Why is LECOM's tuition so much lower?

[BCAA]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I was admitted here and plan on attending, but will we be missing out on something?

 

[ToKingdomCome]

I'm guessing because they are one of the largest medical schools in the US with so many students they can afford to have cheaper tuition. They also have 3 branches which also add to that

 

[BCAA]

I'm guessing because they are one of the largest medical schools in the US with so many students they can afford to have cheaper tuition. They also have 3 branches which also add to that

I found an old thread that sheds some light: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=770298

In particular I found the following explanation useful. I am just worried I am missing something or this is too good to be true in some way. Usually there's a catch...If the only catch with LECOM is that we can't eat lunch in classrooms, then I really don't see it as a problem to accommodate the lower tuition:

I will never go to med school but I am a CPA with an MBA. I got an A in Cost Accounting.

The low price structure at LECOM made me curious so I looked at LECOM's Form 990, which is the tax return non-profits must file. All Form 990's are public information. If you have a friend who is a CPA in a firm that audits non-profits it's easy for you to get a copy off the web.

Based on the 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 it is apparent that LECOM is a lean mean education machine. Between Erie and Bradenton LECOM had about 1,650 medical students, 50 post bacc students, and 900 pharmacy students. LECOM's total revenue was $60,935,189 and its expenses spread among those 2,600 students amounted to $37,915,540. That works out to be an astoundingly low cost of $14,582 per student. LECOM cleared net revenue (the equivalent of profit) of $23,019,649 or $8,853 per student!!!

Based on the things I've read about LECOM these financial data stem from the extremely tight ship run by the Ferettis. The faculty only teaches and they teach or prepare to teach all the time. There is no research. LECOM won't let students eat in the class rooms because the administration doesn't want to clean up after them. The occupancy costs in Erie and Bradenton are dirt cheap. LECOM has figured out a way to get its students clinical rotations for free. This is medical education on the cheap but it seems to be working.

-u/ Obnoxious Dad

 

[Mavs88]

I found an old thread that sheds some light: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=770298

In particular I found the following explanation useful. I am just worried I am missing something or this is too good to be true in some way. Usually there's a catch...If the only catch with LECOM is that we can't eat lunch in classrooms, then I really don't see it as a problem to accommodate the lower tuition:

I will never go to med school but I am a CPA with an MBA. I got an A in Cost Accounting.

The low price structure at LECOM made me curious so I looked at LECOM’s Form 990, which is the tax return non-profits must file. All Form 990’s are public information. If you have a friend who is a CPA in a firm that audits non-profits it’s easy for you to get a copy off the web.

Based on the 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 it is apparent that LECOM is a lean mean education machine. Between Erie and Bradenton LECOM had about 1,650 medical students, 50 post bacc students, and 900 pharmacy students. LECOM’s total revenue was $60,935,189 and its expenses spread among those 2,600 students amounted to $37,915,540. That works out to be an astoundingly low cost of $14,582 per student. LECOM cleared net revenue (the equivalent of profit) of $23,019,649 or $8,853 per student!!!

Based on the things I’ve read about LECOM these financial data stem from the extremely tight ship run by the Ferettis. The faculty only teaches and they teach or prepare to teach all the time. There is no research. LECOM won’t let students eat in the class rooms because the administration doesn’t want to clean up after them. The occupancy costs in Erie and Bradenton are dirt cheap. LECOM has figured out a way to get its students clinical rotations for free. This is medical education on the cheap but it seems to be working.

-u/ Obnoxious Dad

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Escape_Goat]

Another thing that keeps their costs down is that they weren't paying the hospitals at which their third and fourth years were rotating. At least, I know this was the case with them and UPMC, and resulting in UPMC not allowing LECOM students to rotate in their hospitals anymore.

I don't know about their arrangements with hospital networks elsewhere.

 

[darklabel]

I found an old thread that sheds some light: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=770298

In particular I found the following explanation useful. I am just worried I am missing something or this is too good to be true in some way. Usually there's a catch...If the only catch with LECOM is that we can't eat lunch in classrooms, then I really don't see it as a problem to accommodate the lower tuition:

I will never go to med school but I am a CPA with an MBA. I got an A in Cost Accounting.

The low price structure at LECOM made me curious so I looked at LECOM’s Form 990, which is the tax return non-profits must file. All Form 990’s are public information. If you have a friend who is a CPA in a firm that audits non-profits it’s easy for you to get a copy off the web.

Based on the 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009 it is apparent that LECOM is a lean mean education machine. Between Erie and Bradenton LECOM had about 1,650 medical students, 50 post bacc students, and 900 pharmacy students. LECOM’s total revenue was $60,935,189 and its expenses spread among those 2,600 students amounted to $37,915,540. That works out to be an astoundingly low cost of $14,582 per student. LECOM cleared net revenue (the equivalent of profit) of $23,019,649 or $8,853 per student!!!

Based on the things I’ve read about LECOM these financial data stem from the extremely tight ship run by the Ferettis. The faculty only teaches and they teach or prepare to teach all the time. There is no research. LECOM won’t let students eat in the class rooms because the administration doesn’t want to clean up after them. The occupancy costs in Erie and Bradenton are dirt cheap. LECOM has figured out a way to get its students clinical rotations for free. This is medical education on the cheap but it seems to be working.

-u/ Obnoxious Dad

Great observation! 👍

 

[cabinbuilder]

I'm guessing because they are one of the largest medical schools in the US with so many students they can afford to have cheaper tuition. They also have 3 branches which also add to that

Yes, but even before they branched out and had only one campus, the tuition was still low. They are very savvy busness people whose goal is to produce doctors to help offset the physician shortage - especially in primary care, not just make money.

 

[EMDO2018]

uhhh... less faculty requirements because of pbl???

 

[hallowmann]

Another thing that keeps their costs down is that they weren't paying the hospitals at which their third and fourth years were rotating. At least, I know this was the case with them and UPMC, and resulting in UPMC not allowing LECOM students to rotate in their hospitals anymore.

I don't know about their arrangements with hospital networks elsewhere.

LECOM does not pay for any rotation sites. UPMC wanted $3,000/student/rotation. LECOM doesn't pay any of its affiliates for rotation sites, and so they said no and UPMC barred them from rotating at their hospitals. Really though, it was all a veiled way of getting back at LECOM for being tight with Highmark/West Penn Allegheny. There is a huge fight going on between them in the Pittsburgh area and its been going on for years now.

uhhh... less faculty requirements because of pbl???

I thought this was the case at first, but it made less and less sense after I started there. Every group of 8 students in PBL have to have a faculty facilitator that is with them in all sessions. Each facilitator has maybe 2 groups, so that's a faculty to student ratio of 1:16.

Really though, I think they cut corners elsewhere and focus on making good connections with different hospitals. For example, they have no cleaning staff except for in the cafeteria (and even then its minimal). They also work with a lot of hospitals to bring them grant/federal money for say new AOA residencies (Elmira, NY comes to mind), and as a result develop a mutually beneficial relationship where they put no money in, but get a bunch of rotation sites.

Truth is they seem to run a tight ship, but at the same time they maintain high education standards. They could probably even afford to reduce tuition a bit, but they are already the cheapest private medical school in the US, so... why would they?

 

[Dr Yiot]

You get what you pay for.

 

[BCAA]

Some of the short responses that I'm reading are along the lines of "you get what you pay for", etc. Maybe those responders are not from LECOM or did not attend it...Do you feel you are missing out on anything compared to another, more expensive institution?

 

[Temperature101]

You get what you pay for.

I have a feeling that Dr Yiot is not happy with his/her education at LECOM...

 

[Dr Yiot]

I have a feeling that Dr Yiot is not happy with his/her education at LECOM...

i like my school and the education is good but there are things in which other schools are far superior. my dissatisfaction has less to do with academics and more to do with extra hurdles placed in the way of you having success as a medical student. you will be a fine doctor going to lecom but there are places where you are happier as a student and other parts of the school in which you get what you pay for come into play. essentially the cost comes at a price in other ways, in additional unnecessary headaches and things that bring on stress which are completely unnecessary

 

[FxnOverload]

i like my school and the education is good but there are things in which other schools are far superior. my dissatisfaction has less to do with academics and more to do with extra hurdles placed in the way of you having success as a medical student. you will be a fine doctor going to lecom but there are places where you are happier as a student and other parts of the school in which you get what you pay for come into play. essentially the cost comes at a price in other ways, in additional unnecessary headaches and things that bring on stress which are completely unnecessary

No offense intended, but if it isn't too personally revealing, could you perhaps clue us in on what exactly these are:

"things in which other schools are far superior"
"extra hurdles"
"other parts of school in which you get what you pay for"
"comes at a price in other ways"
"things that bring on stress which are completely unnecessary"

I'm not a proponent of LECOM, I'm just a pre-med, but I'll be darned if you didn't give the vaguest answer I've ever seen on SDN. LECOM-B is on my list of schools to apply to, and I'd like to know if one of the above is a deal-breaker for me. I could use the money elsewhere in the application, no doubt.

 

[Dr Yiot]

use the search function. issues with lecom have been discussed in depth. many of the issues which people have with the school like dress code etc is ridiculous but there certainly things that are wrong that i do believe should be changed.