Post-Baccalaureate Premed Program Aid

Attending a full-time post-baccalaureate premedical program is expensive and likely to be followed by several years of medical school expenses. A financial aid adviser will work with you to help you plan and manage the expenses associated with attending the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program.

Financial Aid Options

Although scholarship support is not currently available from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), qualified students may be eligible to receive Federal Direct Loans for 12 months. Many students entering the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program may apply for federal aid as independent students – no parental information required.

Standard Academic Year Loans

A scheduled academic year for Johns Hopkins University is two semesters—fall and spring. This means that a student may not exceed their annual loan limit in any two semesters.

For independent students, the annual loan limits are up to $5,500 in a subsidized loan (depending on financial need) and $7,000 in an unsubsidized loan, or $12,500 total.

Dependent students may borrow only the $5,500 loan annually, which may be subsidized or unsubsidized depending on financial need, along with an additional $2,000 in unsubsidized loan. Supplemental borrowing options are also available to cover the total cost of attendance, including living expenses. Supplemental borrowing options are also available to cover the attendance cost, including living expenses.

Federal Direct Student Loans are available for this non-degree program because it is a preparatory program for entrance to medical school. However, federal regulations limit students in preparatory programs to one year of federal student aid. If your program should extend beyond one calendar year, you will need to consider alternative funding, such as private loans. Students in the post-baccalaureate program are not considered graduate students because the program is a non-degree, preparatory program. Therefore, students in this program are not eligible to apply for the Graduate PLUS federal loan program. Read specifics about loans for post-bac pre-med students at JHU.

Note: Post-Bac students don’t qualify for institutional grant funding or scholarships.

Borrower-based Academic Year Loans

As mentioned previously, a scheduled academic year for JHU is two semesters—fall and spring. However, a Borrower-Based Academic Year (BBAY) is specific to the terms the student is attending and looking to borrow federal loans. For example, a student who borrows their annual loan limit in summer/fall begins a new academic year in spring and a new annual loan limit (thereby maximizing her/his loan eligibility).

Students who have a valid FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on file and are enrolled at least half-time during the summer semester will receive a financial aid offer that reflects the full annual eligibility* for Federal Direct Student Loans, as follows:

Student Type	Academic Year 1: Summer/Fall	Academic Year 2: Spring
Independent	$5500 Subsidized Loan / $7000 unsubsidized Loan (Amounts Divided between Summer & Fall)	$5500 Subsidized Loan / $7000 unsubsidized Loan (All funds offered in Spring)
Dependent	$5500 Subsidized Loan / $2000 unsubsidized Loan (Amounts Divided between Summer & Fall)	$5500 Subsidized Loan / $2000 unsubsidized Loan (All funds offered in Spring)

The FAFSA will determine whether you may be considered an independent student for federal aid purposes. Students not meeting a criterion to be considered independent must report the income and assets of both the student and their parents on their FAFSA. The Direct Subsidized Loan is available to students who demonstrate financial need. Students who do not qualify for the need-based subsidized loan may borrow the Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Student borrowers may view their loan history through The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid site. 

Students may adjust the aid offer through the financial aid portal located within SIS Self-Service. 

Determining your Eligibility

A formula using the data you submit on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA determines eligibility for Federal Direct Loans.

The FAFSA will determine whether you may be considered an independent student for federal aid purposes. Students not meeting the criteria to be considered independent must report the income and assets of both the student and their parents on their FAFSA. We strongly recommend that all eligible students use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA; this tool allows you to transfer your tax information directly from the IRS and ensures accuracy. If you are selected for federal verification, a copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript may be required, along with any requested federal verification worksheets. If you submitted parental information on the FAFSA, we might also need a copy of your parents’ IRS Tax Return Transcript. After receipt of your completed application, you will be notified of your eligibility for Federal Direct Loans.

1. Submit a FAFSA online. Our School Code is E00473. FAFSA data typically takes 3-5 business days to reach JHU.
2. If you were selected for verification by the federal processor, refer to your Hopkins SIS account to review your financial aid To-Do List for any additional documents that may be required.
3. If you are applying for federal student aid for the first time at Johns Hopkins University, you will need to complete your Master Promissory Note (MPN) and Entrance Counseling (EC) at https://studentloans.gov. Remember to select Johns Hopkins University – ASEN or use school code E00473. We are unable to retrieve your MPN and EC if they are sent to another Hopkins division.

Please note: Post Bac Pre Med students are charged a one-time $200 matriculation fee. Average Federal Direct loan fees are added to the student budget when a student accepts a Federal Direct loan.

Tuition, Fees, and Cost of Attendance

Please refer to the Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program Tuition and Fees page for further information regarding tuition, fees, and other cost of attendance budget expenses.

Paying your Bill

The Student Accounts Office is responsible for student billing. All bills are mailed to the student’s permanent address in July for the fall semester and December for the spring semester. Payment is expected three weeks before the beginning of classes. If you begin courses in the summer, payment is due at registration. Funds from the Federal Direct Loan Program are credited directly to your student account ten days prior to the start of classes (if you have returned all the required documents to the Office of Student Financial Support). Private loan funds are usually disbursed at the beginning of each term. You should notify the Financial Aid Office regarding the disbursement dates for your private loans.

At the beginning of each term, the period up to the last date to add or drop a class with a 100 percent refund is considered the registration period. After that date, the Office of Student Financial Services will check students’ enrollment for the term. Eligibility rules for Federal Direct Student Loans require students to be enrolled at least half-time as of that date. Credits for federal loan funds will be reversed if the student is not meeting the enrollment requirement.

Students who withdraw during an academic term will receive a tuition refund based on the policy specified in the university catalog. The financial aid award will be adjusted based on the actual charges incurred during the semester based on the date of withdrawal and percentage of the term completed. Funds from federal programs will be returned to the Department of Education. See our Return to Title IV Policy.

Common Questions