Students who graduated from U.S. medical schools in 2024 left with an average of $212,341 in educational debt, according to the latest data from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
At a handful of schools, average student debt surpassed $300,000. Data from the class of 2024 shows 71% of students graduated with debt. Of those, 56% graduated with at least $200,000 in educational debt.
The high cost of medical education has drawn renewed attention following passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which imposes new caps on federal loan limits for medical students. The law caps federal borrowing for medical students at $200,000 starting July 1, 2026, and eliminates the federal Grad PLUS loan program, which currently allows students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, including living expenses.
Healthcare groups argue the new loan caps could worsen the physician shortage by making medical education less accessible and steering graduates toward higher-paying specialties. With fewer financial safety nets, the concern is that students may avoid lower-paying fields like primary care and pediatrics, deepening existing gaps in critical areas of the workforce.
Below are the medical schools where students graduate with the highest and lowest amounts of debt, on average, per the AAMC’s 2026 report on medical school admission requirements.
10 medical schools where students graduate with the highest average debt:
Note: This list does not include medical schools where the average debt incurred is $0 due to tuition-waiver policies.
- Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans) — $317,890
- Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science — $301,168
- Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (Kalamazoo) — $276,209
- Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) — $275,961
- Drexel University College of Medicine (Pa.) — $275,735
- Georgetown University School of Medicine (Washington, D.C.) — $271,816
- New York Medical College (Valhalla) — $267,816
- Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (East Lansing) — $262,464
- Creighton University School of Medicine (Omaha, Neb.) — $259,329
- Tufts University School of Medicine (Boston) — $258,933
10 medical schools where students graduate with the lowest average debt:
- University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine — $33,993
- NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine (New York) — $51,415
- California University of Science and Medicine-School of Medicine (Colton) — $61,662
- NYU Grossman School of Medicine (New York City) — $67,572
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine — $90,880
- Yale School of Medicine (New Haven, Conn.) — $91,965
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore) — $111,516
- Weill Cornell Medicine (New York City) — $113,941
- Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (New York City) — $114,362
- University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine — $115,466
