The AAMC is committed to supporting aspiring physicians on their journey to medical school and strongly believes that the costs associated with applying to medical school should not be a barrier. One resource to help offset some of the application costs is the AAMC Fee Assistance Program. The program assists those who, without financial assistance, would be unable to take the MCAT exam, apply to medical schools using the AMCAS application, and more.
Here are five things you need to know about the 2023 AAMC Fee Assistance Program:
- The AAMC Fee Assistance Program is open to everyone with a U.S. address. Last year, we removed the U.S. citizenship and certain visa status eligibility requirements. Now applicants are only required to show proof of a U.S. address. Learn more about those documentation requirements. Learn more about those documentation requirements.
- Applicants age 26 and over do not need to submit their parents’ financial information. If an applicant is age 26 on the day their application is submitted, they will not have to submit their parental financial information. Did you know that in 2022, applicants age 26 and over made up a third of all approvals?
- Recipients of the AAMC Fee Assistance Program can save over $2,000 by using the benefits on their premed journey. Each Fee Assistance Program award includes access to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website, reduced fees for MCAT registration, waived MCAT Official Prep product fees, assistance in paying for an updated psychoeducational or medical evaluation (if required to support an MCAT accommodation application), waived AMCAS application fees for one application cycle, and waived AAMC PREviewTM professional readiness exam registration fees. Learn more about the benefits of the Fee Assistance Program.
- AAMC Fee Assistance Program benefits are not retroactive. If an applicant is awarded fee assistance benefits, they cannot apply the benefits to previous registrations or purchases. For example, if an applicant registers for the MCAT exam, submits their AMCAS application or purchases a prep product before receiving their benefits, they will not be reimbursed or receive the discounted rate.
- Some medical schools waive secondary application fees for fee assistance recipients. Schools include this information in their Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) profiles. This information can be found under the “Secondary application” – “Fee Waiver Ability” section of MSAR.
