NBME Educational Assistance Award for USMLE Fee Assistance

Established in 2024 by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), this assistance award will provide $670 awards to 1340 medical students who have registered in 2024 to take the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam to offset the cost of exam registration fees. Applicants must be able to demonstrate financial need, provide a valid USMLE ID number, and have not been referred to a committee and found to have engaged in Irregular Behavior or otherwise reviewed for policy violations in relation to any USMLE or NBME exam. Applicants must also be eligible to take the USMLE and currently enrolled in an LCME (MD) or COCA (DO) accredited medical school in either the United States, or one of the following schools in the Caribbean:

AUA (Antigua)
Ross University, School of Medicine (Barbados)
St. Matthews’ (British West Indies)
Universidad de Iberoamérica (Costa Rica)
Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo (DR)
Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (DR)
Universidad Católica Nordestana (DR)
Universidad Central del Este (DR)
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) (DR)
St. George’s University, School of Medicine (Grenada)
University of the West Indies, The Mona Campus (Jamaica)
Medical University of the Americas (St. Kitts-Nevis)
American University of the Caribbean (St. Maarten)

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Student FAQs

Do I need to be registered/have purchased a permit for the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam before applying to this opportunity?
To qualify, applicants need to have registered and received their scheduling permit between January 1, 2024, and October 16, 2024.

If I took the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK earlier this year (2024), can I receive the fee assistance retroactively?
Yes, as long as you took the exam in 2024, you may apply!

If I registered for the exam in 2024 but I am not taking the exam until 2025, am I still eligible?
Yes. Because permits are active for three months, applicants who register in October but won’t take the exam until January 2025 are still eligible for this opportunity.

Is this a waiver for the cost of registering for the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exams?
No, this is not a waiver. Applicants are required to provide a USMLE ID in the application and should already be registered at the time of applying.

What will students need to apply?
Students will need to submit the following:

General USMLE information (test recently completed or soon planned) and USMLE ID
Verification of Citizenship
Academic Transcript
Enrollment Verification
Loan History from studentaid.gov

Is the Fee Assistance program open to any student who demonstrates financial need, regardless of underrepresented in medicine status?
Yes, the program is open to students with demonstrated financial need who meet all the following criteria:

U.S. citizens or those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) approval.
Eligible to take the USMLE and currently enrolled in an LCME- or COCA-accredited medical school in the U.S. or a designated medical school in the Caribbean.
Have registered for the USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK exam in 2024.
Are able to provide a valid USMLE ID number.
Were not referred to a disciplinary committee for Irregular Behavior or policy violations related to USMLE or NBME exams.

Will the Fee Assistance program be open to students applying for their 2nd or 3rd attempt?
Yes, the Fee Assistance program is open to anyone who registered to take USMLE Step 1 or Step 2 CK during the calendar year 2024. This program is not restricted to first-time exam takers; those taking the Step exam on a subsequent attempt are also eligible.

Other FAQs

What criteria will NBME use to determine fee assistance eligibility?
NMF utilizes two reports for verification of medical debt. All applications are scored using their rubric, and recipients are selected based on their verified debt amount:

Student Aid Report (SAR) from the US Department of Education
Documentation of Loan History (current and undergraduate) from the National Student Loan Data System

Will schools be able to query to see which of their students received this funding?
No, NMF will not be informing schools if students receive this USMLE fee assistance.

Will applications be reviewed on a rolling basis
No, the application review will begin once the cycle closes on October 16th, 2024.

If you have any other questions regarding the NBME Educational Assistance Award for USMLE Fee Assistance, please reach out to scholarships@nmfonline.org!

Scholarships