For most pre-med students, the challenge of paying for medical school is always top of mind. and scholarships for medical school can help. The desire to become a doctor can feel a bit more intimidating when you dwell on the steep price of training.  

But there are plenty of ways to pay for medical school. Before you seek out federal student loans, it’s always a good idea to look into scholarship opportunities becuase 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 hundreds of dollars to the full cost of your education. Before you begin your search, it’s helpful to review the various types of medical school scholarships you’ll come across: 

• 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. The St. George’s University (SGU) School of Medicine, for example, offers the Chancellor’s Circle Legacy of Excellence Scholarship and the Legacy of Excellence Scholarship to students who have demonstrated exemplary academic 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. 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.  

• 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. The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, for example, will cover the cost of tuition, fees, and educational expenses for award recipients from US medical schools. 

• School-based scholarships are offered by many institutions. The award criteria will vary from one school to the next, but medical schools like SGU offer a number of alternative scholarship options, including, but not limited to, the Legacy Grant, the Sibling Grant, and the Summer Academy Scholarship. 

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 “SGU Alumni Dish on What Paying for Medical School Is Really Like.”  

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