Geisel School of Medicine Financial Aid Policy

The Geisel School of Medicine recognizes that medical education is a significant financial commitment, both for the school and the student. We award available financial aid assistance to as many students as possible who have demonstrated need. However, the available resources require that each aid recipient assume a base loan, which may limit the number of scholarship recipients. Since the Medical School makes decisions about financial aid in the spring, and when possible, shortly after a decision is reached on admission, it is important to apply promptly for assistance.

Students, together with their families, have primary responsibility for financing a medical education. For this reason, we do not consider the student as financially independent of parents when considering eligibility for need based funds. While students may wish to declare independence from their parents, the Geisel School of Medicine, as with most U.S. medical schools, requires parental income statements from all applicants, regardless of age, marital status or family status, if students wish to be considered for institutional need-based loans and scholarships. Financial aid is awarded, within the limit of the school's resources, to those students who would be unable to enroll without such aid.

Graduate school financial aid policy and procedure can seem especially complicated due to the varied school and federal regulations. The Geisel School of Medicine Financial Aid Office is ready to assist you in any way possible. If you have questions or concerns regarding policy, procedure, or programs, we encourage you to visit, write or telephone the Financial Aid Office at (603) 646-5564. The Financial Aid Office is staffed by: G. Dino Koff, Director of Financial Aid, Michelle Chamley, Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Margot Gueldenzoph, Financial Aid Counselor.

Student Expense Budgets

Please note the Student Expense Budget is reviewed annually by the Financial Aid Committee and is revised appropriately based upon data collected through a survey of enrolled students.

Determining Financial Need for Institutional Aid

Financial need is defined as the difference between the Medical School's educational costs and the resources that are available from the student/spouse and his/her family to meet these expenses. The Geisel School of Medicine encourages financial aid applicants to complete the school’s application, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Board’s CSS PROFILE form, for first time applicants, in order to be considered for institutional need-based aid. Based on the information provided by these forms, as well as supporting documentation, such as student and parent income tax returns and verification, the Financial Aid Office can inform you of your eligibility for need-based aid.

Financial Aid Packages

Financial aid packages consist of loans and, where financial need exists, a Geisel School of Medicine scholarship. The first portion of financial need is met with a base loan, which is composed of federal unsubsidized loan or, for those not eligible for federal funds, a Dartmouth Loan and Geisel loan funds. The base loan totals $45,700. Geisel School of Medicine scholarship is awarded when financial need exceeds the base loan.

Students will find that we do not award to full cost of attendance, but rather will apply additional loans to an award after meeting with each student to determine their specific financial needs for the academic year. In this way we help limit the amount of accruing interest on a student’s loan debt and assure that each student’s budget meets their unique needs.

Married Students

The financial aid packages of married students are arranged in such a way that the net earnings of the spouse may help to reduce the loan obligation of the student. The spouse's income, less taxes and childcare allowance, where applicable, is considered a resource in determining the overall size of the loan portion of the financial aid package. Scholarship eligibility for married students is determined as if the student were single.

International Students

Federal financial aid programs require that the recipient be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Therefore, awards to international students may come from private and institutional sources. International students who wish to be considered Geisel funding should complete the CSS Profile application in addition to the school’s application. Additional resources of interest to international students may be found on The International Education Financial Aid Organization website www.iefa.org. This organization provides a free searchable database of scholarships and awards as well as a number of other resources of relevance to international students. Canadian citizens are always encouraged to seek assistance from their home province.

Outside Awards

Students are expected to notify the Financial Aid Office at the Geisel School of Medicine when an outside award is received. Federal regulations and School policy require that the Geisel School of Medicine financial aid award be adjusted when a student receives outside aid. To that end, when a student receives a loan or scholarship award from an outside source, an equivalent deduction is made from the loan portion of the Geisel aid package.

In the case of larger awards, such as Armed Forces Scholarships/National Health Service Corps Scholarships/Indian Health Scholarships, which provide substantial financial support in return for a service commitment, all Geisel scholarship to the student is rescinded.

With all outside awards, additional loans may be obtained only for the difference between the award and the school budget, less the recipient's expected resources. Smaller awards will be used to meet the gap between an award and the cost of attendance, or to lower loan obligations such as the Grad PLUS loan.

The Geisel School of Medicine
Office of Financial Aid
66 College Street

7021 Remsen, Room 305A
Hanover, NH 03755-3833

Contact the Geisel Financial Aid Office

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