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Medical school tuition climbs as economy remains sluggish

Public universities turn to widespread increases, since other revenue sources are less flexible.

By Myrle Croasdale, amednews staff. Sept. 1, 2003.

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The cost of going to medical school is on the rise as the economic downturn forces cuts in government spending for public institutions and weakens yields from the endowments private schools rely on.

Jack Krakower, PhD, assistant vice president for medical school services at the Assn. of American Medical Colleges, said he anticipates tuition hikes throughout the country this year.

"It won't be uncommon to see increases of 10% or more at state schools," Dr. Krakower said, "and it wouldn't surprise me to see comparable increases at private schools."

The AAMC is collecting information on 2003-04 tuition rates, but the picture still is incomplete.

Bob Sabalis, the AAMC's associate vice president for student affairs and programs, said the impact of tuition hikes on medical student debt was of serious concern, since the amount of debt a student carries often determines his or her choice of specialty.

"If this is a short-term problem, then there won't be a dramatic increase in debt. But if this goes on for four or five years, it will be much more significant," Sabalis said.

The AAMC estimates students graduating in 2003-04 will have an average debt of $103,855, including debt from premedical studies.

Joe McDonald, chair of the American Medical Association's Medical Student Section, said students are watching the situation. "Students are really concerned about this. Data show that debt does affect specialty choice and whether students go into medicine to begin with."

Tuition is being raised since other revenue sources are less flexible.

Besides tuition, med schools draw revenue primarily from research and clinical practices. Public schools also tap into government coffers, which offer a small percentage of their total budgets but a significant portion of the budget used for educational purposes such as paying teachers. With clinical income down due to lower managed care reimbursements and research producing only marginal gains, increasing tuition is the logical way to boost revenues, Sabalis said.

For 2003-04, students in California and New York have seen some of the steepest percentage increases.

California's public university system, which includes five medical schools, has raised tuition twice in the past two years after freezing and even rolling back tuition during the late 1990s. At the University of California, Los Angeles, for example, total fees have increased to $15,172 from $10,133 for resident medical students and to $27,417 from $20,837 for nonresidents since 2001. This included a 5% increase for 2002-03 and a 30% increase for 2003-04.

The State University of New York is raising medical school tuition for in-state students 13% to $16,800 for 2003-04, while nonresidents will see their tuition rise 11% to $29,900.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School is increasing tuition and fees 9% to $12,352 for 2003-04. This hike follows 5% increases seen in 2000-01 and 2001-02.

News reports from across the nation show increases as well.

The University of South Alabama is proposing a 12.3% increase for medical students for 2003-04, bringing costs to $10,621. The Medical University of South Carolina might raise tuition 30%. In Ohio, Wright State University medical students will pay 15.9% more, for a total of $17,532. Out-of-state students at the University of Pittsburgh will see a 5% increase.

Some states have sought to protect graduate education. The University of Wisconsin is raising 2003-04 tuition for undergrads but is leaving medical school tuition unchanged.

The University of Minnesota froze med school tuition to prevent enrollment declines but raised undergraduate tuition nearly 15%.

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