Financial Literacy
Planning for Financial Aid, Planning for Success!
The Office of Financial Aid is committed to each student’s success and would like to encourage students to utilize all available resources in the process of managing their financial affairs and planning for the future. We invite students to explore our comprehensive listing of links, resources, and planning tools, and contact us if you have questions. Anytime you need assistance, remember our door is always open.
Prepare for College – Federal Student Aid
Prepare for College – Federal Student Aid
It’s never too early—or too late—to explore your options for college or career school. We’ll walk through some key steps in preparing for college and provide resources that can help you along the way. You’ll have to take the time to research and understand your options, but you don’t have to do it alone. We’re here to help break down the process to make it easier for you
Cash Course
Cash Course
This is your guide to making informed financial choices. The site provides tool and resources covering a wide range of topics such as protecting credit, preventing identity theft, budgeting, financial planning, and managing debt. Get prepared for whatever life has in store. Register for a free account, and take charge of your money.
SAM Smart About Money
SAM Smart About Money
Get smart about money. Free online courses. At your own pace. On your own time. Explore the money topics, Crisis and Fraud, Education and Career, Family and Finances, Spending and Borrowing, etc. Explore why what’s behind your financial decisions by taking Life Value quizzes, and find some common answers about money and finances.
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Medical Colleges – The AAMC’s FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) program provides free resources to help make you wise financial decisions. Whether you’re thinking about how to afford medical school, applying for student loans, or determining your loan repayment options, you’ll find unbiased, reliable guidance from FIRST.
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine– AACOM’s Financial Aid and scholarship information page contains resources for COM specific scholarships, Student Loan Repayment Programs, and Federal Programs such as Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Indian Health Service (IHS), and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).
Banzai! Platform
Nusenda – Banzai Financial Wellness– Each module contains specific information and resources to help osteopathic medical students borrow strategically, create budgets, and ensure they are prepared to responsibly repay their loans after they graduate and enter residency training. Below are a few examples on what Banzai offers. For more information, please go to the link above to create an account.
Student should use a “common-sense” approach to maintaining a healthy credit report. One of the most important thing you can do is to pay your bills on time. When possible, use cash or debit cards, and keep credit balances low. Don’t close old credit accounts, and don’t open new ones. Keep borrowing to a minimum, and always budget funds carefully. This will help students manage their credit history and credit score.
In addition, students should make a habit of monitoring their credit report. By law, you are entitled to one free copy of your report every year from each of the three credit reporting agencies. You can choose to access all three reports at once, or place three separate requests throughout a given year. Reports may be requested at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
In 2007, Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs. Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on their eligible federal student loans after they have made 120 payments on those loans under certain repayment plans while employed full time by certain public service employers. For more information, please review the PSLF Fact Sheet.
National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Programs
The NHSC offers three loan repayment options for primary care providers who work at approved community sites.
Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
The Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment Program (LRP) offers health professionals the opportunity to pay off qualified student loans while assisting the IHS in meeting the staffing needs of Indian health programs. The LRP awards loan repayment to health professionals practicing in specific health profession disciplines who are willing to commit to an initial two-year service obligation while working in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs
NIH offers loan repayment programs to outstanding health professionals who choose to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research. If you commit at least two years to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit organization or U.S. federal, state, or local government entity, NIH may repay up to $35,000 of your qualified student loan debt per year, including most undergraduate, graduate, and medical school loans.
State Loan Forgiveness/Repayment Programs
State governments often provide loan repayment programs as an incentive for service. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides an excellent resource for obtaining information on these programs. In addition, the NHSC provides a chart which shows all states that participate in their State Loan Repayment Program.
Military Health Professions Loan Repayment Program
The HPLRP is available from some branches of the US military. For terms and conditions, please contact a service branch representative.
Financial Education
While you are in medical school you will need to learn how to manage your finances, improve your credit score, and create budgets. Also you will want to have a plan to reach your financial goals. The following links will give you insightful information to reach those goals.
- https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/data-research/credit-card-data/
- https://www.bankrate.com/calculators/credit-cards/credit-card-payoff-calculator.aspx
- https://students-residents.aama.org/financial-aid/
- http://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/financial-aid
- http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/medical.phtml
- https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/prepare-for-college/budgeting
