Students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York are on cloud nine with the announcement of receiving free tuition after a $1 billion dollar donation from a former faculty member Ruth L Gottesman.

Among them is first year student Samuel Woo who was considering a career in cardiology to pay off his medical school debt, according to Public Broadcasting Service in the US.

With the development, the 23-year-old student said that he can pursue his dream of providing medical services to people living on the streets.

“I was definitely very emotional and it changes a lot,” said Woo whose parents emigrated from South Korea. He had been working as a tutor and at a cafe to help cover his costs.

Dr Ruth, the widow of a Wall Street investor, made several students jump from their seats and others cried in the school’s hall after announcing on Monday that she is donating $1 billion to the school in the Bronx. It means that four-year students immediately go tuition free while others will benefit in the fall.

She spent 55 years as the chair of the school’s board. The announcement was made in the name of her late husband, David “Sandy” Gottesman. Her husband died in 2022 left behind a billion-dollar fortune in shares from an American company. She was granted the freedom to decide the fate of the huge amount.

In an interview, she shared that her husband wanted her to use the money as she saw fit. Dr Ruth chose to direct the funds towards the Albert Einstein College of Medicine situated in one of the most economically challenged areas of New York after seeking the advice of her children.

“A big wave of relief just came over me and, you know, everyone surrounding me in the auditorium,” Jade Andrade, another first year student, said.

While describing the gift as “liberating”, she said that there were very few decisions that people brought up in an immigrant household make without thinking of the financial aspects.

Both students were hopeful that Dr Ruth’s gift would open doors for more low-income students from immigrant families.

Users at the medical school also shared the same emotions. Peter Campbell, one of the users on Facebook, wished that he could “bottle the happiness” felt in the room after the announcement. He would never forget that, Campbell stated.

Raoul Watson described it as a “blessing”, adding that Dr Ruth gave so many people a chance to be compassionate medical professionals. “I hope you all would pay it forward.”

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Cia McAlarney, who also replied to the medical school’s Facebook post, said the school should distribute it equitably to all current students, including seniors who struggled through the pandemic, just like the New York University.

Tuition at the school is currently $63,000 a year. The Education Data Initiative says medical graduates on average leave school with $202,453 in debt.

Andrade, whose parents emigrated from the Philippines to rural Virginia, said that once people remove the financial burden: “Anyone can dream bigger.”