External Scholarships and Aid

External and Contractual Opportunities

While not an exhaustive list, below are some external scholarships that students may want to consider.

American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation

Scholarship awarded annually to medical students based on financial need, academic achievement and documented leadership skills. Selected by the School of Medicine Scholarship and Loans Subcommittee.

American Medical Women's Association Loan Program

The American Medical Women's Association Loan Program is dedicated to women who are U.S. citizens, mid- first, second- or third-year students and are members of AMWA may apply. Loans granted are $2,500 per year with a maximum of $5,000 during medical school. Interest at seven percent begins December 15 after graduation and repayment commences the January 15 after graduation. Loans must be repaid within three years of graduation.

Deadline for application is April 30.

Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program

The Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program are contractual scholarships for military service. Please contact Dr. Chris Bunt, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Professionalism, MUSC's military medical school liaison, for information on these programs.

HRSA National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program

The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program (NHSC SP) awards full tuition scholarships to students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training. In return, scholars commit to provide primary care health services in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs).

Applications are taken directly from the NHSC website.

Japanese Medical Society of America

The Japanese Medical Society of America (JMSA) is dedicated to promoting the exchange of medical and educational information between the US and Japan, as well as in providing valuable medical information to the general public. Many donors, from private individuals to large companies contribute each year to the JMSA scholarship fund to support the education of medical professionals. the JMSA looks for candidates who:

  • Demonstrate academic excellence
  • Show a strong interest in the JMSA and achieving its goals
  • Propose a clear, achievable project that will benefit the JMSA and the Japanese community

In your application, you are required to briefly describe a project that you would like to complete related to the JMSA mission. The project can be anything. Examples of past projects include a service to connect elderly Japanese patients with health care, a medical blog in Japanese detailing the experiences of a medical student in America, and a collaborative web site to connect Japanese and American medical students. These are just examples of the types of projects that are feasible.

Deadline: December 31

Lancaster City and County Medical Society

The Lancaster Medical Society Scholarship Foundation provides funding to Lancaster County residents attending medical school who exemplify good character, motivation, academic excellence, and demonstrate financial need. Since its establishment in 1991, the Foundation has awarded more than $246,000 in scholarship funds. Each year, Lancaster City & County Medical Society holds a Holiday Social & Foundation Benefit to raise funds for the scholarship program.

Any Lancaster County resident fulfilling the criteria listed above and accepted or continuing a medical degree at an accredited medical school may apply for the Lancaster Medical Society Foundation scholarship.

Oliver Goldsmith, M.D., Scholarship

The Oliver Goldsmith, M.D., Scholarship is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and named after the recently retired SCPMG Medical Director, Oliver Goldsmith, M.D. who contributed to the promotion and advancement of Culturally Responsive Care through his personal involvement in effecting change in the system.

The eligibility requirements for the Oliver Goldsmith, M.D., Scholarship are:

  • Must be enrolled in an accredited US medical or osteopathic school
  • Be a student in good standing entering your third or fourth year of medical school
  • Demonstrate a commitment to the advancement of culturally and/or linguistically responsive care or diversity through community service work, clinical volunteering, or applicable research
  • Intend to practice medicine in Southern California
  • Able to participate in a mentoring relationship with a Southern California Kaiser Permanente physician, starting in the Fall of 2022
  • Able to participate in a four to six week clerkship at a Kaiser Permanente facility in Southern California between July 2022 and August 2023

The scholarship application submission period for the 2021 to 2022 school year is now closed. Please check back in Spring 2022 for information on the next submission process.

Pisacano Scholarship Leadership Program

The Pisacano Scholars Leadership Program provides educational programs, leadership training, and funding for outstanding fourth-year medical students for a four-year period. Students must make a commitment to the specialty of family medicine. The funding program is designed to reimburse a portion of medical school debt incurred by the student by the conclusion of the required three-year residency. The Foundation is especially interested in students who exhibit the highest levels of skill, compassion, and leadership. A firm and continuing commitment to the specialty of family medicine is an essential precedent for any applicant to receive a Pisacano Scholarship.

Only applicants who in the fall will be entering their fourth year (full-time) in a U.S. medical school will be considered. Applicants must have declared family medicine as their specialty. Applicants will be judged on commitment to family medicine, leadership qualities, academic performance, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and involvement in serving others. The Foundation Board requires each applicant to complete an interview with a local family physician.

Deadline: March 1

S.C. Rural Health Loan Forgiveness Program

Currently inactive

The State of South Carolina is facing a significant shortage of healthcare providers, especially in the rural and underserved areas. To address this shortage, the South Carolina Center for Rural and Health Care has received funding for the Rural Practice Loan Forgiveness Program. This program was developed to help increase the number of health care workers in the rural and underserved areas of South Carolina. Students from all publicly affiliated S.C. medical and health professions schools are eligible to apply for this statewide loan forgiveness program. At this time, students enrolled in a MD degree program are eligible to receive a total of $120,000 over four years of medical school. For information on applying to the program and the years required in service to the state after residency, please visit the websites below. The priority deadline for application is April 1.

Program Fact Sheet (PDF)

Note: This is program is administered through the University of South Carolina, but is open to all South Carolina students as described above.

Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP)

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has initiated a new program called the Specialty Education Loan Repayment Program (SELRP). SELRP is only available to final year Medical students who have matched to a residency and physicians in an approved residency/fellowship program. SELRP will pay a resident $40,000 for each year while in a residency or fellowship (Maximum four years for a total of $160,000) to apply to the physicians medical school student loan debt. This tax-free money cannot be used for any other student loan debt outside of medical school (MD and DO). In return, the physician comes to work for the VA in the specialty for which they were trained for a minimum of two years (Maximum four years).

Eligible Specialties:

  • Psychiatry
  • Family Practice
  • Internal Medicine
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Gastroenterology
  • Urology
  • Geriatric Medicine

Tylenol Future Care Scholarship

Each year, the makers of Tylenol award annual scholarships to well deserving students who are seeking a degree to actively treat patients.

Ten (10) $10,000 scholarships are awarded annually and are not renewable. Twenty-five (25) $25,000 scholarships will be awarded annually and are not renewable.

Applicants must meet all the following criteria to be eligible for this scholarship:

  • Be a resident of the 50 United States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia.
  • Be a graduate student or be a college senior who will be enrolling in graduate school during the 2021 to 22 academic year.
  • Provide proof of enrollment to a graduate program in medical school, nursing, and/or pharmacy.
  • Have one or more years of school remaining.

Tylenol Future Cares Scholarship opens May 1 each year with a deadline of July 1 11:59 Pacific Daylight Time.

Helpful Links

MUSC Financial Aid Office

Cost of Attendance