FAQ: Medical Student Education Program (MSE)

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-23-124

Accreditation

Can we apply if we are not accredited, but are working towards accreditation during the grant period?: No. You must have at least provisional accreditation when you apply. Include accreditation information in Attachment 6: LCME and AOA Accreditation Documents (Required).

Are construction costs permitted?: No. New construction is not an allowable cost. Costs for infrastructure development, maintenance, equipment, and minor renovations or alterations are allowable under this funding opportunity. Please refer to Notice of Funding Opportunity page 17 for more details.
Can the school use foundation funds to fulfill cost share match obligations?: Yes.
Can scholarship funds from HRSA-23-124 support current students in the curriculum created with projects from HRSA-19-101 funding?: Yes. Scholarship money from HRSA-23-124 can be used to support current students in the curriculum created with HRSA-19-101 funding.
Do scholarship awards need to be annual or can awards be made to cover the entire 4-year study period via this grant?: You may award the scholarships across the period of performance. It is up to the individual institutions to determine policies and guidelines for allocating scholarships to medical students.

Is this grant program also available for Physician Assistant students?: No. This grant program is only available to train medical students at public institutions of higher education in states in the top quintile of states with a projected primary care provider shortage in 2025. Please refer to the Eligibility section starting on page 4 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Are current Medical Student Education grant recipients whose period of performance ends in June 2024 eligible for this funding opportunity?: Yes.

Would we be able to give priority to a tribe in our partner state if we collaborated with an entity in another state?: No. You will not be able to count a tribe in another state for the funding priority. To meet priority 1, federally recognized tribes, documentation must be provided that the applicant university is in one of the states with the greatest number of federally recognized tribes based on the Bureau of Indian Affairs as published in 83 FR 34863. HRSA defines "greatest number of federally-recognized tribes" as any eligible state that has two or more federally recognized tribes.
Considering the priority for institutions located in states with the greatest number of federally recognized tribes, is there also a consideration for institutions in states with a small number of tribes but with a large total number of tribal members?: No. Applicants will be granted a funding priority if the applicant is in one of the states with the greatest number of federally recognized tribes. HRSA defines "greatest number of federally-recognized tribes" as any eligible state that has two or more federally recognized tribes.

Do the educational and training activities developed apply to all medical students, or can they apply to a subset of medical students within each class who have expressed interest in primary care?: It is up to the institution to determine how to implement educational and training activities, keeping in mind the goal of the program is to increase the number of primary care physicians practicing in the top quintile of states with a projected primary care provider shortage in 2025.
Can pre-admitted rising college juniors' programs be considered equivalent to a Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program?: No. A Postbaccalaureate Premedical Program means a program that gives college graduates the opportunity to complete undergraduate science courses in preparation for application to medical school and other related professional schools.
Can institutions expand existing Postbaccalaureate Premedical Programs as well as create new programs?: Yes.
Can we use this funding to expand or enhance activities in our current Medical Student Education grant?: Yes. You can use this funding to expand and/or enhance activities in your current grant if the activities are required and/or allowed by the new Notice of Funding Opportunity.
What is a strategic partnership?: A strategic partnership is a collaboration on educational and training activities for the medical students including development of clinical rotations for medical students.

Are there qualifications or requirements for the Project Director, such as medical specialty?: Yes. The Project Director must be a board-certified physician, employed by the applicant organization, and must dedicate at least 20% of their time (may be in-kind or funded) to grant activities.

Date Last Reviewed:

July 2023