News & Events

Becoming a doctor is a dream of many. However, achieving this dream might take a fortune. The tuition fee in medical school alone is already much more than the average cost of other bachelor’s or master’s programs. Therefore, before entering medical school, it is best to be prepared not just mentally and emotionally but also financially. Here, we listed the estimated cost of the tuition fees in some of the top medical schools in the Philippines, the scholarships incoming and current medical students can avail of, and some things to consider before entering medical school. 

How much does medical school usually cost in the Philippines?

The cost of a medical school in the Philippines varies depending on which school you wish to apply for. Listed below are the top medical schools in the Philippines and their corresponding estimated tuition fees. 

• University of Santo Tomas, Manila – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

One academic year in UST can cost as much as 143,463 Php. This already includes laboratory and miscellaneous fees.

• University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Manila

The tuition fee in UERM per year is around 170,000 Php. 

• University of the Philippines, Manila – College of Medicine

Students in the UP System can apply for a socialized tuition system, meaning the amount students will be paying for their tuition fees will depend on their family’s annual income. For those students whose family income is 1.3 Million and above, their tuition fees can take up to 50,649 Php per semester. 

• Far Eastern University – Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation

The tuition fee in FEU-NRMF ranges between 140,000 to 152,000 Php per semester.

• De La Salle University – Health Science Institute

For DLSU-HSI, the tuition fee ranges between 110,000 to 130,000 Php per semester. 

• Cebu Institute of Medicine

The minimum tuition fee at the Cebu Institute of Medicine is 70,000 Php, while the maximum tuition fee is 80,000 Php per semester.

• Davao Medical School Foundation

The annual tuition fee at Davao Medical School Foundation is approximately 250,000 Php. This school only accepts payments in US Dollars or Indian Rupee. 

• Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health – Pasig

Studying at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health will cost around 151,000 Php per semester. This already includes the tuition, laboratory, and miscellaneous fees. 

Different Ways You Can Pay for Medical School

DOH Medical Scholarship

One of the best scholarships aspiring doctors can receive in the Philippines is the DOH Medical Scholarship. This scholarship grant covers the tuition, laboratory, and miscellaneous fees. In addition, it will also provide allowance to cover the expenses that a student will incur outside the school. The breakdown of this allowance is listed below:

• Book Allowance – 12,100 Php/semester
• Uniform Allowance – 3,025 Php/semester
• Miscellaneous Allowance – 5,500 Php/semester
• Living Subsidy – 4,500 Php/semester
• Lodging – 3,000 Php/semester
• Transportation Allowance – 880 Php/semester

Any incoming and current medical students can apply for this scholarship. However, DOH prioritizes students from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, members of indigenous communities, and children of government employees.

The medical schools where the DOH scholarship is accredited are as follows:

• NCR 

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

University of the Philippines – College of Medicine

• Region 1

University of Northern Philippines

• Region 2

Cagayan State University

• Region 3

Angeles University Foundation

• Region 4

None

• Region 5

Bicol Christian College Medicine

• Region 6

Western Visayas State University

• Region 7

Southwestern Univerity PHINMA

University of Cebu College of Medicine

• Region 8

University of the Philippines – School of Health Sciences

• Region 9

Mindanao State University

• Region 10

None

• Region 11

Brokenshire College

Davao Medical Schoo, Foundation

• Region 12,13, CAR, CARAGA, ARMM

None

The application process for the DOH medical process is as follows:

• Applicants should directly apply to any accredited partner medical schools listed above and undergo screening and selection by the partner school. 
• Students should accomplish the DOH Medical Scholarship Form and the Scholar’s Commitment Form. 
• The partner school shall endorse the list of the DOH medical scholarship applicants to the region’s DOH RO for evaluation. 
• The validation results shall be endorsed by the RO and recommended to HHRDB before getting evaluated by the Pre-Service Scholarship Management Committee. 
• The list of accepted applicants shall be endorsed by the HHRDB to the respective ROs and coordinate with the partner schools to facilitate the enrollment of the accepted scholarship applicants.
• All accepted scholarship applicants shall be notified by the partner school and be enrolled accordingly. 
• The partner school shall send the list of enrolled scholars to the respective ROs for proper documentation. 
• A Department Personnel Order shall be issued after the respective ROs endorsed the list of enrolled scholars to HHRDB. 

Source: https://governmentph.com/doh-medical-scholarship/

CHED Scholarship

Any incoming or current medical students can apply for the CHED Scholarship. However, the CHED scholarship only has eight partner medical schools in the Philippines compared to the DOH Medical Scholarship. These schools are:

• Bicol University
• Cagayan State University
• Mariano Marcos State University
• Mindanao State University
• University of the Northern Philippines
• University of the Philippines College of Medicine
• University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences 
• Western Visayas State University

The CHED Scholarship covers 100% of the tuition fee and provides financial assistance for the other expenses incurred outside the school. The breakdown of this financial assistance is listed below:

• Book Allowance – 14,000 Php/Academic Year
• Uniform Allowance – 6,000 Php/Academic Year
• Experimental Learning Activities – 10,000 Php/Academic Year
• Living Allowance – 7,000 Php/Academic Year

UNILAB and NKVS Program Scholarships

The UNILAB Corporation has a scholarship program for medical students. However, the benefits of the scholarship may vary per school. Hence, it is best to contact the schools first to validate the benefits of the UNILAB Scholarship that you can avail of.

UNILAB Corporation has selected few partner medical schools in the Philippines. These are:

• Angeles University Foundation
• Ateneo de Zamboanga University
• Cagayan State University
• Cebu Doctor’s University
• Cebu Institute of Medicine
• Davao Medical School Foundation
• Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
• Siliman University
• University of Perpetual Help 
• Western Visayas University

Another similar program is the Nellie Kellog van Schaik (NKVS) Program. Its partner medical schools in the Philippines are:

• Davao Medical School Foundation
• Xavier University

School-based Scholarships

Each school in the Philippines has its scholarship programs for medical students. The granting of these scholarships may be based on the financial needs of the students or can be merit-based. Listed below are some of the scholarship programs available in the top medical schools in the Philippines:

• University of Santo Tomas, Manila – Faculty of Medicine and Surgery

The UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery offers their graduates the Sto. Tomas Scholarship, which provides a 50% discount for applicants who graduated Magna Cum Laude and a 100% discount for students who graduated Summa Cum Laude. Non-UST graduates can also avail of the scholarship, but only during their second year in medicine. In addition, they need to have at least an 88.5% grade point average with no failing grades. 

Another scholarship medical students in UST can avail of is the Regent’s Scholarship Program. This scholarship is granted to five students every year. The recipients of this scholarship receive a full-tuition discount but have to maintain an 88.5% grade point average and with failing grades. 

• University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Manila

The UERM offers two scholarships for first-year medical students. The first is the University Entrance Scholarship granted to students who graduated Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude from their bachelor’s degree and with at least 95th percentile rank in the NMAT. This scholarship grants the accepted applicants a full-tuition discount as well as a 15,000 Php book allowance. 

The second scholarship in UERM is the President Dalupan Entrance Scholarship. Full scholarship is granted to those students who graduated Summa Cum Laude or Magna Cum Laude from their pre-med course. On the other hand, a 50% discount on tuition and laboratory fees is granted to incoming Freshmen who graduated Cum Laude from their pre-med course.

The UERM also offers different scholarship grants for upper-level students. It is best to contact the school to inquire about the available scholarships you can avail of. 

• De La Salle University – Health Science Institute

THE DLSI-HSI has over six different scholarship programs offered to their students. One of these scholarships includes the entrance scholarship, which provides partial or complete discounts to students depending on what Latin honor they received when they graduated from college. Another one is the special entrance scholarship, which provides partial or complete discounts to students who topped their respective board exams. Placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your respective board exam entitles you to a full scholarship.  Placing 4th or 5th gives you a 75% discount. Placing 6th to 10th gives you a 50%  discount. 

Other scholarships in DLSU HSI are the Dean and Academic Scholarships, which provide students discounts depending on their academic performance. Financial aid programs are also available in DLSU HSI to assist those students who need financial support.,

• Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health – Pasig

ASMPH offers two forms of scholarship – financial aid and merit-based scholarship. Financial aid is awarded to students who belong to a certain income demographic. In contrast, the merit-based scholarship is awarded to students who scored at least 95% percentile in the NMAT and graduated with Latin honors. In addition, 50% scholarship is granted to students who graduated Magna Cum Laude, while 100% scholarship is awarded to students who graduated Summa Cum Laude.

• Southwestern University PHINMA School of Medicine

In Southwestern University, they offer the Chairman’s Scholarship, which covers tuition, laboratory fees, different miscellaneous fees. The scholarship also provides the students a monthly allowance of 10,000 Php and a book allowance of 10,000 Php. In addition, the school also offers the Presidential Scholarship, which affords 100% free tuition to any NMAT passer and pre-med program graduate. Furthermore, the school also has the Best You Scholarship Program. The School of Medicine will provide the accepted scholarship applicants a 100% discount on tuition.

Alternative Options That Can Make Medical School Affordable

Do well in your academics. 

Doing well in your academics during college will reward you with many opportunities, especially if you aspire to become a physician. Almost all medical schools grant scholarships based on the Latin Honor you received when you graduated from college. The higher the Latin Honor is, the bigger the discount you can receive when you enroll in medical school. Moreover, medical schools also grant scholarships to medical students with a high-grade point average and no failing grades. Hence, it is crucial to perform well academically for you to be qualified for these scholarships. 

Ask assistance from your family.

Tapping into your network is one of the most effective ways to make medical school more affordable. Mose medical students are fortunate enough to have supportive parents, relatives, and other benefactors who can help fund their medical school education. If you are also like one of these students who has the same privilege, then the benefits for you are more apparent.  

Enroll in a public medical school.

It is no secret that private medical schools’ tuition fees are much higher than public ones. This is because the government subsidizes the costs of public medical schools. However, there are also equally competitive public medical schools, so do not restrict your options to private institutions alone.

Use your savings. 

Some students took some gap years after graduating from college to work and save up for medical school. However, this will require you to stick to a tighter budget and live a more modest lifestyle to have enough savings to fund your medical school education. 

Tips to Remember That Can Help Med Students Save Money

Stick to a budget. 

Nobody knows better your financial situation than you do. Creating a budget plan for the different expenses that you will be incurring daily will help you save you a lot of money because you can monitor where your money is going and have a lesser incentive to spend on unnecessary things. 

Find cheaper housing.

If the medical school you would be studying in is far from your home, it is more practical to rent a place where you can stay. It can be tempting to rent and live in popular and luxurious areas due to the different amenities they provide to their residents. However, if you are on a tight budget, finding a cheaper apartment that can provide you with a decent shelter and conducive environment for studying will help you save a lot of money. 

Eat out less.

As a medical student, it is given that you will have a pretty tight schedule. Therefore, eating outside can be more convenient. However, eating out every meal is both expensive and unhealthy. To avoid unnecessary spending, preparing simple meals can help a lot. Not only will this help you save money, but it can also provide you with better nutrition.