Grants and scholarships are available through a variety of sources to help finance medical school.
Some grants and scholarships are available directly through the school, from endowed funds that have been gifted or from a percentage of tuition revenue that is reserved to help economically disadvantaged students to better afford their medical education.
Medical students are considered for need-based grants/scholarships on the basis of their financial aid application (FAFSA). Frequently, parental financial income and asset information is required to receive consideration for institutional grants for which need is the primary selection criteria.
Medical students are considered for merit scholarships strictly on the basis of their admission application information and/or their academic performance in medical school. Further information on satisfactory academic regulations is available in the Carver College of Medicine Student Handbook.
Outside Grants and Scholarships
In addition to the loans, grants, and scholarships awarded and/or approved by the University of Iowa or the Carver College of Medicine, you may wish to apply for outside grants or scholarships. The college will announce scholarship opportunities to students through the use of list serves.
Grants and scholarships are available from private sources. By taking the initiative to research availability and by following through with the application process, a student may receive outright gift money in the form of grants and scholarships.
Finding potential assistance may be as easy as talking with upper-class students about assistance they have received, consulting various online scholarship listings, or keeping alert to potential sources when reading newspapers or magazines.
University of Iowa Grants
Each academic year the College of Medicine receives an allotment from tuition set-aside funds for University grants for needy medical students. These grants range from $10,000 to $20,000 for residents and $10,000 to $40,000 for non-residents and are based on financial need as calculated by the FAFSA and parental income information.
Since parental income and asset information is no longer required on the FAFSA, admitted students will need to complete a supplemental application for need-based aid which includes parental information. About 50% of enrolled students qualify for some level of grant assistance each year.
Carver College of Medicine Grants/Scholarships
The Carver College of Medicine has limited endowed and set-aside funds that are awarded to eligible students. Most of these are awarded based on financial need, although some are awarded based on both academic achievement and financial need.
A few sources are awarded strictly on the basis of merit. Awards range in value from $200 to full first-year tuition. Parental income and asset information is required to determine eligibility for the awards that have a financial need component. Parental information will need to be submitted on a separate form that is emailed to students after they are admitted to the program.
A few Deans Scholarships are also available for entering students and are awarded strictly on the basis of merit. A separate application process is not required for these merit scholarships. Awards are made based on information provided during the regular admission application process.
Outside Sources
The Carver College of Medicine works closely with a few organizations that award grants to medical students. These awards are usually for students from specific counties in Iowa.
Other outside funds:
- Grants from local medical societies
- Hospital auxiliary groups
- Science clubs
- Charitable groups
- Educational foundations of industrial corporations
- Religious groups
- Private clubs
Scholarship Database for Outside Sources
Federal Sources
Military Scholarships
All branches of the Armed Forces (Air Force, Army and Navy) offer this program. They provide 100% coverage for tutioin, fees, and required book and supplies.
In addition, students receive more than $2,700 per month stipend (before taxes) throughout the time they are in medical school (this includes the summer months and those months in which you are not in school) and more than $3,400 for the 45 days of the required active duty (clerkship) time you would serve during the summer months. Since many students attend school the entire year, the active duty (clerkship) status is often spent at the individual's school of medicine rather than at the branch of service involved.
In return, students agree to practice medicine in the particular branch of the military based on the length of time they receive support in medical school. Some military branches also offer a $20,000 sign-on bonus that requires no additional active-duty service time.
Requirements: Undergrad GPA must be 3.2 or highter and have a 500+ MCAT score
Further information about these scholarship programs can be obtained by contacting the individual listed below for each branch of the military:
AIR FORCE
USAF Health Professions Recruiter
348th Recruiting Squadron
Technical Sergeant Allan Ray
1751 W Diehl Rod Suite 310
Naperville, IL 60563
Office: (630) 687-1995
ARMY
SSG Jason Macha
Email: jason.l.macha.mil@army.mil
Call/Text: (515) 619-2710
SFC Samantha Zboray
Emai: samantha.m.zboray.mil@army.mil
Call/Text: (515) 217-1514
MAJ John LeBaube
Email: john.w.lebaube.mil@army.mil
Call/Text: (402) 214-1741
NAVY
HM Timothy "TJ" Bielke
Naval Medical Scholarships >Email: timothy.j.bielke.mil@us.navy.mil
Cell: (319) 823-91467
NTAG Nothern Plains-Iowa City
929 25th Avenue Coralville, Iowa 52241
NATIONAL GUARD
7105 NW 70th Ave
Johnston, IA 50131
Fax: (515) 252-4504
Captain Zach Martin ARNG
Special Branch Officer Recruiting
zachary.t.martin20.mil@army.mil
office (515) 252-4307
In the National Guard, you can receive full-time benefits simply by serving the state and country one weekend a month and two weeks a year. In addition, during medical school and your residency program, you are eligible to receive a stipend of $2,466 per month. If you are pursuing a career in an eligible area of concentration, you can also receive up to $250,000 in loan repayment assistance. Finally, you may further be eligible for the Healthcare Special Pay Bonus which can be up to $25,000. All of these incentives are in addition to your military pay and benefits.