UNC School of Medicine tuition on the rise

By the time sophomore Warren Feng could enroll at UNC’s School of Medicine, tuition might increased by 23.4 percent for in-state students.

As students obsessed over computers, hoping to see the rare green enrolled circle during registration, Feng was no exception — except he now adds rising medical school tuition to his list of concerns.

Feng is on the pre-medical track at UNC. He said he’s concerned that UNC’s School of Medicine is part of a larger movement of medical schools raising tuition.

“I feel like increasing the school’s cost has scared away a lot of potential medical school applicants,” he said.

On Oct. 30, the Tuition and Fee Advisory Task Force voted to approve a proposal to increase tuition for the UNC Medical School.

“We’ve asked for a $2,500 increase for both in-state and out-of-state tuition for August of 2015, and we’ve asked for an additional $2,500 increase for August of 2016,” said Karen McCall, a spokeswoman for UNC Health Care.

The school’s tuition is $21,354 for in-state students and $48,232 for out-of-state students.

“I think that, although it has perhaps made me think twice, my passion for medicine trumps all the costs associated with it,” Feng said. “I fear that the vast majority of students are going to be strongly affected by it.”

Despite some concern, McCall is confident this will not make UNC any less affordable than other schools.

“When our students are compared to other medical school students, their debt is in the fifth percentile compared to medical school debt across the nation,” she said.

McCall said because other schools are also raising their tuitions, she is confident that UNC’s affordability will not be compromised.

Freshman Prasanna Kumar, an out-of-state student hoping to attend medical school, is not concerned about the proposed increase.

“I’m aware of the cost of going to med school, and so a $5,000 increase is not enough to sway my decision of going or not,” he said. “If the price justifies the reputation, then certainly the reputation trumps the financial part.”

McCall said the School of Medicine will remain a popular option.

“UNC’s School of Medicine has been identified nationally as one of the best values, and we think it will continue to be,” she said.

Despite Feng’s uncertainty of where he will attend after he graduates UNC, he admitted to still being partial to the University.

“I fell in love with Carolina as soon as I came, so Carolina is still probably my top choice.”

university@dailytarheel.com