Update: August 13, 2018
We have recently received a few inquiries from students about bulk discounts for UWorld. This past spring, in collaboration with and response to requests from student leadership, we piloted offering a UWorld bulk discount in order to pass on a discount to students from UWorld, which is available only if more than 50 subscriptions are placed at one time. Unfortunately, the program did not result in the benefits to you all as we had hoped. Therefore, we are not planning on collecting money from students to obtain the UWorld bulk discount again due to the many limitations that UWorld has placed on the process that negate the benefit of a bulk discount.
We want to ensure that we explain why this decision was made as we know any discounts are helpful to your individual budgets. It is not common practice for medical schools to work with UWorld to negotiate a bulk discount like this. We hoped we could be an exception, but unfortunately it did not work. Please understand that we do carefully consider issues like this and always strive to provide you with the best opportunities and support possible.
Also, we want to assure you that data from USMLE continues to show that IU School of Medicine students perform on par with the national averages on board exams, including the preliminary 2018 overall passing rate.
Thank you for your understanding and collaboration, we will continue to support all students in their preparation for USMLE board exams with tutoring, practice exam vouchers and supplemental educational resources.
Summary of why we are not offering this discount now and do not plan to in the future:
- The discount will not really be a discount: The Indiana University system we must use to collect student money for UWorld charges $16 plus 3% of the purchase price to process transactions. Placing this fee on top of the purchase price essentially cancels out the discount. Although we were able to use a workaround during the pilot this past spring, we are unable to avoid these fees in the future, effectively cancelling out any discount we can pass along to you.
- Turn-around time: We know it’s important that you get your study-prep materials quickly so you can optimize your study time. Because of the institutional policies Indiana University and UWorld have, there was no way we were able to deliver the UWorld codes purchased as quickly as we would have liked. This caused frustration for us as well as students.
- There isn’t a better solution: With these obstacles, we tried to find various work arounds. Unfortunately, we are unable to find any at this time. While there are no immediate ways to be able to obtain a bulk discount in the future, we will continue to pass along beneficial opportunities whenever possible.
–The Medical Student Education team
Update: May 14, 2018
Anticipated Discount Price (Not reflected on page as of 5/11/18):
- Step 1 180 day – $348.00 (retail $379.00)
- Step 1 360 day – $440.00 (retail $479.00)
- Step 2 CK 180 day – $348.00 (retail ($379.00)
- Step 2 CK 360 day – $440.00 (retail $479.00)
At registration you will need to provide your name, class year, IU email address and subscription type at the time of registration. The discount is conditional upon at least 50 students registering for any particular subscription. If fewer than 50 students sign up, you will be issued a refund. Future registration dates are dependent upon demand and interest.
If you have questions about this opportunity feel free to contact Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Antwione Haywood, PhD. Thank you for your patience as we pilot this amazing opportunity driven by the interest of your class officers.
Best,
Your Student Affairs Team
Update: May 10, 2018
IU School of Medicine students have the opportunity to sign up for a discounted UWorld 180 or 360 subscription for Step 1 or Step 2 CK using the institutional discount process.
- Registration opens: Friday, May 11
- Registration closes: Sunday, May 20
Registration process
You will receive an invitation to registration via e-mail when the registration pages goes live. You will need to provide your name, class year, IU email address and subscription type at the time of registration.
The discount is conditional upon at least 50 students registering for any particular subscription. If fewer than 50 students sign up, you will be issued a refund. Future registrations dates are dependent upon demand and interest.
If you have questions about this opportunity feel free to contact Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Antwione Haywood, PhD.
Update: May 07, 2018
Be on the lookout for an email update this week about registering for discounted classes.
Update: April 30, 2018
The IUPUI treasury committee that can approve this UWorld group discount request prescreened our proposal and did not find any issues. However, they were not able to vote on our proposal this week. The request has been moved to the May 9 agenda for a vote. We know this is frustrating, but we are actively working to have everything set up in advance so we can begin to offer services immediately upon approval. We don’t have any reason to believe the request won’t be approved, but we also understand if students are unable to wait until the final decision in May. Once again, we are sorry for any inconveniences. Please direct any questions to Antwione Haywood at haywooda@iu.edu. We will continue to add all updates we have to this blog post. Thank you for your patience.
Update: April 19, 2018
Student and MSE leadership are still exploring a 10% discount option for UWorld subscriptions. We will keep students up-to-date on any developments. We hope to hear back on a final decision by April 25, 2018. Students may purchase U-World at any time, but if you would like to potentially take advantage of a group discount we encourage you to wait for our next update.
Update: Jan 26, 2018
Historically class officers have collected money on behalf of classmates to negotiate bulk discounts with USMLE Step 1 board preparation vendors. At the request of MSC and the Class of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, Class Officers we are working with the Indiana University System and U-World to incorporate the discounted price of a 6-month U-world subscription into your Fall tuition and fee assessment.
This fee is subject to approval, but if approved would be automatically assessed to Phase 1 Year 2 Fall 2018 accounts. Historically, $700 has been allocated into the MS2 financial aid loan allocation and that allocation would adjust with this addition. While we do not endorse one product over the other, we know 90% of our students purchase U-world and this process will allow us to ease the burden of class officers collecting money on your behalf.
We are working with Financial Aid on an opt out process for students who want to seek other options. More details to come after April.
-MSE and MSC leadership
