Expanded Access for Older and Undocumented Students
On January 27, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) announced plans to increase access to its fee assistance program by changing its eligibility criteria. The AAMC estimates that the new eligibility criteria will enable 1,000 additional students to receive assistance. Historically many students found it challenging to qualify for the program, especially non-traditional and undocumented students.
The AAMC has updated the fee assistance eligibility criteria for the 2022-2023 application cycle. The new rules become effective on January 31:
- Older applicants (over 26) will no longer need to submit parental financial information; eligibility will depend solely on their own income.
- Applicants will no longer need to prove they are US citizens or have an eligible visa status. Instead, only proof of residence at an address in the United States be required.
Applying to medical school is expensive; an average student spends several thousand dollars on the process, including fees and interview travel expenses. Therefore, the AAMC offers a Fee Assistance Program (FAP) to help offset the application costs. The FAP includes the following benefits:
- Official MCAT test prep materials
- Reduced MCAT registration fee
- Two-year subscription to the Medical School Application Requirements (MSAR) online database
- Waiver of AMCAS application fees for up to 20 medical schools
- Free registration for the AAMC PREview Professional Readiness Exam (the AAMC’s new situational judgment test)
The SDN Application Cost Calculator is a tool for creating a budget for the application process. Premedical students can estimate what they will spend on MCAT test preparation and registration fees, primary and secondary application fees, and interview travel costs if in-person interviews are required.
Reference
Laura Turner, MS, is the Executive Director of the Health Professional Student Association (HPSA), which publishes the Student Doctor Network (SDN). Prior to working with HPSA, she served for eight years as the Executive Director of SDN. At HPSA and SDN, Laura has been instrumental in providing students with tools and resources to pursue their aspirations in healthcare. Her previous roles include business analyst positions at The Capital Group and product management and marketing roles at software companies Paciolan, Adexa, and MSC Software.
In her current role at HPSA, Laura continues to drive innovation and forge partnerships to better support aspiring healthcare professionals. She is grateful for the opportunity to help countless individuals to achieve their dreams.