The Cost and Outcomes of Podiatric Medical Education: Tuition Growth, Academic Profiles, and Graduation Trends

Selection of podiatric medical students relies heavily on grade point average (GPA) and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, although their relationship to educational outcomes remains uncertain. We conducted a retrospective observational analysis of publicly available aggregate data from the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education, and institutional reports from 2015 to 2024 across nine established U.S. podiatric medical schools. Science GPA and overall GPA were strongly correlated (r = 0.964, p < 0.001), whereas MCAT and science GPA were not significantly associated (r = 0.261, p = 0.084). Historical American Podiatric Medical Licensing Examination (APMLE) Part I and Part II first-time pass rates were strongly correlated (r = 0.945, p < 0.001). Mean APMLE pass rate was not significantly associated with four-year graduation in either the 2015–2017 first-time reporting period (r = 0.265, p = 0.490) or the 2022–2024 overall reporting period (r = 0.006, p = 0.988). Across schools, mean annualized tuition increased by approximately $1045 per year from 2015 to 2023, with a mean compound annual growth rate of 2.66%. Four-year graduation was interpreted as on-time completion rather than attrition. Commonly reported admissions metrics and tuition alone did not explain institutional variation in four-year completion outcomes.