So how much does applying to med school cost? See inside.

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taylormade2006

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I kept some pretty good records of my med school application expenses and just wanted to share/compare with others so that people thinking about applying can visualize the expenses.

$512 - AMCAS Primary
$310 - AACOMAS Primary
$1,365 - Secondaries
$79 - Interfolio
$7.66 - Postage
$820.38 - Interview Travel (1 flight, 2 driving)
$30 - Transcripts
$230 - MCAT
$300 - MCAT Study Materials
$1,300 - Tuition to take last pre-req
$0.31 - Photos
$126.13 - Interview Suit
$2,500 - Seat Deposits*
----------------------------------

$7,560.48 - Total

*Sadly this total is only for two schools. As future DO students we should encourage our schools to adopt a policy similar to the MD schools with reasonable, refundable deposits and a choose/withdraw date. </soapbox>
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This is less than my amount because I had 3 interviews I had to fly out to. Plus I took the Kaplan course that was $2,000. Crazy how expensive it is.

Also for people now applying, if you have interviews at places close to each other, sometimes they will allow you to switch your interview date so you can do both in a couple days to save a flight.
 
taylormade2006 said:
I kept some pretty good records of my med school application expenses and just wanted to share/compare with others so that people thinking about applying can visualize the expenses.

$512 - AMCAS Primary
$310 - AACOMAS Primary
$1,365 - Secondaries
$79 - Interfolio
$7.66 - Postage
$820.38 - Interview Travel (1 flight, 2 driving)
$30 - Transcripts
$230 - MCAT
$300 - MCAT Study Materials
$1,300 - Tuition to take last pre-req
$0.31 - Photos
$126.13 - Interview Suit
$2,500 - Seat Deposits*
----------------------------------

$7,560.48 - Total
Click to expand...

I'm game

$505 - AACOMAS Primary
$50 - Secondaries
$25 - Interfolio
$95.13 - Interview Travel
$230 - MCAT
$250 - MCAT Study Materials (Sold pretty much unopened for $120 :laugh:)
$380 - Suit + Tailoring
$1500 - Deposit

$3035.13
 
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31 cents for photos? :laugh:
 
taylormade2006 said:
I kept some pretty good records of my med school application expenses and just wanted to share/compare with others so that people thinking about applying can visualize the expenses.

$512 - AMCAS Primary
$310 - AACOMAS Primary
$1,365 - Secondaries
$79 - Interfolio
$7.66 - Postage
$820.38 - Interview Travel (1 flight, 2 driving)
$30 - Transcripts
$230 - MCAT
$300 - MCAT Study Materials
$1,300 - Tuition to take last pre-req
$0.31 - Photos
$126.13 - Interview Suit
$2,500 - Seat Deposits*
----------------------------------

$7,560.48 - Total

*Sadly this total is only for two schools. As future DO students we should encourage our schools to adopt a policy similar to the MD schools with reasonable, refundable deposits and a choose/withdraw date. </soapbox>
Click to expand...


You spent $127 on a suit???
 
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I wouldn't count the tuition money as an application cost, everyone has to take them and prices vary wildly, but yeah pretty pricey!
 
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ToldYouSo said:
I wouldn't count the tuition money as an application cost, everyone has to take them and prices vary wildly, but yeah pretty pricey!
Click to expand...

It definitely should be considered part of an application cost, if you're looking at it as a, "How much cash do I need on hand to apply?" question. Remember that all pre-matriculation costs are going to need to be paid without using student loans. Sure, you'll get that cash back when your loan "refund" hits, but Taylormade needed that $7,500+ in straight cash before any loans are considered.

This process is not for the faint of heart and very unkind to the faint of wallet.
 
HockeyDr09 said:
I'm game

$505 - AACOMAS Primary
$50 - Secondaries
$25 - Interfolio
$95.13 - Interview Travel
$230 - MCAT
$250 - MCAT Study Materials (Sold pretty much unopened for $120 :laugh:)
$380 - Suit + Tailoring
$1500 - Deposit

$3035.13
Click to expand...

I'm jealous of your secondaries total.
 
HockeyDr09 said:
I'm game

$505 - AACOMAS Primary
$50 - Secondaries
$25 - Interfolio
$95.13 - Interview Travel
$230 - MCAT
$250 - MCAT Study Materials (Sold pretty much unopened for $120 :laugh:)
$380 - Suit + Tailoring
$1500 - Deposit

$3035.13
Click to expand...

Dam it now i wish I had gotten my suit tailored, that woulda been sweet. I hope tailors are cheap where im going (Western):laugh:
 
I'll play too:

MCAT prep - $2100 (mostly stupid worthless Kaplan)
MCAT reg/re-reg - $330 (rescheduled twice lol)
Primaries - $655.00
Secondaries - $715
Interfolio - $85
Mail - $18.98
(Interviews) Airfare - $500.08
(Interviews) Hotel - $472.82
(Interviews) Car rental - $212
(Interviews) Fuel: $130
Admission Deposit - $1250

Total: $6468.88

I'm sure I'm forgetting other little stuff too. Its amazing how expensive it all turned out to be. I applied to a lot of schools though, and had to fly to two out of three interviews. There was also a huge non-monetary expense in time spent on this process. TONS of time....
 
My totals:

MCAT: $80.00 (Fee waiver)
MCAT materials: $0.00 (handed down from friends, I've since passed them along too)
Interfolio: $19.99
AACOMAS: ~$400.00 (Fee waiver again)
Secondaries: ~$1,000
Interview flight: $0.00 (Have a friend who travels internationally for work on a trimonthly basis, has more frequent flyer miles than he knows what to do with).
Interview suit, Shoes, etc: $600.00
Admission deposit: $2,000.00

Total: $5,000.00 or so

Use any connections or waivers you can get your hands on!
 
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Haha, man I don't even want to think about this. Last time I calculated I spent around $10K total, but thats because I was an idiot and retook the MCAT Prep class. I took it once with Kaplan (worthless) and then took a different class with Princeton (much better). I also applied to 27 school, so my secondaries cost a ton.
 
Expensive...but you can save a lot of money on travel if you know where/when to look for deals. I think I cut my travel expenses in half using priceline and hotwire...so I advocate using those sites over the supposed "school discounts." Airfare is unpredictable, but I think I did well with the 5 times I had to travel via airplane.

My invoice:
MCAT prep - $2000 (Kaplan = waste of Money...spent $100 on used exam krackers = way more worth it)
MCAT reg/date change- $300
Primaries - $495
Secondaries - $ 550
Interfolio - $19.00 (signed up just to have my premed advisor refuse to use it)
Mail - $20.00
Travel Costs for 7 Interviews (5 flied to, 2 drove to, 6 I stayed overnight, 2 rental cars, 1r/t supershuttle, 1 oneway supershuttle, taxis, [but food not included]) - $2300
Suit: - $160
Admission Deposit - $1500

Total Cost thus far: $7344

And this was my second time applying...so I would say if you combine 2 cycles, with last cycle applying MD/DO... = Depressed
 
Man, I got off pretty easy last year. $310 for AACOMAS primaries, $50 for a secondary to LECOM, $50 in gas to drive to LECOM for my interview, and $1,500 for my matriculation deposit to LECOM. Getting accepted in August and quitting the application process then was a blessing. Less than $2,000 total for me, but I have a feeling I'm the exception to the rule.
 
Slane said:
Man, I got off pretty easy last year. $310 for AACOMAS primaries, $50 for a secondary to LECOM, $50 in gas to drive to LECOM for my interview, and $1,500 for my matriculation deposit to LECOM. Getting accepted in August and quitting the application process then was a blessing. Less than $2,000 total for me, but I have a feeling I'm the exception to the rule.
Click to expand...

Totally an exception

I had well over $10,000 since I am Canadian and I think its like $400 to get my transcripts "converted" to US standard, even though there is no difference I had the exact same GPA. Also, I had to pay international shipping for letters and payments etc. Plus got charged by bank everytime I converted to US dollars:(
 
Taylormade is a golf company... I know what it is, I played golf competitively... no need to lecture me on this... My point was that it was an interesting play on words that the guy spent a hundred bucks on a suit and his SN starts with Taylor or Tailor... just making an observation.
 
Gotcha hanky, thanks for clearing it up. TM is the best golf stuff, though, in my opinion.
 
hanky1982 said:
You spent $127 on a suit???
Click to expand...

I'm surprised that shocks you? Really, that's on the low ball side of the suit world. It's not difficult to spend 300+ for a suit and tailoring.
 
CopToEM said:
I'm surprised that shocks you? Really, that's on the low ball side of the suit world. It's not difficult to spend 300+ for a suit and tailoring.
Click to expand...

I was being sarcastic... 127 seems like very much on the low ball end of the suit spectrum. Thats why I made the comment, especially when his SN is Taylormade (playing on tailor made).
 
LOL, hanky just keeps taking heat for the suit comment.

Let's see some other totals!
 
Ok, I'll chime in. I'll put in application/interview costs as well as required pre-matriculation costs.

MCAT Class (Princeton Review): $0 (my boss paid for it)
Additional MCAT materials (Examkrackers): $140
MCAT registration: $230
AMCAS: $259
AACOMAS: $353
St. George's University: $75
Transcripts: $51.75 (deliveries to SGU, AMCAS and AACOMAS)
Committee letter file reactivation fee: $25 (included 1 year subscription to Interfolio with unlimited, free file transmissions)
Secondaries: $525 (didn't complete one secondary)
Interview suit/shoes: $160 (yay for holiday sales!)
Interview airfare: $820.80 (brought a parent with me, tickets were $420.40 each...boo for one week notice of interview date scheduled for 2 days before Thanksgving)
Rental car: $95.60
Hotel: $0 (Dad racked up plenty of points for a free night)
Admission deposit: $2,250 (for one school!)
School-required background check: $49.50
Final transcripts sent to school: $17.25
Required blood work for health history (not covered by my insurance): $210

Grand total: $5,186.90 (and this is my 4th application cycle)

I lucked out this cycle in that someone else paid for my MCAT prep class and that I didn't have to pay for a hotel room. I am very happy that I had an acceptance to a school I liked before my other interview offers came in.
 
Oh nice! I actually kept records of my expenses but never actually calculated the total.

MCAT princeton review prep- $800 (half paid by scholarship)
MCAT: $230 + $100 (changed date x2) + $80 (retake with FAP) + $80 (FINAL retake with FAP)
Examkracker materials: ~$100 (1001 problems<-helpful!)
AACOMAS (17 schools): $784
TMDSAS (6 schools): $135
Secondaries: $330 (had help from fee waiver)
Postage: $33
Attended 7 interviews
Interview hotels: $168 (for two - stayed with friends/ student hosts for the rest)
Interview airfare: $890 (had 3 flights paid by aunts and uncles)
Car rentals +gas: $220

Grand total: $3,950
(excluding the stuff during undergrad(the one MCAT/changeofdatefees, EK materials, review course)- total for just the application cycle + 2 MCATs: $2,687)

Stuff from undergrad paid by school loans taken out at the time.
The application cycle paid by credit card and from working- thank goodness for having 0% interest at the time.
 
2009 app cycle:
Online Kaplan MCAT course $1579
MCAT prep books/videos = $450
AAMC MCAT CBTS 7-10 =$140
2 MCAT test registrations = $450
MSAR book = $33
Interfolio expenses= $61
QBank = $199
AMCAS charges= $1090
Secondary application fees: $2205

2010 app cycle:
AMCAS $160
AACOMAS $155
Secondary application fees $135
Interfolio fees $18
Interview expenses (hotel, gas, meals): $160

Grand total for 2009 and 2010 application cycles: $6,835

I hate that I am still paying that money back with interest but I guess it is a drop in the bucket of what I will owe for med school.
 
its friggin rediculous how much applications cost. I applied this past year and landed only on waitlists. Now I am gearing up to re-apply and can only afford to apply to 5 schools where I applied to 14 last year. Im pretty sure im a more competetive applicant this year but still I wish I could apply to more to increase my chances.

I have had to sell so much crap on ebay to frigging afford all of this. speaking of golf that includes my clubs, old stuff I had lying around, some that meant a ton to me. its friggin rediculous. if your poor it sux:mad:
 
Hi all,

I am bumping this thread because I am planning to apply this coming cycle, and I am concerning about the cost of the whole process. If you guys don't mind, would you provide your up-to-date overall cost of your application process? Has it gotten any higher since this thread was started, a year ago?

thanks
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Hi all,

I am bumping this thread because I am planning to apply this coming cycle, and I am concerning about the cost of the whole process. If you guys don't mind, would you provide your up-to-date overall cost of your application process? Has it gotten any higher since this thread was started, a year ago?

thanks
Click to expand...

If you're applying to 15-20 schools, it's fairly accurate. I spent 6k+ if you include mcat courses and retakes. The secondaries are the most expensive part of the process.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Hi all,

I am bumping this thread because I am planning to apply this coming cycle, and I am concerning about the cost of the whole process. If you guys don't mind, would you provide your up-to-date overall cost of your application process? Has it gotten any higher since this thread was started, a year ago?

thanks
Click to expand...

Try applying for that fee assistance program too. If you get it, I think it is 3 free applications for DO schools w/ secondaries and 14 for MD schools.
 
AACOMAS: 19 DO schools - $751
AMCAS: - $160 (submitted + withdrawn for refund)

Secondaries: $850
LECOM-B/E-$100 (for both)
AZCOM - $50
CCOM - $50
RVU - $50
ATSU-KCOM - $60
ATSU-SOMA - $60
NSUCOM - $50
WESTERN - $65
WESTERN-NW - $65
TUCOM-CA - $100
LMU - $50
UMDNJ - $90
PCOM - $60 ($50 app fee + $10 dean cert fee from my undergrad)

Travel Costs: $1098
LECOM-E = $430 flight, $62 hotel, (+ $100 lost at airport changing flights)
AZCOM = $130 car rental, $120 in gas, $226 hotel (stayed all weekend with teh woman)


Interview Attire: $1175
Suit = Brooks Brothers Milano Flannel Grey 42R ($550)
Tie = Navy Pindot ($21 Tiebar.com)
Shirt = Brooks Brothers White XSlim ($80)
Shoes = Allen Edmonds Park Avenue Black Captoe ($353)
Belt = Allen Edmonds Calfskin ($96.81)
Pocket Square = White Linen ($20 Kent Wang)
Garment Bag = $35 on Amazon.
Leatherbound Folder = Staples ($20)


==================================
Total so far = $4004


My major cost was my interview clothing, but my aunt hooked it up, and I like looking fly for my interviews. 'Nuff said.
 
hanky1982 said:
Yeah, but $127??? Especially when your screen name is Taylormade...
Click to expand...

I pulled off a cheapy that looked decent at H&M. The question that remains is how long will it last?
 
I didn't keep nearly as detailed records of my expenses as though OP, but I kept a rough estimate in my head throughout the process.

I applied to over 30 schools (primaries) and so my AMCAS and AACOMAS costs were much higher than most (I wanted to be sure I got in the first time around...:D)

I also had to pay for 3 plane flights to 3 interviews with rental cars and hotels, etc etc.

My total costs, including MCAT, deposit, etc was closer to $9,000 (I wish it was only $7,000).....:eek:!
 
taylormade2006 said:
I kept some pretty good records of my med school application expenses and just wanted to share/compare with others so that people thinking about applying can visualize the expenses.

$512 - AMCAS Primary
$310 - AACOMAS Primary
$1,365 - Secondaries
$79 - Interfolio
$7.66 - Postage
$820.38 - Interview Travel (1 flight, 2 driving)
$30 - Transcripts
$230 - MCAT
$300 - MCAT Study Materials
$1,300 - Tuition to take last pre-req
$0.31 - Photos
$126.13 - Interview Suit
$2,500 - Seat Deposits*
----------------------------------

$7,560.48 - Total

*Sadly this total is only for two schools. As future DO students we should encourage our schools to adopt a policy similar to the MD schools with reasonable, refundable deposits and a choose/withdraw date. </soapbox>[/QUOTE]

Sadly my guess is that the reasons schools keep the deposit so high/don't offer refunds is because they want to get the ones that are truly committed to going to their program and not waiting on an MD program to accept them in April (which a lot of them wait until then to do it seems...)
Click to expand...
 
DrWily said:
AACOMAS: 19 DO schools - $751
AMCAS: - $160 (submitted + withdrawn for refund)

Secondaries: $850
LECOM-B/E-$100 (for both)
AZCOM - $50
CCOM - $50
RVU - $50
ATSU-KCOM - $60
ATSU-SOMA - $60
NSUCOM - $50
WESTERN - $65
WESTERN-NW - $65
TUCOM-CA - $100
LMU - $50
UMDNJ - $90
PCOM - $60 ($50 app fee + $10 dean cert fee from my undergrad)

Travel Costs: $1098
LECOM-E = $430 flight, $62 hotel, (+ $100 lost at airport changing flights)
AZCOM = $130 car rental, $120 in gas, $226 hotel (stayed all weekend with teh woman)


Interview Attire: $1175
Suit = Brooks Brothers Milano Flannel Grey 42R ($550)
Tie = Navy Pindot ($21 Tiebar.com)
Shirt = Brooks Brothers White XSlim ($80)
Shoes = Allen Edmonds Park Avenue Black Captoe ($353)
Belt = Allen Edmonds Calfskin ($96.81)
Pocket Square = White Linen ($20 Kent Wang)
Garment Bag = $35 on Amazon.
Leatherbound Folder = Staples ($20)


==================================
Total so far = $4004


My major cost was my interview clothing, but my aunt hooked it up, and I like looking fly for my interviews. 'Nuff said.
Click to expand...

From reading responses on this thread, I've noticed that students almost always fill out more primaries than secondaries. For example, out of the 19 schools you initially applied for, you only filled out 14 secondaries. Why is that? I know that some schools give out pre-secondary rejections, but are there other reasons?

Also, what is the likelihood that someone could schedule more than one school interview to be done on the same trip? For example, I live in SoCal and apply to both AZCOM and Still. Can I have both interviews back to back, so I pay for one round trip ticket instead of two?
 
I applied to schools that had regional bias as I didn't know that at the time, so they didn't send me secondaries until Decemberish. Also, when you start filling out secondaries, you'll know the pain of writing many different essays. When it came to schools like MSU and UNECOM, I had little left in me and didn't even bother finishing secondaries to those schools. I was optimistic when submitting the primary.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
From reading responses on this thread, I've noticed that students almost always fill out more primaries than secondaries. For example, out of the 19 schools you initially applied for, you only filled out 14 secondaries. Why is that? I know that some schools give out pre-secondary rejections, but are there other reasons?

Also, what is the likelihood that someone could schedule more than one school interview to be done on the same trip? For example, I live in SoCal and apply to both AZCOM and Still. Can I have both interviews back to back, so I pay for one round trip ticket instead of two?
Click to expand...

Well....after filling out about 15 secondary applications I started to grow a little....tired of the whole process. Also, when I started realizing that some secondary applications cost up to $200 per application with 6-8 personal essays for that same application, my decision to not submit was that much easier.

Also, most of my interview invites came sporadically, and were to different regions of the country. If you are able to schedule them together then "more power to you".
 
MCAT ------------------------------------ $240
MCAT study materials --------------$120
AACOMAS-------------------------------$155 (1 school, major top choice)
Seconday App Fee -------------------$85
Gas to Interview ------------------------$25
Postage------------------------------------$1.50
____________________________________
Total $626.50

Add the $1500 deposit and it jumps up to $2126.

Acceptance at my top choice med school - PRICELESS
 
Last edited:
shaggybill said:
MCAT ------------------------------------ $240
MCAT study materials --------------$120
AACOMAS-------------------------------$155 (1 school, major top choice)
Seconday App Fee -------------------$85
Gas to Interview ------------------------$25
Postage------------------------------------$1.50
____________________________________
Total $626.50

Add the $1500 deposit and it jumps up to $2126.

Acceptance at my top choice med school - PRICELESS
Click to expand...

Haha, nice one!

I definitely regret applying to as many schools as I did. I applied to about 13 DO schools..., sent in secondaries to 12.... got an interview from DMU/KCUMB, went to them, and got accepted. Cancelled all the rest. What a waste of time/money!!! :mad:

Oh well, glad it's over now. :thumbup:
 
Iliketoytles said:
Haha, nice one!

I definitely regret applying to as many schools as I did. I applied to about 13 DO schools..., sent in secondaries to 12.... got an interview from DMU/KCUMB, went to them, and got accepted. Cancelled all the rest. What a waste of time/money!!! :mad:

Oh well, glad it's over now. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
There was this one kid I saw at two of my interviews. He had applied to 60 schools...
 
shaggybill said:
MCAT ------------------------------------ $240
MCAT study materials --------------$120
AACOMAS-------------------------------$155 (1 school, major top choice)
Seconday App Fee -------------------$85
Gas to Interview ------------------------$25
Postage------------------------------------$1.50
____________________________________
Total $626.50

Add the $1500 deposit and it jumps up to $2126.

Acceptance at my top choice med school - PRICELESS
Click to expand...

Very nice:thumbup:. I'm so envious :mad:

Risky move, however.
 
I applied MD/DO, so my costs include both.

MCAT Prep..... $ 2100
MCAT............. $ 240
Primary............ $ 925
Secondary....... $ 610
Transcripts........$ 71.32
Interfolio...........$ 82
Suit+Tailoring....$ 347
Interviews.........$ 636.20
Deposits...........$ 50

Approximately $ 5,061.52 spent for:
-20 Primary Applications
-12 Secondary Applications
-4 Interviews Attended (one left to go)
-1 deposit

I applied only to schools where I could drive to interview and schools that heavily screen secondary applications. It cut my costs and saved me time (and angst) in the long run. Of the interviews, I was local for two (a five minute commute for one, and an hour drive for the other); I was a three hour drive away for the third; I drove 10-hours for the fourth interview (DO NOT DO THIS). My last interview will be a four hour drive.

I've got a detailed breakdown on my MDApps. I'll link when the paranoia of being identified passes :laugh: which will likely be after my last interview.

My advice is to save the cash now. This process cost me so much more money than I ever anticipated.
 
I have no idea how I am ever going to pay for this... it's not a matter of being willing. It's a matter of earning enough and still paying rent etc. Wow.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Very nice:thumbup:. I'm so envious :mad:

Risky move, however.
Click to expand...

I would tell someone else the same thing, generally. However, I knew that my chances of getting into this school were extremely good, and also by far the highest of any other school. That, along with the fact that it truly is the ONLY school I wanted to go to, which I made abundantly clear to the admissions director repeatedly. Otherwise I never would have risked it.
 
NurWollen said:
I have no idea how I am ever going to pay for this... it's not a matter of being willing. It's a matter of earning enough and still paying rent etc. Wow.
Click to expand...

I was in the same boat. I've paid for every cent I've spent during UG, including rent. I didn't have thousands of dollars to spend on application process, so I came up with what I thought was a pretty good plan to maximize the little money that I did have to spend, and with a little luck it worked exactly how I wanted it to. PM me if you want. Might be able to help, or at least give you some ideas...
 
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