In 2018, when Kenneth and Elaine Langone generously donated $100 million so students could attend NYU Medical School tuition-free, the philanthropists’ main goal was to encourage more graduating physicians to enter primary care fields.

However, by 2024, the number of NYU graduating medical students who went into primary care was about the same as it was in 2017. Furthermore, in the interim, the number of African-American students had declined – although the number of Latinos had grown slightly. Additionally, at least in the first two years of the experiment, the percentage of incoming matriculants categorized as “financially disadvantaged” had fallen from 12% to 3%. One thing that had improved was NYU’s rankings and reputation. (See this well-written Atlantic article by Rose Horowitch for a deeper dive into the query.)

Last year Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in New Jersey launched a Primary Care Scholars Program to tweak the calculus. After being admitted, medical students may apply to the program if they commit to pediatrics, family medicine, general internal medicine, or geriatrics. The program covers a 50% tuition scholarship during the three-year MD track, $7500 as a relocation grant, and $2500 monthly for living expenses. The medical school plans to offer 15 spots next year. Here’s a piece on the program and its potential future expansion.