Giving Priorities
Sch(ol)arship
MOTIVATED TO HELP OTHERS
The college’s unique commitment to admitting students who are compassionate and dedicated—many who come from underrepresented backgrounds or who are first-generation college students—sets us apart from other medical schools.
And while this makes the college desirable to thousands of applicants per year, it also means the college accepts many highly qualified applicants with high pre-existing undergraduate education debt. This, coupled with a background that typically lacks the safety net of family support, only compounds the problem.
One thing is true of all College of Human Medicine students: they commit to spending a minimum of the next seven years of their lives to learning the practice of medicine. Residents then work physically grueling hours for very little pay for another (minimum) three years, immediately following medical school.
These are students who invest years of their lives and nearly a quarter of a million dollars to keep our communities healthy.
After the first four years of medical school, students will leave with an average total student loan debt of $253,000.
While this ranks the college among the upper 90th percentile of medical school tuition costs in the country, it also demonstrates our students’ dedication, as they take on significant financial burden to pursue their dream of becoming a physician.
WHY MICHIGAN STATE?
It is our collective goal to provide communities with the best possible care through educating the next generation of physicians. However, student loan debt has many unfortunate consequences for our students.
For instance, we know that one in four choose a different specialty based on debt. In other words, students may choose to practice a specialty outside of their true passion, based on their ability to pay back student loans. Opting for a higherpaying specialty is an unfortunate, harsh reality for students facing this enormous debt load. This is avoidable, and you have the power to invest in the next generation of
Spartan MDs.
While there are some scholarship funds available, the current offering is simply not enough to significantly impact our students’ overall debt.
State allocation for higher education is consistently declining—which means we need to act now. Spartan MDs are committed to service. They devote years of their lives and incur hundreds of thousands in debt to be the best in their field.
Our students take on a journey unlike any other and they need your help right now. We can no longer rely on the state for assistance. We need to remove the financial barrier for future Spartan MDs, and the only way forward is through your philanthropy. It is our goal to attract the nation's best and brightest—to ensure that our doors stay open to all who qualify, regardless of financial need.
Our goal is to raise $50 million in student support during the FORCE FOR GOOD scholarship campaign.
YOU CAN BE A FORCE FOR GOOD
By creating a path for students with a passion for serving all communities, your investment will help reduce a looming physician shortage, ensure opportunities exist for all who want to practice medicine, and keep all of our communities healthy for generations to come.
With you by our side, we will make a commitment to future Spartan MDs. We will invest in them as they devote themselves to our families and communities. When Spartans like us unite, we are A FORCE FOR GOOD—and there is no limit to what we can do.
Contact a member of our Advancement team by calling (616) 234-2614 or emailing CHMDevelopment@msu.edu.
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