How Much Do Med School Applications Cost? The Full Price Analyzed

It’s no secret that medical school is expensive. If you’re accepted, you’ll spend tens of thousands of dollars on tuition each year, and that’s not including living accommodations, transportation, food, etc. But before you have to worry about that expense, you first have to apply, and applications will put a dent in your bank account long before you’re accepted. So, just how much do med school applications cost?

In this post, we’ll break down the fees you should expect if applying through AMCAS, AACOMAS, or TMDSAS, as well as a number of other costs that are a part of the application process.

 

How Much Do Med School Applications Cost — AMCAS Application Fees

It costs $175 to send your primary application to the first medical school and $45 for each additional school. It’s important to apply to at least 20 schools, a mix of reach, target, and safety schools. Therefore, the cost of sending your primary application to 20 schools would be over $1000.

In other words, medical school applications are not cheap! And this is only the beginning.

How Much Do Med School Applications Cost: Texas (TMDSAS)

TMDSAS charges a non-refundable, flat fee of $215. The fee is only payable by credit card, and the service does not offer any fee waivers.

Learn more about the Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service with our TMDSAS Application Guide for Texas Medical Schools.

How Much Do Med School Applications Cost: Osteopathy (AACOMAS)

AACOMAS charges $198 for the first application and $50 for each additional application you send. AACOMAS does offer fee waivers to qualified applicants for the initial $198 application fee but not for additional programs. Applicants will still need to pay $50 to apply to each program after the first one.

Learn more about the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service with our AACOMAS Application Guide for DO Schools.

 

The Other Costs of Applying to Medical School

1 | Secondary Applications

Secondary application fees vary depending on the school, but they generally range from $30 to $200. The majority of schools charge about $100 for secondary applications.

Unlike primary applications, where the fees go to the application service, secondary application fees go directly to the school. So, it’s in a medical school’s best interest to send out as many secondary applications as possible. Since we recommend you apply to at least 20 schools, you may receive as many as 20 secondaries, depending on the strength of your application. This means you could pay as much or more than $2000 just to submit your secondary applications.

Learn about the ins and outs of secondaries with our comprehensive Medical School Secondary Application Guide.

2 | Interviews and Travel

There’s also the big cost of interviews to consider. While programs do not charge you for the privilege to be interviewed, you could be applying to programs across the country. This means plane tickets, hotel rooms, transportation from your hotel room to the school, food, and so on.

Even if you are not traveling out of state, you still need to consider transportation costs and accommodation near the school.

You will also need to invest in one or two quality suits for your interviews. This is not optional, and, unfortunately, quality suits are not cheap. The most important thing is ensuring the clerks at the store take your measurements and tailor the suit appropriately. Be sure to note your body measurements for future reference. A tailored suit is more important than an expensive one.

Interviews can get very pricey, but there are ways to reduce the cost. Here are 6 Tips to Reduce the Cost of Medical School Interviews.

3 | The MCAT

The standard MCAT registration fee is $330. This price has risen over the years, and it’s likely it will continue to rise.

There is an MCAT Fee Assistance Program, and this reduces the cost to $135. If you are testing outside of the US, Canada, or US Territories, you will be charged a $120 international fee in addition to the registration fee. You must receive final approval before you select your test date and location to qualify for the AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program.

However, the costs don’t stop there. You will need to invest in practice tests and other preparation materials. While some of these are free, most legitimate resources will cost you.

Official AAMC practice tests cost $35 each, and they are your best indication of how well you might do on the MCAT. The AAMC also offers a range of planning and study resources that cost anywhere from $15-$45, as well as preparation bundles that can reach over $300 dollars for the Complete Bundle.

Depending on your study skills and how well your practice tests go, you may want to consider MCAT tutoring. While you do not necessarily need to make this investment, keep in mind that how you perform on the MCAT has quite a large impact on whether or not you will be accepted to medical school. Needing to retake the MCAT will end up costing more in the end, especially considering how much time and energy you will need to invest in restudying when you could be spending that time perfecting the other essential aspects of your application.

While you will hopefully pass your MCAT with flying colors on your first attempt, know that over 25% of medical applicants have taken the MCAT more than once. Passing is no guarantee, and personalized MCAT tutoring is the best way to ensure you earn a score that will turn the heads of admissions committees.

Learn more: How Much Does MCAT Cost? The REAL Costs Analyzed.

4 | Casper and Acuity Insights

Acuity Insights is a multi-part assessment designed to evaluate a premed’s people skills and bedside manner. Primarily, Acuity Insights is known for the Casper test, which includes both verbal and written content.

Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is a 90-110 minute test taken at home that’s composed of 14 scenarios, some video-based and some word-based. Each scenario is a blend of SJTs (Situational Judgment Tests) and behavioral descriptor questions and is followed by two to three open-ended questions.

While not all medical schools require their applicants to take the Acuity Insights assessment, its popularity grows every year, and in 2023, there are dozens of US medical schools that require a Casper test.

Read our guide to every school and program that requires applicants to take Casper.

Casper costs $85 USD, and the fee includes distribution of results to eight programs. An additional $15 USD is charged for each additional program you need to send your Casper score to. The fee you pay when you reserve your Casper test covers all applicable parts, including Duet, a value-alignment assessment that compares what an applicant values most in a program to what the programs have to offer.

Casper is a unique test in that it assesses 10 non-academic attributes in applicants, such as professionalism, empathy, ethics, and collaboration. While there isn’t necessarily a way to study for Casper, you can—and should—prepare for it.

Learn everything you need to know about Casper in our Casper Test Guide.

5 | Time Spent Working Without Compensation

Applying to medical school is almost a full-time job on top of your regular college coursework, which means finding time to make money isn’t easy. This is a very real cost to factor in when considering just how much applications will cut into your bank account.

Summer is an ideal time to dedicate yourself to research, as you will have more free time, and putting a lot of hours into research is essential for building your extracurricular experience, honing your skills, and developing deep relationships in the medical industry for strong letters of recommendation.

Read our Premed and Medical Student Summer Research Guide.

You won’t have the time for another full-time job while dedicating yourself to summer research. Many premeds depend on paid summer work to fund their schooling, lifestyle, and plans for medical school. Your time is an incredibly valuable commodity, and there are only so many hours in a day.

Can you afford to dedicate yourself to volunteer work? Can you afford to take on unpaid research opportunities? These are questions you need to factor in when planning your summers and free time in general.

Considering how important participating in medical research is to the success of your application, you may not have much of a choice. Additionally, admissions committees expect to see a range of other extracurriculars, including shadowing and other clinical experiences. They want to see you’ve taken the time to find out whether or not a career in medicine is the right fit for you.

Each extracurricular you commit to has a cost, so keep this in mind as you budget for applying to medical school.

6 | Tutoring and Guidance

While not for everyone, personalized tutoring can give you a major leg up on the fierce competition you’ll be facing, but it does come with a cost. However, there are times when tutoring is more necessary than others.

For example, if you:

• Have a notable weak area in your application.
• Do not have someone in your network with admissions committee experience who can give you guidance.
• You want to take your application to the next level to gain acceptance at your top choice schools.

Admissions consultants offer essay editing, exam tutoring, mock interviews, and individual advising, and prices will range depending on the amount of tutoring you’re looking for.

Do you want someone to objectively assess your entire application, or do you only want someone to edit your personal statement? Do you want a guaranteed score increase on the MCAT, or are you looking for one-on-one advising throughout your entire medical school application journey?

Obviously, the more expansive your needs and wants are, the more money you will need to invest in tutoring. Since you’re already spending a great deal of money just to apply, tutoring may seem like a step too far. However, considering how expensive medical school applications and tuition are, tutoring is really a drop in a very large bucket.

While it’s possible you may have people in your network who can give you objective advice, it’s important to keep in mind that the application process continues to evolve every year. If you have someone advising you who went through the process ten years ago, there’s a good chance they’re not up to speed on recent developments or requirements. Plus, generally, someone volunteering their time won’t invest the same kind of effort into your success as someone who is paid to guarantee it.

According to data released by the AAMC, 62,443 people applied to medical school in the 2021-2022 application cycle, and only 22,666 applicants successfully matriculated, which means the percentage of applicants who were accepted was around 36%. Are you confident your application is strong enough to earn you a spot within that 36%? Or maybe you’d just like to give yourself an extra edge to gain an acceptance at one of your reach or top choice schools.

Learn more: How to Choose the Best Medical School Admissions Consultant.

 

Premed Resources You Can Trust

Med School Insiders can give you the advice you need to make the necessary improvements to your application and impress the medical schools of your dreams. Our team of doctors has years of experience serving on admissions committees, so you’ll receive expert insights from people who have been intimately involved with the selection process.

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