You or your child can study medicine for free in the US, here’s how

In 2024, 93-year-old Dr Ruth Gottesman of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, shocked students of the school and the world when she announced that she was donating $1 billion of the money bequeathed to her by her late husband as tuition fee for present and future students of the school.

The donation was large enough to cover tuition for students in perpetuity. What that means is that she has paid tuition for students forever. Another way to put it is that if you or your children have plans to study medicine but struggles with funding, simply apply to Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, and if you were lucky to be taken then you need not worry about sourcing for about $60,000 yearly tuition again; Dr Gottesman has paid your tuition.

It was the largest ever donation made to a medical school anywhere in the world and has helped to secure Dr Gottesmans legacy. According to her, her late husband, a Wall Street investor, left her the money to do as she pleases with it. Dr Gottesman, who probably had noticed the struggles to pay their tuition by students of the school, said she had always wanted to provide free tuition for students but was unable to do that until her husbands largesse. “I wanted to fund students at Einstein so that they would receive free tuition,” Dr Gottesman said.

She said she hoped her husband approves of the donation. “I hope he’s smiling and not frowning,” she said about her donation. The husband is definitely smiling in heaven for her large heart. Also smiling are students and would-be students of the medical school, including Nigerians living in the US whose children may want to become doctors.

So, for Nigerians who plan to relocate to the US and desire to study medicine there or have children who plan to be doctors, it is good news as the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, should be a natural choice. But thats not the only school in the US that provides scholarships for medical students.

You may also want to check out these schools and consider your options: 

New York University School of Medicine

The New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine is completely tuition-free for every admitted student. However, admission requirements into the school include obtaining a bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university in the United States or Canada.

Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine

The Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, Pasadena, California, is a relatively new medical college that matriculated its first set of students in 2020. The school has committed to waive all tuition and fees for the four years of medical school for its first five sets. So, you must act now to benefit from the scholarship.

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School also offers scholarships that can cover 100% tuition to its students. However, it is a need-based aid. The aid, giving under the Middle Income Initiative of the school, considers beneficiaries whose family annual income is about $50,000 or below.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has both need-based and merit-based scholarships for its students. Last year, the school commenced the offering of full cost of attendance aid for families whose incomes fall below $175,000 yearly, while tuition scholarship covers families whose revenues fall below $300,000. There is also the Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships, which are merit-based.

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine sources funding for the scholarships from benefactors and provides these scholarships to its students on a need-based or merit-based basis. It offers tuition scholarships and research grants.

Read also: How to maximise your child’s chances of winning a US scholarship

Stanford University School of Medicine

Stanford University School of Medicine has wide-ranging need-based aid packages for students who can provide evidence that they really need financial support. Some of the scholarships available are the Knight Hennessy Scholars programme and the Stanford Medical Scholars Research programme. The Knight Hennessy Scholars programme provides 100% financial support to brilliant students wishing to pursue graduate education in the school up to the doctoral degree, while the research programme is a fellowship that provides funding for students willing to undertake academic research in the medical school, hospital and clinics, and throughout the university.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine has a robust financial aid that can potentially cover all tuition costs. Every year, the school offers about 34 full tuition scholarships to deserving students, that is, students who have shown academic excellence and demonstrated leadership. Scholarships available to students in the school include the Twenty-First Century Scholars Programme, the Class Scholarship Funds, the Early Cutaneous Research Experiences (ECuRE) Student Summer Fellowship Programme, among others.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has a robust scholarship programme that includes both merit- and need-based. It also offers scholarships specifically directed at women. Some of its scholarship programmes include: Full tuition scholarships; Mr and Mrs Spencer T. Olin Fellowships for Women; Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Programme (DASP); Medical Scientist Training Programme; Peter Brown Memorial Friendship Award; and Education Future International Scholarship, among others.

UCSF School of Medicine

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine is also famous for its financial support to its students. Its scholarship programme includes Regents Scholarship, awarded based on merit; Professional School Scholarships and Other Campus Scholarships, awarded on a need basis; and the Graduate Division Childcare Reimbursement programme, among others

University of Michigan Medical School

University of Michigan Medical School is a public university that prides itself as a national leader in grant and scholarship disbursement.” The school said about 50% of each new set will receive scholarship support.

There you have it. Going to medical school in the US shouldnt be financially exhausting when all these scholarships and grants are readily available to diligent students. However, the scholarships are all highly competitive and only serious and brilliant students get them. Getting the scholarships takes time and effort. A platform like SparkXplorer can help prepare a child and give him/her the head start.