Tufts University School of Medicine

Financing Your MD Education

The admissions process at Tufts School of Medicine is need-blind, as an applicant’s financial circumstances are not considered in the selection process. Financial Aid forms become available in December of each year, but the FAFSA may be submitted any time after October 1st. Please note that the FAFSA application now requires prior-prior year tax information (2021 taxes for the 2023-24 aid year).If you have interviewed with us prior to January, we will email you the information on the application process including all forms. Starting in January and beyond, forms will be available below.

Interviewed applicants do not need to be admitted to the School of Medicine in order to submit financial aid applications. The Office of Financial Aid strongly encourages all interviewed applicants to submit complete financial aid applications as soon as possible. Students may be admitted at any time and required to respond quickly. If your financial aid application is complete an award will be issued in a timely manner to assist with your decision.

Financial Aid Awards for Accepted Applicants

The Admissions Office notifies the Office of Financial Aid when an applicant has been admitted to the School of Medicine. If the applicant has submitted a complete financial aid application, the Office of Financial Aid will be able to provide a financial aid award letter as soon as possible.

Admitted applicants that have submitted all required financial aid documents by the priority deadline will receive an award notice prior to the end of April.

Applicants admitted during and after the month of April will be packaged as soon as possible after their admission. The Office of Financial Aid staff will award a newly admitted applicant quickly, but they must have the applicant’s complete financial aid application on file to do so. All applicants are held to the priority deadline regardless of when they interviewed at the School of Medicine. For more financial aid information, visit the Financial Aid homepage.

Types of Aid Available

  • Type of Aid Annual Limit Interest Rate Net Fees Eligibility
    Medical School Scholarships 1/4 Tuition to 3/4 Tuition     Determined by Office of Financial Aid, need-based, considers family resources
    Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan 1st Year - $42,722
    2nd Year - $44,944
    3rd Year - $47,167
    4th Year - $44,944    		 5.28% (accrues from date of disbursement; fixed rate for the life of the loan but each year new rates will be established for loans disbursed within that year based on the variable index rate) 1.057% Meet federal requirements1
    Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan COA - other aid 6.28% (accrues from date of disbursement; fixed rate for the life of the loan but each year new rates will be established for loans disbursed within that year based on the variable index rate) 4.228% Meet federal requirements1, and meet credit requirements
    Wolfson Loan Up to $20,000 0% during grace and/or eligible deferment periods, fixed at Prime +1% when in repayment. Capped at 7%.   Determined by Office of Financial Aid, need-based,  considers family resources
    Primary Care Loan Varies by year 0% during grace
    and/or eligible
    deferment periods,
    5% in repayment    		   Students must meet with Office of Financial Aid to request funding. Borrowers must commit to a career in Primary Care for the life of the loan and be U.S citizens or eligible noncitizens, demonstrate financial need, and parental information may be required2
    Loans for Disadvantaged
    Students    		 Varies by year 0% during grace
    and/or eligible
    deferment periods,
    5% in repayment    		   Determined by Office of Financial Aid. Students and family must demonstrate financial need, fund availability varies by year2
    Federal Work-study Typical base award of $500     Need-based, meet federal requirements1. Student may request an increase if necessary.

    1 Students must complete FAFSA, submit all required documents to the Office of Financial Aid and be: U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, enrolled in degree-seeking program at least half-time, meeting standards of satisfactory academic progress, in compliance with Selective Service requirements (if male), and have no prior drug convictions during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV aid. In addition, borrowers must complete an online entrance interview AND complete a Master Promissory Note for each program prior to receiving funds from Federal Direct Sub/Unsub, Grad PLUS, and/or a Federal Perkins loans. Net fees are effective as of 10/01/2020.

    2 LDS and/or PCL borrowers must meet Title VII requirements, complete an HPSL online entrance interview and complete a Master Promissory Note for each program. In addition, the borrower will be required to review and accept disclosures and complete a self-certification form annually before funds disburse to their student account.

  • Need-based scholarships are available for medical students attending Tufts University School of Medicine. All students who have applied for institutional assistance will be assessed annually to determine individual eligibility. Scholarships are awarded to those with the most financial need, and range in value. Most scholarships are equivalent to 25% of tuition, however, some may be valued as much as 100% of tuition. However, no student can receive an institutional scholarship that exceeds the value of 100% tuition from any and all sources. Externally funded scholarships are considered when determining the total scholarship eligibility for institutional funding. Students are encouraged to disclose outside scholarship awards as early as possible to avoid having their institutional scholarship reduced later in the year. All scholarship awards are need-based and are never guaranteed for renewal in future years. Students are required to reapply for aid annually and those displaying similar levels of need are likely to receive similar aid packages in future years.

  • The Office of Financial Aid awards institutional and federal student loans in accordance with eligibility requirements and availability of funding.

    Students are responsible for completing all required paperwork with lenders to ensure the disbursement of loan proceeds to their student accounts.

    Tufts University participates in the William D. Ford Direct Lending program. Students may complete the Direct Loan Master Promissory Note. Federal student loan borrowers must also ensure that they complete mandatory loan entrance interview counseling prior to their loan disbursements. Students may satisfy this requirement by going to Counseling Sessions and completing this session on-line at their convenience. From the main page, students should choose the Entrance Counseling option and from there select the Graduate Student option.

    Students who are graduating, taking a Leave of Absence, withdrawing, or who will drop to less-than half-time enrollment must also complete Federal Student Loan Exit Counseling at www.studentloans.gov. Choose Exit Counseling from the top menu and proceed following the instructions provided. Results will be sent to Tufts School of Medicine automatically.

  • Medical students may take advantage of loan repayment programs through a variety of sources. Tufts University has also created a new Loan Repayment Assistance Program, available to graduates of any Tufts program who are pursuing careers in public service.

How to Apply for Aid

  • Steps listed indicate things you must do. Steps listed in italics describe the events that will take place once you have completed each step.

    1. Submit your completed financial aid application to the Office of Financial Aid by the stated deadline or priority consideration date
      The Office of Financial Aid staff will review your eligibility and send you a Financial Aid Notice (FAN) detailing the types of aid you are eligible to receive
    2. Sign and return one copy of the FAN to the Office of Financial Aid within 2-3 weeks of receipt of the FAN
    3. Complete Master Promissory Notes for all loans you wish to accept
      • Direct Unsubsidized Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)
        Upon receipt of your FAN and your completion of the MPN the Office of Financial Aid will certify your loan eligibility
      • Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN)
        Upon receipt of your FAN and your completion of the MPN the Office of Financial Aid will certify your loan eligibility
      • Wolfson Loan Master Promissory Note
    4. Complete the mandatory Direct Loan Entrance Counseling at the same time you complete the MPN(s)
      • Your lender will disburse your semester's loan proceeds to the university on the first day of the semester based on your program's academic calendar
      • The Office of the Health Sciences Bursar will issue refund checks if your loans exceed your billed charges

  • 2023-2024 Application Materials (starting Fall 2023)

    2022-23 Application Materials (starting Fall 2022)

    Request Form for Additional Loans (current students)

  • MD or MD Combined Degree Students

    • MD/MBA
    • MD/MPH
    • MD/PhD

    All Applicants

    Financial aid is awarded on an academic year basis. Our application priority date for the 2023-24 academic year is the latter of January 27, 2023, or two weeks after a student interviews at Tufts. Applications received after the priority application priority date will be considered for institutional funding should funds remain and will not impact federal aid eligibility.

    New Applicants

    Please do not wait until you are admitted to apply for financial assistance. Having a complete financial aid application on file when you are admitted ensures that we will be able to review your application quickly and notify you of your eligibility shortly after your admission.

    Continuing Applicants

    The Office of Financial Aid will be in touch with you each December to notify you when application materials for the next academic year are available. Application forms are sent out via email attachment, and are also available on this webpage via the link in the left sidebar.

    How Do I Apply for Aid?

    Complete the applications listed above in the "Forms and Applications" section as appropriate for your program and submit the supplemental documents listed in the application instructions.

    Who May Apply?

    Applicants who meet the following requirements may be eligible to receive federal financial aid if they are: 1) accepted or enrolled at Tufts School of Medicine on at least a half-time basis, 2) meeting standards of academic standard progress, 3) a citizen of the United States or an eligible non-citizen, and 4) NOT in default with prior student loans.

    Renewal of Eligibility

    Students are required to apply for financial aid each academic year and eligibility is determined for all financial aid programs available. Components of a student's aid package may vary from year to year due to changes in financial circumstances, late applications, changes in program regulations, and/or funds available.

    International Students

    No federal or institutional funds are available to international students. However, private loans may be secured with an eligible co-signer. The Office of Financial Aid would be happy to assist international students with questions pertaining to private loans.

  • If selected for federal verification, you will also be required to submit one of these forms. Do not complete this form unless you have been notified that it is required.

    2022-2023

    Federal Verification Worksheet V4

    Federal Verification Worksheet V5

If you have questions, check out our FAQs or contact the Office of Financial Aid.