10 Best Medical School Loans of February 2023
Benefits like student loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment make federal student loans a better option than private student loans for medical school.
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There are two main types of medical school loans: federal and private. In general, use federal student loans for medical school first because they have benefits private loans for medical school lack, including access to income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.
The following lenders offer student loans specifically designed for medical students and other graduate-level health professionals. Compare specific lenders below — see which let you postpone payments in residency under Key Facts — and keep reading to learn more about the differences between federal and private student loans.
There are two main types of medical school loans: federal and private. In general, use federal student loans for medical school first because they have benefits private loans for medical school lack, including access to income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.
The following lenders offer student loans specifically designed for medical students and other graduate-level health professionals. Compare specific lenders below — see which let you postpone payments in residency under Key Facts — and keep reading to learn more about the differences between federal and private student loans.
Best Medical School Loans
Lender | NerdWallet rating | Min. credit score | Fixed APR | Variable APR | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan | Best for All borrowers as a first option | None | 4.99- | N/A | Read review |
![]() Federal Grad PLUS Loan | Best for Manageable payments post-graduation | None | 7.54- | N/A | Read review |
![]() Sallie Mae Private Student Loan Check rate on Sallie Mae's website | Best for Private loans for medical school | Mid- | 4.50- | 5.37- | Check rate on Sallie Mae's website |
Ascent Medical Student Loan Check rate on Ascent's website | Best for Private loans for medical school | Varies | 5.44- | 6.32- | Check rate on Ascent's website |
College Ave Medical Student Loan Check rate on College Ave's website | Best for Private loans for medical school | Mid- | 4.49- | 4.49- | Check rate on College Ave's website |
Nelnet Bank Private Student Loan | Best for Private loans for medical school | N/A | N/A | N/A | Read review |
Earnest Private Student Loan Check rate on Earnest's website | Best for Private loans for medical school | 650 | 4.79- | 4.79- | Check rate on Earnest's website |
Education Loan Finance Private Student Loan Check rate on Education Loan Finance's website | Best for Private loans for medical school | 680 | 3.98- | 3.98- | Check rate on Education Loan Finance's website |
![]() MPOWER Private Student Loan Check rate on MPOWER's website | Best for International medical students | N/A | 13.72- | N/A | Check rate on MPOWER's website |
![]() Brazos Private Student Loan Check rate on Brazos' website | Best for Borrowers from Texas | 680 | 2.84- | 4.09- | Check rate on Brazos' website |
Our pick for
All borrowers as a first option
Start with federal direct unsubsidized loans if low-cost federal health professions student loans aren’t available for medical school.
Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan

Min. credit score
NoneFixed APR
4.99-Variable APR
N/AOur pick for
Manageable payments post-graduation
Federal benefits like student loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment can make grad PLUS loans a better option than private student loans for medical school.
Federal Grad PLUS Loan

Min. credit score
NoneFixed APR
7.54-Variable APR
N/AOur pick for
Private loans for medical school

on Sallie Mae's website
Sallie Mae Private Student Loan

Min. credit score
Mid-Fixed APR
4.50-Variable APR
5.37-on Sallie Mae's website
on Ascent's website
Ascent Medical Student Loan
Min. credit score
VariesFixed APR
5.44-Variable APR
6.32-on Ascent's website
on College Ave's website
College Ave Medical Student Loan
Min. credit score
Mid-Fixed APR
4.49-Variable APR
4.49-on College Ave's website
Pros
Offers 13 options for flexible post-graduation repayment, which is more than most lenders.
Provides rate offer with soft credit check.
Borrowers enrolled less than half-time can qualify.
Cons
Does not disclose full underwriting requirements.
Borrowers may not know what to expect with hardship forbearance as it is granted case-by-case.
Does not allow bi-weekly payments via autopay.
Pros
Offers 13 options for flexible post-graduation repayment, which is more than most lenders.
Provides rate offer with soft credit check.
Borrowers enrolled less than half-time can qualify.
Cons
Does not disclose full underwriting requirements.
Borrowers may not know what to expect with hardship forbearance as it is granted case-by-case.
Does not allow bi-weekly payments via autopay.
on Earnest's website
Earnest Private Student Loan
Min. credit score
650Fixed APR
4.79-Variable APR
4.79-on Earnest's website
on Education Loan Finance's website
Education Loan Finance Private Student Loan
Min. credit score
680Fixed APR
3.98-Variable APR
3.98-on Education Loan Finance's website
Our pick for
International medical students
International students without an eligible co-signer have fewer options to get a student loan for medical school.

on MPOWER's website
MPOWER Private Student Loan

Min. credit score
N/AFixed APR
13.72-Variable APR
N/Aon MPOWER's website
Our pick for
Borrowers from Texas

on Brazos' website
Brazos Private Student Loan

Min. credit score
680Fixed APR
2.84-Variable APR
4.09-on Brazos' website
Federal loans for medical school
There are multiple types of federal loans for medical school. Consider them in this order:
Federal health professions student loans. These loans have interest subsidies and lower interest rates than other federal loans. But they're only available to borrowers who demonstrate financial need and attend participating schools. Ask your school about its application process to see if you qualify.
Federal direct unsubsidized loans. These loans aren't based on financial need, and medical students should max out these loans before PLUS loans because they have lower interest rates and fees. You can borrow up to $20,500 per year and $138,500 total, including any undergraduate loans.
Federal PLUS loans. Consider PLUS loans after you've exhausted other federal loans for medical school. PLUS loan interest rates are 7.54% for the 2022-23 school year, which may be close to the rate you'd get with a private loan. But PLUS loans come with a 4.228% fee that most private lenders don't charge.
To get federal loans for medical school, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — this FAFSA guide can help. If your school participates in the health professions student loan program, you may need to fill out a different application.
There's no credit check for direct unsubsidized loans. There is a credit check for PLUS loans, but you don't necessarily need good credit to qualify — you just can't have adverse credit history or negative marks on your credit.
Private medical school loans
Private medical school loans can make sense if you have excellent credit and don't plan to pursue Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Unlike federal loans, which have the same fixed rates for all borrowers, private loans have lower rates for borrowers with good credit, and they typically don't have fees.
Before approving you, the lender will do a hard credit pull to check your credit history. The interest rate you get will depend on factors like your credit, the loan term and whether you choose a fixed or variable rate.
Many lenders — including Ascent, Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo — offer private medical school loans with specific benefits for aspiring health professionals, like the ability to postpone or make reduced payments during residency. Weigh such features vs. getting the lowest interest rate possible.
Medical school loans for international students
International students aren't eligible for federal student loans. But they may be able to qualify for a private medical school loan with an eligible co-signer.
If you're an international medical student without a credit history or co-signer, you'll have fewer options.
MPOWER lends to international students, but caps loan amounts at $50,000 annually, which may not be enough to cover med school. Prodigy Finance offers higher loan limits ($220,000) but isn't available in every state.
Managing medical school loans
Going to medical school means taking on a lot of medical school loans. The average medical school debt among the class of 2019 was $201,490.
Explore tactics for paying off medical school debt before you borrow. Depending on your career goals and the type of loans you have, the best strategy may be refinancing medical school loans during or after your residency, seeking loan forgiveness for doctors or riding out an an income-driven repayment plan.
STUDENT LOAN RATINGS METHODOLOGY
Our survey of more than 29 banks, credit unions and online lenders offering student loans and student loan refinancing includes the top 10 lenders by market share and top 10 lenders by online search volume, as well as lenders that serve specialty or nontraditional markets.
We consider 40 features and data points for each financial institution. Depending on the category, these include the availability of biweekly payments through autopay, minimum credit score and income requirement disclosures, availability to borrowers in all states, extended grace periods and in-house customer service.
The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.
Read more about our ratings methodologies for student loans and our editorial guidelines.
Last updated on December 12, 2022
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Medical School Loans of February 2023
- Federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan: Best for All borrowers as a first option
- Federal Grad PLUS Loan: Best for Manageable payments post-graduation
- Sallie Mae Private Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- Ascent Medical Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- College Ave Medical Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- Nelnet Bank Private Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- Earnest Private Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- Education Loan Finance Private Student Loan: Best for Private loans for medical school
- MPOWER Private Student Loan: Best for International medical students
- Brazos Private Student Loan: Best for Borrowers from Texas
Frequently asked questions
Medical students can get up to $20,500 per year and $138,500 total in unsubsidized federal student loans. You can borrow up to your cost of attendance in federal PLUS loans or private student loans.
To pay for medical school, you may be able to receive federal health professions student loans (only at participating schools); federal unsubsidized and PLUS loans; and private student loans.
Medical students aren’t eligible for subsidized federal loans. But you may receive subsidized health professions student loans if your school participates in this program and you have financial need.
Federal student loans are typically your best bet for medical school because they offer benefits that private loans lack, like income-driven repayment plans and loan forgiveness programs.