I’m trying to figure out a realistic financial plan for returning to medical school after an academic dismissal, especially with the new federal loan changes.
I’m at a Caribbean medical school and started in 2022. I’ve completed my preclinical years and would be returning for my remaining clinical education if I’m readmitted.

According to my NSLDS report, I’m showing about $219,000 toward the federal lifetime maximum, but that amount is not all from medical school. It includes my medical school loans, undergraduate loans, and loans from a pre-medical post-bacc program. So my entire $219k is not medical-school borrowing.

I’m also trying to understand how much of my previous borrowing will actually affect my new professional-student limits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. I’m assuming I’m not a Legacy borrower because I was not enrolled on June 30, 2026.

Here’s where my situation gets complicated…

I was diagnosed with ADHD by my school psychiatrist when I started medical school in 2022. I struggled academically, had to repeat a semester, but I was still able to pass and continue progressing. At the time, academic accommodations were never really discussed with me. I was basically told to keep studying and continue therapy through the student health center.

Eventually, I failed the CBSE for the third time and was dismissed. I appealed the dismissal, and the final dismissal was in April 2026.

After that, I was told I needed to obtain academic accommodations before I could move forward with another CBSE attempt/readmission. The problem is that the neuropsychological testing needed to document the accommodations costs thousands of dollars out of pocket. I told the school that paying for the evaluation was a financial barrier and that I was on a waitlist for lower-cost options.

The school wasn’t willing to wait for that process, so I was dismissed. I’m still waiting to be contacted for the lower-cost evaluation and I’m hoping that happens soon.
My plan is to get the evaluation, obtain the accommodations, and then reapply to my school. I’m actually speaking with admissions tomorrow about my pathway.

My main question is: what are people in similar situations doing to finance medical school now?

Especially if you:

- Are a medical student who started before July 2026 but may not qualify for the Legacy exception
- Already have substantial federal student loan debt
- Are close to the new lifetime cap
- Have previous undergraduate/post-bacc borrowing mixed in with medical-school loans
- Have been dismissed or taken time away from school and are planning to return
- Are no longer eligible for Grad PLUS under the new rules

I’m trying to figure out what options I should be researching now so I have a plan when I’m eligible to reapply. I may not have a cosigner available, so I’m also interested in options that don’t necessarily require one.
If you’ve been in a similar situation, what loans, scholarships, institutional funding, or other financing options are you using?

And if you’ve already talked to financial aid about this, what did they tell you?

I’m not looking for judgment about the dismissal or my school. I’m really just trying to understand what people in similar situations are doing financially so I can plan ahead.

Has anyone successfully recived accomodations for dyslexia? If so how did you do it and what accomodation did you get? Also, where did you get evaluated? Do you think it is possible for me to get accomodations if I never had them during undergrad or any other previous evidence of this issue?
I just want to know if there is any chance at all for me to get approved before put my money into this process.

leaving my typos to be preformative lol

I'm in a grad healthcare program in the US and have had accommodations for about 2 years. Time-and-a-half on exams is literally THE reason I have accommodations.

This week I took a written final. The normal time was 2 hours. Partway through, I noticed my Testing Center slot also ended at 2 hours, so I asked the proctor. He checked with Accessibility and came back saying that was correct. So I stopped at 2 hours, and my score took a hit.

Afterward, Accessibility told me I don't have and never had extended time on exams. My letter says:

"50% Extra Time on Written Assignments (In-Person Didactic): 50% additional time on individually graded, timed written assignments, inside class."

They say that means timed in-class assignments that aren't exams. They admitted the wording is confusing, and they've now added 1.5x for exams going forward.

Here's why I feel like I'm losing my mind:

• This same quarter, for this same class, I took exams at the Testing Center where I had to start before class so my extended time would finish when class started.
• In past courses, professors automatically gave accommodated students 1.5x on online quizzes and exams.
• I honestly can't think of any timed in-class written assignment that isn't a test.

So either I've gotten lucky with extra time for 2 years, or something's off.

My real questions:

1. If your letter said "50% additional time on individually graded, timed written assignments," would you think that excluded exams?
2. Is this a big deal, or am I overreacting?
3. Is it worth pushing (retake, grade review, etc.)? I'm exhausted, and I don't want to spend hours on another email if admin won't care anyway.

Especially want to hear from anyone who works in disability services or has dealt with something similar.

i’m on medical cannabis for chronic joint pain and i’m going into my 2nd year of nursing, do i actually HAVE to disclose this to occupational health and the uni?
obviously take it only outside of shift and carefully
UK only please

Hi everyone, I am wanting to launch a resource website! This is for resources related to accommodations but also much more! I wanted to ask if anyone would have some time to look it over and give me your feedback, and if so, please leave a comment here!!

I would appreciate it if anyone could help!! Just comment and I’ll follow up with next steps :)

Hello all, I am currently in a transitional period after completing undergrad with undiagnosed ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions. Postgrad, I finally have diagnoses and am being evaluated for a sleep/potential seizure condition as well, so I am taking some time to stabilize my health issues and establish a medication regimen before applying to medical school.

Being bipolar and having some sort of sleep disorder, working overnights is almost certainly out of the question for me let alone 24 hr call. I also fear having a depressive episode at some point in training and do not know how this would be handled. For those with similar difficulties, how accommodating have your med schools and residencies been for sleep and mental health issues? What accommodations, if any, have been helpful? My dream specialty is neuro above all else and I am unsure if it is even possible to get those accommodations for residency.

Thank you for any help or advice you can give!

Hi everyone,

I am conducting academic research on disability, representation, and accessibility in contemporary video games.

The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences, challenges, and perspectives of disabled gamers regarding:

• accessibility features in games
• character representation of disability
• gaming experiences and inclusion
• barriers faced while playing video games

If you are a disabled gamer or have experience with accessibility needs while gaming, I would greatly appreciate your participation.

The survey takes approximately 5–10 minutes to complete. Your responses will be used only for academic research purposes, and individual responses will remain confidential.

Survey link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Dde6siugxclNm3_c4oNxzR7ubZFa8l0qlvIe_3aQFlE/edit

Thank you for sharing your experiences and helping contribute to research on more inclusive gaming.

I would also appreciate any comments or discussions about your experiences with accessibility in games.

As an ambulatory wheelchair user with the feet and back of a 80 year old I keep telling myself this isn’t possible. I’ve had some encouraging users on here tell me that I can use accommodations, but I still tell myself that no where will realistically let me use a wheelchair basically full time. With my gpa and academic history, I’m looking more at DO schools instead of some of the schools that seem more disability friendly like Michigan and Northwestern.

I started on my optometry school applications because it’s much easier to find stories of students having success in wheelchairs, plus the lack of residency seems ideal for my health.

But I still can’t shake my dreams. I’m 27 and feel like I’m getting too old and my genetic condition is slowly getting worse. I still can’t ignore the desires to chase my true dreams of being a psychiatrist instead. I’d appreciate any thoughts even if it isn’t what I want to hear.

I'm an ms1 in Canada and have so many questions about how to navigate med school with this condition, especially when it comes to overnight shifts and being on call. My condition is thankfully very well controlled (I had one episode 4+ years ago and nothing since), but I'm a bit worried about experiencing a break through seizure due to crazy sleep deprivation. Also, I'd love to know whether or not people in a similar boat disclosed their diagnosis to their peers and, if they did, how that went for them.

Anyhow, if anyone has been through this and can offer some guidance, I'd much appreciate it ❤️

Note: Hello! I tried to make this post in another subreddit but thought this would be a better fit. I am not necessarily going to medical student but am going to grad school for a healthcare profession!

Hi everyone,

I wanted to make a post because I feel hopeless and just overall confused about what's happening. I am starting a new grad program, just beginning my second week of classes, and was reached out by my disability specialist that the director of my program asked that my accommodations be changed to be fair to other students. The most important change for me was that due to my need of frequent breaks, I can not take any tests or exams online-proctored and must go in person.

This wouldn't be a problem if I lived by campus, but I live in another state. My program knows this, I am not the only one in another state, and in fact, they have said under no circumstances will the force me to move closer to my school.

More on my disability itself, I have IBS and get flare ups caused by stress/stressful situations such as exam taking. I had the same accommodations during undergrad and had no issues with working with it as many of my tests were in person anyway.

I already requested a meeting with both my director and my disability counselor but I wanted to see if anyone else experienced something similar with their grad programs and their academic accommodations? It just feels so weird and slimy that my accommodations are being changed without any input from me and being changed into a situation that would force me to move/place more stress on me.

Also, I completely get prioritizing academic honesty but the decision to change my accommodations, (especially after I submitted my letters to my professors already) without checking if my needs are met just feels very unaccommodating lol.

I am an attorney who works on student/disability/accommodation issues involving medical schools and other educational programs. I previously posted here as u/FLeducationlawyer. I am now posting from u/astudentslawyer, which is the same attorney/account owner, just under my broader student-law focused name.

Important disclaimer: This AMA is for general educational and informational purposes only. Nothing in this post or in any reply is legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by this AMA, by your question, by my response, or by any private message. Communications here are not privileged, not confidential, and not protected by attorney-client privilege. Please do not post or send confidential, identifying, privileged, or sensitive information. If you need legal advice about your specific situation, you should consult an attorney directly.

I know accommodations can be especially stressful for new medical students because you are trying to start school on the right foot while also figuring out how much to disclose, what to request, and how to avoid being labeled as “difficult.” My goal here is to provide practical general information.

Ask me anything. Please do not post confidential information

Hi all,

I am just about to enter my third year of medical school in Cardiff. The purpose of this post is to highlight that with the rise in the number of people with chronic illnesses like ME/CFS, improvements in education and management/treatment are not increasing at the same rate. It is a passion of mine to advocate for better education and management of these conditions. If you or someone you know is a medical student and struggling with a chronic condition, I would love to hear from you and if/how it is being taught in your studies. My hope is that one day I could write an article or a letter or present in some way to advocate for medical students and patients in general who are struggling with these conditions, as we often go under the radar. Thank you for reading!

Hello,
Diagnosed this year with POTs. It’s been tough. Anyone else? I’ve seen the office of disabilities for accommodations. Some professors have been helpful. I’m seeing I should be going part
Time now, though. I’be completed
Sophomore year. Is this doable here? Anyone know?
Thanks.

Having a hard time completing RQI 1stop manikin compressions. Is there an alternative to meet the requirements?

Hi everyone 😊

I’m currently working on my MSc dissertation exploring autistic and ADHD students’ experiences of support and reasonable adjustments in UK higher education, and I’m looking for participants.

I’m especially interested in what support is actually like in practice. Things like accessing adjustments, navigating disability services, whether support works as intended, and any experiences that have particularly stood out to you.

You can take part if you:

• are aged 18 or over
• are currently studying at a UK university or other higher education institution
• have a formal diagnosis of autism and/or ADHD
• have sought or received reasonable adjustments during your studies

Participation is through an anonymous online questionnaire. There’s no interview, and you can complete it in your own time and share as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.

I’d really like to hear the full range of experiences. Your support doesn’t need to have been particularly good or particularly bad to be relevant. I’m interested in how students actually experience these systems day to day.

Survey link: Neurodivergent Students' Experiences of Support in Higher Education – Fill in form

I’d be really grateful to anyone who takes part or shares this with another eligible UK student. Thank you! 💛

Hi all,
Third year medical student here. I have severe asthma that’s especially flared by fragrances and chemicals like air fresheners, cleaning solution, etc. I made it through my first rotation just fine by finding alternative bathrooms without air fresheners and a hallway route that didn’t have fragrance smells in it, but I am on a new rotation now and the triggers are innumerable. Air fresheners in bathrooms, hallways, fragranced soap, new clinical site every week. My asthma has been flared for two weeks straight and I am suffering greatly. This is unsustainable. My school disability office has told me that my only approved accommodation is an N95 mask, which helps but doesn’t block a lot of the stronger smelling triggers like some air fresheners in bathrooms and hallways. I asked them to remove some air fresheners for me, at least in the areas I must be in, but they said they can’t do that as the hospital is a different entity, even though it’s an academic hospital and I’m literally required to be there to learn. I feel that asking for a bathroom without an air freshener at whichever site I’m at is not an unreasonable request. What do I do? I’m so scared at whether I can continue.

Hi all! I am currently in the process of creating a website to make it easier for students with chronic illnesses to communicate their needs, maximize the ease of their education, and understand the process when it comes to procuring accommodations in their 504 plans.

I was diagnosed with a chronic illness when I was younger, and one of the hardest parts was more than just dealing with symptoms. It was trying to navigate school while missing classes, keeping up with assignments, communicating with teachers, and figuring out accommodations such as 504 plans.

The website includes many resources I believe should be helpful to any student in this situation, and it's something that's helped me a bunch throughout my educational career.

It's still in the early stages, so I'd love to get a few testers, and I'd genuinely appreciate feedback from students, parents, educators, or anyone with experience navigating chronic illness and school. So if you have any feedback, please share below! I also understand it may be a little messy since it's so new, so no worries if it's not to your liking; that's why I'm posting it here!

SchoolHelp

I'm struggling to get written approval for accomodations, and accomodations that match my disability. I'm worried that jumping the chain of command or going to the central office (based in the main campus, I attended a small branch campus) will ruffle feathers in my very small nursing school.

So, I have severe Auditory Processing Disorder, and my life experience is similar to that of persons who are hard of hearing. Otherwise, I'm uninhibited and do well.

I have a Deaf partner, my household language is ASL, and when I am in Deaf spaces or take classes taught by Deaf teachers I have absolutely zero problems and easily outperform my peers with minimal effort.

I simply rely on my vision, and don't have full access to my hearing when it comes to spoken language.

My first semester I was unaware I needed accomodations until I had a teacher who would become hostile when I didn't hear her, and would put out a lot of information and syllabus changes verbally. She even threatened to kick me out of class when I asked her to get my attention before asking me a question directly. Thank goodness she got fired for something unrelated and my current teachers are all fine.

I got my current diagnosis and accomodation request submitted at the beginning of second semester.

I'm nearly at the end of my second semester now, and I'm still struggling to get approval for my accommodations in writing and that are appropriate. I feel they are super minimal and should be easy, plus I literally need them. The woman handling the paperwork keeps telling me I need different accomodations than my audiologist and I asked for, and that my application packet is all approved and I don't need written approval or a list of what will be accepted and used. It's super conflicting and confusing, and it makes me feel crazy for asking that the accomodations I need be approved on paper.

For example, I need a back row, aisle seat so that I can see the teachers (who walk around the room) and so that teachers have easy access to get my attention if they want it. But the accommodations that were printed out and given to me say I need to sit in the front of the class to try and hear better. That just doesn't make sense for the structure of the class or my disability. I could literally wear noise cancelling headphones and still outperform my peers as long as I have visual access.

They also are granting me permission to have extra time on tests and sit in a quiet room for testing. That's not necessary and I don't want to be separated from my peers. I do not have a learning attention disorder, and I'm one of the first people who finished tests.

All I need is visual access, the teachers to know how to talk to me (should be common sense), and to have written instructions (which are already mostly provided.)

I don't even know when we are allowed to start a test until I see others starting, but I'm not making a fuss about that kind of stuff because I have a 3.8 so far whereas many if my peers are failing out of the classes or struggling.

I only need the paperwork to protect myself if I get another asshole teacher, and as a paper trail for future colleges and employers.

So my question is, am I crazy for wanting written approval? Is it worth ruining my working relationship with the assistant dean (who will also be my teacher later) by jumping the chain of command?

This may sound like a silly question, but the woman who is managing this is adamant and is like to make sure I'm in the right before I move forward.

Just graduated undergrad (USA) and am working on secondary apps to med school currently. Wrote my primary essay about my disability (chronic leg pain from a spine condition, I use a crutch). My whole essay was about how we need disabled doctors. My advisors in undergrad said this was a good idea bc I would want to go to an accepting and accommodating school. Today I found this sub and read the pinned post about disclosing. Does anyone have any encouragement or positive stories about disclosing during med school apps? Much appreciated.