Money Matters

Looking at my checking account today made me realize one thing: applying to medical school is a super expensive process! I sent a $250 deposit to hold my seat when I first got my acceptance letter, and now I am getting ready to send a final deposit of $1500. That’s vacation money! LOL I know it will all be worth it though, so I’m not too upset. I know quite a few of my readers will be applying to medical school soon though, so I wanted to make this post to give you an idea of the expenses that you will be incurring during the application process. This way you can properly budget for everything. I’ve split everything up in categories, and I hope it helps. Good luck to all those who will be applying this year!

MCAT:

 $275 - $325 (Apparently the test is now in zones. The earlier you register, the cheaper the price)

Letters of Recommendation:

For my LORs, I used interfolio. It’s completely free for your letter writers, but the cost is around $19 per year and there is a fee of $6 every time you submit the letters to each school. Fortunately, they do not charge you for multiple submissions to the same schools, and this comes in handy when you have to get updated letters because of a lack of signature or letterhead (yes, this did happen to me).

Transcripts:

The school that I attended for undergrad sends transcripts for free, but the other schools on my record had fees of $5-$10, so keep this in mind. You will need to send them to the application services and to the school that you eventually become accepted to.

AACOM application fees:

First school: $195

Each additional school: $35

Secondary Fees: $50 - $200

AMCAS application fees:

First school: $160

Each additional school: $35

Secondary fees: $50-$200 per school

Interviews:

This is really specific to the school and the distance of the school from where you live. This number could easily get into the thousands, so keep that in mind. I won’t give the individual costs, but here are the things you should budget for:

- Hotel

- Rental car

- flights and baggage fees

- food

- gas

- business suit and shoes

Once Accepted:

The fees don’t stop after you get accepted, so make sure you budget for the following:

- Class Deposit (For GA-PCOM this was $250 within 30 days and then $1500 before April 1^st)

- Background check fee

- Costs for immunizations and physical exam

- Moving expenses

- One to two months of rent, groceries, and personal expenses while you wait for financial aid to kick in (typically in the middle of the month when classes start)

- School supplies

I believe that’s everything, although I may have missed a thing or two. I also want to add that making sure your credit score is top notch will help you out so much when it comes to school. I am sure that I will need to apply for some loans that require a credit check, so I have been very careful to make sure that I maintain a good credit score and history. It can also come in handy in emergency situations, so it’s good to be on the safe side.