Your debt starts the day you sign. Understand it now.
Most medical students take $200K+ in loans without running a single projection. Know what your graduation debt will be, what interest costs you each year, and what repayment will look like before you even match.
$236K
Median MD graduation debt
AAMC 2024
8.08%
Grad PLUS interest rate
FY 2024–25
$341K+
Debt after 4yr residency at 8%
Interest estimate
73%
MD graduates who borrow
AAMC 2024
At a glance
Estimated debt range at graduation
Actual cost depends on your school’s tuition, living stipend, and how much you borrow for living expenses. These are total debt ranges, including interest accrued during school.
| School type | Graduation debt range |
|---|---|
| Public in-state MD | $150K–$200K |
| Private MD | $220K–$280K |
| DO school | $210K–$260K |
| Caribbean MD | $250K–$350K |
Source: AAMC 2024 Graduation Questionnaire · MedDebt estimates for interest accrual
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Debt Calculator
Enter your projected graduation debt and chosen specialty — see your balance at residency graduation, attending salary, PSLF savings, and net worth by year.
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Paste your current aid award or loan servicer statement and get instant plain-English analysis of your loan types, interest rates, and repayment options.
Analyze my loansIDR Plan Quiz
Not sure if IBR, ICR, or the new RAP plan applies to you? This 3-minute quiz identifies which federal IDR plan makes the most sense given your loans and career plans.
Find my planThe most important thing to know now
Take only federal loans. Never private.
Federal Grad PLUS loans give you income-driven repayment, PSLF eligibility, death and disability discharge, and federal forbearance. Private loans have none of these. The protection matters most if your career takes an unexpected turn — disability, leave, a slower path to attending. If you’re carrying private loans already, the AI Loan Analyzer can help you understand your options.
The PSLF decision starts now: every loan you take needs to be federal for PSLF to be an option later. If you already plan to work at a nonprofit hospital or academic medical center (most residents do), this is the most financially impactful decision of medical school.
Common questions
Medical school debt basics
How much debt will I have at graduation?
The AAMC 2024 Graduation Questionnaire reports the average MD graduate carries $236,450 in federal student debt, with ~73% borrowing at all. Add 4 years of 8.08% Grad PLUS interest (which begins accruing immediately on unsubsidized and Grad PLUS loans) and the balance at the start of residency can exceed $270K–$290K depending on your school's cost of attendance.
Should I take federal or private loans for medical school?
Almost always federal first. Federal Grad PLUS loans offer income-driven repayment, PSLF eligibility, death/disability discharge, and federal forbearance — none of which are available on private loans. Private loans may occasionally offer lower rates but you permanently give up those protections. The only exception: if you're 100% certain you'll be a high-earning specialty physician at a private employer, and you find a private rate meaningfully below 8.08%, the math can sometimes favor a private loan for the last year of school.
Do I have to make loan payments during medical school?
No — federal student loans automatically go into an in-school deferment while you're enrolled at least half-time. However, interest still accrues on unsubsidized loans during this period. When you enter residency, your loans will capitalize (unpaid interest gets added to principal), which is why graduation debt is almost always higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
What is PSLF and should I care about it as a student?
PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) cancels your remaining federal loan balance tax-free after 10 years of qualifying payments while working full-time at a nonprofit employer. As a student, the key decisions that affect PSLF later are: (1) taking only federal loans, never private, and (2) choosing a specialty and employer that align with nonprofit hospitals or the VA. You don't make any payments during school, but those 4 years do not count toward the 120-payment clock.
What happens to my debt during residency?
During residency, your loans enter repayment but you can choose an IDR plan — IBR is the most common as of 2026, with monthly payments around $350–$500/month on a PGY-1 salary of ~$65K (10% of discretionary income). If you work at a nonprofit hospital or academic medical center, those payments count toward PSLF. At the end of a 3-year IM residency, you'll have ~36 of your 120 qualifying PSLF payments done.
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