NHSC loan repayment program

Apply Today & Get Up to $60,000 in Loan Repayment

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program (LRP ) offers primary care medical, dental, and mental and behavioral health providers the opportunity to have their student loans repaid, while earning a competitive salary, in exchange for providing health care in urban, rural, or frontier communities with limited access to care.

NHSC LRP participants serve at one of more than 17,000 NHSC-approved sites located in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). A higher HPSA score indicates greater community need so the NHSC LRP offers two levels of loan repayment awards:

  • Up to $60,000 to primary care providers practicing at an NHSC-approved site with a HPSA score of 14 or above in return for a 2-year full-time commitment or 4-year half-time commitment.
  • Up to $40,000 to primary care providers practicing at an NHSC-approved site with a HPSA score of 13 and below in return for a 2-year full-time commitment or 4-year half-time commitment.

With continued service, all providers may be able to pay off all their student loans.

Visit NHSC.hrsa.gov and click on “loan repayment” for more information or to apply.

Primary care providers may be eligible for NHSC Loan Repayment if they meet the following criteria:

  • U.S. citizen or U.S. national
  • Work at an NHSC-approved site
  • Licensed in one of the following disciplines:
    • Medicine (MD/DO)
    • Physician Assistant (primary care)
    • Nursing (Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, Psychiatric Nurse Specialist)
    • Dentistry (DDS, DMD); Dental Hygienist
    • Mental and Behavioral Health (Psychologist, Licensed  Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist)
  • Have unpaid educational loans

Apply Now!

As in previous years, the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program is expected to be competitive and applicants are encouraged to apply early.  

1.  Find a job at an  NHSC-approved site.

2. Read the Application  and Program Guidance  at NHSC.hrsa.gov/ loanrepayment/ applicationprocess,  which includes details on eligibility criteria and  funding preferences.

3. Complete and submit your online application and supporting documents by visiting NHSC.hrsa.gov and clicking on “loan repayment.”

4. Contact the NHSC Call  Center at 1-800-221-9393  or CallCenter@hrsa.gov  with any questions.

NHSC’s mission is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified medical, dental, and behavioral health care providers working in areas of the United States with limited  access to care.