Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine has the lowest first-year, in-state tuition, but the overall cost of a degree might climb to one of the highest in Ohio after the statewide switch to semesters.
Of the four Ohio medical colleges switching to semesters, OU-HCOM and the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University will increase tuition by 1 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
Currently, OU-HCOM has a first-year, in-state tuition of $28,257 and a degree cost of $130,748. However, with many schools switching to semesters, both the first-year tuition and overall degree cost will increase.
The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine are lowering their first-year, in-state tuitions to keep the overall price of a medical degree the same under semesters as it was under quarters.
UC’s medical college decided to keep the costs low after a universitywide decision to keep costs consistent even after the change.
“If they’re smart enough to get into medical school, they should be smart enough to look at the costs after four years,” said Dan Burr, UC’s assistant dean for student financial planning.
Students are more attracted to OU-HCOM because of its academics rather than its price tag, said John Schriner, OU-HCOM’s assistant dean of admissions.
OU-HCOM is the only Ohio medical college to award Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees instead of Doctor of Medicine degrees. Students trained under an osteopathic degree are encouraged to inspect patients more closely and prescribe fewer medications, said Jack Brose, dean of OU-HCOM.
“Certainly, having the lowest tuition in the state has its benefits,” Schriner said. “As tuition continues to escalate, it’s nice that we can try to keep costs reasonable as to not create debt for students. Whereas finances are a draw for many students, the real draw is the quality of the educational experience here for students.”
OU-HCOM’s tuition increase has largely been influenced by a decrease in state funding, Brose said.
“We don’t like how much it’s gone up,” Brose added. “It’s unfortunate that students have to bear the costs, but that’s the reality of the state government.”
Other medical colleges have focused on strengthening academic programs to attract students, such as the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
“I know we don’t have the lowest tuition in Ohio for medical colleges, but it’s not a huge gap within the state,” said Luke Gloeckner, interim director of admissions at Northeast Ohio. “It’s just a different type of focus as far as education goes: We start with students at clinical sites when other schools wait a bit longer in the process. We have a good rapport with patients.”
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