As medical education costs continue to climb, students are finding themselves burdened with substantial debt. Graduates from US public medical schools face an average debt of $200,000 in 2024, while those from private institutions are shouldering even more—$230,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
While these figures are daunting, there is some relief for in-state students attending public medical schools, where local funding often helps to offset costs. Recent data from US News highlights the ongoing financial disparity within public institutions. In the 2023-2024 academic year, the average in-state tuition for the 69 public medical schools that reported their fees was $39,540. However, the 10 most affordable schools offered a significant price break, averaging just $23,859—around $15,700 lower than the overall average for public schools.
Top Affordable Medical Schools and Regional Disparities
At the forefront of affordability is the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, which charged an impressively low $19,576 in-state tuition for the 2023-2024 school year. In stark contrast, 37 public medical schools exceeded this figure by more than double, with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine standing as the most expensive, at $64,606 in-state.
Texas leads the way in terms of cost-effective public medical education, with seven of the 10 most affordable schools based in the state. Institutions in New Mexico, South Carolina, and North Carolina also made the list. Among these, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center stood out as the only institution to secure a Tier 1 ranking in research-focused education. Additionally, the University of New Mexico, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University all earned Tier 1 recognition in primary care education.
US Public Medical Schools With the Lowest In-State Tuition (2023-2024)
Here is the list of the US public medical schools with the lowest in-state tuition provided here:
| School | In-state tuition & fees (2023-24) | US News Primary Care Tier | US News Research Tier |
| University of New Mexico | $19,576 | 1 | 3 |
| University of North Texas Health Science Center | $20,024 | 1 | 4 |
| Texas A&M University | $21,760 | 2 | 3 |
| Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | $22,076 | 1 | 3 |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | $22,490 | 2 | 1 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center—San Antonio | $23,735 | 2 | 2 |
| The University of Texas at Tyler | $24,664 | Unranked | 4 |
| Medical University of South Carolina | $27,551 | 3 | 2 |
| East Carolina University (Brody) (NC) | $27,999 | 1 | 3 |
| University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston (McGovern) | $28,713 | 3 | 2 |