On August 16, 2018, NYU School of Medicine proudly announced that their current and future MD students would be awarded full tuition. The surprise gift was revealed at this year’s White Coat Ceremony, as first year medical students accepted their lab coats, inaugurating their new chapter as future physicians. Ranked number three, tied with Stanford School of Medicine, NYU is recognized as one of the best medical schools for research in the nation. They made a generous effort to relieve the burdensome cost of medical education with the help of approximately 2,500 supporters. Current and future medical students can say good bye to a yearly tuition of $55,018. These lucky students will be saving a significant amount on loans, considering medical school is usually four years long. Their mission behind their benevolence makes medical education more accessible to students of diverse backgrounds and expands the pool of applicants who exude excellence. This opportunity will reinvent the way high school and undergraduate students think about what they choose to do for the rest of their lives. Not having the means to pay for medical education will no longer be an object standing in between a person and their decision to pursue a career goal.
Many undergraduate students are intimidated by the incurring debt attending graduate school may precipitate. Some even question their desire to pursue their passions for that same reason. In the same light, a similar trend can be observed among medical students as well. Medical students are considering higher paying specialties more frequently than others, in hopes of expediting the process of repaying their medical school debt. However, this could possibly change now that NYU medical school graduates will no longer be facing the encumbering debt. Dr. Steven B. Abramson, senior vice dean for education, faculty, and academic affairs said, “This tuition-free initiative is the next big milestone in NYU School of Medicine’s effort to transform medical education.” The evolution of medical education at NYU has changed the future of careers in medicine. It could also change how other medical schools decided to support their students financially.
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