September 18, 2025
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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Every year, thousands of premeds walk into the med school application cycle blind not to how hard it is, but to how expensive it is. And it’s not just the MCAT or primary fees. It’s secondaries, flights, hotel rooms, Casper, deposits, missed work, interview suits.
So, how much does it cost to apply to medical school, really?
In this article, we’ll break down every single cost included in applying to medical school, from MCAT registration to those awkwardly expensive accepted student visits. You'll see the full picture: primary and secondary apps, testing, interview travel, hidden fees, and even three total-cost scenarios so you can plan like a boss. We’ll also give you 10 tactical ways to cut your costs without cutting corners.
And the most expensive mistake? Needing to apply twice. A second cycle means paying for everything again. The best way to save money is to get in on your first try. That’s exactly why, at Premed Catalyst, we made a free Application Database. It gives you access to 8 full AMCAS applications that got accepted to top schools like UCLA and UCI, so you can model your app after what already worked.
Get your free resource here.
Let’s talk about the big one: the MCAT. If you're serious about med school, there's no way around it. You will take the MCAT, and yes, it’s expensive.
The base fee to register for the MCAT is $335. That gets you one test, one score report, and access to your results. If you need to cancel or reschedule, expect extra fees that stack fast. Need to test in an international location? Add another $120.
But here’s the real cost: prep.
A good prep course ranges anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, depending on the provider and the level of support (live classes, tutoring, on-demand videos, etc.). Self-paced online resources like UWorld, Anki decks, and AAMC’s official materials will run you a few hundred more. AAMC’s official bundle alone (practice tests, question packs, section banks, etc.) is around $300.
On average, most students end up spending $2,000–$3,500 in total just to prep and sit for the MCAT.
Could you go the DIY route with free or low-cost resources? Sure. But if scoring above average (remember: 506 is the average) is your goal, investing in prep might be the difference between getting interviews or reapplying next year, which, in the end, would be much more expensive.
The moment you hit "submit" on your primary application, the bills start rolling in.
There are three main application services for U.S. medical schools:
Let’s break down the cost for each:
Altogether, the primary app stage alone often costs $1,000–$2,000, depending on how broadly you apply. And this is just to get your foot in the door.
<Youtube video> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prapHoGYh8g
Just when you think you’re done paying, the secondaries hit.
After you submit your primary applications, most schools will send you a secondary application, usually within days. These are school-specific essays and questionnaires designed to squeeze more insight (and yes, more money) out of you.
And they are not optional. If you don’t complete a secondary, your application basically dies on arrival.
Here’s the damage:
Some schools will screen applicants and only send secondaries to competitive candidates, but many send them to everyone. So, budget like you're getting all of them, even if you really won’t.
So, let's say you crush the MCAT, nail your essays, and now you’ve got interviews. Congrats, but guess what? Now you pay again.
Interview season used to mean buying flights, hotel rooms, and overpriced airport food while crisscrossing the country. Since COVID, some schools have kept virtual interviews (bless them), but many have gone back to in-person, especially for final rounds or special programs.
Here’s what to expect:
If you’re invited to 5–10 interviews, even with a mix of virtual and in-person, it’s common to spend $1,000 to $4,000+ on the interview trail.
And here’s the real kicker: you’re spending all this money before you even know if you’ll get in. There’s no reimbursement, no guarantees, just hope and a lot of receipts.
Welcome to the era of situational judgment tests (SJTs): new layers of evaluation that some med schools now require on top of the MCAT.
Here’s what you can expect:
Once you receive an acceptance, most schools require a non-refundable deposit to hold your seat. These deposits typically range from $100 to $1,500, depending on the school. Some are applied toward tuition later, others are just gone. If you’re holding multiple offers while deciding, multiply that number accordingly.
Now let’s talk about second look visits—aka Accepted Student Days.
These are optional events where schools invite admitted students to visit campus, meet future classmates, and get a feel for the culture. It's a mix of socializing, Q&As, and trying to picture yourself there for the next 4 years.
But the costs? Very real.
Most schools don’t reimburse you for these visits either. A few offer travel stipends, especially for students from underrepresented or low-income backgrounds, but that’s not a guarantee.
So even after you’ve crossed the finish line, you’re still spending. From deposits to decision visits, budget another $300 to $1,500 for this final stretch.
Not every cost of applying to med school shows up on your credit card statement. Some are sneakier. Some are heavier. And some might be draining you already, without you even realizing it.
Let’s break them down:
You’re grinding in research labs, volunteering at clinics, shadowing physicians, and mentoring underclassmen. You’re putting in hours. Hundreds of hours.
But your bank account doesn’t reflect it.
Most of this premed grind is unpaid. That’s time you could’ve spent working, earning, saving, but didn’t, because building a med school application is basically a second full-time job.
Opportunity cost? Easily $3,000–$10,000 over a couple of years. Nobody talks about it, but it’s real.
You’ll need to send your transcripts to AMCAS or AACOMAS. That’s $10–$20 per school, depending on your institution.
Some charge extra for rush delivery or sending multiple copies. That means if you don’t want to lose money, don’t wait to get this done.
Need to use a letter service (like Interfolio) to organize your recs? That’s another $50+. Not huge, but it all stacks.
Tutoring and advising can change the game, but only if you’re intentional.
Don’t pay $200/hour for someone to "lightly review" your essays.
Do invest if:
If a consultant promises guarantees? Run.
If they offer actual strategy, personalized guidance, and results like 90%+ acceptance rates? Now we’re talking.
This one’s not on your bank statement, but it’s the most expensive cost of all.
When you go all-in on being premed with classes, work, apps, essays, MCAT prep, rejection after rejection, it chips away at you. Your sleep. Your mood. Your motivation. Relationships get strained. Self-doubt creeps in. You might lose track of who you were before this process began.
And burnout? It leads to missed deadlines, weak secondaries, botched interviews—actual consequences.
Take care of yourself like you're already the doctor you’re trying to become. Because if you burn out now, everything you’ve already spent will lead to nothing.
Let’s zoom out.
You’ve seen how the med school application process adds up with test fees, school fees, prep, travel, and those invisible costs no one warns you about. But what does this all look like when you put it together?
Here are three realistic scenarios based on how most applicants approach the process. Your actual cost will land somewhere between these depending on how many schools you apply to, how much prep you need, and how far you’re willing (or able) to go.
This is the leanest path possible without cutting corners that matter.
It’s possible, but it means being extremely strategic, frugal, and self-motivated. If your stats are solid and you have a compelling story, this could work. But there’s zero room for error.
This is where most serious premeds land.
You’re balancing cost and competitiveness. You’re paying for structure and strategy, but not going all-out. It’s a smart middle ground for most.
This is the “leave no stone unturned” approach.
This approach isn't necessarily better, but it is common for high-stakes applicants targeting competitive MD/PhD programs or top-10 schools. The investment is heavy, but so is the potential payoff.
Yes, applying to med school is expensive. But wasting money on it? That’s optional.
Here are 10 tactical ways to lower your costs without sabotaging your chances:
The truth is, applying to med school isn’t just hard. It’s expensive. And the only thing worse than spending thousands of dollars on this process is having to do it all over again.
If you want to cut costs, the smartest move you can make isn’t skipping flights or recycling essays. It’s getting accepted the first time.
That’s exactly why we built the Premed Catalyst Free Application Database. It’s a collection of 8 real, accepted AMCAS applications, including mine, to top-tier schools like UCLA and UCI. You’ll see exactly how successful applicants structured their activities and personal statements.
Get your free resource here.
