Top 10 Most Affordable Medical Schools

Image by Dwight Burdette via Wikipedia

U.S. News and World Report releases its yearly rankings of the best colleges and universities, including medical schools, in the country every year since 1983. Over the decades, the rankings become more comprehensive and diverse.

Now the publication divides its rankings into sub-categories-- best graduate schools, cheapest universities, most expensive colleges, best online programs, etc.

Among this year's list of lists is the "10 Most Affordable Medical Schools," which not only ranks the schools according to tuition cost, but also cross-references them according their position on other USNAWR lists.

The publication reports that public medical school grads who took out loans had an average $167,763 debt in 2014. For private school graduates, the figure rose to $190,053, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

In other words, the average in-debt med-school grad essentially works their first few years—in residency, before the big bucks start rolling in—to pay back school loans.

Top 10 Most Affordable Medical Schools:

10. Rocky Vista University

Situated in Colorado, The College of Osteopathic Medicine at Rocky Vista University costs $48,578 a year. It comes in last of the most affordable medical schools in the private sector. With 623 students and 62 full-time faculty, they have a .1:1 faculty to student ratio. Most of the graduates go into pathology, pediatrics, or family practice. They don't rank for best research or primary care, but at least you are close to the Rockies.

9. Mayo Medical School

The Mayo Medical School costs $47,440 a year, but ranks #27 for best research institutions and ties #42nd for primary care. Its has only 216 students in the program and with over 3,000 full-time faculty, they have the highest faculty to student ratio at 14.9:1. From early on, students get submersed in different fields through short term, hand-picked classes to gauge their interests.  Of all their graduates 70 percent get into their first choice of residency programs. Most graduates go into the fields of anesthesiology, dermatology, surgery, and internal medicine.

8. Howard University

Howard University's medical program has "conferred over 25,000 doctoral and professional degrees to scientists and health care professionals, the majority whom are from underrepresented and disadvantaged populations." The college is historically an African American college and has a rich history and famous Alumni like Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Toni Morrison and former US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Students can expect to pay $46,838 a year for the medical program and be a part of only about 456 other medical students. Most graduates go into the fields of anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and internal medicine.

7. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

With 545 students and a faculty to student ratio of .04:1, the full-time cost of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine is $45,950 a year. The school isn't ranked for best research or primary care, but 91.5 percent of graduates who applied to residency programs got their first choice. Most graduates go into emergency medicine, family practice, and internal medicine.

6. Lincoln Memorial University

The Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at LMU costs $44,320 and is in Harrogate, TN--which is in the middle of nowhere. Only about 820 students go there and with only 41 full-time faculty, they find themselves with heavy class loads. They don't rank for research or primary care and most graduates go into emergency medicine, family practice, and internal medicine.

5. University of Miami

The Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine at The University of Miami costs $42,610 per year. It is ranked 45th in research, but doesn't rank on the list for primary care. With only 803 students, they have one of the better faculty to student ratios yet at 1.7:1. Most graduates go into anesthesiology, dermatology, or internal medicine.

4.  Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

At $42,500 a year for full-time tuition, Edward Via College, lands on the list at #4. It is another school that doesn't rank for best schools for research or primary care. With 1,374 students, they have a .1:1 faculty to student ratio. A plus to this school, is that out of all of their graduates, 82.9% who applied to residency programs were admitted to their first choice. Most of them go into anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and family practice.

3. University of Pikeville

Average, full time tuition at The University of Pikeville, Kentucky is $40,120 a year. This institution doesn't rank on the lists for best research or primary care schools. With only 479 students they have a faculty to student ratio of .1:1. Most graduates go into anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and family practice.

 2. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

At $32,510 a year, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is the second most inexpensive private college on our list of medical schools. With a student population of 2,241 students, they have a 5:1 faculty to student ratio. They don't rank in terms of best research institutions, but they come in 57th for primary care institutions. Most students go into family practice, pediatrics, and internal medicine.

1. Baylor College of Medicine

With annual tuition and fees set at $31,618 for 2014-2015, Baylor earned top honors as the most affordable medical school in this year's rankings. Baylor scored well in other categories, too, ranking number 21 on the publication's list of best medical research institutions, and number 11 on the list of best primary care institutions.

By way of comparison, medical students at Columbia University paid the most in tuition and fees among private school students, at $59,063.

This year's list remained mostly the same from last year's ranking, with Howard University being the only new name in the top 10.

If you're interested in reviewing some of the other comprehensive medical school guides we've created, take a look at some of the following: Top 10 Best Osteopathic Medical Schools, Top 15 Easiest Medical Schools To Get Into, The Pros and Cons of Caribbean Medical Schools, Choose the Right Medical School, How To Prepare For Medical School In High School and College, A Doctor's Guide To Paying Off Medical School Debt, Medical School Interview Questions: An Overview, How To Get Into Medical School, Top Medical School Rankings.