The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matters to you in your college or grad school search.

For students interested in a medical school education, the investment of time and money may be steep. Students who attend some of the highest ranked--and often most expensive--programs may face costs of more than $50,000 annually.

Across the country, private medical programs may stretch a student's budget more than public school options. Among the 49 private medical schools that submitted tuition and required fees data to U.S. News for the 2011-2012 school year, the average annual cost was $45,870.

[Get advice on how to effectively pay for medical school.]

Students may find better deals on medical programs at public schools--and even more cost-friendly deals in their state of residence. Of the 64 public schools that submitted in-state tuition and fees data to U.S. News, the average annual cost was $28,812--compared to $50,556 a year for out-of-state students.

While tuition and fees in your state of residence may be more budget-friendly, some programs charge their in-state residents nearly as much as out-of-state students. Among the 10 most expensive public medical schools for in-state students, the average cost for the 2011-2012 school year was $38,745.

[Explore the 10 least expensive public medical schools for in-state residents.]

The University of Pittsburgh tops the list of most expensive public medical schools for in-state residents, with an average annual tuition and fees package of $44,207--about $15,000 more than the national average. Among the list of 10 most expensive public medical programs for in-state students, Pittsburgh is the highest-ranked institution for research (it ranked 15th overall in that category). Oregon Health and Science University, which costs in-state students $37,282 in tuition and fees, is the highest-ranked school on this list for primary care (it ranked third in the nation).

The F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a federal service postgraduate academy that charges $0 in tuition and fees in return for military service, was excluded from this list. Schools that were designated by U.S. News as Unranked also weren't considered for this report. U.S. News did not calculate a numerical ranking for Unranked programs because the program did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.

[Discover which public medical programs award the most financial aid.]

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10 Most Expensive Public Medical Schools for In-State Students