15 Medical Students. One Year of Service. Now Facing an Impossible Choice.
These pre-doctoral fellows spent a year teaching anatomy and osteopathic medicine at Kansas City University - training the next generation of physicians. Because of a federal policy change and an institutional reporting error, they have now lost all federal financial aid for their final year of medical school.
The Problem
In July 2024 and 2025, medical students at Kansas City University (KCU) College of Osteopathic Medicine signed contracts to serve as pre-doctoral Anatomy and OMM Fellows - dedicating an extra year of their training to teaching junior students, managing anatomy labs, and advancing research. The fellowship was marketed by KCU as a structured fifth year of medical education. When new federal financial aid rules took effect in May 2026 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), KCU's reporting of the DO program as a four-year program caused these students' fellowship year to exceed the federal 'minimum time to credential' - instantly stripping all 15 students of their federal loan eligibility for their final academic year. The only alternative KCU has offered is high-interest private loans carrying monthly payments that could exceed 25% of a first-year resident's income. These students - who have done everything right - now risk being unable to finish medical school.
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"To invest in the future of medical education by supporting trainees who dedicate themselves to teaching, mentorship, and the development of future physicians."
— Pay It Forward Fellows Foundation Mission