Memorial University to pick up tab for MCAT and other fees for low-income medical school applicants

The new Vision Program at Memorial University’s faculty of medicine will waive the medical school application fees for low-income applicants. It will also help students cover MCAT and Casper exam costs.Applying to medical school can be expensive. For Memorial University, there is a $255 application fee. The MCAT exam costs US$375, and applicants for a fee assistant program have to pay US$140. The Vision Program will also cover $300 in MCAT preparatory materials. The Casper exam costs about $40.“Before someone even gets into medical school there are all these costs,” Dr. Amanda Tzenov, the assistant dean of admissions at Memorial University’s faculty of medicine, said in a press release from the school. “Some people apply year after year and that can get expensive. Historically we’ve seen that people who apply generally come from higher income families.”Read: How a tool sparked at McMaster is helping select medical school applicants worldwideThe idea is to reduce barriers to applying to Memorial University’s faculty of medicine.“This program will ensure potential applicants will get help right at the onset.”Once a student gets accepted to Memorial University’s faculty of medicine, the Vision Program will provide a bursary to cover the $1,000 deposit needed to secure a seat in the undergraduate medical program.The seat deposits help fund the Vision Program. Money from seat deposits forfeited by successful applicants who chose to study elsewhere will be funneled into the Vision Program, meaning the number of people the program can support depends on funding. Read: Meet Dr. Dominick Shelton: Our Q&A with the interim dean of recruitment and admissions at the TMU’s School of MedicineTo qualify for the Vision Program, students must have the same household and/or parental income threshold that exists to receive a Canada Student Grant. They will also need to submit a transcript of university grades and a personal statement. Students must apply to the Vision Program the year before they intend to apply for medical school. Once admitted to the Vision Program, students are able to apply to Memorial University’s faculty of medicine in the next year’s admission cycle. Dr. Tzenov is encouraging potential medical students to apply early.Being part of the Vision Program also means the medical school admissions committee will be aware of the applicants before they apply to medical school, Dr. Tzenov said.“They will see this person had to work part time all through their undergrad and perhaps that may be why their marks were not as good as they might otherwise be,” she explained. “All of that is considered when decisions are made about admissions. Under the holistic review process, applicants to the Vision Program will be known to the committee to provide as much context as possible of the applicant’s life experience.”The hope is to attract more applicants to from Newfoundland and Labrador and increase the chances of them practicing in the region after graduation.Information about the Vision Program is available on the Memorial University website. Read: A Newfoundland-grown berry could be the new superfood

Memorial University to pick up tab for MCAT and other fees for low-income medical school applicants

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics