Even before medical students begin to practice medicine, they face significant financial decisions: arranging loans and scholarships for medical school. The Missouri State Medical Foundation helps MSMA medical students focus on their education, not their expenses.
Missouri State Medical Foundation Mission To provide ongoing support for medical school education in a manner respectful of environmental pressure; promote the practice of medicine in Missouri; and assist in the promotion of the Missouri State Medical Association.Foundation Loan Program
The Missouri State Medical Foundation loan program, created by the Missouri State Medical Association in 1960, is designed to provide Missouri medical school students additional loan opportunities, offering access to low interest, no-fee loans to help finance expenses associated with a medical education.
Eligibility
All borrowers must be a registered full-time student in an accredited school of medicine in the United States, working toward an MD or DO degree.
Borrowers must be Missouri high school graduates, have completed three years of medical school, and be a member of the Missouri State Medical Association Medical Student Section.
Loans will be granted by the Missouri State Medical Foundation on the basis of financial need of the student and with due consideration of the student’s background, academic achievement, and credit record. Decisions of the Foundation in granting loans will be final.
Loans will be made for residency interview and relocation expenses are also considered to be valid expenses, but make interest expense non-deductible for tax purposes.
The maximum any one student may borrow is $12,500.
The Foundation requires a parent or spouse to co-sign the promissory note.
Proceeds of the loan will be paid to the student for disbursement.
The loan has a 7.3 % fixed interest rate.
Payment of interest expense will be due during residency, however, repayment of the principal balance is deferred for five years. Following completion of residency, a physician has ten years in which to repay the principal balance. Interest is not capitalized.
There are no fees to a Foundation loan.
To date, more than 2,500 Missouri medical students have benefitted from more than $11,000,000 in Foundation loans. Two important differences separate the MSMF from other loan programs: the MSMF offers fixed-rate loans and has no fees. MSMF helps fund costs incurred during residency interviews and relocation with low interest, no-fee loans.
Foundation Scholarship Program
MSMA Scholarships
Funded by the Foundation, scholarships are presented each year to second-year medical students who have graduated from a Missouri high school and are in financial need. There is no application form for this program; recipients are chosen by each of the four allopathic schools of medicine in Missouri.
Foundation Scholarship Matching Funds
The MSMF facilitates scholarships for medical students by providing a matching contribution for component medical society scholarship programs up to a maximum total of $5,000 every four years. Recipients must be a graduate of a Missouri high school enrolled in a Missouri medical school and not be a relative of a physician. Payments will be made directly to the component society’s scholarship fund, not the student selected or the component medical society, after a written request has been submitted to the Foundation accompanied by a copy of a bank statement. Funds need to be maintained in a separate bank account, not commingled with non-scholarship funds. The Foundation will receive an annual report from the participants in the matching program that will include a copy of the award letter sent to the scholarship recipient.
Questions or change of address can be sent to Pat Mills, MSMF Executive Director. Donations to the Missouri State Medical Foundation may be sent to: PO Box 1028, Jefferson City, MO 65102.
