Overview
Neurosurgery's 7-year residency is the longest in medicine. Attending salaries reach $700K or more. Academic neurosurgery is a uniquely powerful PSLF fit — 7 qualifying years before attending means PSLF forgiveness often lands just 3 years into attending income.
Physician salary & compensation
Median salary
$700K
Range
$600K – $950K
Source
MGMA 2025 / Doximity 2025
Residency training timeline
Training years
7y
PGY-1 salary
$65K
Annual growth
2.0%
Fellowship
Optional
Not baked into training
Most neurosurgery trainees follow a 7-year track. PGY-1 pay starts around $65K with roughly 2.0% annual raises.
PSLF & forgiveness strategy
Academic neurosurgery is rare but fits PSLF perfectly. Private-practice neurosurgery income is extreme enough that aggressive payoff finishes in 2–3 years anyway.
Our pick · PSLF at academic; refinance in private
Repayment recommendation
7-year academic residency = 84 qualifying months of low IDR payments, then 3 more years at attending = forgiveness. You'll have ~$200K+ forgiven while your peers barely start paying.
Run your numbers for NeurosurgeryKey takeaways
- Longest residency in medicine — PSLF math is uniquely favorable
- Private-practice income tops $900K — pay off in 2–3 years cash-only
- Fellowship (pediatric, spine, vascular, etc.) adds 1 year
Ready to model your debt strategy?
Compare PSLF, refinancing, and aggressive payoff for your Neurosurgery scenario — pre-filled with the salary and training defaults from this page.
Open the calculator