Let’s Clear Up the 2 Semesters Tuition Bill Confusion

There is a rumor that’s circulating in online forums which confused some students and also kind of freaked some students out. The rumor is that tuition is to be fully paid for two semesters all at before the AICM 5th semester is over. Let’s clear this thing out and please take my word for it since I am in the 5th semester now and I already got my tuition bill which is due in 2 weeks.

This is how it works; students plan to take 6 to 8 months off after 5th semester to study for the USMLE Step 1. The reason is for some students the AICM semester is too fast paced and students cannot keep up with the workload. So, what’s the solution? Study for several months to self-prepare for the test. Now Saint James School of Medicine now requires students to pass the NBME with a 650 or above and an the ExamMaster final test with a 75% or above in order to take the test. You cannot just register and take the USMLE Step 1 whenever you feel like it; you must be given permission from a medical institute to the ECFGM/NBME for you to take it.

This is how the billing works, ever since I started Saint James, which is in the year 2009, the billing policy, has been the same; you pay for the tuition a month before the next semester begins. Now let’s look at an example, if you were to finish AICM in the end of Summer semester, you pay tuition for the next semester, which is Fall semester, 30 days before AICM is done. After AICM you would have to sit down and study for 7 months, so that falls in 2 semesters after AICM. And therefore 30 days before each semester you would have to pay for the tuition. There are 3 semesters in a year: Spring, Summer, and Fall, and 30 days before each semester you would have to pay your tuition.

Now you may ask why you would have to pay if you’re not taking classes, I don’t know, it’s Saint James School of Medicine policy, but whatever you pay it counts towards your clinical semesters. Therefore, you’re not paying anything extra, you’re just paying ahead of schedule but it will count towards your clinical semesters.

I hope this helps out.