More than four out of 10 medical students have considered pausing or dropping out of their courses because of financial pressures, according to a survey.
It comes as one student told the British Medical Association (BMA) they had lived in a van outside their university as they could not afford rented accommodation.
The union warned the “finance system for medical students in England is broken” and called on the Government “to deliver on a solution”.
The BMA poll of more than 3,500 medical students found 43% had considered leaving or pausing their course because of issues with finance.
More than six in 10 (62%) said they spent less on essentials such as food or heating, while almost three quarters had turned to a parent or family for money.
The survey also found that more than 500 students had accessed hardship or emergency university funds, while more than 100 admitted to using food banks.
Henry Budden and Sophie Mitchell, deputy co-chairs (finance) of the BMA’s medical students’ committee, said: “These findings are alarming and should be all the evidence the Government needs to see that the finance system for medical students in England is broken – now is the time to deliver on a solution.
“It is ludicrous that at a time when the Government is committed to getting the NHS back on its feet and ensuring there is a strong medical workforce to care for patients, medical students that have worked hard to earn a place on their course are being met with these difficult financial barriers.
“Medicine is longer than many other degrees for good reason; because we want to ensure doctors working in the NHS have the best possible training.
“It is only right then that they should receive the appropriate funding to see them through the entirety of their course.”
According to the BMA’s Fix our Finance campaign, financial support for medical students has stagnated since 2012.
The union claims students can be left thousands of pounds worse off on average when they move from receiving full student finance maintenance funding and transition to NHS bursary-funded years, which students usually become eligible for in their fifth year.
The campaign is calling for all undergraduate and graduate students to have access to full student finance maintenance funding across all years, which it claims will cost the Treasury £24 million.
Speaking of the funding drop, Tommy Collings, a fourth year foundation entry student at the University of Manchester, said: “When I went on to the NHS bursary finance, I ended up being something crazy, like five or six thousand pounds worse off than the previous year.
“I have three jobs, and I have had to sell some of my belongings to get by. For a time, I even lived in a van outside the university as I couldn’t afford to live in rented accommodation; the spiral of debt is such a reality.”
Mr Budden and Ms Mitchell added: “The stories from medical students who are worried about how they will manage to pay their rent or cover basics such as food, and those who are burning themselves out trying to balance multiple jobs alongside the demands of a medicine degree are disheartening and unnecessary.
“We are also hearing from those who are feeling increasingly alienated from their fellow students who have more financial support, as this funding gap is creating a worrying divide and placing too many students at a disadvantage.
“If Government don’t change this it will only discourage hardworking, talented students from more diverse backgrounds to pursue a career in medicine.
“By ensuring that medical students can retain their entitlement to full student finance maintenance funding throughout the entirety of their studies, the Government can drastically improve the financial outlook for many concerned students in England today.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting people from all backgrounds to become doctors, and in this academic year have provided an uplift of 2% to NHS Bursary maintenance grants and allowances.
“While this is a move in the right direction, we understand further work is needed to make up for the historic lack of uplift, and we will continue to keep funding arrangements for medical students under close review.”
