NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program
The LRPs provide up to $35,000 annually to repay outstanding student loans of researchers who are or will be conducting nonprofit biomedical or behavioral research, and opportunities are available in five research areas – clinical, pediatric, health disparities, contraception and infertility and clinical research for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Benefits: New LRP contracts are awarded for a two-year period and repay up to $35,000 of qualified educational debt annually. Tax offsets also are provided as an additional benefit. Participants may apply for competitive renewals, which are issued for one or two years. Undergraduate, graduate, medical school, and other health professional school loans qualify for repayment. An NIH grant or other NIH funding is not required to apply for or participate in the LRPs.
Eligibility: Applicants must possess a doctoral-level degree (with the exception of the contraception and infertility research LRP); be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident; devote 20 hours or more per week to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit, university or government entity; and have qualified educational loan debt equal to or exceeding 20 percent of their institutional base salary.
Awards: Each year, nearly 1,600 research scientists benefit from the more than $70 million NIH invests in their careers through the extramural LRPs. Twenty-six percent of awards are made to individuals within one to five years of receiving their doctoral degree. More than 75 percent of awards go to individuals within 10 years of receiving their doctoral degree. Approximately 40 percent of new applications and 70 percent of renewal applications are funded.
For guidance on the application process and NIH Institute and Center (IC) research priorities, potential applicants should review Tips for Completing a Competitive Application or contact an IC LRP liaison.Questions: Visit the LRP Web site for more information and to access the on-line application. For additional assistance, call or e-mail the LRP Information Center at 866-849-4047.
Faculty Loan Repayment Program
The Faculty Loan Repayment Program provides a financial incentive for degree-trained health professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue academic careers. Individuals selected agree to serve on the faculty of an accredited health professions college or university for a minimum of two years. In return, the Federal government agrees to pay, for each year of faculty service, up to $20,000 of the outstanding principal and interest on the participant's educational loans.
To learn more about the FLRP and for application information, click here or contact the HRSA Call Center at 1-800-221-9393.
Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program
The Indian Health Service Loan RepaymentProgram (IHSLRP) offers health care professionals the opportunity to lighten qualified student loan debts and help HIS meet the staffing needs of Indian health programs. It is open to health professionals who will commit to working in health facilities serving American Indians and Alaska Natives for a minimum two-year service obligation.
All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. For more information, click here or call 301-443-3396.
Federal Income-Based Repayment Program (IBR)
Income-Based Repayment imposes payment caps based on income and family size. This program uses a sliding scale to determine how much you must pay on your federal loans. For more information on the IBR, click here.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Public Service Loan Forgiveness is for federal student loan borrowers who work in certain kinds of jobs. It will forgive remaining debt after 10 years of eligible employment and qualifying loan payments. (During those 10 years the Incomed-Based Repayment (IBR) plan can help keep your loan payments affordable). For more information on the PSLF, click here.
The National Institutes of Health
The webpage contains information on loan repayment programs. Click here for more information.
The Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Allows for the forgiveness of college loans after ten years of continuous service in the public sector. Click here for more information.
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC)
Offers tuition assistance and living stipends for students participating in some public health disciplines in exchange for service in a federally mandated health manpower shortage area after leaving school. Click here for more information. or call 1-800-638-0824.