$1 Billion Grant to Make Medical School Free for Most Johns Hopkins Students

A $1 billion donation from Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins University will make medical school free for nearly all students at his alma mater.

The donation, which Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Monday, it will cover 100 percent of tuition for medical students whose families earn less than $300,000. The grant will also cover living expenses and fees for students whose families earn up to $175,000.

The donation also increases financial aid for students in schools of nursing, public health and other graduate schools, according to a news release.

Bloomberg, the billionaire philanthropist and politician, he said he hopes the donation will help address the decline in life expectancy in the US – which has not seen the same return to pre-pandemic levels as other countries.

“As the U.S. struggles to recover from a disturbing decline in life expectancy, our country faces a severe shortage of doctors, nurses and public health professionals – and yet the high cost of medicine, nursing and graduate school prevents many times enrollment students,” Bloomberg said in a press release.

“By reducing financial barriers to these essential areas, we can free up more students to pursue careers they are passionate about – and enable them to serve more families and communities that need them most,” he added.

Johns Hopkins said two-thirds of current or future medical students will be eligible for free tuition. They will receive updated financial aid packages soon.

The announcement follows a handful of other medical schools taking a similar approach. $1 donation of billions to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine by Ruth Gottesman, a longtime professor there, made medical school tuition-free earlier this year. Kenneth and Elaine Langone’s $200 million donation last year to NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine made medical school tuition free last year.

Bloomberg in 2018 made a $1.8 billion donation to Johns Hopkins to make undergraduate admissions need-blind — so that family income cannot be taken into account in admissions decisions.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story