What Is Financial Aid?
Financial Aid consists of any combination of scholarships and government insured or private loans awarded to students to help cover the cost of attending medical school. A student may receive federal aid at only one post secondary institution at a time.
The University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and the University Office of Scholarship Financial Aid assist students in meeting the cost of attending medical school through various scholarships and loans; however, it must be remembered that financial aid is supplementary to the contribution by the student and/or family. The student and family are expected to provide the maximum assistance possible.
Types of Aid or Packaging
"Packaging" is the term used to describe the combining and offering of funds from various sources to cover the student's cost of attendance. The total amount of aid a student may receive, which would include a combination of loans, may not exceed the student's cost of education. The following are the descriptions of various types of available aid used in packaging at the University:
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Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan
Lender: U.S. Department of Education
Interest rate during repayment for 2023-2024: 7.05%
Origination fee: 1.059%
Maximum yearly amount: $40,500 MS1 & MS4; $47,167 MS2 & MS3
Grace period before beginning repayment: 6 monthsGraduate PLUS Loan
Lender: U.S. Department of Education
Interest rate for 2023-2024: 8.05%
Origination fee: 4.236%
Maximum yearly amount: up to cost of attendance.
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School of Medicine Private Subsidized Loans*
Lender: University of Utah School of Medicine
Interest rate during repayment: 5.0%
Maximum yearly amount: $5,000
Grace period before beginning repayment: First Residency Program
Repayment begins in Fellowship*Supplemental Application for Institutional Scholarships and Loans completion by March 15th required.
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Primary Care Loans are available through the University of Utah to medical students of exceptional need who are committed to careers as generalist physicians (i.e., family physician, general internist, general pediatrician) or specialist in preventive medicine/public health. Students will be notified by the University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid when the application is available.
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The Loans for Disadvantaged Students program provides long-term, low-interest loans to full-time, financially needy medical students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students interested in this loan must provide parental information for determination of eligibility, regardless of age or marital status.
Students eligible eligible to apply for this loan must be a citizen, national or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and come from a disadvantaged background. An individual from a disadvantaged background is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as one:
- Who comes from an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill and ability to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school.
- Who comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income guidelines according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census adjusted annually for changes in the Consumer Price Index, and adjusted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for use in health professions and nursing programs.