The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College, The Short List: Grad School and The Short List: Online Programs to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
Doctors are among the highest paid professionals, but many pay a steep price for a medical degree.
Students who graduated from M.D.-granting schools in 2014 and had debt owed nearly $180,000 on average, according to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges. This figure includes debt accrued before medical school. At some osteopathic medical schools, 2012 graduates left with more than $200,000 in debt, according to data from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.
At Western University of Health Sciences, 2013 graduates with debt left school with an especially large bill, according to data submitted to U.S. News in an annual survey. Indebted graduates owed an average of $239,680 for their medical education, the highest among the 114 ranked institutions that submitted data.
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The average indebtedness among Western graduates increased by more than $15,000 when compared with data for the class of 2012.
A few other schools that were previously listed among the top 10 institutions where graduates owe the most made the list again. They include Nova Southeastern University, where the average debt is $224,685, and Georgetown University, where new doctors who borrowed had an average debt of $224,000.
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University of Central Florida‘s 2013 graduates with debt owe the least for medical school. The average indebtedness is $13,902.
Below are the 10 medical schools where 2013 graduates who borrowed to complete their M.D. or D.O. had the highest average debt. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School (name) (state) | 2014-2015 Annual tuition and fees | Average indebtedness | U.S. News research rank | U.S. News primary care rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western University of Health Sciences (CA) | $52,255 | $239,680 | RNP* | RNP |
| West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine | In-state: $21,650; out-of-state: $51,400 | $236,931 | RNP | RNP |
| University of New England (ME) | $52,435 | $236,444 | RNP | RNP |
| Nova Southeastern University (FL) | In-state: $46,140; out-of-state: $50,430 | $224,685 | RNP | RNP |
| Georgetown University (DC) | $55,136 | $224,000 | 49 (tie) | 84 |
| Rocky Vista University (CO) | $48,578 | $222,607 | RNP | RNP |
| University of Southern California (Keck) | $57,091 | $219,473 | 31 (tie) | 72 (tie) |
| George Washington University (DC) | N/A | $218,356 | 67 (tie) | RNP |
| New York Medical College | $54,246 | $216,631 | RNP | RNP |
| Michigan State University (College of Human Medicine) | In-state: $31,349; out-of-state: $62,845 | $214,952 | 88 (tie) | 70 |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of all medical and osteopathic schools. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News Medical School Compass to find information on medical school debt, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed 156 medical schools for our 2014 survey of research and primary care programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Medical Schools rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The debt data above are correct as of May 19, 2015.
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10 Medical Schools Where Students Pay a High Price originally appeared on usnews.com