I’ve heard if you have more than one kid in college, then that will be considered in your financial aid package. Would that also be true if one of those kids were in medical school?
No. Not usually.
Are you personally paying for more than half the med student’s costs (tuition, fees, room, board, insurance, transportation, clothing, incidentals)?
Rarely would you be able to count a med student unless you’re paying for more than 50% of all the student’s costs, tuition, room, board, and other expenses. Many med students are taking big loans out…their parents aren’t paying.
who is paying for your child’s tuition, room, board, supplies, etc?
Usually the med student files FAFSA as an independent and is a household of one person, unless he/she is married or has dependents.
And, many med students aren’t really living at home anymore anyway…they typically have apts where they’re living 11+ months a year. My own son won’t have any time off this year.
Thanks for the replies.
My kid currently isn’t in med school. Actually she isn’t even in college. I have 2 kids - one is a high school sophomore who thinks she wants to be a pediatrician and the other is in 6th grade. so 4 yrs apart. The dr. route is throwing me for a loop and I was thinking how are we gonna manage that.
For the doctor route…you do what a ny other parents do…help your kid find a debt free undergraduate degree…and then help a little with med school costs IF you can. If not, the med school student takes loans.
@MiamiDAP may have advice…
Have your sophomore prepare for the PSAT this summer. There are full ride scholarships available if she scores at he NMSF level for your state. With medical school possibly in her future, saving money might be very helpful.
@carolinesmom First off, you’re smart to be thinking about how all of your children’s education will get paid.
However, while it’s good to have a plan in case your child or children do choose a path that requires additional education, please be aware that many kids change their minds many times between their young teens and their late teens. If I had a dollar for every young girl who said that she was going to become a vet, I’d be rich. 
Similarly, only about 25% of students who start out as “premed” as college frosh end up applying to med school.
But, since you suspect that your children might choose a path that requires an expensive graduate or professional school route, and it sounds like you want to be able to help pay for those goals, then it can be best to consider undergrads that won’t cost you as much money.
Med school is very expensive (I have a child in med school). Even at an instate public med school, the COA can be about $55k per year (current costs, but COA rises every year). Private med schools can be about $80k per year. Since no one knows ahead of time where one will get accepted, it’s difficult to project what those costs will be.
Most med students borrow the costs for their education. Some parents are able to help, and that can depend on circumstances such as family affluence or delaying using “college money” for med school by choosing a less expensive undergrad.
If your D is serious about wanting to become a physician, then it’s important that she get a strong science foundation while in high school. Many premeds’ GPAs “crash and burn” simply because their science foundation was weak.
Anyway…back to your original question… If your child were in med school (costing $50k-80k per year), then for you to claim her as a student in school, you’d have to be contributing over 50% of her costs.
Yeah, I’m a planner, though I know I can only plan so much and things can change.
When she first told me that she wanted to be a pediatrician., my first thought was “oh no, another 4 years and then residency on top of that”. Secretly, I’m hoping she does change her mind. Actually, it’s not really a secret but I am trying to temper my discouragement.
Re: science, she is doing well on that front. She took physics last yr and did well. This year, she is taking both chemistry and biology and doing well in both (knock on wood). Next year, she wants to take both chem and bio AP.
The exorbitant costs of both college and potentially med school cause my stomach to turn esp. knowing we won’t qualify for much need based aid. I’m definitely going to look at colleges that either won’t cost me much or offer merit aid, knowing I might be in it for the long haul.
@mom2collegekids, thank you for your thoughtful response. I’ve learned so much from this board.
Many young people don’t even know that there are Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants that can specialize in pediatrics. These professionals examine their patients, Dx, treat, and prescribe Rxs. The years of education are far less than those of a physician, so tell your D about those careers. My son’s GF will be starting PA school this fall. She had wanted to be a pediatrician, but saw that this route gets her to her desired career (treating children) more quickly.