When thinking about medical school, prospective applicants should consider the expenses that will be incurred:
Educational Expenses: these are for the most part, set costs associated with one’s education. They will include more than just tuition, books, and supplies, but also student fees, health & dental fees, accident/disability insurance fees, and the annual CPR course. Please see the chart below for estimated amounts of educational expenses for each medical year.
First and second year expenses are very similar to undergraduate degree costs because students mainly attend classes at The Life Sciences Centre at UBC and then at The Diamond Health Care Centre.
In third and fourth year there will be unanticipated costs & expenses that are involved with rotations, clerkships, and CaRMS interviews. Please contact the Student Financial Assistance Officer for these details.
Please note that while we endeavour to keep the below fees as accurate as possible, there may be times when a fee has changed without notice. Please notify the Student Financial Assistance Officer if this is the case and we will update this page accordingly.
| Year of Medical School | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 |
| Tuition1: | $19,995.42 | $19,995.42 | $19,995.42 | $19,995.42 |
| Textbooks (Recommend & Required)2: | $1,853.00 | — | — | — |
| Student Fees3: | — | — | ||
| AMS Membership Fee | $48.23 | $48.23 | — | — |
| AMS Financial Assistance Fund | $12.00 | $12.00 | — | — |
| AMS Athletics and Intramurals | $21.00 | $21.00 | ||
| International Project Fund | $0.33 | $0.33 | — | — |
| Ombudsperson | $1.26 | $1.26 | — | — |
| Sexual Assault Support Services Fund | $17.10 | $17.10 | — | — |
| Clubs Benefit Fee | $0.80 | $0.80 | — | — |
| Sustainable Food Access Fund | $0.43 | $0.43 | ||
| Student Legal Fund | $1.00 | $1.00 | — | — |
| Student Refuge Fund (WUSC) | $6.40 | $6.40 | — | — |
| Capital Project Fund | $9.34 | $9.34 | — | — |
| SUB Renewal Building Fee | $100.00 | $100.00 | — | — |
| Indigenous Student Fund | $1.09 | $1.09 | ||
| Permanent Campus Thrift Shop Fee | $1.09 | $1.09 | ||
| New Recreation Centre Fee | $10.00 | $10.00 | ||
| Climate Action Fee | $1.60 | $1.60 | — | — |
| U-Pass (180.40/term)* | $360.80 | $360.80 | — | — |
| Medical Undergrad Society Fee** | $58.00 | $58.00 | $68.00 | $68.00 |
| Accident Insurance | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 |
| Graduating Class Fee*** | — | — | — | $3.00 |
| Subtotal: | $22,505.89 | $20,652.89 | $20,070.42 | $20,073.42 |
| Additional AMS Fees with Opt-Out Provisions: | ||||
| AMS/GSS Health & Dental Plan4 | $338.00 | $338.00 | — | — |
| AMS Resource Groups Fee | $1.98 | $1.98 | — | — |
| Bike Kitchen | $4.17 | $4.17 | — | — |
| CiTR Radio | $6.55 | $6.55 | — | — |
| Ubyssey Publication Fee | $7.86 | $7.86 | — | — |
| Campus Culture and Performance | $3.21 | $3.21 | — | — |
| Subtotal: | $361.77 | $361.77 | — | — |
| Supplies and Equipment: | ||||
| Dissecting Equipment | $26.00 | — | — | — |
| Lab Coat | $45.00 | — | — | — |
| Instruments | $500.00 | — | — | — |
| Total Supplies: | $571.00 | — | — | — |
| Other Costs: | ||||
| College of Physicians & Surgeons of BC License & Registration | $100.00+$140.00 | $100.00 | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Canadian Federation of Medical Students | $80.00 | — | — | — |
| CPR Course | $85.00 | $55.00 | $55.00 | $55.00 |
| Basic Cardiac Life Support Course | — | — | $350.00 | $350.00 |
| Elective Experience (travel)5 | — | — | — | $2,000.00 |
| CaRMS Registration Fees | — | — | — | $500.00 |
| CaRMS Interviews (travel)5 | — | — | — | $4,000.00 |
| LMCC Exam Fee | — | — | — | $700.00 |
| Total Other Costs: | $405.00 | $155.00 | $505.00 | $7,705.00 |
| TOTAL: | $23,843.66 | $21,169.66 | $20,575.42 | $27,778.42 |
NOTE: Don’t forget about the time in between each medical year, a lot of students are working, participating in research, or volunteering either at their distributed sites, across Canada, or overseas and it is very important to budget for these situations.
- The Faculty expects tuition to remain close the above posted for the current year; however, further increases may be implemented by the UBC Board of Governors.
- Textbook costs can be reduced through the purchase of used books and the use of library reserve holdings.
- Student fees are quoted for students remaining at the VFMP site for the 4 years of their education but can be considered an estimate of fees for those students in the IMP, NMP, or SMP. Students in the IMP, NMP, and SMP programs will be charged the respective UVic, UNBC, and UBC-O student fees and will either be exempt from or compensated for the UBC student fees that they will not benefit from. IMP and NMP students will have affiliated student status at UVic, UNBC, and UBC-O respectively, and will have access to student representation and services (i.e. UVic/UNBC/UBC-O student society, health services, athletics) at their respective sites. All student fees will be collected by UBC.
- Although enrollment in the AMS extended health and dental plan (or equivalent) is not required past 2nd year it is strongly recommended that this coverage is continued. Consider speaking with you Student Financial Assistance Officer for more details.
- Travel costs can be substantially different depending on where electives and CaRMS interviews take place.
Living Expenses
Are based on the StudentAid BC Moderate Standard of Living Allowances (MSOL); these may or may not reflect one’s actual level of spending; these numbers are based on living costs across the province, not just Vancouver. Please see the chart below for BC living costs.
There are numerous living expenses that a student can have depending on their situation. Student Affairs encourages students to develop a budget to prepare for the 4 years of medical school. Budgeting can be a complicated and cumbersome task. Student Affairs provides advice and information on budgeting strategies; please contact the Student Financial Assistance Officer to discuss these topics.