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While paying for medical school isn’t cheap, attending a public school as an in-state student can help reduce some of the financial burden amid rising tuition costs.
For those attending a public medical school as an in-state student, the average tuition price rose by about 4 percent for the 2015-2016 school year compared with the prior year, according to an annual report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
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But despite the uptick in price, the average cost of attending a medical school as an in-state student compared with going to a private school is much less.
Of the 67 public schools that submitted in-state tuition and fees data to U.S. News for the 2015-2016 school year, the average cost was $32,495 per year. That cost is much higher at private medical schools, where the average price for tuition and fees is $52,515, according to the data submitted by 48 private medical schools to U.S. News in an annual survey.
The average cost for tuition and fees among the 10 least expensive medical schools for in-state students was $19,355 per year.
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Medical students attending the Texas A&M Health Science Center — which tops the list of least expensive public medical schools for in-state students — received the biggest break, paying $16,432 as state residents. The cost of attending this Central Texas med school is nearly half the in-state average among all public medical schools.
But Texas A&M Health Science Center isn’t the only option for those in the Lone Star State in search of an inexpensive medical school. Among the 10 most affordable medical schools for in-state students, six are in Texas, at schools in Bryan, Dallas, Lubbock, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth.
Below is a list of the 10 least expensive public medical schools based on tuition and required fees. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report. The F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a federal service postgraduate academy that waives tuition and fees in return for military service, was excluded from this list.
| Medical school (name) (state) | In-state tuition & fees (2015-2016) | U.S. News research rank | U.S. News primary care rank |
| Texas A&M Health Science Center | $16,432 | 76 (tie) | 78 (tie) |
| University of Texas Health Science Center–San Antonio | $17,661 | 60 (tie) | 71 (tie) |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | $17,737 | 84 (tie) | 84 (tie) |
| University of North Texas Health Science Center | $19,022 | RNP* | 50 (tie) |
| University of New Mexico | $19,233 | 78 (tie) | 45 (tie) |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | $19,343 | 25 (tie) | 21 (tie) |
| University of Texas Health Science Center–Houston | $20,092 | 56 (tie) | RNP |
| Marshall University (Edwards) (WV) | $20,100 | RNP | RNP |
| West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | $21,650 | RNP | RNP |
| East Carolina University (Brody) (NC) | $22,281 | 88 (tie) | 32 (tie) |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of all medical and osteopathic schools. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass to find information on medical school debt, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 170 medical schools for our 2015 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The tuition and fees data above are correct as of Aug. 2, 2016.
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10 Most Affordable Public Medical Schools for In-State Students originally appeared on usnews.com
