Medical Total cost for applications and interviews per medical school?

[esob]

I was wondering how much it would cost in total ( applications, secondaries, interview travel, housing, etc..) per school. Say I got 5 interviews all around the country. What’s the average or total cost?

There really is a ton of variables to consider here, so any estimate is really just a guestimate, but based on my experience and that of my friends who applied this cycle, the numbers would look something like this:

- now, to get 5 interviews you will likely need to apply to at least 3x that many schools, so 15 schools

Primary for AMCAS: $170 (includes one school)
$40 per school for 14 more schools: $560
$85 on average for 15 secondaries: $1275
$ 300 per avg roundtrip airfare x 5: $1500
$100 per night lodging x 5: $500
$50 per interview for uber/car rental x 5: 250

That brings you to about $4255, and I feel this is a conservative estimate. You could easily spend more on airfare depending on where you are going and some secondaries will be more than 85, lodging could be more, you could spend money having your secondaries professionally edited, etc. You also will need to buy at least one professional interview outfit which will set you back at least $100 at a minimum.

So, ballpark: 4K-5K is a reasonable number to have in mind. Personally, I applied to around 30 schools (got 11 invites) and spent over $15K on the process.

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[Raryn]

I'll point out one other thing - if you are from a financially disadvantaged household, you can potentially qualify for the AAMC fee assistance program. Many schools will waive secondary fees for those who qualify as well, though this does vary.

 

[SDN]

I was wondering how much it would cost in total ( applications, secondaries, interview travel, housing, etc..) per school. Say I got 5 interviews all around the country. What’s the average or total cost?

Great question. We built this calculator that will help determine how much you'll spend on medical school apps, interviews, etc:

Medical School Application Cost Calculator by SDN