why is med school so expensive?

[nev]

Just thinking about it....Really crazy expensive...

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[defrunner]

Because they can.

Think about it... hypothetically, what's to prevent Harvard from charging 50K per semester for tuition (not even for the year)? Nothing. If Harvard does that, nothing will prevent applicants from applying, because it's Harvard. Following suit, what then prevents Hopkins, Washington, etc. from doing the same? Nothing, because they're Hopkins, Washington, etc. Going down the ladder, what would then prevent some school in Bumfcuk, Alabama or something from doing the same thing? Nothing, because it's still a US medical school and is world-renowned as such. People will still apply, people will still matriculate and people will pay whatever it costs to go to a US medical school.

Besides, it isn't like you wouldn't be able to afford to pay the loans back once you're a doctor. Law school is expensive too and so are other programs with lucrative futures.

They can charge this much and there really is nothing we can do. If you choose to give your seat up due to finances, someone else will jump right into it before your heart takes its next beat.

Bitching about it is like bitching about death and taxes.

 

[popbirch]

one other thing is that states rarely put very much money into regular M.D. training. A lot of undergrads get money from the state to help with the cost which helps defray the cost. Med schools don't receive as much funding, and have a more expensive process, so it costs a lot.

 

[Slackenerny]

That's a good question. I thought I read that at BU the money they spend per student on a four year MD program was greater than the amount they charged in tuition. I wonder how the expenses break down?

Some things that cross my mind:
-very small student: professor ratio (need mroe money per person to support staff)
-high insurance costs
-cost of equipment used in training

 

[.surgical.]

maybe higher salaries for med school profs?
they take the tuition money and put it into the hospitals/research?

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

It takes an incredible amount of money to start, run and staff a med school, and I've heard they put far more money into each student than the price of tuition.

Example: Columbia U. College of P&S

~200 professors.
~633 students x $35K = ~$22 million per year in

That would be an average salary of ~$110,000 per year.

Considering all the other costs involved with running the school, it makes sense why tuition is so high...and it's not impossible to imagine taking 2x as much money as the tuition provides, although grants are not too shabby either.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

The reason why med schools are so expensive is because otherwise there would be no one to take our money before we go out into the real world and get nailed by insurance and malpractice.

 

[RaaMD]

It costs a lot of money to run a medical school.

 

[ClosetNerd]

Besides the fact that overhead must be high...

Supply and Demand. What is the percentage at now of those who get in versus those who have applied 40% ?

 

[.surgical.]

i heart spending money

best answer: because they can