Worth it to apply to US MD schools? (Canadian)

[123l321]

I'm a Canadian citizen with a 4.0 GPA, 517 MCAT and pretty good activities all around, however my CARS score screens me out for a good portion of Canadian MD schools. Max interviews I would be eligible for would be around 3-4, so I was thinking of possibly applying to the US as well since application reviews are more holistic. It's kind of bizarre that I spent a significant amount of time studying for this test, scoring well, and then being shut out from some schools because of one section.

I know US public schools are out of the question, but I was wondering if any private schools are generous enough to provide financial aid. I come from a disadvantaged background and probably won't have the funds to pay for tuition up front.

Thank you in advance!

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[summergirl]

Apply to the US! US public schools are definitely not out of the question for you (speaking from personal experience). Some US schools require you to pay all four years' tuition up front, some allow you to pay it in sequence like the US students. So what do you mean you don't have the funds to pay for tuition upfront? Like you can't pay for all 4 years at once or you can't pay tuition on a schedule like the US students do (I.e. Require significant loans)?

 

[123l321]

Apply to the US! US public schools are definitely not out of the question for you (speaking from personal experience). Some US schools require you to pay all four years' tuition up front, some allow you to pay it in sequence like the US students. So what do you mean you don't have the funds to pay for tuition upfront? Like you can't pay for all 4 years at once or you can't pay tuition on a schedule like the US students do (I.e. Require significant loans)?

Well I'm not sure how paying for tuition works in the US, such as if you need to prove you have the funds in order to be admitted. I'm pretty sure that I don't have the $$ to pay for tuition all at once. As for paying in a sequence, I'd probably have to take out a loan from a Canadian bank, and I've heard they're not willing to give out too much in cases like mine. Hence why I was asking if financial aid is at all possible.

 

[summergirl]

Well I'm not sure how paying for tuition works in the US, such as if you need to prove you have the funds in order to be admitted. I'm pretty sure that I don't have the $$ to pay for tuition all at once. As for paying in a sequence, I'd probably have to take out a loan from a Canadian bank, and I've heard they're not willing to give out too much in cases like mine. Hence why I was asking if financial aid is at all possible.

Most US schools do not ask you to pay for all four years' tuition at once (UKentucky is a notable exception). US schools would only talk to you about money after they accept you. Once you get an acceptance, you are required to apply for an I-20 (basically a study visa for Canadians) from the school, and they will ask you to prove your financial support to show you are able to pay for tuition. They will accept a bank statement showing you have sufficient funds to pay for your first years' tuition and living expenses. Schools that don't require you to pay for all four years upfront will only need to see proof that you can cover for first years' expenses. You may need to take out a loan from a Canadian bank, which you will need a co-signer for if you are completing medical school in the States. That co-signer needs to have good credit score and a decent amount of cash (other assets like properties don't count). Most banks will give you ~200k for all four years. You can also apply for federal+provincial loans. For Ontario, OSAP will let you borrow ~10k CAD. My friend from Alberta got 45k per year from federal+provincial loans.

 

[123l321]

Most US schools do not ask you to pay for all four years' tuition at once (UKentucky is a notable exception). US schools would only talk to you about money after they accept you. Once you get an acceptance, you are required to apply for an I-20 (basically a study visa for Canadians) from the school, and they will ask you to prove your financial support to show you are able to pay for tuition. They will accept a bank statement showing you have sufficient funds to pay for your first years' tuition and living expenses. Schools that don't require you to pay for all four years upfront will only need to see proof that you can cover for first years' expenses. You may need to take out a loan from a Canadian bank, which you will need a co-signer for if you are completing medical school in the States. That co-signer needs to have good credit score and a decent amount of cash (other assets like properties don't count). Most banks will give you ~200k for all four years. You can also apply for federal+provincial loans. For Ontario, OSAP will let you borrow ~10k CAD. My friend from Alberta got 45k per year from federal+provincial loans.

How much can one expect the average international student to pay for 4 years at a US MD school? I'm just wondering if the ~200k would cover a significant portion of the expected tuition.

 

[summergirl]

How much can one expect the average international student to pay for 4 years at a US MD school? I'm just wondering if the ~200k would cover a significant portion of the expected tuition.

It will cover about half of your total cost of attendance.

 

[123l321]

It will cover about half of your total cost of attendance.

Thanks for the info. So I'm guessing financial aid is out of the discussion? I was hoping private schools would have separate need-based grants, or are these specifically for US citizens and permanent residents?

@gyngyn interested in your advice please!

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks for the info. So I'm guessing financial aid is out of the discussion? I was hoping private schools would have separate need-based grants, or are these specifically for US citizens and permanent residents?

@gyngyn interested in your advice please!

Financial resources for international students will vary widely. Generally they are much more limited, however.
As you might expect, the most well-endowed schools have deeper pockets.
You should be prepared to finance the full cost of attendance.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Don't apply to the US until your last year of attempts in Canada. Our schools are so much cheaper, and you'll be in a much better position to stay in Canada for whatever residency you choose to apply to, allowing you to practice in a country whose leader doesn't taunt people with nukes.

It often takes 2-3 cycles for even competitive applicants to get in in Canada, and American schools tend to look down on reapplicants, so it's very much in your best interest to apply to the US only once you've decided that it's your last year of trying in the great white north. You want to give yourself a decent chance to stay here before you pay 4 times more with a worse chance of coming back for something competitive. I'm a Canadian med student who applied to the US the year I got in here, if you want to message me with any other questions.

 

[123l321]

Financial resources for international students will vary widely. Generally they are much more limited, however.
As you might expect, the most well-endowed schools have deeper pockets.
You should be prepared to finance the full cost of attendance.

I was thinking of e-mailing some of the schools that I am interested in to ask about their financial aid options for internationals. Would this be okay or is it frowned upon?

 

[gyngyn]

I was thinking of e-mailing some of the schools that I am interested in to ask about their financial aid options for internationals. Would this be okay or is it frowned upon?

If you contact the financial aid office directly, there will be no problem.
There is no need to contact admissions.

Let us know what they say.