous” or buffer money to the calculation.
Final Thoughts
Applying to medical school can be an expensive process. But I hope this post was able to shed some light on relevant costs! While every student has their own unique financial situation, I hope this article can help you plan your next steps, set you up for success, and make your application cycle as smooth as possible.
If you found this information helpful, please let me know in the comments! Next week, I’ll be sharing tips about how to save money during the application cycle. Feel free to tune in, and I’ll see you next time!