Finding the money to support medical schools today is a difficult task. Every medical school in American is fighting the "budget battle". Medical equipment for classrooms and labs is costing more and more. Government funding is down, and tuitions are going up to cover the gap. Medical schools really do not want to pass the burden for all of these rising costs onto students. They are looking for other funding to help support the need for meeting the budget crunch.   Of course the mission of the medical school is to train future doctors with the skills and knowledge that they need to be a service to the local communities that they will serve. There is a growing need for more physicians in the US. This need will continue to grow as the aging population increases. The AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) would like to increase the number of graduating MD’s thirty percent by 2015 to keep pace with the growing demand. That will be a difficult target to meet because it will take money.   It’s not just as easy as adding a few more chairs in the classroom. More classroom space will be needed and more labs will have to be built. More equipment will have to be purchased to educate more doctors. More clinical sites will have to be found so that students can receive the finest training possible. More faculty will have to be hired to teach more students. And more student services will have to be offered to help students. All of these factors will cost money to fund. All of these factors are important to educating and training the excellent doctors that will be needed for years to come.   Most graduates of medical schools find themselves in debt at the end of their training. The average graduate from a medical school is in debt over $100,000 by the end of the fourth year of medical school. That is a heavy price to pay for many years to come. However, it is a price that serves as an investment for a lifetime as well. That investment will continue to pay dividends for years with a career as a medical doctor.   To avoid the burden of additional costs for medical students, funding will have to be found for new equipment, buildings, labs, and faculty. If US medical schools are to maintain their fine educational work the problems must be solved.