Is AAMC Fee Assistance Worth Applying For?

The AAMC's Fee Assistance Program (FAP) is based on household income. Families above 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for their size aren't eligible, according to the FAP FAQs. For 2026 awards, that line was built on the 2025 guidelines, which put it at $62,600 for a household of one and $128,600 for a household of four in the 48 contiguous states, as International Medical Aid summarizes the AAMC's income table.

Your parents' income counts, too. The AAMC reviews parental financial information separately from yours, and it also has to be under the guidelines. That catches people who've been living on their own for years and assume their parents' finances don't matter.

A few more rules:

• Five awards per lifetime. The AAMC won't grant more, and that limit can't be appealed.
• Benefits run through December 31 of the following year. An award approved anytime in 2026 lasts until the end of 2027.
• Decisions take time. The AAMC aims to decide within 10 business days once your application is complete, so leave a few weeks before any fee comes due.

The AMCAS waiver is the cleanest number. The 2027 AMCAS fees are $180 for the first school and $48 for each one after, and fee assistance covers up to 20 schools. That's $1,092 you don't pay. Schools past 20 are on you at the usual $48 each.

The MCAT^® discount is smaller but comes first. For 2026 test dates, standard registration was $355 and the fee-assistance price was $145. The award also includes official AAMC practice products and the MSAR, the AAMC's database of school-by-school admissions data.

Secondary fees are where the estimate gets big. The AAMC says most AMCAS schools waive their secondary fees for fee assistance recipients, and the most common secondary fee in its 2027 report is $100. Twenty secondaries at that price is about $2,000. Some schools don't honor the waiver, and the waiver isn't always automatic, so check each school's policy in the MSAR before you assume. The secondaries article covers what those fees look like school by school.

Add it up and a full award can be worth about $3,400 for a 20-school MD application. For comparison, the applicant who sent out 151 applications shows what the bill looks like without any help.

Apply early in the year you'll take the MCAT^®, before you register for it. Because benefits last through December 31 of the following year, one early award can cover the MCAT^® and up to two AMCAS cycles.

Say you're approved in January 2026. You register for a 2026 MCAT^® at the reduced price, then submit AMCAS in June 2026 for the 2027 cycle with the waiver. If you don't get in that cycle, the same award still covers an AMCAS application submitted by December 31, 2027.

Approval in June 2026 also lasts through 2027, but it misses any MCAT^® you registered for earlier in the year. If you're planning your test date now, the MCAT timing article lays out how the exam and the application calendar line up.

AACOMAS runs its own, much smaller program. Its fee waiver covers only the $198 fee for your first program; each additional program still costs $60. Waivers are limited and handed out first come, first served from the start of the cycle.

The income line is also lower. For the 2026–2027 cycle, adjusted gross income has to be under $31,920 for a household of one and $66,000 for a household of four, and both your tax return and your parents' count if you file as independent. After approval, you have 14 days to submit, with no extensions.

If you're applying to both, apply for each program separately. An AAMC award doesn't carry over to AACOMAS. The MD vs DO breakdown can help you decide whether a DO list belongs in your plans at all.

For someone who qualifies, the costs are small: an online application, your family's tax documents, and one of your five lifetime awards. The main risk is applying too late to use the benefits you most needed.

If you're unsure whether you qualify, apply anyway. A denial costs you nothing, and an approval saves you money on fees you were going to pay regardless.

Once you have MSAR access, you can compare school medians against your own score. The PurpleCAT MCAT score guide gives the percentile for any total or section score.

Last verified October 29, 2026. Fees and income limits change each year; confirm current amounts on the AAMC's Fee Assistance Program page and in the AACOMAS help center before you apply.