Evaluating Financial Literacy Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Financial literacy is an often-overlooked aspect of medical education. Prior research indicates that trainees frequently lack knowledge in areas such as loan repayment, retirement planning, and investing, despite reporting strong interest in financial education. Insufficient financial literacy may contribute to financial stress, burnout, and suboptimal long-term planning, highlighting the need for targeted curricula.

We sent a cross-sectional survey to 446 medical students across all Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine campuses. One hundred thirteen recipients responded (25% response rate). Participants completed the abbreviated five-item Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) financial well-being scale, five previously published "Big 5" objective financial literacy questions, five investigator-developed medical training-specific knowledge questions, and seven investigator-developed self-assessed financial literacy items. We used descriptive statistics to summarize responses. We used analysis of variance, t tests, and regression analyses to assess differences across demographic groups.

Despite moderate literacy in all three measured domains, we identified gaps of knowledge regarding loan repayment and retirement planning. Students scored higher on "Big 5" items (3.91/5) than medical training-specific items (3.48/5; P = 0.001). No significant differences emerged across age, campus, or training year for financial well-being or objective literacy. Perceived and objective literacy were moderately correlated (r = 0.52, P<0.001). Interest in additional financial education was high (81%).

Despite moderate financial literacy on basic concepts, medical students exhibit notable gaps in knowledge regarding loan repayment and retirement planning. These findings persist across all years of training, highlighting the need for structured, early financial education to better prepare students for long-term financial security.