A recent poll on MomMD shows that at least 40% of women in medicine have student loan debt of more than $100,000. How has student loan debt affected you?

The largest group of responders had over $150,000 in student loan debt!

This is nearly ten times the national average for the general population of college-graduates, that has an average debt of $10,000 (National Center for Education Statistics), and is consistent with the high average medical school debt of $156,456 reported by the AAMC for 2009.

The poll, carried out from March 19 to March 31, 2010, had 237 responses for random, anonymous visitors to MomMD. Since the poll allows responses from all visitors, not just recent medical graduates, it likely underestimates the total debt burden carried by women in medicine. The average debt in this population is estimated at $81,000.

The statistics for 2009 graduates are sobering. As the AMA recently summarized:

• $156,456 – According to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the average educational debt of indebted graduates of the class of 2009.
• 79 percent of graduates have debt of at least $100,000.
• 58 precent of graduates have debt of at least $150,000.
• 87 percent of graduating medical students carry outstanding loans.

Join the discussion on student loan debt.

Resources

1. Report of the AMA task force on medical student debt 2003.

2. Student loan debt, both in the general public and among medical professionals.

3. AAMC loan repayment and scholarship programs.