The Cheapest Medical Schools in the US, Ranked by Tuition and Fees

Among schools that charge tuition, the cheapest medical schools begin with the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine at $19,686 for in-state first-year tuition, fees and health insurance, followed by Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine at $22,998 and the University of New Mexico School of Medicine at $24,095. For out-of-state students, Texas A&M is lowest at $36,098, while a handful of schools charge no tuition at all, according to the AAMC Tuition and Student Fees Report for 2025-2026.

Texas A&M’s in-state figure is $20,650 below the $43,648 median for public medical schools, a gap that repeats every year you are enrolled. Most of the lowest prices go to state residents, though, so the rankings below are split by who can actually get each price. Tuition is also only part of the full cost of medical school, so your final comparison should include living expenses and financial aid.

Lowest-Cost Medical Schools at a Glance

• The lowest in-state figures among schools charging tuition are $19,686 at the University of Puerto Rico, $22,998 at Texas A&M and $24,095 at the University of New Mexico, compared with a $43,648 public-school median.
• Texas accounts for 10 of the 15 lowest in-state figures and 11 of the 15 lowest out-of-state figures, but Texas residents made up 84.5% to 98% of the entering classes at those 11 schools.
• Baylor College of Medicine is the lowest-priced private MD school that charges tuition, reporting $29,697 for Texas residents and $42,793 for nonresidents.
• Several MD programs waive or cover tuition. Among DO colleges, the two lowest four-year tuition and fee totals reported for 2023-24 were at public colleges in Texas: $104,802 and $106,000.

Cheapest Public Medical Schools for In-State Students

For an in-state applicant, the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine has the lowest figure reported to the AAMC among public MD schools that charge tuition: $19,686 for first-year tuition, fees and health insurance in 2025-2026. Texas A&M follows at $22,998, then the University of New Mexico at $24,095 and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine at $24,970. The Uniformed Services University reports $0, but its students take on a service commitment, which the tuition-free section below explains.

The national comparison shows why these prices matter. Among 94 reporting public schools, the median for in-state first-year tuition, fees and health insurance was $43,648. Texas A&M was $20,650 below that median. For a broader view of how these figures compare across the country, see IMA’s guide to medical school tuition.

The table is ordered from the lowest to highest in-state figure. It uses what each school reported to the AAMC Tuition and Student Fees Report for first-year tuition, fees and health insurance in the 2025-2026 academic year.

The table above has a strong geographic pattern: 10 of the 15 schools are in Texas. University of Texas Medical Branch John Sealy School of Medicine, at $30,431, sits just outside the 15 lowest. The same AAMC report also shows that low resident prices are not limited to one state, with Puerto Rico, New Mexico, West Virginia and North Carolina represented.

Start by finding your own state’s public schools in the report. A slightly higher resident price at a school where you have a realistic residency classification may be more useful than a lower figure that is unavailable to you.

Cheapest Medical Schools for Out-of-State Students

After the tuition-free Uniformed Services University, Texas A&M has the lowest out-of-state figure among public schools in the same AAMC report at $36,098. The University of Puerto Rico follows at $37,186, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston at $37,258 and UT Rio Grande Valley at $38,070. These figures are far below the $70,730 median for out-of-state first-year tuition, fees and health insurance at public medical schools.

Price alone can mislead an out-of-state applicant. Eleven of the 15 lowest out-of-state figures belong to Texas schools, and AAMC enrollment data show that Texas residents made up 84.5% to 98% of each of those schools’ 2025-2026 entering classes. Texas law caps non-Texas residents at 10% of an entering medical class, as the Texas section below explains. That makes a school’s residency pattern essential context when you interpret medical school acceptance rates.

The table uses tuition figures from the same AAMC report and entering-class data from AAMC FACTS Table A-1 for 2025-2026. Its final columns show class size and the share of matriculants who were in-state residents.

The table above shows that a published nonresident price does not mean nonresidents form a large part of the class. Nationally, in-state residents submitted 22% of applications to U.S. MD-granting schools but represented 59.3% of matriculants in 2025-2026. An application to a low-priced school that enrolls few out-of-state students still adds to your medical school application cost, so use the residency columns before adding schools solely for price.

There are meaningful contrasts. The Uniformed Services University drew 89.3% of its entering class from outside Maryland. The University of New Mexico enrolled 21.4% from out of state, but its $52,331 nonresident figure was $28,236 above its resident figure. Marshall University enrolled 42.7% from out of state and charged those students $62,246. Price and enrollment pattern both belong in your decision.

Cheapest Private Medical Schools

The first four positions in the private-school ranking reflect tuition waivers or scholarships rather than conventionally low tuition. Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine reported $0 for 2025-2026, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine reported $2,390 and both NYU Grossman schools reported $4,350, which at NYU Grossman School of Medicine is fees alone.

Kaiser Permanente’s waiver applied to students who enrolled through 2026. The school lists first-year tuition, including books and supplies, of $69,212 for 2027/2028, so an applicant applying now should not assume that the earlier $0 figure will apply.

The table below ranks the 12 lowest resident figures among 66 private MD schools in the same AAMC report for first-year tuition, fees and health insurance in 2025-2026.

Among private schools that charge tuition, Baylor College of Medicine has the lowest figure: $29,697 for Texas residents and $42,793 for nonresidents. San Juan Bautista School of Medicine reported $39,606 for residents, Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine reported $44,683 and Mercer University School of Medicine reported $48,895. Mercer provided a resident figure only. Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine reported $53,780 for residents, followed by Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University at $60,560, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at $61,817 and Howard University College of Medicine at $62,924.

For context, the private-school median was $74,661 for resident students and $76,605 for nonresidents. Private status does not always eliminate a residency difference: Baylor’s two figures differ by $13,096, and the three Puerto Rico schools in the table also report a higher out-of-state price.

The AAMC report lists what schools charge before scholarships. That is why Albert Einstein College of Medicine appears at $82,697 rather than near the top of this price ranking even though its scholarship fund covers tuition. When comparing private schools, look at both the published charge and the aid you would actually receive.

Tuition-Free Medical Schools

Several MD programs waive tuition or provide scholarships that cover it, but the terms differ substantially. IMA’s guide to tuition-free medical schools covers these programs in greater detail.

Several of these programs cover tuition for every MD student. NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine award full-tuition scholarships regardless of merit or financial need, and the Long Island program also offers need-based scholarships toward costs above tuition.

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine gives a full tuition scholarship to all of its students. Johns Hopkins ties its aid to family income: tuition is covered for students whose families earn less than $300,000, and tuition, living expenses and fees for families earning less than $175,000.

Tuition-free does not mean cost-free. Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, which is waiving tuition for its first five cohorts, lists a first-year cost of attendance of $38,181 after its tuition and partial fee waiver, including $34,225 for living expenses. Albert Einstein’s scholarship fund covers tuition and specified educational and technology fees but not living expenses, room and board or other attendance costs.

The Uniformed Services University is different from a scholarship program. Its students pay no tuition, receive the salary and benefits of junior officers during medical school and accept an active duty commitment after graduation. That commitment is seven years for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and ten years for the Public Health Service.

Programs can also change between application cycles, as Kaiser Permanente’s did. Confirm the terms that apply to your entering class rather than assuming an earlier waiver will continue.

Cheapest DO Schools

The cheapest DO schools in the latest published AACOM report are public colleges. The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth had the lowest four-year tuition and fee total at $104,802. Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine followed at $106,000 and had the lowest first-year figure at $26,500. Oklahoma State reported $115,066 over four years and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine reported $124,952.

The lowest-priced private college in this ranking was Nova Southeastern University Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine at $136,244. The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine locations ranged from $164,123 to $176,885 in four-year tuition and fees.

The table is ordered by four-year tuition and fees reported in the AACOM 2023-24 Cost of Attendance Report, which included data from 48 private and 11 public osteopathic colleges.

These are four-year totals for 2023-24, so set them beside other DO colleges, not beside the first-year 2025-2026 MD figures above. AACOM’s four-year medians were $204,930 at public colleges and $244,376 at private colleges, which puts the schools at the top of the table above well below their respective sector medians.

AACOM averages in-state and out-of-state tuition where a college charges both. The figure shown for a public college therefore sits between its two prices, and an out-of-state student would pay more than the listed blended amount. The report also notes the 10% out-of-state admissions cap at Sam Houston State.

Is Medical School Cheaper in Texas?

Yes, medical school is substantially cheaper in Texas for Texas residents. In the AAMC report the state accounts for 10 of the 15 lowest in-state public MD prices and 11 of the 15 lowest out-of-state public MD prices. It also has the lowest-priced private MD school that charges tuition and the two lowest four-year DO tuition and fee totals in the 2023-24 AACOM report.

The catch is access. Under TMDSAS residency rules, Texas law permits no more than 10% of an entering medical class to consist of non-Texas residents. The entering classes at the Texas schools in the out-of-state table above reflect that cap.

TMDSAS describes two routes to Texas residency. The high school route requires graduation from a Texas high school or receipt of a GED in Texas, residence in Texas during the 36 months before graduation and continuous Texas residence for the 12 months before the application deadline.

The domicile route requires living in Texas for 12 consecutive months by the application deadline and establishing and maintaining domicile for those 12 months. TMDSAS gives examples including gainful employment, ownership of residential property or a business and marriage for one year to someone who established domicile in Texas. TMDSAS determines residency for admission, while the school reviews residency for tuition at matriculation.

Who Qualifies for In-State Medical School Tuition?

Whether you get a school’s in-state price depends on your legal residence, and each state defines that for itself. The legal residence chapter of the 2027 AMCAS Applicant Guide, published by the AAMC, says each state sets its own qualifications, medical schools may request documentation and you are responsible for researching the applicable rules before claiming a state.

AMCAS notes that you might qualify as a legal resident of more than one state, but you may select only one state of legal residence on the application. A medical school may also ask for documents that support the state you claim.

The Texas routes that TMDSAS describes, covered in the section above, show why a temporary address is not enough: a state can ask for a full year of established domicile before you even apply.

For most applicants, their own state’s public schools are the first realistic places to look for resident pricing. Once you identify those schools, balance affordability with fit and out-of-state possibilities when deciding how many medical schools to apply to.

Tuition Versus Total Cost of Attendance

The school with the lowest tuition is not necessarily the cheapest school for you to attend. The figures in the tables cover tuition, fees and health insurance. They leave out housing, food, books, transportation and other living costs. Scholarships can also make a school with a higher published price less expensive for an individual student.

For in-state students in 2025-26, the AAMC reported median first-year cost of attendance of $75,654 at public schools and $106,787 at private schools. Those amounts were about $32,000 above the corresponding median tuition and fee figures. For the class of 2026, the median four-year cost of attendance was $297,745 at public schools and $408,150 at private schools.

Compare each offer after grants and scholarships, not only by its published tuition. IMA’s guide to how to pay for medical school without loans explains options that may reduce what you need to borrow. If borrowing remains part of your plan, the medical school loans guide provides the next level of detail.

A low-tuition school in a costly location can move down your personal ranking once living expenses are included. A higher-tuition school can move up if its aid offer reduces your net cost. Use the rankings as a starting point, then compare the complete cost-of-attendance budgets and aid packages issued to you.

Build an Affordable Medical School List

Begin with the public medical schools in your own state, then add lower-priced out-of-state schools that demonstrably enroll applicants with your residency status. Treat free-tuition programs according to their actual terms, especially when a waiver is limited to particular entering classes or tied to service.

Before applying, check each school’s current tuition page because prices and programs change. When offers arrive, compare total cost after grants and scholarships rather than choosing from tuition alone. That sequence turns these rankings into a practical school list instead of a collection of appealing prices you may not qualify to receive.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Cheapest Medical School in the US?

In the AAMC’s 2025-2026 tuition report, the Uniformed Services University lists $0 in first-year tuition, fees and health insurance, but its students accept an active duty service commitment. Among public MD schools that charge tuition, the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine has the lowest in-state figure at $19,686 for 2025-2026.

What Is the Cheapest Medical School for Out-of-State Students?

The Uniformed Services University charges no tuition wherever you live, in return for a service commitment. Among public MD schools that charge tuition, Texas A&M has the lowest out-of-state first-year figure at $36,098 for 2025-2026, although Texas law restricts nonresident representation in entering medical classes.

What Is the Cheapest Private Medical School?

Kaiser Permanente reported $0 for 2025-2026, but its waiver applied to students enrolling through 2026. Among private MD schools that charge tuition, Baylor College of Medicine is lowest at $29,697 for Texas residents and $42,793 for nonresidents in 2025-2026.

Are There Free Medical Schools?

Yes. Some medical schools waive tuition, provide full-tuition scholarships or cover tuition for students who meet financial criteria. Students may still pay living expenses and other attendance costs, while the Uniformed Services University combines free tuition and officer pay with an active duty commitment.

What Is the Cheapest DO School?

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine had the lowest reported four-year tuition and fee total at $104,802 in AACOM’s 2023-24 report. Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine was next at $106,000 and had the lowest first-year figure, $26,500.

Is It Cheaper to Go to Medical School in Texas?

Yes, especially for Texas residents. In the AAMC’s 2025-2026 report Texas has 10 of the 15 lowest in-state public MD figures, Baylor is the lowest-priced private MD school that charges tuition and the state has the two lowest four-year DO tuition and fee totals in AACOM’s 2023-24 report. Nonresidents face a state-law cap on their share of entering medical classes.

Can You Get In-State Tuition at an Out-of-State Medical School?

Only if you meet that state and school’s residency requirements. Each state defines legal residence differently, schools may request supporting documents and the AAMC’s AMCAS application lets you select only one state of legal residence even if you could qualify in more than one.