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Fee assistance
Check the Fee Assistance Program income limit.
Enter household size and income to compare with the limit AAMC publishes. It is 400 percent of the HHS poverty guideline for your family size.
Estimate, not a determination. AAMC decides.
What the limit is
Each household on your application must have 2025 total family income at or below 400 percent of the 2025 national poverty level for its size. These are AAMC's published limits for 2026 awards.
| Household size | 48 states, DC, territories | Alaska | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $62,600 | $78,200 | $71,960 |
| 2 | $84,600 | $105,720 | $97,280 |
| 3 | $106,600 | $133,240 | $122,600 |
| 4 | $128,600 | $160,760 | $147,920 |
| 5 | $150,600 | $188,280 | $173,240 |
| 6 | $172,600 | $215,800 | $198,560 |
| 7 | $194,600 | $243,320 | $223,880 |
| 8 | $216,600 | $270,840 | $249,200 |
| Each person over 8 | +$5,500 | +$6,880 | +$6,330 |
Source: AAMC, citing HHS poverty guidelines. Checked 2026-10-21. The HHS 2026 guideline for one person in the 48 states is $15,960 (400 percent is $63,840).
What it covers
- MCAT registration: $145 instead of $360 for 2027 testing dates. You need final approval before you pick a test date and location. Reschedules cost $25, $45 or $85 depending on how far out.
- AMCAS fees: waived for one submission covering up to 20 schools (AAMC values it at $1,092), submitted by Dec. 31 of the year after you are approved. Schools beyond 20 are charged, and unused designations do not carry over to the next cycle.
- Also listed by AAMC: a two-year subscription to AAMC's medical school data tool and the MCAT Official Prep online-only bundle, which you must elect.
Benefits start on the approval date, are not retroactive, and run through Dec. 31 of the calendar year after approval. AAMC's benefit list does not include secondary application fees, which schools set themselves. You can be awarded fee assistance at most five times in your lifetime.
See what the AMCAS waiver is worth at a given list size on the AMCAS fees page, or the full-cycle numbers in the total cost calculator.
Questions
Is this a determination of whether I get fee assistance?
No. It compares your numbers with the published income limit. AAMC reviews your application, documents and parental information and decides.
Whose income counts?
AAMC tests each household reported on your application: yours and your parents', if applicable. If you are under 26 when you submit, AAMC requires your parents' financial information regardless of your tax filing status.
What does it cover?
For a 2026 award AAMC lists a reduced MCAT registration fee, a waiver of AMCAS fees for one submission covering up to 20 schools, a two-year subscription to AAMC's medical school data tool and MCAT Official Prep products, among other benefits. Secondary fees are not on AAMC's benefit list.
Confirm everything on AAMC's own pages before you apply: eligibility and benefits. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
Fees as of 2026-10-21. Sources: AAMC: Who Is Eligible to Participate in the Fee Assistance Program (2026 awards); AAMC: What Are the Benefits of the Fee Assistance Program (2026 award); HHS ASPE: Poverty Guidelines (2026); AAMC: MCAT Scheduling Fees (2027 testing dates). Checked on the official page on the date shown; confirm before you pay. Data, not advice.
Fees as of 2026-10-21. Sources: AAMC: MCAT Scheduling Fees (2027 testing dates). Checked on the official page on the date shown; confirm before you pay. Data, not advice.