Donation makes tuition free for first class at Houston's medical

(RNN) – The incoming students at the University of Houston’s brand new medical school just got a nice surprise – their tuition has been paid.

“We've got it covered!” the school said on Twitter. “With a recent $3 million gift, the inaugural class of the UH College of Medicine will have their tuition paid in full. “

The gift breaks down to $100,000 each for the 30 students who will start in the fall of 2020. That's 25,000 a year while they're in school.

“Student debt is the number one deterrent for students when applying to medical school,” said Houston President Renu Khator. “This generous gift will allow such students an opportunity to attend and ultimately lead the future medical workforce.”

The cost of going to medical school can be daunting, but the payoff is big.

The median 4-year cost of attendance for the class of 2018 is $243,902 at a public school and $322,767 if the institution is private, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The 2016 median starting salary for an internal medicine doctor, the first year after residency, is $190,000.

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