Harvard Med offers tuition discount

Harvard Medical School, the ultimate elite educational institution, will begin offering a discount on its tuition to some students, a step that observers say may ripple out into other institutions. Starting with the 2008-09 academic year, students whose families earn $120,000 or less a year will get up to $12,500 off the school's annual $65,000 cost for tuition and living expenses. The school's dean, Jeffrey Flier, MD, says that officials want to student lower debt loads so graduates can pick specialties without regard to their income potential.

It's worth noting that Harvard isn't alone. Other med schools are providing extensive aid to students, worried about the same issues Harvard has identified. For example, Stanford University offers enough scholarships that average medical grads have $78,000 in debt despite $70,000 per year in expenses. Still, Harvard's move has significant symbolic value, given the institution's particularly high prestige level. Harvard's decision comes at a time when median medical school debt is $140,000, with graduates paying 9 to 12 percent of their income toward the loans.

To learn more about Harvard's new program:
- read this AMNews article

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