University of Illinois College of Medicine 2021: Is Tuition Worth It?
University of Illinois College of Medicine: The cost of medical colleges for this decade has gone up a little beat. But that shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams of becoming a medical doctor. So I will be helping you to give you more details on the University of Illinois College of medicine but their tuition fees and other expenses.
Here’s what you get to read on;
- University of Illinois College of Medicine
- UIC Medical School Tuition
- UIC Medical School and Student Loan Debt
The University of Illinois College of Medicine is a seemingly affordable program until you dig into the details. You already know you’ll be taking on debt to make your dream of becoming a doctor come true.
UIC’s tuition for residents is relatively affordable as far as medical schools go. It’s the non-resident tuition that can carry a heftier price tag of almost $500,000.
University of Illinois College of Medicine

The University of Illinois College of Medicine (UIC) has four campus locations around the state. When you apply, you can specify two campus preferences, but the school places you on a specific campus. The campus locations are in:
- Chicago
- Peoria
- Rockford
- Urbana
Each campus offers unique access to medical facilities for certain specialties. The Chicago campus is the largest of the four, boasting major growth for the fifth straight year and opening two new buildings in 2019.
There are approximately 1,317 students enrolled in UIC medical school according to U.S. News and World Report. UIC stands out for having one of the most diverse student populations within medical schools across the U.S.
In addition to the traditional Doctor of Medicine (MD) program, the school also has the following specialty programs:
- Rural Medical Education Program (RMED)
- Global Medical Education Program (GMED)
- Urban Medicine (UMED)
- Innovation Medicine (IMED)
- Clinician Executive Medicine (CEMED)
- Innovation in Rural Global Medicine (IRGmed)
After completing your MD degree or another specialty degree, you then complete the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program in the form of a residency.
It sponsors a number of residency slots and strives to make them available to its MD graduates.
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UIC Medical School Tuition
UIC landed eighth for the Wall Street Journal “Best Values” list of U.S. universities for 2020. For UIC medical school grads, this might not ring true, though.
University of Illinois College of Medicine has two very different ranges for cost.
UIC medical school is going to look much more affordable if you’re a resident than if you’re a non-resident. Full-time MD students take 12 credit hours or more. The UIC website lists the tuition per semester:
- In-state tuition is $15,453 each term.
- Out-of-state tuition is $31,179 each term.
These numbers might seem good for a medical school; however, the program takes four years to complete and consists of 11 semesters.
The cost of tuition and fees for UIC medical school also vary by campus. Below is the breakdown based on location.
Tuition and Fees Only for UIC Medical School
Campus Location | First Year | Second Year | Third Year | Fourth Year | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago (In State) | $52,419 | $52,420 | $52,419 | $35,625 | $192,883 |
Chicago (Out of State) | $99,597 | $99,600 | $99,597 | $67,078 | $365,869 |
Peoria/ Rockford (In State) | $51,951 | $51,950 | $51,951 | $35,276 | $191,129 |
Peoria/ Rockford (Out of State) | $99,129 | $99,130 | $99,129 | $66,728 | $364,115 |
The costs don’t stop with just tuition and fees, however. There are a number of tests and cost-of-living expenses associated with medical school, too. These costs combined with tuition and fees give the total cost of attendance for the program.
UIC does include Grad PLUS loan origination fees and Stafford Loan origination fees in its totals, which is helpful in calculating costs.
Below are UIC’s projections for the total cost to complete the MD program.
Total Cost of Attendance for UIC Medical School
Campus Location | First Year | Second Year | Third Year | Fourth Year | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago (In State) | $79,637 | $80,267 | $81,557 | $56,176 | $297,637 |
Chicago (Out of State) | $126,815 | $127,445 | $128,735 | $87,628 | $470,623 |
Peoria/ Rockford (In State) | $77,821 | $78,451 | $79,741 | $54,826 | $290,839 |
Peoria/ Rockford (Out of State) | $124,999 | $125,629 | $126,919 | $86,278 | $463,825 |
The total is based on 2019-2020 fees and rates. Rates and fees are subject to change.
UIC Medical School and Student Loan Debt
U.S. News and World Report show an average of $233,258 student loan debt for medical students graduating in 2018.
This number actually seems reasonable when looking at the estimated cost of tuition for an in-state student.
But if you’re an out-of-state student where the program costs almost $500,000 with inflation and interest, that number doesn’t match up.
That’s because the average debt reported still accounts for people who received significant financial help like:
- Spouse or family financial contributions
- Income
- Scholarships and grants
When the lowest numbers are included to get the average, it can give the impression that the school is more affordable than it truly is.
When you’re looking at UIC medical school costs, consider:
- How much you can contribute
- If your cost of living matches up with the school’s numbers
- How much aid you’re offered, not counting loans
- How much you’ll need to take out in loans
Once you have these numbers you can estimate the overall debt for Year 1 and then add on inflation and interest.
If you’re not a resident in Illinois, it doesn’t really make financial sense to attend the university. The estimated costs not including inflation or interest are already high.
Check out our list of cheapest medical schools to begin searching for more affordable alternatives.
If you’re a resident in Illinois, the school isn’t one of the cheapest, but considering the physician salary and job outlook, you could attend and strategize your debt payoff.
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