I was curious to see their cost of attendance breakdown, but I couldn't find anything online. 115k seems a little steep to me.
If tuition is ~60k, how does everything else amount to an additional 55k? Are there crazy administrative fees or something? What I've seen so far at other schools has been around the ~30k range, bringing total cost of attendance, including tuition, to about an average of ~90k per year.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that you don't have to take out the entire 115k if you think you won't need all of it. That's just the maximum amount you can take out in loans at this particular school. How much are they estimating for transportation, housing, books, etc.? If it seems a little inflated and you think you can get by with a lower amount (e.g. living with a roommate instead of by yourself, using public transport instead of a car, renting books instead of buying, etc.) then you can definitely do that. The less you take out in loans, the less interest will accrue.
And if you can, definitely try paying at least some of the interest while you're still in school. If you're able to manage your time well and ONLY if it won't affect your studies, try tutoring once a week for an hour or two to make some extra money. With the total estimate of 460k and 4.3% interest rate on direct unsubsidized loans (maximum of 20,500 per year x 4 years = 82,000) + 5.3% on Grad PLUS loans that cover the rest (378k), you're looking at owing a total of ~555k by the time you graduate. I haven't even factored in interest capitalization, where you'll be paying interest on top of the unpaid interest.
Also, apply for any and all scholarships that you might be eligible for. Every little bit helps. It looks like they have some scholarships available (Steven and Rosemary Kircher Scholarships, Changing Lives MD Scholarship) that require you to fill out a separate application. You can find it on their website.
Hope this helps and good luck.
