$1 Billion Donation Makes Albert Einstein College of Medicine Tuition-Free
Ruth Gottesman, 93, has donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx,
permanently eliminating tuition fees for all students. A former professor and long-time trustee,
Gottesman made the gift using Berkshire Hathaway stock inherited from her late husband, financier David “Sandy” Gottesman.
This historic donation immediately benefits current four-year students and will extend to all others starting this fall.
First-year students like Samuel Woo and Jade Andrade, both from immigrant families, expressed immense relief
and hope that free tuition will enable more low-income students to pursue medicine without the burden of debt.
Tuition at the school currently costs $63,000 annually, often leaving graduates with debts exceeding $200,000. The donation is notable not only
for its size—potentially the largest ever to a U.S. medical school—but also because the college serves one of New York’s poorest areas.
Gottesman credits her late husband’s financial legacy for enabling the gift. School officials hope the endowment’s
interest will sustain the tuition-free program indefinitely, attracting a more diverse and motivated student body.
This follows other major gifts in medical education, including $300 million donated to NYU Grossman
School of Medicine and $146 million to UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
