Albert Einstein College of Medicine Goes Tuition-Free in 2024 After Historic $1 Billion Donation

Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, will be tuition-free starting in August 2024 after receiving a $1 billion donation, the largest gift made to a school in the United States.

The gift, also one of the largest made to any medical school in the US, which came from Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the Bronx school, guarantees that future medical students at Einstein will not have to pay tuition again, Erudera.com reports.

Dean Yaron Tomer said the gift significantly improves the institution’s ability to continue attracting students who are committed to its mission and not just those who can pay for college.

“We will be reminded of the legacy this historic gift represents each spring as we send another diverse class of physicians out across the Bronx and around the world to provide compassionate care and transform their communities,” Tomer said.

According to a statement by the school, final-year students will be reimbursed for their spring 2024 tuition. Moreover, beginning in August, all students, including those who are currently enrolled, will be able to study at Einstein without having to pay tuition.

“With this donation, all current fourth-year students will be reimbursed their spring 2024 semester tuition and, effective beginning in August of this year, all students moving forward will receive free tuition at Albert Einstein College of Medicine,” the statement from the school reads.

Tuition at Albert Einstein College of Medicine is about $59,000 each year.

Ruth Gottesman, now 93, studied learning disabilities, ran literacy programs, and created widely used screening, evaluation, and treatment protocols.

She started working at the school in 1968 while in 1992 began delivering the Adult Literacy Program at CERC, the first of its kind, which remains in operation.

In 1998, she was appointed the founding director of the Emily Fisher Landau Center for the Treatment of Learning Disabilities (at CERC).

Commenting on the donation, she expressed gratitude to her husband for setting aside the funds so they can be allocated for such a meaningful cause.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine was established on March 15, 1953, and offers seven educational programs. It enrolls 737 M.D. students, 209 Ph.D. students, 124 MSTP students, and 239 postdoctoral students.

About half of the first-year students at Einstein are from New York. School's data indicate that about 48 percent of medical students identify themselves as white, 29 percent as Asian, 11 percent as Hispanic, and 5 percent as black. Among all students, 60 percent are women.

Picture: Official Twitter Account of Albert Einstein College of Medicine